by Cameron Reed
Tightly nestled on the north shore of Osaka Bay, the capital of the Hyōgo Prefecture – Kobe, is certainly one of Japan’s most beguiling cities. Globally distinguished for its delectable Kobe Wagyu beef, unadulterated mineral-rich sake and picturesque mountains which harmoniously overlook the city, Kobe is seamlessly able to blend contemporary life and traditional heritage concurrently.
With its markedly courteous demeanour and tenacious-minded spirit fulfilling the city’s prophecy, Kobe could be politely condoned for its absence of footballing grandeur. However, over the past decade, Kobe’s footing within the beautiful game has flourished exponentially – world-renowned superstars including Andres Iniésta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski have all graced the turf of Vissel Kobe’s Noevir Stadium. As Kobe’s homegrown darling and iconic poster boy – Shinji Kagawa, wowed crowds with a number of dazzling performances for Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Manchester United in England, the city’s beloved football club – Vissel Kobe, delivered five major domestic trophies within a decade to its astonished, yet jubilant fan base.
This meteoric rise in footballing status aligned with a determination to preserve customary values and a uniqueness of Eastern and Western cultural influences invariably disembarking at the Port of Kobe, it is little wonder that the Kobe-jin maintain an unparalleled disposition towards life. One particular Kobe-jin who is endeavouring to make a name for himself is FC Džiugas Telšiai maestro – Hirotaka Yamada. Technically gifted with superior levels of footballing intelligence beyond his years, Hirotaka is aiming to become Kobe’s next star, following in the fabled footsteps of his native predecessor – Shinji Kagawa. Beginning in Japan, switching to Germany and currently plying his trade in the Lithuanian A-Lyga, Hirotaka is well and truly on his way.
In this exclusive interview, Baltic Football News caught up with Hirotaka to discover more about his fascinating adventure to date from Asia to Europe, his experiences in Lithuania and within Lithuanian football, plus further insight into Hirotaka’s resolute character and life outside of football.
Growing up in Kobe, how did you first become interested in football? Do you come from a sporting family? Perhaps, there are some football clubs and players in Japan or around the world who you enjoyed watching?
Well, my father was extremely interested and passionate about football – he played competitively in an amateur league. Furthermore, there was also my older brother who played regularly for a local football club; therefore, I rapidly became interested in football and began playing at the same local club as my brother when I was four-years old. Believe it or not, my father was not a fan of Kobe’s dominant club – Vissel Kobe, he preferred another J1 League club known as Gamba Osaka. In fact, my father even used to take me with him to watch some of Gamba Osaka’s matches – Osaka is around thirty-minutes away from Kobe. But, since I was born and raised in Kobe, I also went to watch Vissel Kobe’s games too. At around that time, I adored watching Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, some of the things that they could do with the ball were truly mesmerizing!
Football is an extremely popular sport in Japan nowadays and it’s continuously growing. You began your career at Kyoto Sanga Under-18s, before moving onto Keio University’s football team. Can you explain to us about youth football in Japan – have you played against any well-known players and do many young Japanese players aim to leave Japan in order to play in Europe?
So, in Japan there are three main pathways which youth players typically opt for: signing up to an academy of a J.League club, playing competitively for a high school team or simply joining a local football club. I played for a local club when I was in junior high school, although I staunchly wanted to join a J.League club academy, similarly to many other boys. When I started high school, I participated in a trial at Kyoto Sanga FC Under-18s – fortunately for me, I succeeded and became a proud member of the team. Following my graduation from high school, I was not moved up to Kyoto Sanga’s first team (only one player from my age group was selected to take the next step up). Typically, many players in Japan who do not manage to turn professional after high school choose to go to university and continue playing competitive football there.
I successfully passed Keio University’s entrance examination in Tokyo before immediately joining the university’s football club. Regarding well-known players who I’ve competed against, I’d say that Takefusa Kubo was the one who most impressed me – he currently plays for Real Sociedad in Spain. Most of the current Japanese National Team players are now playing in Europe, and it has become incredibly difficult to be selected for the National Team whilst playing in the J.League. Players such as Wataru Endō, Kaoru Mitoma and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all playing for top European sides. Because of these trends, more and more Japanese players are aspiring to play professionally in Europe.
What subject did you major in at Keio University – did you enjoy studying? Upon completing your education, you moved to Europe for the first time, spending two years in Germany playing for Viktoria Arnoldsweiler and SV Straelen. How did you feel emotionally having to leave your family and friends in order to move to Germany?
My major at Keio University was in Policy Management – the topic of my graduation thesis was, ‘The Impact and Effect of Germany’s Multi-Sport Clubs on Local Communities’. Balancing my studies alongside football was particularly challenging, but to be honest, I would not have had it any other way, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! I eagerly wanted to play in Europe as soon as was possible, so I did not feel lonely at all when I first moved to Germany – I was instead hugely excited. Football is very popular in Germany; you immediately feel just how important football is within German culture. Even in the Regionalliga (4th division), some clubs get 10,000 – 20,000 fans attending their games, it’s absolutely unbelievable. The intensity in German football is rather high and players must possess a number of individual qualities. In daily life away from football, I was honestly struggling to get the hang of the German language. I arduously attempted to learn German, however I eventually gave up. Whilst with my teammates, I usually communicated in English, so to this day, I still am unable to speak much German.
Following your spell in Germany, you then moved to Lithuania – did you enjoy both living and playing football in Kėdainiai for FK Nevėžis? Perhaps, you felt a bit of a culture shock?
At first, I was taken aback at the cost of living in Lithuania – it was much lower compared to that of Germany, especially in terms of groceries, SIM cards and Bolt rides etc. When I was playing at FK Nevėžis, I managed to play the most minutes out of the entire team, therefore from a football standpoint, it was an extremely fulfilling experience for me personally. You know, I even played as a striker, which was a completely new position for me, and to be brutally honest, it was quite challenging, although I did benefit with regards to my player positioning.
The most satisfying memory from my time at FK Nevėžis was when I scored a bicycle-kick in additional time of the second half against FK Babrungas, a Samogitian club from Plungė – I’d even go as far to say that it was the best goal that I’ve ever scored, not only in my professional career, but also in my life!
On a more personal note, have you been enjoying living in Lithuania so far – do you feel at home? Perhaps, there are some things which you miss from home such as Japanese culture or food?
Life is rather repetitive for me, it basically involves going back and forth between the training ground, then the supermarket and home – that’s about it. However, this lifestyle has allowed me to focus purely on football, even more so than when I was in Germany and Japan. When I’m at home, I’ve been studying and watching numerous football matches and football videos that help with my development as a player, and since I usually cook for myself each day, it has had a very positive impact on my football, both mentally and physically, so I do indeed like the lifestyle that I have here in Lithuania. However, my stomach and soul immensely miss Japanese food – one of my biggest wishes for the near future is that a Japanese restaurant would open in Telšiai, that would be wonderful.
Following a very successful period at FK Nevėžis, you took the next step-up to the A Lyga, signing for FC Džiugas Telšiai last summer. You appear to have adapted to the A-Lyga rather quickly, putting in some excellent performances! How are you currently enjoying life in Telšiai so far?
As I commented previously, football is very much part of my everyday life here – it dominates my time from morning until night. I would also add that it’s really enjoyable to be able to play with many ambitious and competitive players here at FC Džiugas Telšiai. Additionally, FC Džiugas Telšiai has a dedicated and passionate fan base who come to watch our matches on a weekly basis, which serves as yet another great motivation for me personally – our fans deserve a lot of success.
The A Lyga is certainly a work in progress, but as time moves on – the overall standard of the league is gradually improving. What are your personal thoughts about the A-Lyga and Lithuanian football in general?
Actually, I feel as though the A Lyga is a fantastic league to compete in, it is quite underrated and has tons of future potential. The fact that every match is broadcasted in high-quality video, as well as the recent introduction of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) are some great features.
The A Lyga is also a very competitive league – many of the teams can beat one another. Also, one if its attractions is that there is not a particularly huge gap in the general level between clubs compared to other surrounding European leagues.
On the negative side, football in Lithuania still lacks solid attendances at games, I’d love for football to become more popular in Lithuania, despite its challenges, and that more fans would come to watch domestic cup and league games.
You are clearly a highly ambitious person who is willing to sacrifice a lot. Do you have a dream which you’d like to achieve within your footballing career or life itself?
My ultimate goal, the one which I’d most like to achieve, is to play in a top-level European competition, such as the UEFA Champions League or one of the top five leagues, particularly the English Premiership, Spanish La Liga or Italian Serie A. However, to achieve such a height, I first want to score as many goals and provide as many assists for my teammates as is possible, all the while helping to lead FC Džiugas Telšiai to a higher league position and one day compete in a European competition with the club – that would be a great experience for the city of Telšiai to have.
What about Hirotaka himself? Away from football, what are your hobbies and some things which you enjoy doing? Are you managing to learn the Lithuanian language – step-by-step? How many languages can you speak?
Away from the hustle and bustle of professional football, I greatly enjoy watching various series and videos on Netflix and YouTube. To pass the time, I also enjoy my hand at playing Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. Most recently, I’ve been really into Korean dramas. The common language used throughout FC Džiugas Telšiai and within the team is English, so to be honest, I have not yet spent time studying Lithuanian seriously – the coaches, staff and players at FC Džiugas Telšiai are all very proficient in English. Aside from Japanese and English, I’ve recently began to learn Korean.
