Nikkei Scholarship - Sharly Natsu Yazaki : Building a healthy society through sports experience

There are many Japanese people who have roots not only in Japan but also in other countries. Many of them are involved in various activities to serve as a bridge between Japan and their home countries.

Ms. Sharly Natsu Yazaki has her roots in Brazil. She participated in The Nikkei Scholarship, “Dream Come True Project (external link)” which is implemented by The Nippon Foundation. She works to build a bridge between Japan and Brazil through sports.

In this interview, we asked  Ms. Yazaki about;

• her focus on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
• what she has obtained through The Nippon Foundation scholarship program
• her future plans

■Looking for her own originality, she came to Japan

Ms. Yazaki is from São Paulo, Brazil, where athletics and baseball are popular. In the beginning she was a slow runner but gradually she was getting faster and then realized her own jumping skill when she was 10 years old. Then she was able to perform for better results. 

Ms. Yazaki has a Japanese father and second-generation Japanese descendant mother. She came to Japan for the first time at the age of 15. She participated in the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) " Education Program for Nikkei Next Generation" .

“At that time, I decided that I wanted to come back to Japan  to study with a clear goal.”

After that, she went on to the Physical Education Teacher Training Program at the São Paulo State University, where she met her mentor.

“I still respect my mentor from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to his training, I could make better results.  His personality is amazing as well.

Ms. Yazaki admired her mentor and aspired to become a physical education instructor.

Physical Education colleges in Brazil offer two courses: one to be a physical education teacher and the other to  be a personal trainer or an instructor.

After studying Physical Education for 4 years at the São Paulo State University, she went on to study at the University of Western São Paulo for 1.5 years, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. While attending school as a student, she worked as an instructor in swimming school and weight training and continued them after her graduation. In addition, she gained experience as a personal trainer and assistant athletics coach under her mentor.

São Paulo, where Ms. Yazaki was born and brought up in, has a strong Japanese community. They value the traditional Japanese culture, so she has participated in seasonal events since she was a child.

“In order to make the most of the fact that I am a Japanese descendant, I need to understand the roots and culture of both Japan and Brazil. 
I thought it would be an advantage if I could respond appropriately as a leader based on the culture and regional characteristics of both countries. That is why I wanted to study the Japanese culture and learn more about my roots. I had a strong desire to be original.”

On the other hand, in Brazil, there are no after-school activities which are common in Japan. When she was a child, she trained hard for the Olympics. She was able to win in the Japanese competitions, but was unable to win in the local Brazilian competitions.

“I wanted to devote myself to sports in an environment where I could concentrate only on competitions, like in Japan.”

■At the Rio Paralympics, her world is broadened by the allure of para-sports.

When she was 25 years old, she came to Japan as a Nikkei Scholarship fellow cooperated by The Nippon Foundation. For the first 3 years, she spent her time as a sprinter at the Japan Wellness Sports College.

When she was in Brazil, she was a long jumper, but in Japan she devoted herself to the 200 meters as a sprinter.
Through her athlete life at the Japan Wellness Sports School, she was able to learn from the perspective of an athlete. At the same time, she had the opportunity to teach the junior members.

“I wanted to coach someone through my actual experience as an athlete. Based on this experience, I noticed how hard the training menu is and how athletes feel if they get injured. This is also an important aspect for building trustful relationships with athletes. ”

This idea was effective when I coached the elementary school-aged children. By the practice of self demonstration they were able to understand, which l built a better relationship with them.

While attending school, a fellow student of the scholarship program gave her the opportunity to work with  the broadcast production team of NHK（Japan Broadcasting Corporation） for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016. This was her first time to work for the Paralympics in earnest.

Ms. Yazaki worked as an interpreter and a “spotter” at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. A spotter sits in the media booth at the venue and plays an important role. She informed the director in the broadcasting van about the various happenings on the field.

“Although I studied a para-sports curriculum at my university in Brazil, I did not have any actual experience to get involved in para-sports. My experience at the Paralympics has broadened my horizons.”

Receiving the scholarship from the Nippon Foundation allowed her to concentrate as an athlete and gain practical experience. After that she learned coaching for 2 years at the Graduate School of the Nippon Sport Science University and then she finished her 5-years scholarship program.

“Thanks to full support for living expenses, tuition fees, and travel expenses, I was able to concentrate on  my studies and myself without any worry or inconvenience. It helped  me to learn a lot of things and obtain a wide variety of experiences under the great environment.”

■The scholarship program provided me a lot of opportunities and connections 

She is currently working as a special researcher at the Nippon Sport Science University for a project commissioned by the Japan Sports Agency, “NSSU Expansion of Para-Sports Participants in the Paralympics” 
She was nominated for a project led by her advisor from graduate school.

“I am working on a project commissioned by the Sports Agency to increase the number of participating countries for the Tokyo Olympics.
Through these activities, my long-term mission is to develop para-sports and realize an inclusive society in the future.”

In the Americas Region, she provides support for;

• the training and development for coaches and athletes
• the establishment and the management of a domestic Paralympic committee
• the application and registration procedures for participation in international competitions and the Tokyo Olympics.

In addition, her project supports participation fees (entry, travel, accommodation fee etc.)  for the international competitions, and also provides training equipment if necessary. She has worked with 14 countries and currently she is active with drawing on her experience as an athlete and coach.

“I can speak Spanish in addition to Japanese and Portuguese because of my fellow colleagues from the scholarship program who taught me. Thanks to the scholarship program, I became a multilingual speaker which has broadened the range of  my activities . I was able to participate in my current project because my academic advisor evaluated my language skill.”

The Nikkei Scholarship cooperated by The Nippon Foundation was "the best scholarship program in the world” for Ms. Yazaki. She was able to gain valuable experience besides her specialized field in the training sessions which were held four times a year. She still has an active relationship and communication with the scholarship fellows.

“Sport is a universal culture beyond language, race and religion. However, there are some issues such as discrimination against people with disabilities and harassment of female athletes. I would like to create a safer environment for athletes and build a healthy society through sports.”

In the process of working on the project, various issues come up. However, Ms. Yazaki never flinches from a big goal.

Challenging yourself is not only for your own benefit, but also for someone. Ms. Yazaki taught us “the importance of taking on challenges”.

 Profile  Sharly Natsu Yazaki 
Ms. Yazaki has a Japanese father and second-generation Japanese descendant mother. She was born in the Yuba Community in São Paulo, Brazil.  She completed her Physical Education at São Paulo State University （UNESP） and received a bachelor's degree in University of Western São Paulo. After graduation, she worked as a gym instructor,swimming school teacher, personal trainer, athletic coach assistant. She was approved for the Nippon Foundation Nikkei Scholarship "Dream Come True Project". Through this project, she joined the athletics club for 3 years as an athlete (sprinter) at Japan Wellness Sports College, in Tokyo, Japan. In 2016, she worked as NHK staff in the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April 2017, she entered the Graduate School of Coaching at the Nippon Sport Science University for two years. She is currently working as a special researcher at the graduate school of the Nippon Sport Science University to support para-sports in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.