In an effort to further my Japanese, I translated this 2015 feature of her to those of you who are interested. Feel free to correct any translations as I'm still learning! Take note that rankings stated here apply to the date of the broadcast, about two years ago. Comments by me will be on italics. Inawashiro, Fukushima February 28 Aya Ohori (AO) is featured as "Honjitsu no Mirai (Mirai of today) - Monster". The setting is her school, Tomioka High School. (She sips and empties her Pepsi) Staff: 'What kind of gathering is it today?' / 'What is today's gathering about?' AO: 'Year-end closing party of the badminton department.' (AO's speech) AO: 'Teachers, all staff members... There was no singles title in senior high school...' (breaks down) We then get to see her profile and accolades: - Ohori Aya-san (18 years old) - Height: 169 cm - First year player - Enrolled in Tomioka High School until March - Interhigh Group Championship - Two consecutive selections (?) - Asia Junior Championship (U19/Under 19) - this was in 2013 Her father is badminton director. We then see the parent-child relationship. Top-left caption says that this home footage took place a year prior. AO: 'I don't think he's a father. Not a father, but a teacher.' Dad: '...' That spring, she leaves to join a team sponsored by NTT (Japanese telecom company). She begins playing international competitions. AO: 'The goal is to win. Each fight/round is important (or taken seriously)'. Screen: 'Graduate high school, new start With/in my father's watch (my father is watching) Aim for victory Mirai Monsuta' Now, we head to Ichikawa City, in Chiba Prefecture. Staff: 'What is this gym?' AO: '[Gym of] NTT East Japan. My job here is decided. I am grateful to this team from now on.' Really unsure, but the last sentence might also mean 'This team will take care of me from now on.' The NTT East Japan Badminton Club has 17 players. First participated in Japan League 36 years ago; it won in both Men's and Women's team competitions in the previous year. Shown are notable national players from the team and their national team rankings: Kenichi Tago (#1), Kento Momota (#2), and Minatsu Mitani (#2). Here, we look at Aya-san's time schedule: 6:00 - Wake up, breakfast 7:15 - Travel from Chiba to Tokyo 9:00 - 'Work' 12:00 - Travel from Tokyo to Chiba 14:00 - Practice/training 19:00 - Dinner 23:00 - Bedtime Seven hours of sleep? O_O Now, the to the team practice. For her footwork training, Aya is doing twenty sets of shuttle 'placing' or 'planting' as we call it (in Japanese is 'oki' - 置き - means 'put' or 'place'). The general coach (soukantoko) calls her out from the background, telling her to do the steps properly. Next, she practices her strokes for 30 minutes with coach Naoki Kawamae who played in 2012 OG. Also shown is general coach Shuji Matsuno. AO: 'I thought, 'is this useless? But there are people here who tell me things I don't notice. It's fulfilling.' ================================================================== [Next segment] 'How is relationship with father?' Two months ago, back in the town of Inawashiro, Fukushima. Cameras went to her parents' house to explore this parent-child relationship. Staff is greeted by Aya, mother Maki-san and father Kin-san who welcomes him with beer. So is the parent-child relationship doing well? LOL at the beer Not sure if I got the parents' names right. Flashback to the [dining] table interview at the beginning... AO: '...' Dad: '...' Staff: 'Is dinner always this quiet? (Laughter) Dad: 'When I come home, I rarely talk.' Back to present... (Toast) Dad: 'Cheers! Good job.' Dad: 'You staying home for two more days? Can you do it? You alright? Not for a long time? House rice?' (basically means it'll be a while again before she can have rice cooked at home) AO quickly answers all by either a slight nod or saying 'yep'/'un', making it look awkward in front of the camera. But very cute if you ask me. Staff: 'You said you saw your father as a teacher. You still see him that way?' AO: 'More or less... about 20 percent.' Dad: 'From the end of the year to the New Year, I went on a trip. I can't go on a trip while I'm with the team. The mentor and pupil's relationship has to be important. Up to now I'm trying to fill that [relationship], but she (Aya) didn't come with me.' He then says 'gikushaku shita manma'; as a phrase, I can't figure out what it means! But based on everyone's reactions we can guess it's in light mood. Then we see a photo of father and daughter secretly taken by relatives. March 1st, graduation ceremony day in Tomioka HS arrives. Dad announces the entrance of the graduates. Mom is taking pictures. Aya receives some kind of award. Afterwards, she heads right away for Tokyo. Parents wish her well at the train station; Dad tells her to be fine and do her best. No celebrations? ================================================================== [Next segment] April 2 Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture Osaka International Challenge. 255 players from 14 countries participating. Aya-san represents Japan in this tournament (obviously). It states that to be selected to represent the country in the Olympics, one must have good result in international tournaments and get high in the world rankings. Aya is world #68. Dad, Japanese U19 coach, is also in attendance to support her. Then shown is the tournament bracket for Women's Singles (Aya is highlighted red). Result of first three matches: 1. vs Lee Zii Yii (MAS, world #146): 21-17, 21-18 2. vs Supanida Katethong (THA, world #117): 21-17, 17-21, 21-15 3. vs Kaori Imabeppu (JAP, world #33): 20-22, 21-17, 21-11 Note: Last two matches played in same day She talks about the upcoming semifinals and opponent. AO: 'I've only played against her once, in Portugal. We're both left-handed. I will work out strategies to win.' Her opponent is Sayaka Takahashi, which some of you will know as the younger sister of Ayaka Takahashi. Ayaka, along with partner Misaki Matsutomo, are - current -Olympic champions and world #1s. 22-year-old Sayaka is world #14, stands 168 cm (1 cm shorter than Aya), and is described as a 'southpaw'. Via Google, a southpaw is 'a left-handed person, especially a boxer who leads with the right hand or a baseball pitcher'. One month prior, in the Portuguese International, the two faced each other in the final. Sayaka won. Come April 4th, Aya tries to seek revenge to her previous defeat. Before being introduced, was Sayaka staring at Aya in that shot? Or just the audience in her direction? If the former, that's some Mamba Mentality going on. Anyway, the first game played out: Aya had an early lead and looked determined to win it, but couldn't hold on post-interval and eventually losing it. Second game was pretty much the same story. She is eliminated in the semifinals. I just checked now the point graph of the match in TS. In the first game, Aya was up early 8-3, then led in the mid-game interval by just one, 11-10. Leading by 14-12, she would find herself losing 5 straight points to go down 12-17. Sayaka then pulled away to win by 5. In the second game, Aya was up 10-6 early but again got streaky; Sayaka led at the interval. Then, Aya was leading by one at 12-11 before losing 6 straight points... During the post-match interview, Aya says something that starts with 'Somewhere in my heart...', but then it gets incomprehensible. Even the Japanese subtitles replace some with ellipses. If someone can translate what she says here, that would be great! Dad says that he can't go meet her; he will leave the venue quietly/secretly. 'Aya has a new leader' is displayed. Looks like Aya stayed and watched Sayaka win the championship. Fast-forward to her first day of work. Aya and companion are walking on the side of the road. It is raining. Staff: 'You really pushed for the suit get-up, huh?' - paraphrased Aya: (laughs) 'You sure?' Staff: 'Are you wearing makeup?' Aya: 'I have to. My senpais taught me.' Aya closes out by saying that she will work hard and overcome all challenges. She also says that her big dream is to win a medal at Tokyo Olympics in 2020. 'Become stronger! Mirai Monsuta'
My concerns on Aya's game. Got to learn from pro left-handers like LD how to set up attack by targeting right-handed opponent's forehand. With her quick movement, this can make her dangerous. Has to work on mental strength too. Can get caught in the heat of the game wherein she is liable to lose consecutive points. When behind, she tends to get demoralized and has very telling body language. IIRC, her China Masters 2017 win featured her winning the first set convincingly, then losing the second convincingly. Last few points of third set was decided by playing safe and her opponent committing unforced errors (maybe nervous too). According to Tournament Software, LXR is listed as the toughest opponent she has faced. In their only meeting, in India 2016, LXR limited her to only 16 points. Her idol is LCW.
New Mirai Monsuta featuring Aya Ohori! Dated January 8, 2017 It seems this is her fourth appearance on this show. Again, rankings here apply to the date of broadcast. And sorry if there are incorrect translations Please correct if there are any. AO: 'Konnichiwa!' Staff: 'It's been a long time!' (Split-screen photos of her today and two and a half years ago) Staff: 'You're doing fine.' AO: 'I'm doing well.' Staff: 'How old are you now?' AO: 'Twenty years old.' Staff: 'Did you drink [alcohol] when you turned twenty?' AO: 'I tried but it wasn't tasty, so I gave it a pass.' (paraphrased) Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo are featured as WD Gold medalists in Rio Olympics. Japan is in high spirits! WS players Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara went to the Olympics, with the latter bagging home the Bronze medal. AO: 'Hang in there. I wanna go out there too.' Last year, Aya reached the last four (semifinals) of the Japan Open. She was also champion at the Thailand Open. She's now ranked #4 in Japan WS. She also had a big decision: to become stronger, she chose to transfer to another 'team'. I'm guessing sponsorship? She's sporting a 'TONAMI' shirt now. It used to be NTT... At the All Japan Badminton 2016. Again, rivals Akane and Nozomi are here. The tournament they say is to find out who could represent in the national team. So what were the results? 'Catch up with rivals For the Tokyo Olympic Games Raise your name (or distinction/reputation, if you like)' ================================================================== [Next segment] November 2016 Takaoka Civic Gymnasium, Toyama Prefecture Aya's practice partners are two male players. It says she has practiced this way since high school. She seems comfortable hanging around a lot of men. Now her team is properly introduced: the Tonami Transportation Badminton Department. Team's been around for 26 years, has won 6 league championships. They have a lot of players! Who recommended this team change? (men's team) - Father. He used to be a member of the team. He asked for his daughter to be transferred. What is the reason behind this? AO: 'Right now, the number one thing I'm lacking is physicality. [Right here] is the nearest place where I can overcome this.' The physical aspect has to be strengthened. Here we see earlier matches where she lost because her she can't keep up physically. About the team's first/newest female player, Aya, training with boys: Tonami coach: 'She doesn't do things like a man that much. It must be taken into consideration. The menu (i.e. programme) will be reduced. It'll be painful.' Training is difficult; even Kanta Tsuneyama here is feeling it. Aya has to work hard. She also runs a 15-kilometre marathon with them boys! The director, catching up with her running, tells her, 'You're late!' Aya exclaims 'Too hard!' before running on. Later back at the gym, she says she feels she's improved from last year. Her physical strength is also getting better. Overall, she's worked harder than before. Again, we are shown her results at the Yonex Open Japan and Thailand Open. (Note: It says here that in her SF at Japan Open, she lost in three games; she actually lost in two straight.) Now, the attention shifts to her finger... wearing a ring. She's wearing some ring! LOL @ that dude host who went 'Otosaaaaan' They even added that graphic with her father going 'Who gave it to you?!' When the staff, who's been curious for some time, asks her about it, she breaks into surprise... AO: 'No... um... I bought it because it was cute.' Staff: 'I wonder if it's a present from someone...' AO: 'I hope so. Unfortunately, I bought it myself.' ('Dad, it's alright, rest assured!') Aya prepares to leave home again. Dad is worried about her eating of rice... She heads to her flat. While cooking this pork kimchi, she seems to be checking the heat frequently. Staff says he will do it - she says it's burned! Upon eating, she says she somehow managed because the fire was steady. Staff: 'Did you see the Rio Olympics?' AO: 'Yep. I thought, 'Hang in there. In four years, I'd like to go out there too.'' Now we're at the 2016 All Japan Championships, which takes place 29 November to 4 December. Aya says her goal is to make it as an 'A' representative (some sort of classification system I guess). As we see, only four players can be 'A' representatives. The spots are being held by Akane Yamaguchi, Nozomi Okuhara, Sayaka Sato, and Minatsu Mitani. These players can enter high-level international tournaments (e.g. SS) where they can play against stronger players, improving their game even further. This All Japan tournament will also serve as a basis on who will be selected as represenatatives in the following year. Aya enumerates conditions/terms to become an 'A' representative: Must become ranked #1 in Japan Must advance to the finals of the aforementioned tournament Must finish in the top 4 of the same tournament (or make it to the SF) (Last two ones confuse me a little; you're already in the top 4 if you make it to the finals) The tournament begins. Bracket is shown highlighting her, Akane and Nozomi in three corners (she and Akane are on the same draw). Aya faced a tough second round against Mako Urushizaki. On the final game, Aya saved two match points from down 18-20 and scored 4 straight, winning 22-20. Good job. After the game: AO: 'If [the opponent] had already taken 20 points and I'm in my usual self, I would give up. This year's [All Japan] tournament is special.' (There you go...) In the quarterfinals, she faces Minatsu Mitani, one of them 'A' players. Will she advance to the best 4 (semifinals)? Like the previous game, this one goes to rubber. Minatsu smashes one into the net to make it 16-10, in favour of Aya. And then what happens? You guessed right... Minatsu scores six straight points to tie it, and eventually wins the game, 21-18. I guess after all, she needs to focus more on mental rather than physical strength. Not to take anything away from Minatsu who didn't give up and kept playing. I've only seen this now and I feel sad for her Staff catches up with her walking outside. Now this looks like a sad setting in a TV drama show: in the night, with the trees and lonely music box melody, and the ambulance flashing in the background... Staff: 'I wonder why you wasn't able to win that match...' AO: 'Yep. Even with the lead, you still lose. I don't even understand it now.' The 'A' WS players remain unchanged this 2017 (AY, NO, SS, MM). Feature ends with Aya at the airport telling us she's going to Korea to play a tournament there (Korea GPG perhaps). She says she has feeling everything will be for the better now and has no regrets. Good luck on your push for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Aya!
Aya Ohori will play Purple League Season 4 (Malaysia), starting next week (December 18). She's playing for Puchong United BC.
I guess it makes sense for her - since she's left NTT East and joined Tonami, she's not part of a women's team anymore and does not play in the S/J league. Do you know if Natsuki Nidarai goes to Malaysia as well?
I notice only 4 Japanese players in Purple League so far: Higuchi Natsuki, Sugino Ayaho, Kenichi Tago, and Aya Ohori. http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/players.aspx?id=8B9BEBB8-DD8D-4CA1-BEE3-3E50FA6218CE&c=JPN
In my opinion, it's rather the opposite. Since the teams are tied to companies and the players are employees with special priviledges of those companies, my impression is they usually stay for their careers. The only switches I noticed since following the sport (there might be more, of course) were: 1. Ohori from NTT to Tonami (her father is a highly successful youth coach, thought she'd benefit from the physicality of training with dudes and joined the team in a coaching function at the same time as her). 2. Fukuman/Yonao from Saishunkan to Yonex this summer. I think the official communication said something along the lines of "wanting to prepare for the Olympics", but I guess they were tired of becoming the second fiddle to Fukuhiro. 3. Momoka ForgotHerName from Unisys to a team in the second league (which I also don't remember). She was basically a fringe player at Unisys who hardly got playing time behind Okuhara and Sayaka Takahashi.
So do Japanese players actually still work at the office even for small time in a week? How does the contract with 'post-athlete time' actually work?
It should be like these: Players get a status as full time Company Employee (株式会社社員). Basically their badminton playing and training are counted as working in their company. When they're not in training time (off-season), they could have easy clerical work from their company if needed or get days-off from working during their preparation for the tournament. The players retirement goes the same way as their working retirement. If the player retire from badminton, they could still continue to work in the company until their full retirement from working. Some of former players have just became a coach afterwards.
so depends on the tournaments participated, that will determine the players day off? Yamaguchi never goes to office then I suppose, while Okuhara get into the office now and then due to injury
You are right, it is rare to switch teams..., there is usually a strong motive. Ohori left NTT-East, not to train with the dudes (she could have trained with men at NTT-East), but because she, or her father, thought it in her best interests to move away from a scandal-tainted team. She indicated her intention to resign from the company soon after the casino incident was exposed, and left for Tonami on May 1, 2016, roughly three weeks after Tago and Momota faced the cameras. The importance of a clean image...
Actually, there are generally two types of employment as far as athletes affiliated to corporate teams are concerned: 1) Full-time employee (正社員), or 2) contract employee (契約社員). As far as the former is concerned, players will normally spend the morning working in the office, usually engaged in clerical tasks, and train in the afternoons. Their job is secure, and even after they have lost their competitive edge, and retire from active sport, they still have a guaranteed place in the company. (This applies to NTT-East, and therefore Momota, provided that he does not engage in any other dubious activities.) Contract workers are not as secure: Once they lose their edge and drop in the rankings, there is a very real chance that their contracts will not be renewed. Takeshita Riichi (Tonami) felt that he was in acute danger of losing his job prior to the All Japan Championships this December. Luckily, he pulled through and won the tournament. This should prove a bolster... for a couple of years.
Okay, so basically all of these best players do work at the office from time to time? What about the 'full time company employee' that @Master is talking about? Is it different?
Yes, most of the best players have work obligations, and will appear in the office in the morning, wearing a suit. And, looking over players' profiles on the S/J League website, one can find out what department of the company they actually work at. However, employment styles vary from company to company, and it may just be a matter of time before the majority of corporations that field teams move to a "contract employment" basis. Employment until retirement , even in Japan, is not what it used to be, and how can thirty-five-year old ex-badminton players be profitably employed? Only the very best have the option of becoming coaches.
