Krista Vansant Unforgettable Experience in Japan
7/1/2019 10:07:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– Indiana volleyball assistant coach Krista Vansant traveled to Japan as part of the staff for the Collegiate National Team – Japan Tour.
Krista gives an account of the trip and what made it so special for her.
My trip to Japan was an unbelievable experience filled with learning from great people, good food and tons of volleyball. When we landed in Tokyo, we had about an hour train ride to the hotel and we were all pretty tired so we headed to bed.
Adjusting to the new time change was a challenge so we were all up pretty early. That first morning, we traveled about 30 minutes by train to see a temple and market. Even though it was dumping rain, we really enjoyed walking around the market. It was our first glimpse of Japanese culture.
After sightseeing for the morning, we had time to go back to the hotel and nap before hopping on a train and heading to our one and only training session. Traveling to the playing site was a bit of a challenge since it was still pouring rain and we had to take multiple trains and buses. The athletes were all great sports about it and we had a good couple hours of training.
Because we only had one practice before playing in our first match, we had to utilize the two hours to see what some of the athletes could do and what they are taught at their respective programs as well as what tips I could give them to help them improve quickly. It was awesome getting to learn from the other coaches on what they like to teach and the ways that they say things to convey what they want the players to do.
Post practice, we had dinner at the university where we practiced and began the long trek back to the hotel. It was a new experience having to take public transportation everywhere since when we travel in the US, we tend to take team buses.
Throughout the next six days, it was all volleyball. We played eight matches in six days and the girls really had to push through being tired and still compete at a high level. The teams that we competed against were all very good and they put pressure on us in ways that American teams typically don't. They were exceptional at serving, passing and defense. Since they were all a little undersized compared to our team, we had lots of blocks but they put a lot of pressure on our offense to score. Our offense definitely improved every match as the girls got used to each other and the styles of defense that the Japanese teams were playing. It was awesome for all of us to see how disciplined they were as a whole and how little errors they made. This is something that I definitely want to bring back to Indiana and help our players continue to improve.
After the majority of matches that we played, we would have meals with the teams and coaching staffs where we would get to ask them questions about their culture and they could ask us questions about ours. It was so interesting getting to know them and being to enjoy traditional Japanese food with them. We shared sushi, shabu shabu and other Japanese dishes. The food overall was delicious. My two favorite meals were the pork katsu and the ramen that we got out of a vending machine. Vending machines are everywhere!
We did get to sightsee a little bit during the mornings before some of our matches. One of the mornings, we went to Shibuya, which is one of the most popular places in Tokyo. The main attraction was one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world. During the time of day that we were there, it wasn't that busy but based on the crosswalks, I could tell how busy it could be.
We moved to a couple different hotels in Tokyo before hopping on a bullet train to Okayama. The bullet train was pretty cool. It was about four hours but the train was pretty comfortable and had wifi so everyone was able to get some work done or watch movies. Once arriving in Okayama, we dropped off our stuff at the hotel and we walked to a traditional Japanese castle. The castle was beautiful and it included a museum inside. Even though we couldn't read a lot of the signs, looking at the artifacts and the views from the top floor were stunning.
After our last match in Okayama, we hopped back on the bullet train and went to Kyoto which was about two hours back towards Tokyo. Even though we only spent one day and night here, I know that it was one of everyone's favorite places.
We traveled to Nishiki Market to walk around and have lunch. It was a huge market that had everything from octopus on a stick to souvenirs to fruit and flower stands.
It was very interesting to walk around and see what people were buying. Later that day, we took a train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It was so beautiful and was definitely a tourist attraction. The girls took tons of photos and we really enjoyed our time there.
The next morning, we woke up and began our journey back to the US. It started with a two hour bullet train to Tokyo and another hour train to the airport. It was a nine hour flight back to LAX and once we landed back in the states, we all parted our separate ways to our respective universities. As we all hugged goodbye, some of the girls started crying. We had created such a bond over our time in Japan. It was a weird feeling knowing that we weren't going to see each other every morning at breakfast.
Overall, I took away so much from the trip. The first thing was how thankful I am to be given the opportunity to not only represent the USA but to also represent Indiana Volleyball on an international stage. I got to learn so many things on the volleyball side from the other coaches. We were able to share ideas and tips that each of us have adopted from the programs that we work for. I learned so much from the girls and their ability to adapt in tough situations and their openness to try new things. Most of all, I learn so much about Japan and I have such an appreciation for Japanese culture. Thank you to everyone that helped make this trip possible for me!
-Krista
Krista gives an account of the trip and what made it so special for her.
My trip to Japan was an unbelievable experience filled with learning from great people, good food and tons of volleyball. When we landed in Tokyo, we had about an hour train ride to the hotel and we were all pretty tired so we headed to bed.
Adjusting to the new time change was a challenge so we were all up pretty early. That first morning, we traveled about 30 minutes by train to see a temple and market. Even though it was dumping rain, we really enjoyed walking around the market. It was our first glimpse of Japanese culture.
After sightseeing for the morning, we had time to go back to the hotel and nap before hopping on a train and heading to our one and only training session. Traveling to the playing site was a bit of a challenge since it was still pouring rain and we had to take multiple trains and buses. The athletes were all great sports about it and we had a good couple hours of training.
Because we only had one practice before playing in our first match, we had to utilize the two hours to see what some of the athletes could do and what they are taught at their respective programs as well as what tips I could give them to help them improve quickly. It was awesome getting to learn from the other coaches on what they like to teach and the ways that they say things to convey what they want the players to do.
Post practice, we had dinner at the university where we practiced and began the long trek back to the hotel. It was a new experience having to take public transportation everywhere since when we travel in the US, we tend to take team buses.
Throughout the next six days, it was all volleyball. We played eight matches in six days and the girls really had to push through being tired and still compete at a high level. The teams that we competed against were all very good and they put pressure on us in ways that American teams typically don't. They were exceptional at serving, passing and defense. Since they were all a little undersized compared to our team, we had lots of blocks but they put a lot of pressure on our offense to score. Our offense definitely improved every match as the girls got used to each other and the styles of defense that the Japanese teams were playing. It was awesome for all of us to see how disciplined they were as a whole and how little errors they made. This is something that I definitely want to bring back to Indiana and help our players continue to improve.
After the majority of matches that we played, we would have meals with the teams and coaching staffs where we would get to ask them questions about their culture and they could ask us questions about ours. It was so interesting getting to know them and being to enjoy traditional Japanese food with them. We shared sushi, shabu shabu and other Japanese dishes. The food overall was delicious. My two favorite meals were the pork katsu and the ramen that we got out of a vending machine. Vending machines are everywhere!
We did get to sightsee a little bit during the mornings before some of our matches. One of the mornings, we went to Shibuya, which is one of the most popular places in Tokyo. The main attraction was one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world. During the time of day that we were there, it wasn't that busy but based on the crosswalks, I could tell how busy it could be.
We moved to a couple different hotels in Tokyo before hopping on a bullet train to Okayama. The bullet train was pretty cool. It was about four hours but the train was pretty comfortable and had wifi so everyone was able to get some work done or watch movies. Once arriving in Okayama, we dropped off our stuff at the hotel and we walked to a traditional Japanese castle. The castle was beautiful and it included a museum inside. Even though we couldn't read a lot of the signs, looking at the artifacts and the views from the top floor were stunning.
After our last match in Okayama, we hopped back on the bullet train and went to Kyoto which was about two hours back towards Tokyo. Even though we only spent one day and night here, I know that it was one of everyone's favorite places.
We traveled to Nishiki Market to walk around and have lunch. It was a huge market that had everything from octopus on a stick to souvenirs to fruit and flower stands.
It was very interesting to walk around and see what people were buying. Later that day, we took a train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It was so beautiful and was definitely a tourist attraction. The girls took tons of photos and we really enjoyed our time there.
The next morning, we woke up and began our journey back to the US. It started with a two hour bullet train to Tokyo and another hour train to the airport. It was a nine hour flight back to LAX and once we landed back in the states, we all parted our separate ways to our respective universities. As we all hugged goodbye, some of the girls started crying. We had created such a bond over our time in Japan. It was a weird feeling knowing that we weren't going to see each other every morning at breakfast.
Overall, I took away so much from the trip. The first thing was how thankful I am to be given the opportunity to not only represent the USA but to also represent Indiana Volleyball on an international stage. I got to learn so many things on the volleyball side from the other coaches. We were able to share ideas and tips that each of us have adopted from the programs that we work for. I learned so much from the girls and their ability to adapt in tough situations and their openness to try new things. Most of all, I learn so much about Japan and I have such an appreciation for Japanese culture. Thank you to everyone that helped make this trip possible for me!
-Krista
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