[Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store Co., Ltd.] First held in Japan! Supporting the Deaflympics/“Let’s make the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics more exciting from Kyushu!” Event held
*Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store Co., Ltd.*
Press release: August 23, 2024
**
\ First held in Japan! Supporting the Deaflympics/“Let’s make the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics more exciting from Kyushu!” Event held Date and time: Sunday, September 8, 2024, 11:00-17:00
Location: Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store Elgala Passage Plaza
Sponsored by: General Incorporated Association Kotono no Kakehashi, Hakata Daimaru Co., Ltd. Kyushu Expedition
Cooperation: Social Welfare Corporation Fukuoka Prefecture Hearing Impaired Association
* First held in Japan! Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics*
Do you know about “Deaflympics”? The Deaflympics are the Olympics for deaf athletes.
This tournament is held around the world every four years, but it is scheduled to be held in Tokyo next year in 2025.
This is the first Deaflympics to be held in Japan in its long history, with the first event being held in Paris, France in 1924. Next year’s Tokyo Games will mark the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympics. We want everyone to get excited about such a special sports festival “Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics”!
I want to expand the understanding of the Deaflympics and Deaf Sports! With this in mind, we are holding an event to build momentum for the Deaflympics.
* A highly successful differential athlete appears! Event introduction* During the event, there will be plenty of opportunities to interact with athletes, such as talk sessions and quiz competitions!
*Last World Cup Japan national team captain*
■* Takumi Matsumoto*
He started playing soccer in the 3rd grade of elementary school, and in his 2nd year on the Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School soccer team, he discovered def soccer and became a member of the Japan national team. This year marks his 18th year.
He has participated in three Deaflympics, and led the team as captain at the World Cup held in Malaysia last year, winning the runner-up spot for the first time in history and being selected for the Outstanding Goalkeeper Award.
As a disabled athlete employee of Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, he continues to give lectures all over the country.
In 2021, he also received the “Para-Athlete Peace Prize” (Dare to Overcome Tokyo Award).
* Achieved the great feat of winning four medals by himself! * * ■Maki Yamada*
Attended Tokyo Metropolitan Central School for the Deaf until high school, then entered Tokyo Keizai University.
After graduating, he joined Fuchigami Fines Co., Ltd. as an athlete employee, and has been an athlete for 11 years. He has won many medals at the Deaflympics, including a gold medal, and is a leading figure in Deaf track and field, holding the Japanese Deaf record in the 200m. At the “5th World Deaf Athletics Championships” to be held at the end of July 2024, Japanese athletes won a total of 12 medals, and he accomplished the feat of winning 4 medals by himself!
While active as an athlete, he also works as an actor on TV, on stage, and in plays, making him a multi-talented medalist actor.
* Natural speed and spring spirit *
* ■Mai Kamata*
He is a member of the Seinan Gakuin University badminton club (currently retired) and participates in national training camps and international tournaments as a member of Japan’s deaf badminton team. Reinforcement designated player/National Team A representative (women’s), 5th year as a representative.
With his “natural speed and energy,” “we hope you can enjoy the game with us while imagining what it would be like to play without sound.” He is one of the golden generation of top deaf badminton athletes.
*Characteristics include power and high-quality shots*
* ■Mai Yakabe*
Yakebe and her older sister Ayaka are famous in the deaf badminton world as the “Yagabe Sisters.” He joined the Deaf Badminton Club when he was 5 years old, and spends his days working hard with the members, including Monka. 6 years of representative experience. Characterized by “powerful and high-quality shots,” he emphasizes the appeal of defective badminton as “a psychological game where you play by reading your opponent’s personality and tactics.” He is one of the golden generation of top deaf badminton athletes.
*Introducing part of the stage program*
*●Talk session by Deaf athletes*
A valuable talk session where you can talk about the differences between regular sports and deaf sports, the unique appeal of deaf sports, and his thoughts on the Deaflympics from the perspective of the athletes themselves.
*●Sign language class by Deaf athletes*
Have fun learning sign language from athletes, from basic sign language that you can use right away to sign language related to the Deaflympics.
*●Deaflympics Quiz by Deaf Athlete*
This true/false quiz about the Deaflympics is sure to make you say, “Wow!” over and over again!
This is a quiz competition where you can learn while having fun. *●Kumamon Stage*
Kumamoto Prefecture’s PR mascot character “Kumamon” will be there to support the Deaflympics.
Don’t miss the stage performance by Kumamon, who is popular in Japan and all over the world!
* tell! feel! enjoy! Attractive booth*
* ●Communication booth *
* ・Let’s make the “Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics” exciting from Kyushu! Support message corner*
Support message corner where anyone can write. A message of support for deaf athletes on the Japanese flag banner,
Please feel free to write down your thoughts on the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, etc.
* ●Feeling booth *
*・Interaction booth with Deaf athletes*
This is a booth where you can easily interact with differential athletes. You may discover new things through chatting and asking questions.
* ・Experience corner for hearing things using VR * Using VR goggles, This is a corner where you can experience what happens when people who are hard of hearing play differential sports. This is an experience that will deepen your understanding of deaf sports, Deaflympics, and hearing loss.
* ・Panel corner where you can learn about Deaflympics *
What is Deaflympics? There are many people who start with this. What is the history of the Deaflympics? What kind of tournament is it? We have set up panels to learn about the Deaflympics.
* ・Fujitsu “ontenna” experience booth *
Ontenna is a completely new user interface that can be worn on your hair, earlobes, collar, sleeves, etc., and allows you to feel the characteristics of sound through your body through vibration and light. Let’s experience various sounds with Ontenna, which can be enjoyed by both deaf and hearing people.
* ●Enjoying booth *
* ・STREET SPOT CAFE (kitchen car) *
We operate out of a kitchen car as a coffee and hamburger shop. The coffee is made using specialty coffee beans and extracted using an espresso machine. All of our burgers are original, so we want you to fully enjoy the flavors that can only be found here.
And this time, as someone who is also deaf, I would like to help spread the word about the Deaflympics to more people and make it more exciting, by providing some delicious food*. *
* ・Seasonal apple candy Appriti*
Since opening, this workplace has had staff with both normal hearing and hearing loss working together. We try to make things easy for the elderly and children to understand, such as pointing menus.
We use reduced pesticide apples from Mori Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, and safe and secure apples delivered directly from Iwate Apple Farm. Coated candy is additive-free and has no coloring. We use the most delicious apples of the season. When we have many varieties in stock, we ask our customers to choose the apple variety.
*Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store is a group company of Daimaru
Matsuzakaya Department Store Co., Ltd.
Access:
Nishitetsu train “Fukuoka (Tenjin) station”
Nishitetsu Bus “Tenjin Daimaru-mae”
Nishitetsu Bus “Nishitetsu Bus Terminal Mae”
Subway Nanakuma Line “Tenjin Minami Station”
Address: Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store, 1-4-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8717 TEL: 092-712-8181 (main)
[Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store]
HP: https://www.daimaru.co.jp/fukuoka/
LINE: https://lin.ee/aBzxP4w
Instagram: @daimaru_fukuoka (https://www.instagram.com/daimaru_fukuoka/) X (old Twitter): @daimaruFUKUOKA (https://x.com/daimaruFUKUOKA)