From: Larry Kaufman comcast net> Date: 8 dec 2005 Subject: Re: Some comments about shogi dojos, clubs and centers in Tokyo Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Make phone calls with phone service from Packet8.Order VoIP today & get Free Activation, Free Equipment & First Month=20 Free! Packet8 30-day money back guarantee. 1-877-868-1135 http://click.topica.com/= caaegt4a2i6YsbnuqMaa/ TMONE ------------------------------------------------------------------- I would just like to add, regarding the Okachimachi Shogi Center, that= =20 on average as Martin says, "The strength of the players is a little above= =20 medium", but the number of extremely strong players is by far the highest o= f=20 any club in the world. On just one day there, I was paired with a national= =20 title-holder in one game and a Professional 3 Dan in another! Also, the=20 players have the option to play rated games (Tokyo Amateur rating system)= =20 with clocks, which several of us Westerners did. So, this is the club I=20 recommend to serious Dan-level players who want the maximum challenge. Larry Kaufman ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "DANERUD MARTIN" comhem se> To: topica com> Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 12:49 PM Subject: Some comments about shogi dojos, clubs and centers in Tokyo Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Make phone calls with phone service from Packet8.Order VoIP today & get Free Activation, Free Equipment & First Month Free! Packet8 30-day money back guarantee. 1-877-868-1135 http://click.topica.com/caaegt4a2i6Ysa7fLLna/ TMONE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear shogi friends, I have spent the last months in Tokyo, and there have been some good occasions to play shogi. In this e-mail, I would like to summarize my experiences from shogi dojos, clubs and centers in Tokyo, since I know that several visitors to Japan often like to enjoy their favourite game over the board in a genuine environment. I have mainly played at four different places, which I describe below: The shogi center at Shogi Kaikan in Sendaygaya How to go there? Get off at Sendagaya station on the JR Sobu line. Walk straight after leaving the station exit with a sports center on your left-hand side. Continue straight even though the street turns a little to the right. Then you will come to a shinto shrine. Turn left and walk one hundred meters along the shrine area and then turn right, still following the shrine area. After 50 meters, you will find Shogi Kaikan on your left-hand side. This place has a lot of advantages. There is the shop on the first floor with shogi sets, books, and everything and you can also find the editorial staff of Shogi Sekkai as well as the Nihon Shogi Renmei office and the professional shogi scene. The shogi center itself on 2F is nice and clean. Smoking is limited. In all shogi centers the players pay a daily fee of around 1000 yen. There are children and women among the players. Unfortunately, there are not so many players regularly, just occasionally. The strength of the players is medium. The drawback is that if there are few players, then it will be difficult to get opponents at your own level. Shinjuku Shogi Center How to go there? Get off at Shinjuku station and go out at the East Exit, Kabukichou exit. There you will see the big Studio Alta screen. Walk straight, passing the Studio Alta screen on the left side, until you reach a big street. Cross the street and turn to the right. You will then walk along the big street at the left-hand side walk. Continue until the end of the block and go to 5F just before a Family Mart store. This place is big. There are always a lot of players from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. However, the players are generally old with just a handful of players below 40. The shogi organisation is handled very well, but the general feeling is a little bit rough, not so fresh and very smoky. The strength of the players is a little below medium, but on the other hand, every player with maximum 4-dan will always be paired with players of suitable strength, since there are always a lot of players around. However, a decrease in the number of players can be noted compared to ten years ago. Okachimachi Shogi Center How to go there? Get off at Okachimachi station at the Yamanote line and go out at the South Exit. Then turn left 180 degrees and follow the train tracks (on the outside of the station) around 50 meters and you will find the center on 4F on your right-hand side. This place is relatively big. There are generally around 50 players until they close at 10 p.m. The players are old gentlemen with just a few players below 40. The shogi organisation is a little more informal than at Shinjuku Shogi Center, but the place is nice, clean and fresh with a Western style toilet (Westerners who have been in Tokyo know what I mean). The strength of the players is a little above medium. Most of the games are following opening theory longer than you will experience anywhere else, and the players keep good shape in their games. That makes the games more valuable, and the general attitude of the players is more analytical after the games than elsewhere. The local shogi club (in my case at Shin-Koiwa) How to go there? There are several smaller, local clubs in Tokyo. This particular club can be found by going to Shin-Koiwa station on the Sobu line and go out at the South exit. Then go left and cross a busy street by taking stairs up and down. Then just follow the street eastwards along the train tracks, and you will find the shogi club on the left- hand side after 200 meters on 1F. The club is, typically, small with around ten very regular players. The daily fee can be lower at local clubs. The general structure of the local clubs, on the other hand, is often similar. The playing strength is often very unevenly distributed. Often one player is dominating with around 4-dan. The rest of the players are weaker. The big advantage with the local club is of course the proximity to where you live. It is easy to sneak in and play for just a few hours. The disadvantages are that there are often the same, few players and opening theory and good shape are seldomly seen. On the other hand, a glass of beer and a good joke are more common. Generally, in the era of shogi games with players from all over the world at the Internet and the access to relatively strong PC programs, the number of visitors to shogi centers and unfortunately also the number of shogi centers are decreasing. The visitors are also ageing gradually. Many persons whom I have talked to say that they simply save money by staying at home and play shogi at the computer. With daily fees of around 1000 yen and travelling costs around 500 yen and maybe the additional cost of dining out at a restaurant makes, not the occasional visit but the regular, in many cases daily, visits, expensive. On the positive side is of course the genuine environment, the nice atmosphere with either a good post-mortem analysis or a good laugh. My personal feeling is that all kind of Internet activities at home, however interesting, will make you tired in the end. One may also be tired after playing shogi at shogi dojos, clubs and centers, but there are always new experiences and new impressions that will be stimulating and give some additional energy in the end. Thus, I definitely recommend a visit to a shogi center in Tokyo and some good games over the board. Best regards, Martin Danerud Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Is your computer freezing up or slowing down? Repair corrupt files and harmful errors - protect your PC Take a 2-minute PC health check-up at no charge! http://click.topica.com/caaegt3a2i6Ysa7fLLnf/PC PowerScan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Is your computer freezing up or slowing down? Repair corrupt files and harmful errors - protect your PC Take a 2-minute PC health check-up at no charge! http://click.topica.com/= caaegt3a2i6YsbnuqMaf/PC PowerScan ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: = shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.= bnuqMa.= c2hvZ2kt Or send an email to: shogi-unsubscribe topica com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=3DTEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------