From office life in Japan to padel life in Madrid

MISAGO HARUNA

Using a working holiday visa, she moved to Spain in September 2022. Currently a 30-year-old Japanese padel player based in Valencia, Spain.

Haruna decided to immerse herself in the world of padel and made the thoughtful decision to relocate to Spain to pursue her passion. Contrary to the typical image of a padel player in Spain, Haruna has fair skin and a delicate, feminine appearance. Meeting her in person, even as another woman, was intriguing, and I had the opportunity to hear her story. So, in this interview, we will explore her powerful way of living, marked by following her passion, which she honestly answered despite having worked as an office worker in Japan.

The Introduction to Padel

She started about six years ago in 2017, during the early days of padel in Japan. Haruna was introduced to padel by her tennis friends and had her first experience playing at a padel court in Tokorozawa.

During her time in a circle at Keio University, she played tennis. Since padel shares some similarities in movement with tennis, it felt like a comfortable transition for her. Additionally, padel seemed simpler than tennis, with longer rallies and more enjoyment right from the first day.

However, for the first six months or so after starting padel, she wasn’t as hooked as she is now. This was partly due to the limited number of courts in Japan at the time (even fewer than now in 2017), and integrating padel into her lifestyle required time and overcoming transportation inconveniences. Now, Japan has around 42 padel courts nationwide (as of April 2023), but increasing this number remains a significant goal for the Japanese padel community.

At that time, there were three facilities in the Kanto region (Tokyo, Tokorozawa, Kawaguchi), but it wasn’t as simple as saying, “I’m going to practice padel” to casually fit it into her routine, especially when returning from work or on weekends, given that she lived in Kanagawa. As a result, although she found it enjoyable, padel was more of a leisure activity during weekends rather than a dedicated pursuit.

When did she become enthusiastic?

Even though she didn’t have a routine that allowed her to easily engage in padel initially, participating in a mixed (male-female pairs) tournament in 2017 and achieving second place gave Haruna a sense of accomplishment. This success intensified her desire to play more padel.

Winning the tournament earned her a racket as a prize, and this further ignited her passion for padel. She mentioned this with a warm smile. By the way, her partner in that tournament was Shungo Kusakabe, whom I interviewed separately during my time in Madrid. The two had been friends for ten years, having been part of the same tennis circle during their university years. The fact that they could continue sharing their joys in the same sport even after transitioning to professional life is a valuable treasure in their lives.

Her Padel Environment

Timing is crucial in life. Even if it feels like destiny, if the timing isn’t right, things might not fall into place. Haruna’s introduction to padel and her current training in Madrid are likely the result of well-timed encounters.

When she started playing padel, she was in her second year of working as an office employee. She was busy with work, and her opportunities to play tennis had diminished. She hadn’t been intensely focused on anything specific. It’s for this reason that Haruna believes she became so engrossed in padel.

Her Padel Life in Japan

After fully immersing herself in padel in Japan, her typical day involved working as an office employee until 6 PM. Afterward, she would travel about an hour to the padel court, practice for about two hours, and then return home. On weekends, she’d spend one to two hours traveling to the padel court and dedicate two to three hours to practice or matches, essentially spending entire days on padel.

The cost of using padel courts, about ¥2,500 per person per session (2-3 hours, depending on the time), along with transportation expenses, added up significantly. However, driven by her love for padel, Haruna would cut down on leisure activities with friends such as golf to save both time and money.

Haruna said that she used her own paid time off to organize her schedule for her overseas trips, and her story showed us that living as an athlete while working as an office worker requires careful and attentive schedule planning.

For international trips, Haruna used her paid leave to carefully plan her schedule. She mentioned that juggling her life as an athlete alongside her office work required meticulous planning and discreet management. Many of her colleagues and superiors at work supported her endeavors as an athlete and padel player. However, during international trips, causing disruptions at work was inevitable and a source of inconvenience for her coworkers and supervisors. Thus, Haruna ensured that she gave her all to her job when she was at work to minimize any disruptions.

_{“The biggest change in my life since starting padel is meeting people I would have never met otherwise.}

Changes Due to Padel

Padel, which has transformed Haruna’s lifestyle as an office worker, has brought about significant changes. I asked her about the changes that have occurred since she started playing padel.

“The biggest change in my life since starting padel is meeting people I would have never met otherwise. I’ve connected with individuals who support athletes both domestically and internationally, fellow athletes abroad, and even Japanese residents in Spain who I wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for padel. Ever since I started playing padel, I’ve been receiving inspiration from various people every day. It’s made me realize that there are various ways of living, whether in the realm of padel or beyond,” Haruna explained. Padel has indeed opened new doors in her life.

Family and Friends’ reactions to becoming a padel player

While her friends have started looking up to her as a representative of Japan at international competitions, Haruna feels that she’s just pursuing something she loves. She mentioned that her family’s reaction is more concerned than applauding.

When she went to Paraguay for the 2018 World Championships or to Qatar, her family worried about her safety while abroad. Having daughters who also engage in sports, I can empathize with the feelings of parents who worry about their children during overseas trips.

The Journey to Moving to Spain

Haruna’s passion for padel has grown even stronger since she started playing padel more seriously while working as an office worker in Japan.

After participating in the 2018 world competition in Paraguay, she met foreign padel players and developed a clear goal of wanting to play padel abroad. Her desire eventually led her to Spain, the birthplace of padel, where she wanted to learn more about the sport. Her decision-making style, where once she commits, she ensures she follows through, pushed her to adjust her work and start learning Spanish to achieve her goal.

Initially, her Spanish vocabulary was limited to basic greetings like “Hola” (hello), “Grasias” (thank you), and “Aqua” (water). She started by self-studying at the library, but later found that practicing speaking and interacting with native speakers was limited. About a year ago, she began taking online Spanish lessons to improve further. She appreciates the benefits of online language learning, especially being able to listen to authentic Spanish spoken by native speakers. Even now, she continues her lessons during her stay in Spain.

Despite her growing determination to go to Spain, it took quite a while to make it happen. Long-term plans like moving to another country involve challenges related to work and expenses.

Haruna sought a job that would allow her to continue working while pursuing padel training in Spain. She found the right opportunity with a venture-oriented company, Valuence Japan Co., Ltd. She explained that the company supports her by providing various possibilities and being flexible, which aligns with her desire to continue working and training in Spain.

From the start, Haruna had expressed her interest in moving to Spain during the interview process. After about six months, when she had settled into her role, she discussed her plans with her supervisor. The company acknowledged her dedication to padel and agreed to her request. This paved the way for her to make her dream of living in Spain a reality. As it’s often said, actions are what truly shape our lives.

Life in Spain

Haruna’s long-awaited padel training journey in Spain began in September 2022. Her weekdays are packed with work from 8 AM to 4 PM, followed by padel lessons from 5 PM onward.

Every weekday, she spends 90 minutes in padel training sessions with her coach. Additionally, she dedicates two days a week to physical training sessions with a coach, which follow her padel practice. While she initially settled in Madrid, she later moved to Valencia’s academy, Bellmontopadelacademy, for training under Coach Belmonte.

Conscious Training Approach

Haruna, currently training intensively in Spain, has been revolutionizing her playing form. She has been playing padel for six years, but her first four to five years in Japan were self-taught due to the lack of instructors.

This left gaps in her foundational skills, which she realized when she came to Spain. She has been working on every aspect of her game, from her volleys’ form to how she uses her body, basic shoulder positioning, and more. She appreciates the precise guidance and advice from her skilled coaches, which have contributed to her continuous improvement.

_{What’s more important to her than the fact of losing is the “how” of losing. She believes that there’s a way to lose with understanding and dignity}

Learning from Defeat

Dealing with emotions after a loss in sports varies from person to person. For Haruna, she might shed a tear, but she generally doesn’t express strong negative emotions.

What’s more important to her than the fact of losing is the “how” of losing. She believes that there’s a way to lose with understanding and dignity. She emphasizes, “What truly bothers me is when I can’t perform what I’ve practiced in the match. I review what went wrong and how I lost. I rethink my training methods and approach. If I don’t reflect, I’ll make the same mistakes again.” Her wise words underscore the importance of learning from failures.

Aspirations in Playing Padel at the forefront in Japan

Haruna has been recognized as a designated player for the Japanese national padel team. When asked about her ambitions in this role, she humbly stated, “I’m currently striving to be a player who can excel not only in domestic tournaments but also internationally, someone whose level of play would be respected abroad.” Despite her earnest ambitions, she maintains her humility and proper manners.

Padel Events in Spain

TThe main purpose of my visit to Spain was to conduct interviews with three padel players and also to interview the Japanese representatives participating in the international exchange event called “Inter Cambio” (more details about this event with organizer Mitsuki will be covered in a separate article) who held a Madrid padel event. My interview with Haruna took place just after the morning session of this event.

While initially being a participant in the “Intercambio” event herself, Haruna eventually collaborated with fellow Japanese padel representatives Leon and Shungo Kusakabe, both based in Spain, and co-hosted the inaugural event in March 2023.

The participants had varying levels of experience, ranging from those who had previously played tennis to complete beginners.

Promoting Padel in Madrid, Spain

Haruna felt nervous as it was her first time organizing such a large-scale event, but she found solace in knowing the basics of teaching. The event went smoothly, and she felt gratified to have shared her knowledge in a way that resonated with everyone. It seems that her approachable nature and teaching skills enabled her to shine as an instructor.

While she had previously taught groups of friends in Japan, this event was a new experience for Haruna. She had some knowledge of teaching fundamentals, which made her confident in running the event in her own way.

Participants who live in Spain were generally familiar with padel but had not experienced it themselves. She hopes that introducing them to padel in Spain might encourage them to continue playing in Japan after they return home.

This event served as a platform to promote padel, share information about the Japanese national padel team, the presence of padel courts in Japan, and Japan’s participation in world competitions.

Upcoming Plans

Haruna plans to stay in Spain until the end of September this year. Afterward, she intends to continue working in Japan while playing padel, just as she has been doing. During her time in Spain, she aims to absorb as much knowledge as possible from the high-quality coaches and fellow players in the homeland of padel. She recognizes the challenge of maintaining these skills back in Japan.

Additionally, she acknowledges the ongoing challenges in Japan’s padel scene, including increasing the player base and court numbers. She expresses her desire to further raise awareness through events, aiming to contribute to the promotion of padel in Japan. Behind her gentle and graceful demeanor, Haruna carries the resilience of an athlete, and her time in Madrid has been a precious and valuable experience.

I’m very glad to see her during Haruna is in Madrid. Thank you very much for this time.

MEMO: To catch a glimpse of Haruna-san’s everyday life, you can visit her Instagram here.

Click here to see a glimpse of Haruna’s true face on Instagram.