The Kashima Antlers Junior team's tour to Korea has finally reached its last day. This first overseas tour provided a crucial foundation for the players' future careers, helping them develop a sense of team roles, responsibility, punctuality, and discipline.
It's true that individual players still have much to improve on. We look forward to seeing their growth back in Japan, with guidance from their coaches and trainers.
Today, despite the severe cold, the day started with a team gathering at 7:10 AM for a walk and warm-up.
At 8:40 AM, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby. We said goodbye to Mr. Kim, the Jeonbuk Hyundai Junior coach who had been so helpful during our stay, and promised to meet again at the Nike Cup in the summer. We also thanked the hotel staff.
After leaving the hotel, we had hot stone bibimbap for lunch at a restaurant near the airport.
Upon arriving at the airport, we presented a pennant as a token of our gratitude to Mr. Park, who had driven the bus for the entire trip, and bid him farewell. After checking in, we gave Mr. Kim, our interpreter who had been very supportive, a pennant with everyone's names and Antlers sablés.
After completing immigration procedures, we boarded the plane bound for Narita. We struggled with our last in-flight meal and arrived in Narita after a flight of about 2 and a half hours.
