Japan Women's NT 2024

    Quote from sean1

    Not to be that weirdo that keeps reminiscing but during Rio 2016 it was such a fun batch and Saori already had instagram back when IG was still in beta mode and I think everyone still used myspace lol. Saori posted so many photos of all their trips and matches. She would take photos with other Asian players. Everyone was so involved during the entire process. And let's not forget the amount of variety shows they were in. There's just none of that anymore and yet the men's team post unlimited stuff on their social media while we stare at the 3 photos after every match bleh

    I feel your pain :drink:


    As you may know I don't do the social medias so I can't say much, but it seems IG competition is fierce now compared to then


    A couple years back I visited a couple USA import's IGs and it was a lot of sideboob and bikini shots. All fine and good while Japan tries to outlaw pics of an xRay of a player's bra strap :what:

    Seki :aww:

    Koga is going to retire from volleyball or just NT?

    Brazilians and Italians are criticizing the girls "cold" treatment of Koga as she wept during their group photos that vbw released. With many people wondering why they were literally just standing there and nobody was hugging her except who people mistook for a staff member which was Yamagishi.


    I guess that pretty much sums up this team's whole dynamic.

    Quote from kravmaga

    Brazilians and Italians are criticizing the girls "cold" treatment of Koga as she wept during their group photos that vbw released. With many people wondering why they were literally just standing there and nobody was hugging her except who people mistook for a staff member which was Yamagishi.


    I guess that pretty much sums up this team's whole dynamic.

    araki was actually crying so hard but ive only seen that angle with her bawling but yeah no hugging

    Quote from Genius of the Sky

    I think Japan team has always been like that. They seem very "cold" on court. We don't know how will they react backstage.

    Even with fans they didn't want to take pics while brazilian take pics with almost everyone

    Quote from Phoenix

    This particular squad in Paris is just detached and lacks humanity from my pov anyway

    I dont know whether you're being sarcastic


    But they were all crying except Iwasaki. Koga was saying something to them something about failure so maybe they all started to feel shit at that point.


    This team is so awkward with each other but I think they all hold a huge amount of respect for Koga. It's a strictly business Olympic team nothing more.

    Simplest answer with this team on its struggle and failures.


    It is a decent team. Koga was the best player on this team. Mayu a distant number two. Kojima and other liberos would be third.


    With Saori Kimura, there room for error was much bigger. With Koga and supporting cast, that room for error was much smaller as the other and taller teams improved. Japan will always be a defensive specialist team, it is in the DNA from the original gold medal winners, force your opponents to survive and make mistakes.

    However with the shift to speed and power, a players willpower can help, but you also need some physical prowess.

    In my opinion Airi is playing out of position at middle blocker. She has improved, but in the Japanese game, her height could be used at opposite, but also her experience in the USA meant she was an all around player.

    Mayu will still be herself, but at the senior level depending on her for all of the scoring is not the best option. She is a good 2nd or 3rd option.

    Looking at this roster, I don't know where that new number one option is going to come from.


    Koga is respected by her teammates because she failed in making the 2016 Rio team, which was a year after her major debut in 2015 at the World Cup. Where she had a good tournament. But 2016 as a pro was just horrible.

    She fought her way back into the team as a starter and then captain. She was unlucky in Tokyo games with the ankle and had to save Japan in a final match against the DR. They could not get it done.

    With some NT teams, you need two stars to carry a team, others one. Koga basically dragged this team to its heights the last two years, with occasional help from Mayu, Wada and the liberos.

    International volleyball right now has really fine margins from being a successful team and being an also ran. Japan got a horrible draw, but needed to get at least one point from their first two matches, and they could not do that. DR did at least take sets against Italy and Turkey. But Japan could only take one from Poland and Brazil.

    With the world rankings right now, Japan will probably finish in 7th place, which in my mind is about where they should be.

    Quote from brahmin

    But 2016 as a pro was just horrible.