The Hockey Museum had the absolute pleasure of welcoming two special visitors recently — Ippei Fujimoto and his wife Natsuko Yoshiki who travelled from London to see us, but whose journey began much further afield in Japan.
Ippei and Natsuko are no strangers to the world of hockey. He is a former Japanese national team player (59 caps), a dedicated coach and passionate ambassador for our sport. Both have been living in the UK for nearly two years playing for Indian Gymkhana Hockey Club while Ippei studies a coaching programme. With their time here ending in a few months, they made the trip to Woking to explore what our unique museum had to offer — and hopefully, to uncover a few surprises along the way.
What began as a casual visit quickly turned into a lively afternoon of stories, shared passions, and unexpected discoveries. Ippei and Natsuko delighted us with tales of their hockey festival-themed wedding, which took place at none other than the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo! From hockey-inspired décor to vows exchanged on sacred sporting ground, hockey truly played a starring role in their celebration — a heart-warming example of how our game brings people together on and off the pitch.
Ippei Fujimoto (left) and Natsuko Yoshiki (right) celebrate during their hockey festival-themed wedding. Photograph courtesy of the couple.
Ippei and Natsuko duck under a guard of honour created by a saluting arch of hockey sticks during their hockey festival-themed wedding. Photograph courtesy of the couple.
That got us wondering — have you included hockey in your wedding celebrations? Whether it was hockey socks under a wedding dress, a match-day proposal, or even a hockey stick guard of honour, we want to see and hear about it! Tag us on Instagram @thehockeymuseum and use the hashtag #HockeyWeddings, or reach out to us via our website’s contact form — let’s celebrate the love of the game and the love stories it inspires.
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An illustrated First Day Cover from The Hockey Museum’s collection featuring a block of four stamps – two each of hockey and shotput – created for Japan’s sixth National Athletics meeting in 1951. The design of the whole series was issues in pairs of stamps over two years and was praised for its authentic athletic illustration.
Ippei and Natsuko take in the world’s first hockey stamp at The Hockey Museum.
Back at the Museum, we shared highlights from our growing international collection, including the first-ever hockey stamp, which was issued by Japan in October 1951 to commemorate their sixth National Athletics meeting. Another Japanese hockey stamp in our philatelic collection commemorates the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964. We also shared a Seiko clock, an iconic Japanese brand, which had been presented to the English Hockey Association by the Japan Hockey Association during the women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Milton Keynes, England in March 2000; as well as documents and photographs from international matches and tournaments featuring Japan.
As with so many of our favourite museum moments, the visit wasn’t just about what was on display or preserved in our collection stores. It was about conversations, connections, and mutual enthusiasm for all things hockey. Our Collections Officer, Dr Anna Stein, is herself of partial Japanese descent and her multi-cultural sensitivity fostered an immediate rapport with our visitors. Ippei’s insights into Japanese hockey added valuable new depth to our understanding, and his clear joy in sharing his and Natsuko’s story reminded us just how much our sport transcends borders and cultures.
We’re incredibly grateful for their visit — not only for the chance to showcase a slice of our international collection, but for the beginning of what we hope will be a lasting friendship across continents and time zones.
Safe travels back to Japan, Ippei and Natsuko and thank you both for visiting.
From left to right: Natsuko Yoshiki, Anna Stein (Collections Officer) and Ippei Fujimoto during a visit to The Hockey Museum in April 2025.
