GOAL.com

On October 22, the Swiss capital of Bern began its celebration of 'Japan week' - a festival marking 150 years of strong diplomatic relations between the two countries which will attract more than 1,000 visitors from the Far East. Given that Yuya Kubo is set to line up against Napoli in the Europa League on Thursday, the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf could be a very busy venue.
 
The 20-year-old joined Young Boys in the summer of 2013 after rising through the ranks at Kyoto Sanga - one of the J-League's most prolific talent production lines - and, despite the presence of fellow young attackers Josef Martinez and Michael Frey, he forced his way immediately into the first team. With the latter duo having since secured moves to Serie A and Ligue 1, respectively, Kubo now finds himself as the lynchpin of the Young Boys attack. It is a role which could propel him to true stardom.
 
Kubo's youth career saw him develop as a ruthless centre forward. As a 17-year-old, he scored 13 goals in 33 matches for the senior Kyoto Sanga side, including strikes in the semi-final and final of the Emperor's Cup. For Japan youth teams, his goal record of 20 in 27 games from Under-16 to U-19 level is comparable to anyone in those age groups in world football.
 
"I didn't really have a childhood hero, but if I had to choose someone it would be Atsushi Yanagisawa," Kubo told Fifa TV. Yanagisawa - prolific in the J-League and for his national side - struggled terribly in Europe; Kubo must ensure he avoids a similar fate. Over the past 18 months, he has shown every sign that he will.



Kubo is only 1.78 metres tall and, despite boasting excellent acceleration, he lacks the power to bully defences. Former head coach Martin Rueda opted to use him in a deeper No.10 role during his first season, where he could utilise his skill and technique. Barely a month after his arrival in Switzerland, Kubo came off the bench to score twice and set up another to guide Young Boys to a 3-2 win over Thun. "Bern has gone Kubo-crazy!" wrote one prominent Swiss newspaper, while Bern journalists began to refer to him as "den sushi-bomber" - something he himself has embraced in good humour.
 
Kubo has scored 11 times in total for Young Boys, setting up another six - one of which came in the 5-0 rout of Slovan Bratislava in Europa League matchday one. The numbers are not prolific and are certainly there to be built on, but for a side as inconsistent as Young Boys, he is fast becoming invaluable. Often dropping deep to pick up possession before driving into space in the final third, or peeling away to the flanks to find pockets of space, Kubo has been afforded close to a free role under Uli Forte in a bid to unleash his potential.
 
He enjoys the reduced tactical demands. "I think the football is simpler in Europe than in Japan," he said in the spring. "Some things took a little time to get used to but now I'm enjoying life here." He has drawn comparisons with AC Milan's Keisuke Honda - another of his heroes - but it is nigh on impossible not to think of Shinji Kagawa when watching him spin through a challenge and pick out a team-mate in yellow-and-black stripes. He boasts the raw quality to become even better.
 
The road to such standards remains a long one, however. In the 1-0 defeat to champions Basel last weekend, Kubo was bullied into submission at times by Serey Die, highlighting the need to build up both his strength and, indeed, his sense of self-belief.
 
"Everyone's got bigger, so I'm going to have to bulk up too," Basel's Yoichiro Kakitani told Goal shortly after his move to the Super League this summer from Cerezo Osaka. "Things I've come to take for granted won't be there anymore and I'll have to deal with some tough situations, but once I get used to that I'll enjoy playing the game. They've said I'll finally be able to show my potential." Words which Kubo must likewise embrace.
 
Kubo was handed a Japan call-up for a friendly against Iceland in 2012 but has yet to make an appearance for the senior Samurai Blue, and he missed out on a place at the World Cup. A cutting edge in front of goal was a critical problem for Japan as they left Brazil at the group stage this summer; Kubo's dream of following in Yanagisawa's footsteps onto the biggest stage could be the solution come 2018.
 
"I remember the World Cup in 2002. It was held in Japan and Korea and it's still very clear in my memory," he said. "I would be so excited to be involved at the World Cup. So I need to keep playing with that thought in mind.
 
"I'll continue to imagine it and play with that as my goal."
 
Rafael Benitez's Napoli represent the finest opposition Kubo has faced in his career to date. An inspired performance against the Partenopei may just unlock the next stage of this exciting young attacker's career and give Bern's 'Japan week' a true star attraction.