[U-15 Fukagawa] Day 6 of the Thailand Tour
[Departing the Accommodation / Shopping Mall]
On the final day, the players had a slightly later start.
It was time to say goodbye to the accommodation that had taken care of us during the tour and become so familiar.
When we left, the rooms were very neatly organized. Although the staff had not given detailed instructions, the players had voluntarily put into practice the idea of leaving a place cleaner than when they arrived, and we were greatly impressed by their independence.
We traveled by bus to our first destination, a shopping mall. Split into groups, the players chose and ate their meals on their own. Despite struggling with unfamiliar menu items and the language barrier, they managed to place their orders. Some players found that what arrived was a little different from what they had imagined, but experiences like these are part of the value of traveling abroad.
At a nearby capsule-toy corner, with the full itinerary of the trip now complete, the players had a great time and relaxed.
[Experiencing Thailand's History and Culture]
Next, they headed to Ayutthaya Historical Park.
They took photos with elephants and rode on their backs for a walk around the park. The players seemed very surprised by the elephants' texture and intelligence when they touched them.
Afterward, they visited Wat Mahathat in the park. It is considered one of Thailand's most important and symbolic Buddhist ruins, and a monument enshrining relics of the Buddha, including some of his bones and ashes.
The site was destroyed during a war with the Burmese army (present-day Myanmar) in the 18th century, and many headless Buddha statues stand among the ruins. It is said that the Burmese soldiers of the time removed the heads in order to take the gold that had been applied to the faces.
Particularly famous is the Buddha head embraced by the roots of a bodhi tree. It is said that the tree's roots naturally enveloped and gradually lifted the head, which had been cut off during the Burmese army's invasion and left lying on the ground, over many years. The fact that only the front of the face was not covered by the roots and that it became fixed upright, facing straight ahead, is said to be truly miraculous.
The players learned about Thai history from their interpreter, Aek, deepening their understanding as well.
[Souvenir Shopping and the Journey Home]
In the evening, we headed to the huge Future Park Rangsit shopping mall near the airport, where we had time to shop for souvenirs and have dinner.
The players had been adventurous with Thai food, but by the end they apparently could not resist Japanese cuisine, and almost all of them gathered at a beef bowl restaurant. In Thailand, a regular-size beef bowl costs 90 baht (about 430 yen), so prices seem to be slightly lower than in Japan.
After that, we headed to the airport and said goodbye to our interpreter, Ek. Although it was only a short time, we sincerely thank him for his generous support in helping the players and staff adjust to life abroad.
We were concerned about the effects of the typhoon on our return journey, but we arrived safely at Narita Airport the following morning and disbanded.
For this trip to Thailand, we set the themes of "continuing to pursue quality on the pitch" and "considering the feelings of others off the pitch," and tackled the challenge of working together as a team and maintaining communication.
The true success of the trip will be determined by how we apply what we learned to our daily lives going forward. All of the staff look forward to watching their continued growth.
From the hotel before departure through the final day, I documented their efforts and growth up close each day and shared them with you in words. I hope that, even in some small way, the energy on site and the players' growing resilience have come across to you all.
Thank you very much for following all of our reports and for your warm support from Japan.
FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa Trainer Toshiharu Matsuda
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Departure to Day 1
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Day 2
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Day 3
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Days 4 and 5
