A unique festival to popularise cricket in Japan

It was a carnival atmosphere, with community cricket matches at the Sano International Cricket Ground, cultural events with a distinct South-East Asian slant, and a wide range of food items to savour, all from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The idea, as explained by the organisers, is to try and popularise the game in Japan, which has been an ICC Associate Nation since 2005, with Sano as the centre of most of the activity.

“The Japan Cricket Association has been working hard to develop the game in Sano. We consider this cricket festival as the kick-off event to take cricket to the next stage in Sano. We believe the sport will greatly contribute to the revitalisation of the city as a whole,” said Yoshimaru Sekiguchi, Manager of Sport, Sano City.

Watch this feature for more details.