On November 27, Keisei Electric Railway held a ceremony to commemorate the complete renewal of the “Captain Tsubasa” decoration at Yotsugi Station in Katsushika Ward.
Yotsugi Station, which is associated with the popular manga “Captain Tsubasa,” has been implementing special decorations based on the work since 2019. In conjunction with the October broadcast of the second season of the TV anime “Captain Tsubasa: Junior Youth Arc,” the station’s entrances, stairs, and concourse have been redesigned to reflect the characters and famous scenes from the “Junior Youth Arc.
At the station decoration renewal ceremony held at a gymnasium near the station on the same day, guests included Yoichi Takahashi, the author of the original novel; Honoki Sawa, former Japanese women’s national soccer player; Junichi Inamoto, former Japanese national soccer player and member of Nankatsu SC; Yasuhiro Kazama, manager of Nankatsu SC; and Jumu Muto, former AKB48 and native of Katsushika Ward.
The event included the unveiling of the station sign, a talk session, and a question-and-answer session with children from the Nankatsu SC junior team.
Mr. Takahashi said, “I have used this station since I was a child, so I never dreamed that my work would be wrapped there. I hope it will be for the benefit of Katsushika Ward,” he said. As for the “junior youth version,” which will finally take place in the world, Takahashi said, “Japan is also in the midst of the World Cup, so I am sure Tsubasa and his friends will be competing in the same way.
Sawa, who played overseas, looks back on his playing days and says, “My experience in the U.S. had a huge impact on my later soccer career. He answered, “Practice every day. The secret to becoming a good soccer player is to practice every day, as well as in other things.
He also advised, “Because we all love soccer, there is no need to force yourself to play on days when conditions are bad. It is important to switch things up,” he advised.
Inamoto, who has been a member of Nankatsu SC for two years, says, “I still feel strange (laughs) that I am on the “Captain Tsubasa” team, which I have watched since childhood. (Laughs). That’s how big the work is to me.
When he was a member of the French team, “Captain Tsubasa was on TV, and all the French knew it, and it was so famous that some of the players had the character tattooed on their bodies,” he said.
Katsunori Aoki, Mayor of Katsushika Ward, also attended as a guest of honor. Mr. Aoki said, “‘Captain Tsubasa’ is the pride of the people of Katsushika City. We have been working on it in various ways, such as holding events and installing statues of the characters around Yotsugi and Tateishi, based on advice from Mr. Takahashi. We would like to further spread the character to the world.
Mr. Toshiya Kobayashi, President and Representative Director of Keisei Electric Railway, the organizer of the event, reflected on past efforts, “In the spring of 2019, we started station decorations with Iniesta to give visitors a taste of the world of ‘Captain Tsubasa’ and to boost tourism and local sports in Katsushika-ku, where Mr. Takahashi is from,” he said, “Yotsuki Station is located within an hour from Narita Airport and Yotsugi Station is only one hour away from Narita Airport and Haneda Airport, respectively. We hope to attract more customers from all over Japan and abroad, and we too would like to contribute to the creation of a vibrant city,” he said, looking to the future.
From mid-December, the “Captain Tsubasa Liner,” a Keisei Electric Railway Skyliner train with “Captain Tsubasa” wrapping, will be in operation. A digital stamp rally in collaboration with the local community is also planned.
© Source travel watch
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