A Journey Beyond the Court
The Columbia Lions women's basketball squad left Newark Liberty International Airport on the morning of August 11, 2026, bound for a three‑week adventure that would take them across the Pacific and into the heart of Japan.
After a brief stop in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, the team continued by rail to Osaka before boarding a bus that carried them into the historic streets of Kyoto, where they checked into the Kyoto Tower Sando and began a schedule that blended practice with sightseeing.
Their first test on Japanese soil came on August 13, when they faced Ritsumeikan University Biwako Kusatsu Campus in an exhibition match that ended 53‑35 in Columbia’s favor. Riley Weiss led the scoring with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Mary Ashley Stevenson contributed 16 points and a handful of assists from the bench. Hilke Feldrappe added 10 points, underscoring the team’s depth.
Cultural Immersion and Athletic Challenge
Beyond the hardwood, the players wandered through Fushimi Inari Taisha, marveling at the endless vermilion torii gates that wind up the mountain, and they paused at Kinkaku‑ji, the golden pavilion whose reflective surfaces have become an icon of Japanese architecture.
A short walk later they stood at Kiyomizu‑dera, where the ancient Otowa Waterfall still draws visitors seeking blessings, a site that dates back more than a millennium and showcases the layered history of the region.
The itinerary also earmarks a clash with the Japanese National Team on August 19, a showdown that promises to pit the Lions against a home side eager to showcase its own talent, before the tour wraps up with a final day of exploration in Tokyo on August 20.
The journey will conclude on August 21, when the squad boards a flight back to New York, carrying with them memories of competition, culture, and the connections forged between American college basketball and Japan’s rich heritage.