Ever wanted to ask a sports personality a question? Now’s your chance. They will answer readers’ questions in The Denver Post’s “Fan Mail” feature. In this installment, Rapids defender Kosuke Kimura fields readers’ questions about his transition from Japan to America, playing in the Champions Cup and the devastation in his native country.
Keep an eye out for the next week’s installment or make a suggestion for the next guest. Send your Qs in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Denver when you aren’t training?
— Sven, Wheat Ridge
Kosuke Kimura: Fishing. I like to go fishing for lake trout. I just go out on the lake, sit in the boat, relax, enjoy and wait for the fish to eat the bait.
I’ve tried fly fishing a little bit, back in Japan. I’m hoping to get more into it this year. I catch lake trout and brown trout because they’re good eating. I go to the mountains some, but usually I fish at the Aurora Reservoir.
I’m curious if you have had any contact with the Japanese national team, and if we might see you playing for the Samurai Blue anytime in the near future.
— Keith, Denver
KK: After the Rapids’ season was over last year and we won the championship, I went back home and did a lot of newspaper and TV interviews. So, I think, now my name is out there. I think I’m playing pretty good right now, my name is out there and they know who I am. But nobody has contacted me directly.
But right now, with everything that has happened in Japan, it would be unbelievable to play for my country. I want to help my country any way I can.
Kosuke, What is your favorite English Premier League team?
— Craig, Englewood
KK: I would have to say the Arsenal, just because they play really good, quality soccer. They are an amazing team.
But I like Barcelona … they are the best national team. I guess the reason why I like them so much is that they have talent, but they are so much smaller than most teams. I think that shows you that in soccer, size doesn’t really matter. You aren’t going to win many headers, but you can win with talent, skill and quickness.
What was the most difficult transition moving from the Japan to the U.S. with your limited knowledge of English?
— Jose, Frederick
KK: I came here when I was 18 to go to Western Illinois University, and I hardly spoke a word of English. I hadn’t really learned much English growing up in Japan, so I had to learn it quick when I was in college.
It was definitely hard to communicate with my teammates at first, but I have learned.
The other big thing was the food here. The stuff they eat back home in Japan was a lot healthier than what we have here.
I really like Japanese curry, and they have it in all of the restaurants back home. But it’s hard to find here. When I was in college (in Macomb, Ill.), I didn’t have access to any Asian grocery stores or anything like that, so that was kind of hard for me.
There are some American foods I kind of like, but not a lot. I do like potatoes … mashed potatoes.
Two questions. First, your performance in the MLS Cup playoffs was inspiring, especially the defensive performance you put in against FC Dallas. One of the most dangerous players in their starting 11, Brek Shea, became almost a non-entity for the whole game. How did you contain him, especially considering his height advantage?
Second, with so many titles to compete for — the Supporter’s Shield, The Rocky Mountain Cup, the MLS Cup, and the US Open Cup, as well as Champions League competition — there’s inevitably going to be some prioritizing. What’s your personal top priority this year? What trophies would you like to see added to the trophy case in 2011?
— Ben, Boulder
KK: Shea is a great player, and they say he would have more advantage in the air, because he’s taller. But on the ground, I was much quicker than him. Plus, I know who he is because I have played against him for four years. So I think I learned how to defend him.
I would never say it was easy to defend him, because he’s a great player with a lot of determination, but I think I was determined, too.
As for the championships, obviously we want to defend our MLS cup. But the Champions Cup is really important to us. We want to do well in that and show other countries how far the MLS has come. We know we are good enough here, but we want to show them. In the end, if we do well in the Champions Cup, we can show we can play against anybody.
How would you compare the popularity of soccer in the U.S. vs. Japan?
— Brian, Castle Rock
KK: It’s hard to say because baseball is still the biggest sport. Baseball has been around in my country a lot longer than soccer.
I have to admit that soccer is much more popular in the U.S. than in Japan. I read somewhere that kids in the U.S. play more soccer than anywhere in the world.
When they get older, they start playing football and basketball, but soccer is very popular here.
Are you planning to return to Japan soon? If so, are you worried about what you are going to find back in your home country? Also, do you think Japan can recover from this tragedy?
— Sarah, Parker
KK: I’m not really looking to go back to play in Japan, because I love playing here and playing with this team.
And since my family and friends are OK, I feel OK being here. I was thinking about going back, but everybody I know is doing OK. I’m so thankful for that.
I will keep an eye out, and everyone from Japan will be in my mind. My thoughts are with them, that’s for sure.
But Japan will come back. Fifteen years ago we had a terrible earthquake around Osaka, but we have recovered really well. After about five or six years, you could hardly see the results of the earthquake.
So, it’s going to take a while to rebuild Japan, but we have a great work ethic and the people in Japan know how to work together to come back from this.
Kosuke Kimura is proud to be the first Japanese player in Major League Soccer history.
He began playing soccer at a very young age and it’s paid off.
Most Japanese soccer players who turn pro join the presigious J-League after high school, but a foot injury forced Kimura down a different road.
He ended up moving to the United States in 2003 to attend Western Illinois University. He knew only a few words of English, but taught himself the language by using dictionaries.
His standout college career caught the attention of the Rapids, who drafted him in 2007. He became their starting defender/midfielder during the 2009 season.
Kimura helped the Rapids win their first MLS Cup last year. Against San Jose in the conference championship, his dramatic goal gave Colorado a 1-0 victory and a spot in the MLS Cup title match.
Last summer, the Rapids named Kimura their 2010 humanitarian of the year for his work with military families and participation in soccer clinics for underserved children in the community.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, he asked The Denver Post to pass along this message:
“As the first and only player to play in MLS from Japan I feel a responsibility to ask all fans of soccer to please donate what ever you can to the Red Cross and its relief effort. Every little bit helps. Please visit the
