On Monday 13 August, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) arrived in Palembang via Jakarta to participate in the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. The tournament’s host city was covered by the tournament logos and mascots everywhere, including the airport. The players were welcomed by warm smiles from the volunteer staffs, as the city of Palembang was ready to host one of the biggest football events in Asia.

The Nadeshiko Japan started its activity on Tuesday 14, as they prepared ahead of their match against the Thailand Women's National Team scheduled in two days, on Thursday 16. The team conducted a light exercise session in the morning to loosen up their body after their long travel. The actually training session took place in the evening at 19:00, after the sun has set and the temperature has gotten down. The session started off by the team checking out the turf conditions through passing and ball-control drills, followed by the team getting divided into two groups, the offence and defence. The players went through their tactics and mutual understandings to stay on the same page ahead of their match. The night’s practice session concluded with the team playing a 9 vs 9 scrimmage drill with four goals.

The Nadeshiko Japan started its activity on Tuesday 14, as they prepared ahead of their match against the Thailand Women's National Team scheduled in two days, on Thursday 16. The team conducted a light exercise session in the morning to loosen up their body after their long travel. The actually training session took place in the evening at 19:00, after the sun has set and the temperature has gotten down. The session started off by the team checking out the turf conditions through passing and ball-control drills, followed by the team getting divided into two groups, the offence and defence. The players went through their tactics and mutual understandings to stay on the same page ahead of their match. The night’s practice session concluded with the team playing a 9 vs 9 scrimmage drill with four goals.

Coach and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team)
The Asian Games has a unique atmosphere compared to the tournaments organised by FIFA and AFC. We are only allowed to have 18 players on our roster, which is similar to the Olympics, and it should give the team a great experience. With the limited roster size, each player will be asked to take on multiple roles. I am looking forward for our players to display the team’s improved form as well as new abilities, to win the gold medal at this tournament. The team has been able to stay on the same page and strive for the same goal. They have also shown their capabilities to earn good results when they are in good form. We must continue to strive higher so that we can perform to a certain level even when the team is not in the best shape.

DF #2 SHIMIZU Risa (Nippon TV Beleza)
Once we have arrived at the athletes' village in Indonesia, we have learnt that many local staffs have worked tirelessly to prepare the playing environment for us. It made us want to win the title even more, with the appreciation to all the support dedicated to us. We have conducted our first training session here, and even with the different climate and pitch conditions, we managed to keep our concentration high throughout the session. The match against Thailand is our first match of the tournament, and we hope to fight hard as a team so that we can win the match and create a positive momentum entering the tournament.

MF #12 MASUYA Rika (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
We have made it to Indonesia without any problems. Both the temperature and humidity are lower than Japan, so it is much more comfortable to spend time here. We may face difficulties in various aspects, including the food, but we will just have to get used to it little by little. We went through some light trainings in the morning and went through a full training session in the afternoon today. The atmosphere surrounding the team right now is very positive, and we are well prepared ahead of our first match. With the team striving to win the title, it is very important to win the first match of the tournament. We will prepare ourselves so that we can give our very best in each and every match we face from now.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates:Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Women's】Group Stage
1st Match Thu. 16 August 20:30 [Japan Time] vs Thailand
2nd Match Tue. 21 August 17:00 [Japan Time] vs Vietnam

Tournament Information