ABSTRACT
University sports are practised in two distinct categories: the kurabu, or bu or bukai, and the do¯ko¯kai or aiko¯kai. The bu is used for competition and there is only one bu for each type of sport. In 1986, at the University of Tsukuba, where I carried out fieldwork from 1983 to 1987, there were thirty-seven. Bu depend on the physical education department: they offer facilities for meetings and nominate a teacher in charge of each team. Do¯ko¯kai or aiko¯kai operate at a more recreational level and are placed among the cultural associations of the university (there were fourteen sport do¯ko¯kai and sixty-seven cultural associations in 1986), with headquarters and a lecturer in charge. The activities of each do¯ko¯kai are structured so that one student can be a member of several do¯ko¯kai at the same time; while the bu train more often and more intensively, and thus require a total psychological and physical commitment to the team. However, the two organizations are very similar, and are closely related to high school teams as well. In this chapter I want to analyse Japanese youth football – university do¯ko¯kai and bu, and high school clubs – in order to explain the purpose to which the Japanese school system promotes and organizes such sporting activities.1
