http://archive.pov.org/kokoyakyu/film-description/
This film is a documentary about two high school baseball teams in Japan. The filmmakers were given very rare access to the teams/players as they competed in regional tournaments with hopes to make it to the national championship, Koshien, held every summer in Osaka.
There are a lot of aspects and themes that American students (athletes or not) can relate to and connect with in this documentary. It also does a wonderful job, in my opinion, of examining the "fighting spirit" and notion of teamwork (the importance of the group over the individual) that exisits in Japan to a very different degree than here in the States.
It is also fascinating for anyone who doesn't know much about baseball in Japan. You'll find yourself being reminded throughout the film that this is all HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL. Not the pros. Baseball is a HUGE deal in Japan, and this film helps show just to what extent!
The link I've provided above is from POV's archives, as their updated site (https://www.pbs.org/pov/watch/kokoyakyu/) doesn't have nearly the same resources or information. It is a wonderful film (especially for high schoolers and/or athletes) and I highly recommend it to anyone teaching about or intersted in Japanese culture -- baseball fans or otherwise!
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