It seems that Sani Brown’s mentor, “Takahiko Yamamura,” is a graduate of Kurakuen Junior High School.
Kobe Shimbun NEXT | Sports | Sani Brown’s mentor was a member of the “Hyogo Sprinter Quartet”
According to the linked article, Sani Brown, who recently set a Japanese record of 9.97 seconds in the men’s 100 meters, was coached during his time on the track and field team at Josai High School in Tokyo by Takahiko Yamamura.
It also says that Takahiko Yamamura is from Nishinomiya and graduated from Kurakuen Junior High School.
His Kurakuen Junior High School Days
Takahiko Yamamura, Sani Brown’s mentor, represented Japan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He is also the holder of the Japanese collegiate record in the 400 meters.
According to Wikipedia, he played soccer in elementary school and planned to continue after entering Kurakuen Junior High School, but right after enrollment, a track and field club advisor invited him to join after seeing him in a sports test, so he joined the track team.
Still, it seems he had some lingering attachment to soccer, and until his second year of junior high, he apparently played around with the soccer club before track practice.
Kurakuen Junior High Students Are Impressive
Kurakuen Junior High School is located near Kitayama Park.
Here it is on the map↓
The school district is amazing.
To the north, it stretches toward Jurinji-cho and Kabutoyama High School, and to the south, it reaches Aioi-cho on the north side of Shukugawa Station.
Way too wide.
And that whole area is full of slopes.
It’s the kind of place where you can see views like this.
↓It’s also an area with terrifyingly long staircases like this
Also, around this time of year, Kurakuen Junior High apparently does a Mt. Rokko hike. It seems they walk a tough route: Mikage → Okamoto → Ashiya → Mt. Rokko summit → Kurakuen Junior High.
Just commuting to school must be exhausting, but the name Kurakuen really does fit.
I think Kurakuen Junior High students are trained both mentally and physically.
There was a video of “training to run faster” by Takahiko Yamamura, who graduated from Kurakuen Junior High.
Especially if you’re a current or former Kurakuen Junior High student, copying even one of these moves is sure to make you look cool.
Finally
I don’t know where Takahiko Yamamura lived, but since it was within the Kurakuen Junior High school district, he was probably running up some kind of slope somewhere. I found myself thinking that may have been what helped set him on the path to becoming a top athlete.
Takahiko Yamamura currently appears to be a health and physical education teacher and track and field club advisor at Josai University-affiliated Josai Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo.
