[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Expedition Day 6
[Departure from the Accommodation / Shopping Mall]
On the final day, the players had a slightly later start.
It was time to say goodbye to the accommodations that had taken such good care of us throughout the trip and had become so familiar.
When it was time to leave, the rooms had been left exceptionally neat and tidy. Although the staff had not given any detailed instructions, the players had taken the initiative to leave them even cleaner than they found them, and we were greatly impressed by their independence.
We traveled by bus to our first destination, a shopping mall. Dividing into groups, the players chose and ate their meals on their own. Despite struggling with unfamiliar menus 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 also a valuable part of traveling abroad.
At a nearby capsule toy area, the players were able to unwind and have a great time now that the entire tour schedule had settled down.
【Experiencing Thailand's History and Culture】
Next, we headed to Ayutthaya Historical Park.
They took photos with the elephants and rode on their backs for a stroll 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 iconic Buddhist ruins, and a monument enshrining some of the Buddha's relics and ashes.
The site has a history of having been destroyed in 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 this was because the Burmese army at the time took the gold that had been applied to the statues' faces.
Particularly famous is the Buddha head embraced by the roots of a bodhi tree. It is said that the roots naturally enveloped and slowly 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 was fixed upright, facing straight ahead, is said to be truly miraculous.
The players also deepened their understanding by learning about Thailand's history from their interpreter, Aek.
[Souvenir Shopping and the Journey Home]
In the evening, we headed to Future Park Rangsit, a huge shopping mall near the airport, where the players had time to buy souvenirs and have dinner.
The players had been trying Thai food throughout the trip, but by the end they seemed unable to resist Japanese food, with almost everyone gathering at a beef bowl restaurant. A regular-size beef bowl in Thailand costs 90 baht (approximately 430 yen), so prices appear to be slightly lower than in Japan.
Afterward, we traveled to the airport and said goodbye to our interpreter, Ek. Although it was only a short period, we sincerely thank him for his generous support in helping the players and staff adjust to life overseas.
There were concerns about the effects of the typhoon on our return journey, but we arrived safely at Narita Airport the following morning and disbanded.
During this tour of Thailand, we embraced the themes of "continuing to pursue quality on the pitch" and "considering the feelings of others off the pitch," while working together as a team to meet the challenge of maintaining communication.
The true success of this tour will be determined by how the players apply what they have learned to their 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 recorded their efforts and growth from 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 strength came through to all of you.
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–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
