3 min readJun 7, 2026 03:37 PM IST Takefusa Kubo is known as the Japanese Messi, for his swirling and swift runs along the right wing traditionally. The 25-year-old who plays for Real Sociedad in Europe, recently however pulled a feint-and-turn on an unsuspecting group — Japanese grandmothers. Sashiko_Gals is a group of talented Japanese women in the 40-80 age category from Tohoku region, who began a creative rehabilitation program for citizens who had suffered tragedy during the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Based out of Otsuchi town in Iwate Prefecture, the Sashiko_Gals “Reincarnate items no longer in use by customising them with Sashiko stitching technique.” It is a deeply meditative process as they use the Running, blanket or basting stitch — a simple neat, un-intricate needlework of straight line equidistant stitches to form patterns on existing garments – or caps, shoes and bags since the project took off in 2024. It resurrects old objects offering sustainable reuse. In 2026, the Gals decided to pretty-up and customise the Japanese national team jersey that would …