Having fun while breaking down barriers between boss and subordinate!? A bar where darts lovers meet up.On joining Rion in 2007, Tsuyoshi Maeda was assigned to the Particle Counter Sales Department. Since then, he’s engaged in a wide range of activities, including product management, overseas business transactions (mainly in Southeast Asia), interpretation, and translation of documents into English. He spent his teenage and college years in the United Kingdom. In Japan, Kokubunji is like a second home for him.The place he most often frequented after returning to Japan was the Black-R, located in the basement of a building along the street, a few minutes’ walk from the south exit of Kokubunji Station. It’s a café-bar where cus-tomers can play darts.“I loved playing darts as a hobby since my days in England. I looked for places to play darts when I returned to Japan and heard about the Black-R from my superior at Rion. I used to spend two or three nights a week there.”Darts originated in U.K., where hard darts with steel points are popular. Soft darts with plastic tips are more common in Japan. Each competitor throws three darts, after which the total score is calculated to determine the winner based on various rules. The difference between hard darts and soft darts? In hard darts, you have to calculate the score yourself; in soft darts, the computer calculates the score for you.“I had a hard time finding a place in Japan where you could play hard darts. At this place, I learned that soft darts are the mainstream in Japan. Gradually I got hooked on soft darts, partly because I found it fun to play against strangers online. The café master would host house tournaments, and custom-ers would form a team for the Kanto regional darts competition. I have fond memories of those days.”Yasunori Suzuki, a member of the Par-ticle Counter Sales Department, who ap-peared in this section of our previous issue, is another person who’s been captivated by the sophisticated challenge of darts. And it was Maeda, his subordinate, who introduced him to the game. They happily hopped the barriers between boss and subordinate and became darts companions.“Sadly, in the last few years, I haven’t spent as much time as I used to with Mr. Suzuki due to the COVID pandemic and my getting married and moving away to a new home. I hope we can nd more darts friends in Rion and enjoy darts together once again.”After the interview, I raised a toast with Maeda and Suzuki with a glass of their rec-ommended drink, shochu diluted with jas-mine tea, and enjoyed a session of darts. My aim was less satisfactory than I would have hoped, and the darts often failed to stick. But the expectation that the next toss would go exactly where I wanted gave me a sense of what gets people hooked on the game. As the level of the game increases, they informed me, the rules become more compli-cated, and the more you get hooked on the fun of mental plays. One or two faces who were also regular customers came to the bar to enjoy playing darts while chatting with the master.“Most of my friends from school are overseas. I had few friends or acquaintances when I returned to Japan. The Black-R made it possible to expand my social circle, and it’s held a special place in my heart. I was more of a stay-home type of guy and seldom tried to explore new places to eat by myself. And so I’d try out new restaurants recommended by people I became friends with here, and join them in darts tournaments. This place has really helped open my eyes to the appeal of Kokubunji.”Interview and article by Kana Yokota17 今回のテーマOUR FAVORITE TOWN, KOKUBUNJI—RION STAFF SHOW YOU AROUNDStrolls Around KokubunjiHometown! This issue’s theme ［A Darts Bar in Kokubunji Known Only to Those in the Know!］In this collaborative series of articles, each of our staff members will take turns giving their unique take on Kokubunji, Rion’s hometown.In part 6, we head out to the Black-R, a café bar frequented by Tsuyoshi Maeda, a staff member of the Particle Counter Sales Section of the Particle Counter Sales Department, who spent his student years in the United Kingdom.❶Maeda began playing darts when he was a student. “I used to play hard darts, so I always had holes in the walls in my room when I lived in the U.K.” [laughs]❷The table designed like a darts board is the Black-R’s original design. On the day of the interview, both Maeda and Suzuki brought their own darts to enjoy games.❸Mr. Ryuzo Tsuda, the master of the Black-R (center), claims to have darts friends in every cor-ner of Japan. What’s most ap-pealing about darts, he explains, is that it expands the boundaries of one’s social circle.❶❷❸Tsuyoshi MaedaParticle Counter Sales Section, Particle Counter Sales Department, Particle Counter Division. Since joining Rion in 2007, he’s engaged in a wide range of ac-tivities, including product management, overseas business transactions (mainly in Southeast Asia), interpretation, and trans-lation of instruction manuals and other documents into English. His hobbies are darts and cars.The Black-RThe Black-R is located a six minutes’ walk from the south exit of Kokubunji Station on JR Chuo Line. Since opening in 2006, it’s become a gathering place for darts lovers. There’s no charge for admission—just a one drink order minimum. It’s a great place for people to gather and relax over a game of darts.B1F Shigeri Building, 3-22-12 Minami-cho, Kokubunji-shi, TokyoMy Favorite
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