Finally, on April 29th (Fri, holiday), Tokyo will have its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the National Stadium before the renovation, we have played many official matches since our first year in the J-League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since winning our long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National Stadium.
This is TOKYO.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back at the footprints and memories we have left at the previous National Stadium with photos from that time.
2004 Rainy Derby. Stabbed, Kajiyama's Blow
[Match Information]
2004 J.League Division 1 2nd Stage Sec. 3
FC Tokyo 1-0 Verdy 1969
That one swing was the hope of Tokyo.
When I was a fledgling freelance writer, if I wrote about those days, I would feel the aging of myself who has become middle-aged. When I was in my twenties, I would always go out to eat with my seniors after the game. It was a happy time where we would endlessly talk about soccer and silly things. (What I am doing now hasn't changed). And there was always a player whose name would come up.
And, I also heard this story from then coach Tetsu NAGASAWA.
"When I drink wine with Hiromi HARA, we often end up talking about him. He says, 'I want to see players like him succeed in Europe.'"
Surely, Tokyo supporters must have had the experience of discussing and talking about the same player. That's how interesting Yohei KAJIYAMA is, making you want to talk about him.
August 29, 2004. The rain poured down on the Japan National Stadium, the stage for the Tokyo showdown (by the way, at the time, it was not officially called the Tokyo Derby). The number 23 unleashed a striking blow.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, which was tied 0-0, substitute Kajiyama received the ball outside the area. He must have still had the words of manager Hara in his ears, saying "Score one (in the league)". As soon as the path opened up to his right, he swung his right foot without hesitation and sent the ball flying like an arrow into the top left corner of the goal. The opposing goalkeeper could only stand still in amazement at the sharpness of the shot. This was a joyful first goal in the J1 league for Kajiyama.
Super goal by Nenichi. No, not only in the away game against Kashima Antlers in the Nabisco Cup (April 29th), but also in the match against Spanish powerhouse Deportivo (August 1st), he has been piercing through with eye-opening shots. There's no way you wouldn't be excited about the emergence of such a rookie.
Takahashi Masakazu, who was in charge of Tokyo Chunichi Sports and FC Tokyo at the time, had this to say about his first impression of Kajiyama when we talked about it many times.
"For some reason, time seemed to flow slowly there. Even though it looked like it was stopped, it somehow dribbled past smoothly. I remember Mr. Hara often talked about wanting to become a player like (Juan Carlos) Valeron, who had a similar atmosphere and appearance."
He was often called "null" or "pervert", which are not words that describe a soccer player. It was also his unique personality. Kajiyama, who carried someone's dream, suffered from many injuries and took off his spikes in 2018.
We probably never imagined that we would walk the career we desired. But there is no player who can talk as much as he does. This number of characters is not enough to cover it all. Sorry, can I have another glass of draft beer?
Text by Yohhei Baba (Freelance Writer)
