Tazawako Hotel Ischia just hosted a New Year Party with Akita Northern Happinets, a professional basketball team of Akita Prefecture. This event came about because the team was in Tazawako Area for a training camp at Tazawako Sports Center.
A merchandise booth was placed in the lobby. Our favorite was the figures :)
The party hosted almost 100 fans from nearby cities—some even travelled more than 2 hours just to catch this rare opportunity to meet the players in person.
Did you know Akita is called “the Japanese Kingdom of Basketball”?
Many Akita people are passionate about basketball! The hotel restaurant welcomed overflowing number of guests, wanting to mingle with and get autographs from the team members. Many children, most of who belong to local basketball teams, were there accompanied by the parents who hope them to get the most inspiring experience!
A drawing was held with prizes like T-shirts, badges, and an autographed suitcase!
And towards the end, a microphone was handed to the players and this is what happened LOL:
Fun time :)
Upstairs in the IRIS Room, some players had autograph session in more relaxed mood.
And towards the end, a microphone was handed to the players and this is what happened LOL:
Fun time :)
The members were being asked to autograph more than a dozen times, but they remained genuinely friendly. We got an impression that they are greatly appreciative of their fans for the support, as much as the fans are of the team for cheering up and becoming an inspiration to the Akita community.
After a few enjoyable hours as we were told of the end of party, the team was suddenly gone. The rest of us were left in the restaurant, saying to one another what a great team Northern Happinets are and agreed that we have to support them even more... and as we were leaving, we found out there was another nice thing waiting for us:
They were lining up in the hallway too see us off! So heartwarming until the very end!! Now we all know more why Northern Happinets are so popular! Go Go Happinets! :)
Find out more about Akita Northern Happinets（秋田ノーザンハピネッツ）, please visit their official website (Japanese):
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