■Launch of the Saikouisen USA Online Academy
Our organization offers a training course for those who want to become a professional mahjong player called the Saikouisen Academy.
Courses are held in Tokyo and Osaka.
*Click here for details regarding the Saikouisen Academy (Tokyo)
*Click here for details regarding the Saikouisen Academy (Kansai)
We are introducing a new online lesson format where the language used is limited to English and pleased to announce the launch of the Saikouisen USA Online Academy.
・Those who have difficulty reading, writing and listening Japanese
・Those who have difficulty commuting to Tokyo or Osaka
This is a program that you can easily take without those restrictions.
■Saikouisen USA Online Academy details
Start Date: Every Thursday starting July 11th, 2024.
Time: 6PM until 9PM Pacific Time
Location: Online using Discord
Fees: $50 USD for Japanese speaking guest pro with English translation. $20 for English speaking pro
| Contents | Date | |
| Round 1.1 | Point Calculation (Japanese guest pro instructor) | July 11th (Thursday) |
| Round 1.2 | What is the Wait (Japanese guest pro instructor) | July 18th (Thursday) |
| Round 1.3 | Tiles to Tenpai (Japanese guest pro instructor) | July 25th (Thursday) |
| Round 2.1 | Point Calculation (English guest pro instructor) | August 1st (Thursday) |
| Round 2.2 | What is the Wait (English guest pro instructor) | August 8th (Thursday) |
| Round 2.3 | Tiles to Tenpai (English guest pro instructor) | August 15th (Thursday) |
We will continue to repeat the 3 sections in Rounds until we determine the actual pro test date. For the first Round, we will have a guest pro instructor from Japan, which will be translated by an English speaking pro. From the second Round onwards until the actual pro test date, the classes will be taught by our English speaking pro only.
You can choose to take the classes in the course individually, so if you are interested, please check the course details before applying.
For inquiries, please contact us at
info@saikouisen-usa.com
■Saikouisen Pro Test (in Los Angeles)
We will be holding the Saikouisen Pro Test in Los Angeles, California USA.
*Scheduled for October 2024. We will provide additional information as soon as the details are available.
At the time of submitting your application, you can select “English” or “Japanese” as your preferred language to be used for the test.
■From President Kiyoshi Niitsu
“Saikouisen has been putting effort in recent years, as the purpose of the organization’s activities to ‘spread and develop mahjong’ and ‘contribute to the improvement and development of mahjong culture.’
To provide some examples for what we did within Japan, the Kansai headquarters was established in 2013, and since then, we have expanded to Hokkaido, Tokai, Niigata, Kyushu, and Tohoku regions. The reason why we are expanding our branches, is to make our wish of making those who want to be able to experience the culture of Saikouisen mahjong, without being restricted by their area of residence or what stage they are in life, into reality.
As of 2024, we are active in 7 branches in Japan, and each branch holds the Saikouisen League, Pro-Amature League, and Pro Test. The exchange between each region (headquarters/branch) consists of player communication, knowledge and information sharing, and competition also seem to be gaining momentum.
Looking outside Japan, the number of mahjong enthusiasts is increasing regardless of nationality, gender, or age, due to the rise of the M.League, the development of online mahjong games, and hosting of various world tournaments.
Currently, there are 5 Saikouisen members living in Los Angeles, and they are working hard to ensure the number of players to fulfill the structure of our competition league.
If we can prepare the environment, it is possible to ‘establish a Los Angeles branch’ and ‘establish a Saikouisen Los Angeles league’ in 2025 (50th Season) at the earliest.
‘The spread and development of mahjong, unrestricted by national borders or nationalities.’
Please look forward to a new start for Saikouisen, as we will celebrate our 50th anniversary.
