HILO, Hawai'i – Fresh off the heels of a nearly two-week Southern California road trip, Hawai'i Hilo Softball is across the other side of the Pacific Ocean for a week-long trip to Japan.
The Vulcans will conclude their stay with exhibition contests on Sunday morning (Saturday afternoon Hawai'i time) against Josai University and Nippon Taiiku Daigaku (Nittaidai) — Nippon Sport Science University.
The team will spend the first few days staying at Tenri University in Nara, sleeping on tatami mats, doing morning exercises, chores and meet and greets with students. Other stops include Nara Deer Park, Tsukiji Market and riding the Shinkansen bullet train among others.
"It's going to be a bit crazy but overall a big learning experience and a big eye-opener so I really hope these girls take away a lot from the experience," Hawai'i Hilo fifth-year head coach Aisha Sueda said. "This trip was something that has been carried from years prior. We had to do a lot of fundraising, but it was just the support that we have had throughout recent seasons from all the families and our fans that really put us in a position to be able to take this trip this year."
Josai University made the trip down to Hilo two years ago for an exhibition contest in Feb. 2024.
"It was kind of a big deal. The players from Josai were excited. Our girls were very excited and just to see the interactions between them here was great," Sueda said. "I truly believe the Japanese people are very respectful and very disciplined, and that's just something that I want to bring to my team as a team culture so hopefully when they actually see it in real life from someone else, I think it's gonna be a big thing."
"It's really exciting. There's lots to look forward to," Vulcans senior outfielder Lexie Tilton said. "Softball-wise, they're really good — it's basically like playing the Oklahoma of Japan in a sense. It's going to challenge us, but also going to Japan we can be more immersed culturally. It's always good to get the experience of other cultures."
The trip comes at a pivotal moment in the season after recently posting a 9-7 record through a tough 16-game road trip in Southern California. Currently 14-10 in PacWest Conference play and sitting in fourth place, the Vulcans are within the top four who would qualify for the PacWest Championships postseason tournament (May 5-7).
"I have made that very clear that we are in a good standpoint right now," Sueda said. "But again, I just think it's a great experience that we can learn a lot from and take some things back home for the rest of our season."
Ten conference games remain against Menlo (April 16-17), Chaminade (April 24) and HPU (April 26 + May 1) upon their return.
