Well-loved Japanese table tennis player Ai Fukuhara shoots ads in China

From September 5 through 6, Ai Fukuhara, a Japanese female table tennis player who is very popular in both Japan and China, came to China to shoot an advertisement for a Japanese company. The company is not well known in China, and therefore it chose Fukuhara as its Chinese spokesperson because she is a household name in China.

Ai Fukuhara shoots ads in China

Fukuhara is very proud of her ties with China and speaks fluent Chinese. Smiling sweetly whilst talking about her close ties with China, she said, “I want to be an ambassador for Sino-Japanese friendship, so as to contribute to the promotion of the friendly exchange between China and Japan.”

Ai Fukuhara looked somewhat tired after a full day of shooting, but she remained polite when being interviewed by reporters. Her casual clothing added to the sense of a relaxed and charming personality.

Ai Fukuhara shoots ads in China

Talking about China, Fukuhara brings up her idol Wang. “I learnt a lot from Wang Nan, who is my ‘older sister,’” she said. Several years ago, when Fukuhara joined the Liaoning club and became one of Wang’s teammates, she, being filled with such admiration, only dared to sit on the edge of her seat when she was in the same car with Wang. Fukuhara said that although Wang is the top female table tennis player and has won gold medals at both the Olympic Games and the World Table Tennis Championship, she is very modest and kind to everyone in daily life. Consequently, people respect her and she touches many people. Fukuhara said, “Not only did I learn table tennis technique from Wang, but also how to behave.”

Fukuhara has made great progress in her table tennis after training and living in China for a long time, and won the women’s singles and women’s doubles championships at the Morocco Open two months ago. Although the level of competition was not that high, it is the first time that Fukuhara has won an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro-tour event. Despite her success, Fukuhara is well aware that there is still room for her to improve. She said: “I hope I will get another opportunity to be trained in China when the next season of the ITTF starts.”

Translated by LOTO