I’d seen the same clever-looking poster (in a full poster size) prominently displayed at the Ki-in’s Tokyo branch, featuring two cats (naturally, one black and one white) playing Go while talking about joining the course. The poster was so fun, I wanted to find out more.

For 2009, this annual course is being offered at 72 different locations, including branches of the Nihon Ki-in and various private Go salons throughout Japan. The target audience described on the poster is kyu grade members, which could be children or adults. However, because there are numerous children’s courses, my expectation is that this course targets older youth and adults. It’s noteworthy that igo mirai is also the name of the monthly Ki-in members’ magazine for kyu grade players, and that copies of igo mirai will be used as the textbook for the course.

Go’s own ‘life-and-death problem’ (死活問題)

Although I have heard people say that Japan has long since lost its edge in the world of Go, and despite the fact that the professional rankings bear this out, I find that there is no shortage of interest in Go in Japan. Japan’s population is graying rapidly, so it should come as no surprise that the population of Go players is graying in proportion to this change.  However, I have recently come to realize how vibrant the Go community is in Japan, especially after having met some players in Tokyo and seeing large numbers of children take part in competitions and classes.

From my point of view, the interesting question isn’t so much “what country is in the lead” but, simply, “is the community thriving and growing”.  Happily, in Japan I think that the answer to this second question is ‘yes’.

• In the upper right-hand corner of the poster: “Go of the Future,” the Japanese Go Association’s monthly magazine will be used as the course textbook
• One of the two Go-playing cats says, Using “Go of the Future” [the magazine], let’s study Go of the future!
  
• The poster’s title, in red, announces, The “Go of the Future” course is now accepting applicants
• Beneath the title is a description:

Maybe you learned Go, but now you’re a kyu player who’s not playing very much.

If you’d like to play some enjoyable Go with other kyu players, then you should join the Go of the Future class!

Join us for an exchange about Go in a relaxed setting with knowledgeable instructors

• Instructors: Mainly Nihon Ki-in instructors
• Location: Branches of the Nihon Ki-in and certain private Go salons (details at http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/igomirai/)
• When? Times vary by location; please inquire at an individual class location for details
• Target audience: Kyu grade Nihon Ki-in general members (Basic II) (daily admission for non-members is also available)
• Format: Lecture and discussion (Igo Mirai magazine is used as the text – annual subscription is JPY 7,500 [= about USD 76 at time of writing]), teaching games and games played against other members of the class
• Cost: Fees vary by location; please inquire at an individual class location for details
• Contact: Japan Go Foundation, telephone 03-3288-8725

[Translator's note: Although the word mirai means future, it typically refers to a distant or abstract future. So the title would seem to target a young demographic. My translation of igo mirai as "Go of the Future" could be interpreted differently, but I think it captures the intended spirit.]

Situated a two-minute walk from the JR Ichgaya station (市ヶ谷駅) on the Sobu train line [1] and an equal two minutes away from the Ichigaya subway station (Shijuku subway line), the Nihon Ki-in building is the spitting image of the drawings in the manga Hikaru no Go. (Compare the inset images, right.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to poke around on this trip, so just looked around on the ground floor.  But even the small lobby area was quite impressive, with a number of quite unique looking historical go artifacts, including what appeared to be a hand-carved go board that was clearly hundreds of years old.

It turns out that yesterday saw an important match between Takao Shinji (9p, Judan) and Cho U (9p, Meijin) in the 2009 Judan Title tournament. In the lobby of the building, about 15 or 20 people were sitting silently, intently watching a large-screen television showing a live feed of the match play.

During the interval between plays by these two professionals, I had a chance to see what events were upcoming, and the list is long. According to the fliers posted in the lobby, aside from the many courses on offer, there is to be a spring break go training camp, in that very building. For about US$80, students from elementary school through high school age can participate in daily sessions (graded by ability, from absolute beginner to high dan-grade), under the supervision of professional players. I bet that will be a lot of fun for those who participate.

There is also an amateur competition coming up at the end of the month, and if time permits, I might go back and watch some Go-playing in person.

[Note 1] Ichigaya station is on the JR Sobu line, which has yellow color-coded trains.  It shares a rail right-of-way with the Chuo line in central Tokyo, which means that you can take the Chuo rapid line (Orange trains) to the nearest transfer station (Yotsuya or Ochanomizu) and then transfer to the local Sobu line (Yellow trains) for the final few stations. [See the JR East map of Tokyo train lines (PDF) for more details.]