A small mountain town in Iwate Prefecture is proud of its reputation as a town that has produced several Olympic hockey players.
Field hockey has long been part of life in the town of Iwate — which shares the name of the prefecture — ever since it was chosen to host the game during the 1970 National Sports Festival.
Fuji University professor Noritsugu Nishida, 70, was tasked with setting up local teams when he took a teaching assignment at Numakunai High School.