Tennis
Tsukuba Wiki: Know what the locals know...
[edit] Tennis Courts
Tsukuba is a tennis paradise. There are many courts all around the city. The tennis courts on the grounds of various research institutes are almost never full and you don't need a reservation to use them. If you go by car, just register at the guard office. If you go by bike, there is no need to register at all.
This page shows all Tsukuba's tennis courts information (in Japanese). You can either walk-in if the court is available, or reserve it around 1 month in advance.
[edit] Buying Gear
Prices for rackets in the big sport shops like Alpen and Xebio are in the range 3000 - 20000 yen. You can buy a good racket for around 5000 yen.
The Golf and Tennis shop (G&T proshop) besides Takarajima (a yakiniku restaurant close to Tsukuba Center area) sells some better used rackets. Or you can try Hard Off for the cheaper ones.
