THE Philippines has been Japan’s second home roughly two thousand miles away from its men’s volleyball team’s real home.
READ: Fan favorites USA, Japan dealt contrasting fates in FIVB Worlds openers
Through nearly half a decade of visits in the country, competing in the Volleyball Nations League before entering this year’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, Filipinos have always backed the Japanese side through wins, losses and even roster changes.
In the 2025 FIVB Worlds, a handful of Japanese mainstays such as crowd darling Yuji Nishida and veteran setter Masahiro Sekita among others were excluded from the national team due to various reasons ranging from fitness concerns to personal choices.
Despite a gut-wrenching 19-25, 23-25, 19-25 loss to a lower-ranked Turkish side, captain Yuki Ishikawa refuses to point fingers at those who aren’t with the team.
“I think it’s not important that [we don’t have them] because we are 14 players here,” Ishikawa said.
“We had head coach changes but we are already training well. We can still get well after today's match like this and we have to want to win," the skipper said, pertaining to former Olympic gold medalist coach Laurent Tillie replacing his French compatriot and Japan's longtime mentor Philippe Blain.
PH fans bleed red for Japan volleyball
May it be a Japan team that dominates and wins or a Japan team that hits one too many bumps on the road, there’s solace in the fact that there’s a whole legion of fans away from home backing them up through it all.
"It's special for me. I'm very happy to be here. I'm so happy to play here. But for the next game, for sure, I will win in front of them,” Takahashi said.
“They give us all-out energy and we are always get power from them.”
As Ishikawa simply puts it, ‘we like our home.’
To stay in this home of theirs for much longer, Japan finds itself in a virtual must-win duel with Canada on Monday as one more loss would entail one foot on the door of an early exit from the global conclave.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
