Kaishu Sano: From “Hügelberg” to the Bundesliga

From his almost legendary walk to school and countless trials to being a potential baseball star, Kaishu Sano has taken a rather unconventional path in his still young career. In an interview ahead of the international break, the 25-year-old Rheinhessen midfielder spoke about his childhood in Japan, his relationship with his brother and the upcoming international matches in the shirt of the Japanese national team.

Brotherly sporting spirit

Sano grew up in Okayama Prefecture, whose name is made up of the words “Oka” and “Yama”, meaning “hill mountain”. Accordingly, his hometown of Tsuyama also contains the word “Yama”, meaning mountain, in its name. As the name suggests, his home region is surrounded by mountains and plateaus — and it was in this natural environment that the 25-year-old spent his childhood: “We lived in a very rural area, and I felt very comfortable there. I never felt there were any disadvantages, and to some extent I miss it too. That’s why walking to school along mountain paths and through fields was nothing special to me, but something completely normal.” Still, that unusual route raises one question: why did he not take public transport? After all, Japan has one of the best and most reliable transport networks in the world. “I think I saw a bus stop somewhere once, but I almost never saw a bus stop there. I never thought about taking transport to school. And honestly, walking with my brother was much more fun,” Sano admits with a smile.

Besides their shared walk to school, what connected the brothers Kaishu and Kodai above all was their urge to move. After school, they let out the energy they had built up over the day outdoors in nature. “After sometimes sprinting home from school, we were outside every day and played many other sports besides football. In doing so, we learned in our own way how to control and use our bodies.” And with considerable success: his brother Kodai is now under contract at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and is similarly sought-after to the Mainz 05 midfielder. Sano still maintains a close relationship with his younger brother: “We push each other, especially in footballing terms, and regularly exchange thoughts on that. Of course, that makes me even happier whenever I get to see him in person again.”

“I’m still grateful to the school for that”

From elementary school through to lower secondary school, Sano played for his hometown club. For high school, he wanted to take the next step and applied to numerous renowned schools. But his dream of a big football career seemed to be over before it had even really begun. No school in his prefecture wanted to take on the young midfielder. As a very last option, he tried his luck in neighbouring Tottori Prefecture and attended a trial at Yonago Kita High School. They eventually accepted him, including with a scholarship: “I’m still grateful to the school for that,” said the 25-year-old. It was there that he met numerous players and coaches who changed his mindset forever: “In every training session, I was shown my strengths, but also my weaknesses. I was pushed to always seek out the challenge and not be afraid of making mistakes. That really helped me in my development, and I have kept that way of thinking to this day.”

With that mindset in his luggage, he made his way to FSV via Machida Zelvia and Kashima Antlers in 2024. In the Bundesliga, the Japanese midfielder initially still had difficulties with the speed of the actions on the ball, but he adapted to the club’s culture from day one: “I immediately felt that the team always comes first. Everyone plays for the team and everything is taken very seriously. It was no different in Japan, so I was able to take on that spirit relatively quickly and fully focus on football.” Sano does not dedicate himself to footballing matters only in training — he is a footballer through and through. When he is not out walking his dog along the banks of the Rhine, he rests at home, receives treatment for his body or watches football. In doing so, he repeatedly looks for inspiration from his childhood idols: “In footballing terms, my role models are the complete opposite of me. Most of the time, I watch highlights of Ronaldinho or Messi. I think because they are so different from me, I enjoy watching them so much.”

A secret baseball talent?

His world would also look very different had he made a different decision in his childhood. Sano put everything on football, successfully, it should be said. But was there ever a plan B? “Baseball, of course,” he replied drily. Like almost every child in Japan, he also played his country’s national sport when he was young, but put that passion aside for football. Today, alongside global star Shohei Ohtani, he also follows pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who also comes from Okayama Prefecture. Both play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball.

It is fortunate for Mainz 05, but also for the Japanese national team, that the midfielder chose football back then. Sano has made a successful start to the current season with FSV and has impressed with two assists in four games. During the current international break, the 25-year-old is once again part of the Samurai Blue squad, as he was in the summer at the World Cup. His aim is clear: to lay a solid foundation for the coming years. “Now it is about working through the lessons from the World Cup step by step. In the upcoming friendlies, we want to show and confirm that progress as a team. Our goal is to sustainably build a strong team again, in order to impress at next year’s Asian Cup and at the World Cup in four years’ time.”