Beppu is all about the Rugby World Cup

I love Rugby, and I’m super pumped for the Rugby World Cup that Japan is hosting next year. Lots of folks in Japan are excited for it, and, to my surprise, it seems the entire city of Beppu is getting behind it.

Just check out this display at Beppu Station:

Yup, that’s Beppu’s iconic statue of Aburaya Kumahachi decked out in Brave Blossoms gear.

And that wasn’t the only example—all throughout the town there were banners and posters with the saying, 4年に一度じゃない。一生に一度だ (“Not once every four years. Once a lifetime.”)

I suppose there’s some merit to that motto. Who’d have thought that Beppu, a town known more for its hot springs than anything else, would be hosting games for the Rugby World Cup. Pretty incredible, really.

I’m glad that the organizers decided to send some of the matches to stadiums throughout Japan, and believe you me, if I could be anywhere for a Rugby World Cup match, it would be in Beppu, where the RWC fever is at hot as its onsen!