Ultimate in Kansai

There's a quite active Ultimate frisbee scene in Kansai, with a dozen or more teams, and quite a few tournaments each year. Below is a short summary and schedule of upcoming games. If you'd like to get more information about teams or registering for tournaments, or have something that you'd like to add, contact me anytime at

Ultimate Frisbee Osaka (UFO)

UFO is the team that I play with. An international group (about half Japanese and half foreigners) that plays every Sunday starting at 2 PM near the Yodogawa river in Osaka (map to the field). We have gone by the names "The Kinki Trolls" and "Cheez Whiz" at tournaments. New members of all levels are always welcome, so please join our mailing list or contact me at for more details. There are some weeks when practice is cancelled because of weather or tournaments, so make sure that you email before you come if you don't want to accidentaly be visiting an empty field.

Tournaments

Kansai Open Wakayama: A 2-day tournament held in Kokawa, Wakayama in March. Divisions for Open and Women.
Kansai Open Awaji: A 2-day tournament held at Sano Sports Park in Awaji City, Hyogo in April. Separate divisions for Open and Women. Pictures from Kansai Open Awaji 2008.
Disc Summit: A 2-day beach tournament held at Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyogo in June. It features not only two days of ultimate (pick up on the first day, normal teams on the second) but also freestyle and competitions in accuracy, disc golf, and others. Pictures from Disc Summit 2006, Disc Summit 2008.
Taj Ultimate: A two-day tournament in July put on by JET programme participants in Tajima (Northern Hyogo). It is a mixed tournament and features a great BBQ party on Saturday night every year. Pictures from Taj Ultimate 2006, Taj Ultimate 2007, Taj Ultimate 2008.
Fall Disc Summit: A 1-day beach tournament held at Okura Beach in the fall with mixed teams and other disc events like disc-golf and accuracy.
Ultimate Minor Cup: A two-day tournament put on by Ryukoku University Roc-A-Air. It's held in Kusatsu, Shiga and features pick-up on the first day, normal teams on the second, and a party on the night between.
Maishima Series: A series of one-day matches held in Maishima, Osaka throughout the year. New for 2009!
Kyoto League: A league that is open to Kyoto-based teams, held in Kyoto City.

2010 Tournament Schedule (April-December)

Apr. 24-25	Kansai Open #1 (Awaji, Hyogo)
May 8-9	1st Annual Ultimate Japan Open (Central and West Qualifiers, Mie)
Jun. 5	Maishima Series Match #2
Jun. 12-13	Ultimate Clinic in Kansai (Shiga)
Jun. 19-20	Disc Summit 2010 (Akashi, Hyogo)
Jun. 26-27	Kansai Open #2
Jul. 3-4	Taj Ultimate 2010
Jul. 17	Maishima Series Match #3
Sep. 18-20	Japan Championship (Central and West Qualifiers, Sakai, osaka)
Oct. 9	Maishima Joint Practice
Dec. 4	Maishima Series Match #4

Teams

Mixed

Ultimate Frisbee Osaka: My team!
Tajima Gyu: A team consisting mainly of English teachers based in Tajima, the northern part of Hyogo. They play at Tajima airport on some Sundays and welcome any new players. Visit them on the Taj Ultimate message boards for more info.
Disc-O: A largely Japanese mixed team based in Wadayama, Hyogo.
Osaka Natto: A highly competitive Japanese team from Osaka.

Open

Akatsuki: A team from Kyoto.
Osaka Spirits: A strong team that practices in Sakai, Osaka.
Tibets: A team that consists largely of former members from Kyoto University Breeze.
Trigger: A team from Osaka.

Women

Buddy's: A team from Osaka.
Freely: A team from Osaka.
Kaede: A team from Kyoto.

College Teams

Biwako Seikei Sports College - Lakers
Bukkyo University - Sallian Joseph
Doshisha University - Magic
Hyogo University of Teacher Education
Kansei Gakuin - Arrows
Konan University - Chicken Heart
Kyoto University - Breeze
Okayama University - Black Hawk
Osaka University - ENN
Osaka University of Health and Sports Sciences - Bouhsears
Ritsumeikan University - Ludolph
Ryukoku University - ROC-A-AIR
Wakayama University - Naked Brothers