October 6 - looking through photos...

I like this shot...

it reminds me of Japan, football, the kids and the great time had by all.

October 3 – Asakusa, one more game and time to leave Japan

Woke up, breakfast at hotel and one final walk around Shinjuku before checking out.  

Bus trip to Asakusa for a look around.  Visit to Senjosi Temple which was rebuilt since being totally destroyed in World War II bombings.  Heaps of shops and people.  Lots of Japanese souvenirs which have been hard to find since Japanese are mostly obsessed with foreign objects generally.

The kids saw some Japanese kids playing baseball in the park and with Maria’s help (Grant’s mum on tour who has lived in Japan and can speak Japanese fluently) are invited to challenge the kids to a game of soccer.  Fun way for the kids to meet the locals one more time and do what they love.

Another bus trip to Nagoya shopping mall for final meal and shopping and then to the airport.

Final goodbyes to the local Japan Coerver coaches, especially Ken and Eeto which have been great with the kids.

Thanks to Jason for organising the trip.  Thanks to Bugsy and Adrian and Ed for their expert coaching and supervision of the kids.

Sayonara Japan.  The memories are etched into the childrens' minds.

October 2 – Alf and Charlie and Final Tournament

Bus out to Coerver Headquarters – first off is a training session with Alf Galustian and Charlie Cooke – both co-founders of Coerver – very rarely are they together and they don’t normally run training sessions together so its pretty special.  Charlie (as expected) has a very heavy Scottish accent although he has lived in the U.S. for many years. He was (and is) a Chelsea legend for die-hard soccer fans.  Its nice for the boys to get coached by a ex-soccer player of his stature (and he can still move pretty quickly for a 67 year old).
Noah and Ethan with Charlie Cooke.

Afterwards he and Alf were very accommodating of people that wanted balls, caps, jerseys, etc signed.

After training, the tournament started.  The guys are now familiar with the concept and starting to understand how quickly the game is played.  They start with a convincing win and then followed by a loss but win again later on.   They now only lose by 1 goal when they lose or win narrowly in a hard-dought contest.  
Noah plays goalkeeper to save a shot...

They are able to compete against these teamd and be convincing in their display and they have only been here a week.  In some ways it would be nicer if this could be a regular thing – to play in these tournaments and at this pace. They have learned so much in such a small time.

They are treated like rock-stars and the Japanese are genuinely excited by our presence and all want photos with our kids.

This tour has been many things to players and parents alike.  It has been a wonderful cultural and learning experience in so many ways.  It has been an eye-opener for many players and parents.  The quality of the football here is of a very high standard (due to many reasons of course).  I can see Japan being more likely to produce players that are capable of winning a World Cup more than Australia can.  Their facilites, geography, population, professional league and attitude are more suited to producing a team of players that can play and win at that level in the near future.

I think it is more likely and more logical that our future national players ply their trade in the developing Asian region (Japan and China).  Whilst the Chinese league may still be developing the J-League is much more technical and better than our own in so many ways.

For us it comes down to what we have always relied upon and that is our fitness, grit and spirit.

Tomorrow is our last day.  Some shopping in the morning and then our to the airport for our flight home.  I never had an interest in travelling to Japan and if it wasn’t for Noah, we would have never visited here.  I must admit I find this country fascinating and brilliant in so many ways.   I don’t think I’ve ever visited a country where the people are so welcoming, polite, respectful and helpful.  Not because they want something – they are not poor.  Just because they are like that…  Where you can walk around and fell totally safe – a rare thing when you are overseas visitor.   You can leave your bag with cameras, etc on the floor with hundreds of others and know that it will all still be there when you get back...

We can only wish that we had infrastructure and organisation like this in our cities.
Thanks Japan. Thanks for the memories, the education, and the experience.
One day who knows... we may be back..

October 1 – Shopping at Gotemba and glimpse of Mt Fuji

Slept in until 7:00am which has been a luxury so far… Bought a Barcelona soccer ball (not very Japanese but can’t find a real local soccer ball.  The Japanese shops love foreign stuff more than their own which is a bit of a shame really… Looked at getting a Honda (the player) soccer jersey but it was too expensive…

Went to Gotemba premium outlet on bus which is about 90 minutes from our hotel and we actually got glimpses of rice fields and village type life albeit from bus…

Most foreign brands have a presence here as Japanese love buying the latest styles and are very fashion conscious. Of course we visited all the important shops such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok and Puma and bought some boots.  Boots here are way cheaper than at home especially if you go for last years stuff.  We got 2 pairs of soccer boots, each costing $15.20  Stock and range was a bit limited.  Also Nike/Adidas t-shirts about $11.00.

Left shopping outlet for an early dinner at some country retreat (where Coerver hold their Summer soccer camps).  Brilliant facilities again where there are 2 full-length synthetic soccer pitches alongside a hotel/function centre building.  We can only wish for stuff like this back home... Wish the guys would have had time for a kick around
Buffet type of meals with many types and varities of sushi, miso, beef, etc.  These was also a chocolate fountain…. kids loved this... Mmmmm.

Halloween stuff is everywhere in Japan - they really do love everything foreign...  Here is a shot of Nicholas and Noah together in front of typical Halloween celebration...

Highlight was a row of push-button beer taps (all-inclusive).  Many parents enjoyed this part immensely.

Left at late dusk and because the sky had finally began to clear we finally got a glimpse of Mt Fuji above the clouds!  Couldn’t take a decent picture but at least we did see the icon of Japan…

Boys are as usual at the back of the bus playing soccer on their DS lites, PSPs, etc.  If they're not playing the real thing then they're playing the next best thing... Maybe they can invent double-decker buses with synthetic pitch on top level for touring groups... I'm sure the Japanese have thought of this...

Need to figure out a way of fitting in 3 more pairs of soccer boots into luggage now….

Training session with Alf Galustian and Charlie Cooke both founders of Coerver tomorrow.  Very rare and special treat for the guys... Then its their last tournament.  Where does time go?

September 30 – Yokohama Stadium and Yokohama Marinos

Rain again – but doesn’t stop us doing from getting about.  Bus trip to Yokohama to Nissan Stadium aka Internation Yokahama Stadium (capacity 72,000) – home to Yokohama Marinos and home to World Cup final in 2002.  Tour took us through the several areas including dressing room where Brazil went before final in 2002.  Jumpers are all layed out in their original locations and players have signed the booths so its pretty cool…

Sat where Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberot Carlos, Juninho, Cafu all sat before going out to beat Germans 2-0. Visited to warm-up room where there is a full-sized goal painted on wall and a penalty spot on floor and the guys got to take some shots. 

Also got to follow their footsteps along corridor and onto the pitch. 

Great stuff… Later went into the stands and sat where Pele and Maradona sat watching the game (they weren’t sitting next to each other and I don’t think they shared tea and scones during the game).

Then we were dropped of at some shops near Yokohama harbour where we had lunch and opportunity to visit some shops. Was hoping to go up Yokohama Tower but visibility is not good again so decide against it.  Looks like we won’t see Mt Fuji while we are here…

Get back on the bus and go to Yokohama Marinos training facility for the game against their development team. 

The facilities are brilliant.  Overlooked by Nissan Global headquarters, the grounds are a mixture of synthetic and grass.  Our 10s are lucky enough to play on the grass pitch.  Even with constant rain over a few days the ground condition is close to perfect if not a little slippery.

Once again our teams are shown how a team that trains together regularly and develops their team skills and vision and passing game will be superior to a team of good individual skill that is still getting to know each other.

I am sure that all the kids have learned a tremendous amount of football knowledge whilst here.. It’s a steep and great learning curve that they are on..

I am sure they will grow into better footballers as a result…

Get back on bus and go back to hotel around 8:00p.m. Everyone is hammered and happy.

September 29 – Disneyland

Early start and we met in foyer at 8:00am and then got on bus and arrived at Disneyland at about 9:00am.  Crowds were chaotic.  We’d been to LA Disney before but numbers there were way down compared to here.

Long queues for rides made kids a little restless buy hey – its Disneyland… Noah and I went with Johnno, Jack and Zac and their parents for rides on Space Mountain and Splash Mountains and a couple of others in the morning, then had lunch and then we lined up to Thunder Mountain – rollercoaster ride on top of a pretend train going round mountain bends and collapsing caves. 

Funny highlight was when ride started and nearing completion the carriage suddenly stopped for what seemed to be too long… Then announcement came over the PA in Japanese so we suspected something was wrong.  Ride had broken down inside a pretend collapsing mountain. We had to wait for ride attendants to come and release the safety bar and walk us out of the cave through some hidden section in cave.  They gave us a priority fast pass for another ride so it worked out ok.  Things do break down in Japan…

By the meeting time of 9:00pm everyone is just about dead on their feet.

Long but fun day.  Most kids went to sleep on the bus on the way back to hotel.

September 28th – Free Day – Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Dome

Rain today but no commitments so we decide to try our luck on local subway system to get to Tokyo Tower.  On the way we find a Kamo Soccer shop –great stuff but most is expensive.  Bought a Xavi (Noah’s hero) key ring and a Barcelona umbrella.  Was after some J-League stuff or Blue Samurai (Japanese national team) stuff but it was either too pricey or not what we wanted...

Shinjuko station (nearly 4 million people go thru here each day – busiest in the world) is our starting point.  Organised chaos would best describe it.

See lots of homeless Japanese living in the subway tunnels under skyscrapers in Tokyo which is a little surprising.

We managed to work out ticketing and different lines, etc.  People are so helpful here – makes it a joy to travel.  Train travel is very cheap and fast once you get the hang of it.

Walk to Tokyo Tower from Suidobashi Station and its rainging. Tower is impressive but since we can’t see the top and top observation deck is closed for maintenance we got to mid-level observation deck.  Views would be impressive on a clear day.  Unfortunately its not so clear.

We then walk to Zojoji Temple (one of the more historic temples in Tokyo) in the rain for a quick look around.  Back to hotel for lunch and then go to Tokyo Dome City (Tokyo Dome is the largest concert stadium – 55,000 capacity and home to Yomiuri Giants baseball team) - this time using the overhead JR line express line. The city is a sort of theme-park with rides and heaps of sensory-overload sights and sounds.  Went for Ferris wheel ride and some Splash ride thing.

Hundreds of young teenage girls hanging around and then find out some Japanese boys group News are having Live Live Live concert here.  Must have done 10 kms walking around site.  Noah is knackered so we go back to hotel for shower and then go to dinner at some Sushi Train place and then back to hotel.  Disneyland tomorrow before we face off with Yokohama Marinos – that’s going to be some experience...

September 27th – Japanese Coaches @ Coerver Headquarters and Tokyo Verdy

Forecast: Rain and its all day constant heavy drizzle.  Bus transport out to Coerver headquarters in Tokyo which is located underneath a bullet train line (which are mostly overhead).  Free space is a premium in Tokyo and so fields/parks are located near train lines as they don’t build houses/apartments here.

Parents were given opportunity to sit in a lecture given by Alf Galustian to prospective Coerver Coaches.  Was interesting as Alf lectures in English and translator then translates to Japanese coaches.  Alf went over their Coerver Code – which all makes very good sense and is great to hear for the parents.

The teams went outside and trained in rain.  Afterwards parents were also allowed to watch Alf give a lesson to Coaches before all the Japanese coaches then took the kids through 4 separate training segments.  The coaches were all very enthusiastic and great with the kids and the language barrier didn’t seem to be a hinderance at all. All the kids seemed to have a ball.  What a brilliant experience!

Afterwards kids tried to dry off a little before going back to hotel for lunch of Chinese banquet (in Japan..) and afternoon rest.

Bus transported all of us to Tokyo Verdy facility (J2 League team facility).  The facility is brilliant and our teams had the opportunity to play against their development team. Not sure how this was organised but it was a chance for our teams to go up against kids that are ear-marked early for a professional career.

Jason spoke to all the parents to tell us how rare and special this opportunity is and to not expect our teams to have any chance.  For the 10s it would be the first time they would play on 3/4 pitch with 8 per side and for some reason they played 3 x 15 minutes periods. Whilst our teams were brave in defence and tried their hearts out they were thoroughly out-classed.  The technical skill, decision-making and team awareness and positioning is truly mesmerising at the ages of these academy teams. It was beautiful football to watch and a valuable lesson to all prospective players on what skill level is needed to compete at a “professional” level – both as an individual player and at a team level. 

The spirit of the game and the politeness and gratitude of the Japanese people is truly marvellous.

This was the most educational and enjoyable day yet for all…

Got back to hotel about 10:00pm.  I believe the kids will sleep tonight… and although thoroughly beaten in competition they are much the wiser as footballers and as kids - they will always remember this day….

Unforgettably brilliant.  Thanks Japan.

September 26th – Tournament Day 2 and chicken pox

Another day –another tournament.  Unfortunately Josh, (under 12s) has come out with chicken pox.  Quick action by coaches separates Josh from the rest of the group and unfortunately he will be isolated for the rest of the holiday.  Its is a very sad day for him and his mum and everyone feels for them as obviously its just a huge case of bad luck.

The coaches call for all players who haven’t had chicken pox and the decision is made to separate those that have had chicken pox (which is the majority of the group) to travel in one bus and the others that haven’t in the other bus.  Most unfortunate but it was the best decision for the group.

Tournament day 2 saw a huge improvement for the all the teams from Australia.  There is some greats skill and passing starting to be seen and some team dynamics are showing through.  They are improving day-by-day and if there were a few more tournaments I believe the improvement level would be massive.

The under 9s started the day with a win and went well through the day. They ended up coming fifth and there were some good goals scored but most noticeable was the ability to shut down a lot of the movement of the Japanese teams.  Noah had a great day and was very excited to score his first goal for Australia and it was a left-footer.  Stoked!  Probably their best game was a 0-0 draw against the Japanese team dressed in Barcelona outfits – this team ended up winning the tournament 4-0 in a final against the under 10s.  Noah played in goals but didn’t have to save any direct shots on goal which meant the team defended brilliantly.

Under 12s (both teams) went well too. One of the under 12s made the final but lost 2-0.  They had some great chance but unfortunately couldn’t convert on the day.

All round great day out. The parents had a game for about 10 minutes after the tournament.  Lots of aging bodies trying to resurrect skills of the past.  Loads of fun!

After the tournament bus went to our new hotel (Washington Hotel – Shinjuku) which is much more central.  Because we hit heavy traffic on the way to hotel some of the boys couldn’t hold on any longer so bus had to stop for a “wee” stop on side of motorway.

Went for dinner at a Japanese restaurant on the 29^th level of a huge office block.  Sky View restaurant.  The building had a great sky elevator on one side which was fun to ride in as it had great views and felt more like a fun-park ride.

Tomorrow is a training session with Alf Galustian of Coerver and then in the afternoon we will play 11-11 tournament against J-league Toky Verdy development side.  Will be a huge challenge and great experience once again.

September 25th - Tournament Day 1

Exciting day for the guys today.  This is what the trip was about.  Playing football against teams from another nation.  It was always going to be a big ask to throw a bunch of kids from different Coerver districts together and play in a format which they weren’t to against teams that play 5v5 regularly.

Australia basically fielded 4 teams – 2 under 10 teams and 2 under 12 teams.  Although most teams were jumbled up, there was basically an under 9 team and an under 10 team in the under 10 tournament, and again there were 2 teams in the under 12 tournament – one made up mostly of 11s and the other of 12s.

The Japanese teams generally were very technical, very fast, extremely good team awareness, and very, very lethal in front of goal.  Having these tournaments regularly would be extremely beneficial for all our kids.  You can see why Coerver is so successful in Japan with the different regions playing their kids against each other. And not all teams were small...

The welcoming from the Japanese Coerver people was very nice and Alf Galustian (founder of Coerver) was there for the whole tournament watching the kids as well.

Games were all 8 minute s long and play at frenetic pace.  As expected the under 9 team faced the biggest challenge, and although they didn’t win any games their biggest losing margin was 3-0 and they led for  2 of their 5 games before running out of puff and losing.  Considering they are playing against 10 year olds (and some are under 8s) and have never played this format they did great!

The under 10 team went extremely well and made the final but unfortunately lost by a goal.

The 2 under 12 teams finished 4^th and 5^th respectively and also did extremely well for their first run.

Day started out quite cool (about 17 degrees) but once sun came out it started to heat up quickly and most got a little sunburnt.

Dinner was at a traditional Japanese restaurant with sunken tables, communal boiling pots and a variety of raw meats, vegetables and noodles to dunk in and cook. Great experience for everyone.

Walked through the bright neon lights of the city before heading back to hotel to crash.

Tomorrow there is another tournament at the same facility but against different teams.

Everyone will sleep well….

September 24th – Tokyo – Calpis, anime, warm toilet seats and vending machines.

Even Qantas F21 offers a choice of Japanese breakfast (salmon and miso soup) or “aussie” breakfast.

After a 10 hour flight with little sleep everyone seemed a little tired.  

2 full size buses with translators/guides are taking us around.  Under 9-10s on one bus and 11-12 on bus behind us.  Parents are at front of bus and team is at back of the bus so they can commence "bonding" which includes learning each others’ names still for some.  Its a great idea and kids already getting on fine.

Tokyo is “busy” as expected. Stop at Akihabara shopping district mostly known for its electrical goods. We go into this Yodobashi Camera store shopping centre specialising in electronics/games/whitegood, etc.  Absolutely nuts.  After about 1 hour in there, their is sensory overload.  Soooooo much stuff!  Mad about anime in all its formats.

Toilets here are also very flashy.  They have warmed seats and have like a remote control on the side which has a optional front/rear wash thing and also have a deodorant button. Without going into too much detail, for the toilet connoisseur they are the rolls-royce baby.

City is flooded with vending machines.  They are everywhere and selling everything imaginable.

Found some Calpis - (kids like the name cos it sounds like "moo-wee" if you know what i mean).  Noah seems to like it.  We tried both plain and  soda type.  Carbonated milk basically.  Sounds too weird and sort of disgusting in concept.  If you can imagine mixing a spoonful of plain yoghurt into lemonade then I think that’s pretty much the taste.

Had sushi for lunch and it was pretty authentic.  Maybe too authentic for some of the kids that tried it… It was great. Noah got a lollipop that was in the shape of a sushi so he was happy.

Meet in the lobby shortly to discuss tomorrow.  First “tournament”. Oh boy!

September 23rd - Its time

Its beginning to sink in.  Noah played his first Summer Soccer game last night and the boys did pretty well and got a 2-2 result. Noah was also excited to be on the back page of the local papers along with Jacob and Nicholas.  He was misquoted and they were called "prodigies" so there was a little poetic license but that is part of journalism I guess.
He has also had an interview/photo shoot for Kiama Independent so seems like this is his 15 minutes...
Have attached photo of Noah in his outfit.  He was allocated No. 7 so he had to decide who his favourite No.7 was... Raul, Ribery, Ronaldo, Emerton... Of course he has settled for David Villa (of Barcelona/Spain fame...)
We are heading to the airport in a few hours...

Next stop Japan....

Preparation - September 11-12 -Training in Canberra

The 9-10 age groups and 11-12 age groups met at Monash Public School in ACT for training on a synthetic surface.  Very nice surface.  In fact, its the best Noah has ever played on and the best we've seen.  This is at a Public School in Canberra.
Apparently most of the surfaces in Japan are synthetic and so this is to get the guys used to playing on this type of surface.  Ball plays very true and almost glides along the surface.  Makes the ground passing game very fast.  Only wish they could spend more time together to get to know each other better as they will face J-League development kids who would play together regularly.  Still will be loads of fun and boys will get lots from it.
The boys also got to meet each other and learn each others names and also met their coaches who will accompany them on tour.