—How did you start to follow «Zenit»?
—In 2008 I first heard about «Zenit» and immediately began to admire Arshavin’s game. That was the year that Russia had a really good showing in Euro 2008 and that’s where I saw Arshavin. But he immediately went to London. Then I started to support «Arsenal» and stopped watching «Zenit». In August of 2013 I studied in St. Petersburg for two months and Arshavin had also come back to St. Petersburg. During the summer I watched three of «Zenit’s» matches and decided to seriously cheer for «Zenit». Everything was incredible, the atmosphere in the stadium, the fan’s march, «Zenit’s» game etc. I had never experienced those kinds of emotions before.
—You know Russian really well! Is it tough to learn for you? What’s the most difficult part?
—It’s really hard )) It’s an entirely different language for Japanese. Words, pronunciation, intonation… The toughest part is the grammar, especially the cases.
—Sushi has been pretty popular here lately. Did you try it while you were in St. Petersburg? What did you think of it?
—I ate sushi twice in St. Petersburg. It was good, but kind of interesting and a little strange. I think that it’s not in the Japanese style. In my opinion it’s more in the American style or maybe Russian. There isn’t such a thing as a «roll» in Japan. But it was tasty ))
—What do you think of Russian food? What do you like the most?
—I like Russian food. When I was in St. Petersburg, I often had lunch and dinner in cafeterias. There’s even some Russian restaurants in Japan, Japanese love that kind of food. I like Kiev Cutlets most of all! I also ate a lot of shaverma in St. Petersburg as well. I know that it isn’t Russian, but they central Asian food is everywhere in Russia. So I ate a lot in cafeterias. I also really like vodka as well ) There aren’t a lot of places that sell vodka in Japan. It’s a shame. Instead of vodka a lot of people in Japan drink «sake»!
— What reaction did you have when we became champions?
—When «Zenit» became champion, I was incredibly happy! I know and saw in the stadium in 2013-2014 when «Zenit» lost to «Dynamo» and gave up any chance to win the title that year. I was really sad. And when I found out that «Zenit» became champion, I was really happy, but at the same time was sad that I didn’t see the moment they won at the stadium itself. That’s my dream. But I was happy with my entire soul.
-– Who are your favourite players at «Zenit»?
—I really like all of the players at «Zenit» ) I especially love Arshavin and Ryazantsev. Arshavin is my first and only idol! Thanks to him I started to study Russian, came to St. Petersburg and found out about the very best team, «Zenit». And Ryazantsev — is a smart player and I think that his game isn’t like Hulk’s or Danny’s or Witsel’s. But it seems to me that he knows what he needs to do in each moment. He’s a smart player, in the beginning of the season he didn’t have hardly any chances. Now he starts. He trained seriously and earned his chance. It really speaks to his character.
—Keisuki Honda played a few years for CSKA and was really popular. Which Japanese player, in your opinion, should play for «Zenit»?
—Thanks to Honda a lot of football fans found out about the Russian Premier League and even the name «Zenit». In my opinion Nagatomo «Inter Milano» and Kagawa «Dortmund» should play for «Zenit». They are good footballers and I would really love to see them at «Zenit»! There are some good young players in Japan. For example, Usami, Muto, and Shibasaki, to name a few. In my opinion these players are talented enough to play for «Zenit». And if a Japanese player were to go to «Zenit» then Japanese would find out about «Zenit» and they will watch your matches. It would be just amazing!
—Who in your opinion was the strongest opponent for «Zenit» this season?
—I think that they best opponent this year was «Dynamo». Of course «Zenit» won both of their matches against the Moscow team. But there were some pretty tough moments. There are good players both domestic and international there. But of course «Zenit» is better than «Dynamo» and other teams.
—Did you follow Hulk when he played for «Kawasaki Frontale»? Did he impress Japanese fans when he played in Japan?
—Honestly I didn’t follow him. I knew his name and his game, but he wasn’t that popular then. When Hulk played in Portugal, he became a famous footballer and a lot of Japanese found out about him. He has a really strong game. So fans immediately knew about him. From that point of view he impressed a lot of Japanese football fans.
