As our first attempt, we hosted this event to deepen the engagement between UBS workers and the OFP members from JII through playing the game of “Go”.
This event featured the esteemed Dr. Iizuka, a master student of the Japan Go Organization (Nihon Ki-in) who also is a career doctor. She thoroughly explained to us the fundamental rules of Go in a way that was easy for even beginners to understand.
The ages of the participants varied – from children to adults.
Although the players present were all beginners of Go except for one elementary school participant, everyone was able to play Go within a single hour!
Everyone was excited through their individual and paired games of Go.
The final team game was the team of the adult beginners against the team of the experienced children – it was certainly an intense battle.
In the end, the adult team managed to win the game. That being said, everyone gave a round of applause to the children’s team who put up a great fight against them.
In team Go, if team members discuss their strategy with their partner, their opponents will know their move.
To combat this, the team members were trying to communicate through gestures or whispering.
While trying to read the moves and strategies of their opponents, the participants who had only just met for the first time had successfully deepened their connection through Go.
Most of the participants were foreigners.
Helped by the fun-filled Go game, which is equal parts simple yet profound, we believe that everyone enjoyed spending time together regardless of the language and the age differences, in an almost mock-OFP experience.
Lastly, we believe that an enjoyable relationship naturally builds a spirit of mutual assistance between people.
We would love it if everyone at UBS could join our OFP activities next time with a project like On-The-Spot Otonari-san and help support foreign residents in Japan.