With the Paris Olympic qualifiers over and the Italian League kicking off this weekend, I'd like to briefly share my personal thoughts about this year's Japan men's national team season.
This year has been a fantastic season to say the least!!!
I can confidently say that this was an incredibly good season, at least since I started watching volleyball in the early 2000s.
First of all, the results were simple.
In the Nations League, they defeated Brazil for the first time in 30 years, and with an astounding 10 consecutive wins they advanced to second place in the qualifiers, and went on to win their first bronze medal at the World Championships in 46 years.
He then went on to win the Asian Championships for the first time in three tournaments, and ultimately qualified to compete in the Paris Olympics.
Not only did we achieve all of our goals at the beginning of the season, but we also achieved some extra results. Before we knew it, we were ranked 4th in the world. 4th place?!?! Even without Russia, 4th place is amazing. But I think Ryujin Nippon was so strong this year that it couldn't be beaten by these numbers.
As I've said many times in articles this year, it's simply strong.
We've won against strong teams and teams considered superior in the past, but in those matches, it felt like we were "trying hard," or that we were finally able to win by performing better than usual. But this year, it felt like we had more leeway.
It was natural, and they were able to show the power they had only been able to show until now, when they had to step up a gear. They didn't panic even when they were behind a strong opponent, and I've seen them turn the game around countless times. Their whole play seemed to be overflowing with confidence, and because they have confidence they don't panic, and because they don't panic they can actually turn the game around. I even felt the presence of a strong player. It made me feel really proud that our Dragon God Nippon has finally reached this level.
We had the opportunity to see a lot of exciting, powerful and fun volleyball.
Although the first two matches of the Olympic qualifiers were the only ones this year that were not like their usual style, they managed to switch gears and win all four of their subsequent matches in straight sets, which I believe was only possible because of the strong Ryujin Nippon team that they are this year.
What has been lucky for me personally this year is that I've been able to watch all the important games in person, both for work and for personal reasons.
This year I was able to watch the Nations League qualifying round (France), the final round (Poland), the Asian Championships (Iran), and the final two matches of the Paris Olympic qualifiers in person.
In France, the excitement was on as they witnessed the first victory over Brazil in 30 years.
Looking back now, I think this victory gave us a boost, turning our confidence into conviction and helping us grow as a team.
Next, in Poland, I witnessed the moment when they won their first medal in 46 years. I cried (laughs).
In Iran, we will witness their domination of Asia in a completely away venue with vuvuzelas ringing out.
And the finale was qualifying for the Paris Olympics in Yoyogi!
I can only say that I was really lucky in this regard. But as for Iran, I'm surprised I even made it there (laughs).
It was really awesome to be able to witness so many historic games in one season. I was probably the only person other than the team staff who saw all four games live. What am I doing? (laughs)
The most memorable match was the third-place match of the Nations League. Even now, I still feel emotional when I think back on it, thinking about how my beloved Ryujin Nippon achieved their first great feat in 46 years in my beloved Poland, my second home country. The Polish fans were also rather pro-Japan, and the atmosphere at the venue was great. Above all, I cried when Miyaura's service ace at the start of the fifth set... (laughs).
For Japanese fans, the Paris Olympic qualifying tournament, which was held in Japan and the media was excited about, is more memorable, and I think the players were under pressure as their biggest goal this year was to qualify for the Paris Olympics. However, personally, I think winning a medal in this Nations League is something I'm more proud of. They have changed history, which had been stopped for about half a century.
What made this year's international season special was that it was the first time I was able to cover the Europa League, specifically Poland's Miyaura Kento, and Italy's Ishikawa Yuki and Takahashi Ai, throughout the entire season.
Miyaura played in 12 games.
Ishikawa played in 9 games.
I covered Takahashi Ai in eight games.
After seeing them play in person so many times and hearing them speak in person, I could never watch the national team season the same way again. I was more emotionally invested in the games than ever before, and getting to know them better made my desire to "Go!!!!!!" several times stronger (although I still don't say it out loud).
In particular, I was happy as if it were my own achievement when I saw Miyaura, who didn't have many opportunities to play in Poland where I lived, achieve such explosive success for the national team, as I had seen him work hard despite his struggles up close.
But I never thought it would explode like that (laughs).
The current national team players are all really surprising in a good way and are extremely reliable! I'm very proud of them!
So that's my quick, personal look back at Ryujin Nippon this year!
What kind of season was it for you?
Photo: Author
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