The other day, I tweeted the following about the Polish media's comments on the Japanese national team.
This is a page introducing the Japanese team in a booklet for the Volleyball World Championships called Skarb KIBICA, produced by the Polish sports newspaper PRZEGLĄD SPOLTOWY. It received a surprisingly good response, so I decided to translate the entire text.
Please note that the translation may not be accurate and some parts may be difficult to read in Japanese.
I also omitted the introduction of Mr. Bran. Sorry, Mr. Bran.
"Great defenders, celebrities on the court."
Japan was once a volleyball powerhouse, and is currently undergoing a renaissance under Philippe Blanc, but their short stature has hindered them.
"I think we are lucky that Cuba's best players are not playing for the national team outside of the country, because if they were, we would be competing for the championship. And one more thing, I'm grateful that Japanese players are not 10-15cm taller than they are now, because if they were, it would be much tougher for us to get on the podium," Wolfdogs Nagoya player Bartosz Kurek once said when asked about the level of the Japanese league.
The Japanese national team, which was a dazzling sight to see in this year's Nations League, has long been known for being a technically excellent and flawlessly playing defensive team. They finished the Nations League qualifying round in fifth place. Who knows how they would have finished in Bologna had Ishikawa Yuki not suffered an ankle injury in training just before the quarterfinal against France. Ishikawa is Japan's biggest star. The other star is opposite Nishida Yuji. The two have brilliant attacks and great serves.
Players from the "Land of Cherry Blossoms" (as Japan is known in Poland) are increasingly traveling to European clubs, with two squad members currently plying their trade in Italy and reserve opposite Miyaura Kento a new player at PSG Stadt Nisa.
Japanese fans will go anywhere for their idols who are among the most popular celebrities in their country. It is interesting to note that Ishikawa's fans in Japan and Thailand supported the Milan team by purchasing as many as 60 season tickets when they were unable to fly to see the games due to the pandemic.
The Japanese athletes are getting stronger thanks to well-known Polish coach Filip Brand, who has been working with them for five years, but their glory days (three Olympic medals, including a gold in 1972) are long gone.
Yuki Ishikawa
The greatest star in the Japanese squad. Having played in Serie A for eight years, Allianz Milan is already the fifth club in Ishikawa's Italian career.
He comes from a very athletic family: his father was a runner, his mother played basketball, and both his older and younger sisters play volleyball; his younger sister, Mayu, also plays outside hitter and was selected for Japan's Olympic team last year.
During the 2015 World Cup, he was selected to the Dream Team as the tournament's best outside hitter.
He has a large fan base in Japan and can be seen in commercials for major domestic companies. He has been the team captain since last year.
thoughts
I was happy to read that they didn't know what would have happened if Ishikawa hadn't been injured in the Nations League, as it seemed to be a genuine recognition of his ability.
Also, I do get the feeling that Japanese fans are a little different from European fans and that they find that strange.
What were your impressions?
English 
Japanese