I seem to have strong ties with port cities. Santos, Brazil nurtured me as a professional soccer player. Genoa, Italy provided me a living experience in the Calcio culture. My team in Croatia had a training camp in a beautiful port town called Porec facing the Adriatic Sea. The Spanish team I joined this year for training used a port town in the north.

Trade is inevitable for soccer players. So we have many opportunities to live in various cities. How I can fit into the city, to some extent, influences my performance. It is important to understand the local language, customs and culture. The most important thing, based on my experiences, is the active involvement with the local people.

I have many great memories from the past J-league and Japan national games in Kobe, a port town where I can still feel the influences from Western cultures. Kobe's sceneries resemble those in Santos and Genoa, which brings back memories of tough and heated battles giving me daily power.

I like this city. I want to value my ties with Kobe.

People talk to me on a street or at a cafe. They are all courteous. I feel the positive attitudes of the people of Kobe who have overcome the disaster of the earthquake through their generosity. What I can do to meet their hospitality is to win as "Vissel Kobe." I hope to achieve a victory by joining with the rest of the team. I hope everyone feels happy. Let's keep moving forward with courage. Just like the people of Kobe have done through their efforts and the spirit of mutual cooperation in the past.