One of the great things about being situated in Tsuruhashi is it’s proximity to so many great venues. Now, I’m not just talking about all the wonderful Yaki-niku restaurants in the area, as they tend to “smell” for themselves. I’m talking about quite the opposite. Stuff that is good for your heart, i.e. physical activity! Approximately 5 minutes outside Smith’s School of English Tsuruhashi ｽﾐｽ英会話鶴橋校 lies a treasure trove of health and wellness all built into one nice little compound better known as the Tennoji Sports Center 天王寺スポーツセンター (Which also goes by the lesser known name, Sanadayama Pool 真田山プール). With activities such as tennis, volleyball, weight training, swimming, karate, badminton, table tennis…the list goes on, it’s hard not to find something that doesn’t fit your daily physical education need. With the Winter Olympics just around the 
corner, and being a Canadian, I was beginning to feel a little left out. So, I decided to try an activity which has long eluded me while here in Japan. This activity being…ice skating! Yes, the Tennoji Sports Center
also has an outdoor ice rink. Last weekend, I decided to ask a few students to accompany me and share in the fun. They excitedly accepted. It turned out to be a beautiful day and a great time was had by all. My wife and son even came down to participate in the fun. It was my son’s first time on ice so it was a great experience sharing it together. After an hour and a half of tearing around the rink playing “tag” 鬼ごっこ and other exciting games, the eight of us decided to go out for lunch at an okonomiyaki お好み焼き 
restaurant a block away from the school where we talked about the great time we had just had, and the great times to come.
Smith’s School of English, your friendly neighborhood English school,
and so much more!
Mike
Leave a Reply