Japan is a well known country, but not in eSports. How many gamers or teams from Japan does an average , non-japanese player know about? Mostly, the answer is zero.

It seems hard, almost impossible, to become a professional gamer from Japan. The scene there is not developed enough, and their location makes them isolated from the world. Practicing with teams or players from closest countries is unlike how we are used to in Europe. However, every once in a while, a brave one chooses to try and make a name for himself. This time, it is Toshikazu Senzaki, also known as ENZA.

ENZA, who played Counter-Strike for a Japanese-based team, 4dimensioN, is now trying his luck and skills in WarCraft 3 TFT. He won the Japanese Kode5 qualifiers and got a chance to attend a big event like the upcoming KODE5. myMYM's Guest Interviewer, Tomo 'treach' Pejanovic Nosaka conducted an interview with him, in which he explains the situation of esports in Japan and talks about his past, present and future regarding esports.

Hello ENZA. As not many gamers around the globe know about you, could you please introduce yourself to the readers?
My name is Toshikazu Senzaki, and I had been playing CS for 5 years. Since last year, I changed game and I have been playing WC3 since.

You played Counter-Strike for a team called 4dimensioN, which was quite successful. You attended some big tournaments like CPL and WCG finals, beating teams like g3x and Mug N' Mouse at Complexity LG Pre-CPL Tournament in 2004. 4dN was later on sponsored by PSYMIN, yet the team [4dN] disbaned. What were the reasons for this?
First of all it was our willingness. As we did not have tournaments, neither people to play with, we lost motivation. Secondly: sponsor. As there are no tournaments in Japan, we needed to attend tournament abroad and there was no money to travel when we lost PSYMIN. These are main reasons why we dismissed.

How hard was it for 4dN to grab a sponsor like PSYMIN?
It is pretty difficult to find sponsors in Japan. We could not find any.

We see a lot of competitive and successful gamers from South Korea and China, yet we dont see any, expect 4dN in the past, from Japan. Some blame the popularity of console gaming for that. What is your opinion about lack of gamers from Japan?
I think that the reason is because console games are most popular. In Japan, there are more arcade game centers than internet cafes in numbers. Even in Internet Cafes, people are mostly reading mangas and do not play games.

Gaming in Japan: 3 kids, 3 PSPs, 1 goal: to have fun while waiting for the train. Nothing unusual for Japan. PC gaming? No thanks.

How developed is esport in general in Japan? Which games are the most played? How many LAN and online tournaments are there? For example, how did 4dN prepare for oversea tournaments?
I do not know much about eSports in Japan, so I do not know much about popularity. 4dN had some bootcamps before they went to tournament in other countries.

After 4dN stopped playing CS, you started to play WarCraft 3. Why?
I started WC3 with 2 reasons. Firstly, it is one of the major titles in gaming. Secondly, we do not need to set up 5 members to start the game like in CS.


Compared to CS, is it easier to practice WC3 from Japan, since you can play with Korean and Chinese players?
As it is not that much ping dependent like in FPS games, it is good that I can play with different players. I cannot play CS with European players online, but I can do that in WC3.

You managed to win the Japanese Kode5 qualifiers, so you will represent yourself and your home country at the Kode5 finals. How hard was it, to win the qualifiers, and how many players attended the event in Japan?
There were about 15 to 20 players at the Japanese qualification. I had a big pressure as people expected me to win without doubt.

ENZA after winning the regional qualifiers in Japan

With Kode5 grand finals closing in, how do you prepare for the event? If asked about your placement, how would you place yourself?
I practice regularly. I think that I will place low at the finals. But I would like to try my best to win a higher place for people who are supporting me.

What are your plans after the much awaited Kode5? Will you continue to play WC3 and try to attend some other big tournaments? If not, do you plan to stop playing competitively? What about StarCraft 2, which may change esports as we know it?
I have not decided what I would do after Kode5. It will be all up to whether I could find a sponsor or not. I think that I will play StarCraft2, but I am not sure if I will take it too seriously.

Well, before we finish, is there anything you would like to say to gamers from all over the world? This is a chance to be heard by fellow gamers.
I am hoping to play better and be good, so look forward to it!