Challenge. Change. Chance.

I was born and raised in Kagoshima Prefecture. As a kid, I loved sports and always played soccer and baseball with my older brother. I saw my brother as my rival even though I was less skilled and couldn’t get around as quickly due to an eye condition I was born with. Nevertheless, I was driven by a fierce determination not to be outdone by my brother and dedicated myself to playing sports. My highly competitive nature comes from my mother, who helped me to believe that I was capable of anything others could perform and to hold myself to same social standards. There were times when I couldn’t accomplish a particular task, and I would be tough on myself and question why I had fallen short.

In my second year of junior high school, I lost my vision. Despite my vision loss, I refused to give up on sports and tried out for track and field in high school. My homeroom teacher saw me jump during the freshman fitness test right at the start of the school year and urged me to join the track team based on my athletic potential. At the time, I wasn’t sure what sports would be accessible to me with my condition, but I decided to start by trying track and field by competing in the 100m and 200m events. At first, it was hard to run well, and I could barely keep up with my guide runner, which was a frustrating experience. In spite of these initial challenges, I was able to overcome each obstacle with the support of my community and become a track athlete just as my homeroom teacher had predicted.

After graduating from high school, I moved to Tokyo to study massage therapy and became a nationally licensed massage therapist. Over the years, I have worked at clinics and in massage rooms at corporate offices. It was important for me to find a flexible workplace where I could balance my track and field events with my career as a massage therapist. To my good fortune, I received the opportunity to join Sojitz Shared Service in 2023. At the time, I was seriously pursuing my running career and continuing to train with the goal of competing in international track and field events. Unfortunately, I did not qualify in the prelim heats. After this major setback, the thought of giving up on sports crossed my mind. I shared my concerns with my coworker and fellow massage therapist at Sojitz Shared Service, Masaki Goto, who is a player on Japan’s national blind football team. He invited me to join him in playing blind football and introduced me to a team called Shinagawa CC Papelecial. Blind football would become the next sport in my athletic career.

To be honest, I really struggled when I first began. Unlike track and field, which is an individual sport, blind football is a team sport. Although I was a trained runner, I would freeze in place when I tried to run while simultaneously kicking a ball. It was difficult to keep up with practices, but being a highly competitive person, I did my best. I made a point of asking my teammates if there was something I didn’t understand and adjusted my plays to continually improve my performance. Even off the field, I am thinking about soccer. At home, I move the ball around with my feet and do some light dribbling, and sometimes even practice passing and shooting the ball into cardboard boxes. These home practices are still part of my regular routine.

Last December, I played defense for Shinagawa CC Papelecial in the LIGA.i league competition. It was a rough experience as we lost 0-1, and I blame myself for being unable to forcefully block the opposing strikers. It is terrifying to throw your body into an invisible opponent, particularly considering the speed at which football players approach the goal zone. But if I don’t block these plays, the opposing team will score. While it is impossible to fully remove this hard-wired fear response, I have managed to reduce my resistance to the greatest extent possible when playing on the field. Sometimes I wonder if I could have changed the outcome of the December match with my current mindset to forge ahead in the face of all fear.

I am incredibly proud to be a nationally certified massage therapist. I strive to always act with the highest degree of professionalism and to fully meet the expectations of Sojitz Group clients. To be most effective, it is important to get specific information on the client’s condition and preferences. For example, a client might request that I address pain or swelling in a specific area, such as realigning a twisted pelvis. Clients articulate diverse requests and preferences, including the strength to be applied for the massage. I had a client who suffered from back pain for many years with swelling in their legs. I was able to work on them and easily reduced the leg swelling, but the client continued to have back pain. My competitive side kicked in, and I started studying everything I could on back pain such as the related muscles and the lifestyle habits and foods effective in treating back pain in order to make recommendations to the client. I still remember sharing in the client’s joy when their pain was finally cured.

In the workplace, I do my best to articulate my thoughts and aspirations. This transparency is essential for me and my colleagues to work together with a positive feeling. For example, I recently proposed a campaign that was implemented which gives discounts to Sojitz Group employees who introduce the Healthcare Room to other employees. I was also able to discuss my work schedule with my manager and receive approval to attend blind soccer practices on Wednesday afternoons. In my current workplace, I feel comfortable articulating my opinions, and Sojitz is an open and accepting environment. Employees with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to leverage their strengths and individuality to take on new challenges, and the company’s culture is rooted in kindness and inclusion.

As a blind football player, my goal is to become like Brazil’s legendary former defender Roberto Carlos, who I watched on TV as a kid. Carlos was a side-back player who fulfilled key offensive and defensive functions, executed stealth plays with lightning-fast running, and scored free kicks with extraordinary skill. I love his competitiveness, fighting spirit, and ambition. To become a football player like Carlos is my current objective and vision for the future. By pursuing this dream, I am confident an opportunity to play on Japan’s national team will one day materialize.

As a massage therapist, my goal is to have all Sojitz Group employees try our services. There are many Sojitz employees who do not know about the offerings provided by the Health Care Room, and I hope that my colleagues and I can provide a welcoming atmosphere and make our services more easily accessible. While individual outreach remains important, I would also like to try implementing different campaigns and promotions.

My life goals can be embodied by three words: Challenge, Change, and Chance. I have placed great value on these three words, which are interconnected. When you take on a challenge in an area that sparks your interest, even if you face failures or setbacks you can always change your approach, and by trying a different approach you open up new chances and possibilities. I will continue to practice this abiding philosophy, repeating this 3-step maxim with hope and optimism for my life.