02/10 — Hi Jets fans! It's Kazuyo from the Flight Crew. I just came back from a fantastic tour!

I went to Tokyo, Japan, for 10 days to promote the NFL, especially Super Bowl XLIII, with seven wonderful cheerleaders from different teams. The other cheerleaders selected were from the Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49rs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl is the most watched NFL game in Japan.

The purpose of this tour was to increase its popularity and make new NFL fans.

I was very excited about the tour because Tokyo is my hometown as you may know.

I came to the U.S. to become an NFL cheerleader, so it was a wonderful opportunity for me to speak about what I’ve learned from my experiences here. Also, it was the first time that I was able to perform for my family and friends as a New York Jets Flight Crew member.

We had approximately nine television appearances such as sports programs and the morning news. We talked about how exciting the NFL is and how enthusiastic the fans are. We also talked about what we do besides dancing and how difficult the process is to become an NFL cheerleader. And we all shouted: “Super Bowl mitene!” which means “Watch the Super Bowl!”

When we were walking on the streets, many people recognized us because they had seen the TV shows we had been on. It was such an amazing experience and I felt like a movie star!

The day of the conference championship games, we went to a western-style restaurant to meet Japanese NFL fans watching the games. It was an early Monday morning in Japan. A lot of people were wearing business suits and I’m afraid they must have been late for their work by watching the game. I was very happy to meet dedicated NFL fans in Japan!

We visited the air base in Tokyo and met some Jets fans there! Also, we judged at the cheer competitions. When we had a little free time, we went shopping and visited a temple as well.

This tour was a life-changing experience and definitely the best experience in my life thanks to the people I met during the tour, especially the cheerleaders. How sweet, beautiful and talented they are! I was fortunate enough to meet them and had great memories. Without them it would not have been so special. I have never enjoyed Japan like that.

I’m sure we made a lot of new NFL fans through our tour.

Jets fans, you’re the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen! Thank you very much for all of your support throughout this season. We are so lucky to have great fans like you! Arigato! Go Jets!!

Cheers, Kazuyo