The team had the final day of our training camp. Unfortunately, Ginowan was a little chilly under rain, and there were no visitors at the beach although it had become available.
But as the wrap-up of the training camp, coach Mendes instructed in the team meeting of the previous night to play intra-squad games using the formations that they repeatedly worked on in the previous three days. This was meant to see how much the players understood the team tactics and could take advantage of them in actual games.

After the warm-ups, they got to play the intra-squad games. During the intervals, coach Mendes walked up to both teams and gave detailed instructions to them while checking their moves.

And as they went though the dense two-hour session, the new Japan beach football team completed all the menus in the training camp.
In the end, coach Mendes gave the following words to the players to wrap up the training camp:
''I am satiesdiled that we were able to finish our first training camp in a favorable fashion. I appreciate the hard work from each of you. I got to reassure that the techniques and speed of you Japanese players are in the top level in the world, and you guys proved that you have the ability to quickly understand what I ask you to do through today's intra-squad games. So let's make a team to win in the Asian qualifier and advance to later rounds in the World Cup.''

A little tense atmosphere surrounded the team earlier in the camp, but the more the new head coach and players got to know each other, the team got to have more energy, and it wound up being very fruitful occasions for both the coach and players. 

Comments from Players

TOMA Takefumi (Sol Mar Praia)
Because we had played the UAE national team led by coach Mendes before, we got to understand his tactics relatively easier. The game of beach football requires strong physiques and unique tehniques, but once you are on the national team, you are already supposed to have them, and you have got to understand the team tactics in order to survice the competition inside the team. Also, if you don't have certain tactics but have only your mental strength, you are not going to advance in the World Cup.
As we learned from the new head coach, plus we had the goalkeeper coach this time, we spent very good time in this training camp. Because no one had an edge, whether you are a veteran player or a younger player, all of us were greedy in the competitions inside the team, and I am not going to give in my position.
Honestly speaking, I think this year's Asian qualifier will be the toughest competition ever. Iran is ahead of everybody else, and others like Australia and Lebenon are getting better. Yet we will just do what we are supposed to do with the faith in our coach. Our team can do what coach wants to do with our players than with the UAE players, so I think that coach can enjoy with us better. Hopefully, we will withdraw more option plays from coach that he couldn't use with the UAE team, and eventually aim at a higher stage.

YAMAUCHI Shusei (G.C. Nerine)
Based on what we had accumulated in the past, it felt like we added what we will need for the Japanese national team under the new system, so it felt refreshing and we saw the bright future of the national team.
Coach Ramos led the national team for a long time and he emphasized on the importance of the physicalities and possessing strong min-sets on man to man matchups, both of which we must have in actual games. Coach Mendes added another essences to aim a higher stage, such as tactics and formations.
Since no one was guaranteed a position, we were a little nervous early in the camp, but because of coach's personal character and because he was so good at motivating us, we got to be able to work on the practices in better atmosphere as the time progressed.
As coach says, Japan has already been a team that can run and defend, so now it will be up to how much we can score. I am one of the men that are in that position, so if I am selected on the team, I would like to keep scoring goals to contribute to the team's victories and earn a spot in the World Cup with an overwhemling victory in the Asian qualifier.