Ice Hockey
Tomakomai is the hub for ice hockey in Hokkaido. Even the mascot holds an ice hockey stick! The city is littered with ice arenas, and during winter, there is an open air
ice arena that opens where you can try out speed skating if you're interested! During the hot summers, the ice arenas were always a nice getaway to practice my ice skating skills!
Almost everyday Tokiwa Skate Center (near Minami High School) has "ippan kasso" (general admission), with enterance fees and skate rentals only being a couple hundred yen!
If you really wanna dedicate, you can find cheap ice skates at the second hand stores here like "Big Barn"!
Like I said previously, the highschools have their own teacher led hockey teams! So getting some good skating practice at the arenas will really impress the teachers!
Broomball
Can't skate? Try broomball! Broomball is like ice hockey minus the skates. Instead you run on the ice with these special non-slip shoes (that doesn't mean that slippage doesn't happen!) Tomakomai is also a hub for broomball and is kind of a right of passage for the ALTs here thanks to Mr. Broomball (Rob)! He will sell it to you hard and as tradition goes, you gotta try it at least once! All levels are welcome so it is a nice mix of ALTs, community members, and everything in between! Games are usually on a Sunday, so it is a nice way to have some stress relief before the work week~ Were you really in Tomakomai if you didn't play broomball?!
Skiing and Snowboarding
To complete the Tomakomai winter sport trifecta, we have skiing and snowboarding. Before Hokkaido, I didn't do either, but it is SO cheap here compared to the US it would be a waste not to! The lift tickets were always so cheap! The rentals could get expensive, so I highly suggest getting your own at a second hand shop if you plan to go even a couple times! If I could go back in time I definitely would've purchased some gear instead of always renting. There are so many ski resorts close to Tomakomai! Namely, the Noboribetsu Ski Resort (San Lavia Ski) gives a sweet discount for those of us residing in the Iburi district!
