Introduction | Why We Created This Event
Recently, we held our 2nd Japanese Football Clinic here in Christchurch.
Eight Japanese players — men and women — who compete in the same league as me came together to play football with local Japanese children. That is what this event was.
It is not a large-scale event. But the reason I wanted to create it goes back to a mismatch I had been feeling for a long time.
Japanese players competing abroad have very few people cheering them on. And for Japanese children growing up in Christchurch, there are few opportunities to see Japanese people fighting it out at that level, up close.
More than anything, I wanted the Japanese children living in Christchurch to experience — not just hear about — what it means to compete on a world stage, and to feel firsthand the cultural differences that come from growing up in Japan.
Getting Here
Scheduling was the biggest challenge. With the players’ and coaches’ commitments constantly overlapping, there were honestly moments when I thought this year might not happen at all.
As a result, the decision to go ahead was only made about ten days before the event. I wasn’t expecting many participants. But to my delight, registrations came in one after another — and by the day itself, 30 children had signed up and showed up.
Thirty children meant I needed more coaches. I scrambled to reach out to everyone I could. (laughs) Some rearranged their work schedules at the last minute to make it happen. In the end, eight coaches joined us, and I am genuinely grateful to each of them.
On the Day
Seeing so many children smiling. Watching them fight with everything they had to win the ball back from players who had competed abroad. The look on their faces as they listened seriously to advice.
Every single moment was beautiful.
What struck me most personally was not just the dynamic between current players and the children — it was seeing kids aged five to fifteen, regardless of age, chasing the same ball and passing it back and forth together. That image stayed with me.
The weather held. Parents watched over everything from the sidelines. And most of all, the children left with smiles on their faces. Looking back, this event was a real success.
What It Meant for the Players | The Power of Being Cheered On
Continuing to play football abroad takes more energy than most people imagine.
The language barrier. Cultural differences. The distance from family and friends left behind in Japan. The reason these players keep going is simply because they love football. For most of them, that is the only reason.
On this day, those players stood somewhere they could be told — in Japanese — “that was amazing” and “you’re so cool.”
Being cheered on. Being needed. How much that means is not easy to put into words. But one thing is certain: for a player competing overseas, having local Japanese children in their corner becomes a powerful source of energy.
For Japanese players abroad, connecting with the local Japanese community is an invisible fuel that keeps them going. This event reminded me of that, all over again.
What It Meant for the Children | Japanese People Living Abroad, Right in Front of Them
Japanese children growing up in Christchurch may speak Japanese at home, but that does not mean they have experienced Japanese football culture in their bodies.
What does it actually feel like to kick a ball in Japan? The intensity of training. The atmosphere within a team. The commitment to winning. These are things that rarely find their way into everyday life overseas.
At the same time, the players on the pitch that day are living in New Zealand right now. They navigate English. They step into an unfamiliar culture. And they still show up on the pitch with their own identity intact.
These were adults who had played football in Japan and then chosen to live abroad — carrying both worlds at once. And they were standing right in front of the children.
That there are Japanese people making their mark around the world. That living abroad is not something extraordinary or out of reach. I believe those messages were delivered that day — not through words, but through presence.
If even one child left thinking “maybe I could do something like that one day” — that is more than enough.
Closing | We Will Keep Building This Place
This is not an event we can hold often. But we will make it happen again — that much is certain.
There should be more spaces like this in Christchurch, where players and children can come together. Having spent time in football communities in Australia, Spain, and other countries, I always felt that.
There is something that emerges when Japanese people connect through football. It is not coaching methodology or development theory. It is something simpler than that.
People who speak the same language, carry the same culture, and are each living their own lives in different places. I want to keep building spaces where that can be felt and shared.
