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The players may have been thousands of miles away from home in Germany, but traces of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the north-east of the country were still in their thoughts.
Its shock waves have raised waves 40 meters high, sweeping the Pacific Ocean and coastal cities. In total, more than 20,000 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands of others were forced to leave their homes.
Although they did not realize it at the time, many people living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on the east coast would never come back because a flood of water caused a radiation leak. in the surrounding area.
The clean up is expected to last 40 years and it is only in recent months that people have started to return to the area.
It's no wonder that these images shown to Sameshima and her team-mates before the World Cup quarter-finals sparked such a powerful reaction. Nadeshiko – the nickname of the Japanese women's football team – then beat Germany, his team, in overtime.
Entered the tournament as an unskilled outsider, Japan was forced to topple the United States on penalties in the final, becoming the first Asian country to win an international football tournament.
Instill hope
Back home, the news was received with joy.
"I think that almost nobody in the world seriously thought that Japan would win," said CNN Asako Takakura, who played for the women's national team in the 1980s and 90s before becoming a coach in 2016.
"Many Japanese people saw Nadeshiko win when we had neither absolute power nor strength, and they told us that they had a lot of power from us, and I think all of Japan won the title.
"Watching players doing their best in all sports – football in our case – can move people's hearts … I felt we could move the hearts of people who were watching us at home."
The exploits of Nadeshiko that year and the Fukushima disaster that tore the country four months ago are oddly intertwined.
J-Village, the Japanese national football center based in Fukushima, was used as a place of refuge immediately after the earthquake and tsunami.
Later, it became a base for nuclear recovery. Steel plates covered the terrain that turned the once green lands into a parking spot for heavy machinery.
The players also contributed to the recovery.
"The 2011 World Cup has given us a lot of courage, especially for people who are going through hard times because of the disaster," Shunsuke Ono, now J-Village representative but former coach of CNN Sport, told CNN Sport. 39, Japanese team.
"I think a lot of people have been encouraged to watch the World Cup, I think it brought a bright light because their lives were afflicted with pain … it was great to make the Japanese happy. "
Reopened to business
Ono took a job to help rebuild the J-Village in July 2013. Progress has been slow since then, but the site is now back in service and the footballers are starting to spin again.
"We have gone through a dark period, but we expect more people to come here in the future," says Ono. "We work hard for that reason, it's too quiet here without people.
"I really want to get back into action here, and I really want to make it a place where more football players, football teams and football fans come back.
"After the start of the operation here at the end of July, about 250,000 people were visited for eight months, about half of what we had before. [the disaster]. "
Reflections can now turn to this year's World Cup in France, before the training center is used by Japanese players.
Nadeshiko hopes to avenge the 5-2 loss to the United States in the 2015 final, having been drawn in a group including England – which Japan beat in the semifinals four years ago – the Scotland and Argentina.
According to head coach Takakura, the morale of the team is high.
"I think the players are very positive, full of motivation, cheerful and hear very well," said the former midfielder, who led his team to a win in the World Cup. Asia in Jordan last year.
"Japanese players and Japan as a country suffered the loss [in 2015]. However, we left these feelings behind us by constantly focusing on the future. I remember that this renewed energy reached us very soon after. "
A repeat in 2019?
The Nadeshiko team looks younger this year with more than half of players aged 23 or younger.
With more than 100 appearances, Sameshima is one of the most experienced members of the team, but the defender admits that the experience of the previous two World Cups will not make it easier for him in France.
"I play with a lot more pressure than before," she says.
"We had a generation change, I wonder how many years younger girls are younger than I. Very young girls joined the team who have never played in a big tournament like the World Cup before.
"Winning the World Cup is the goal of the team … The important thing is to let these girls play freely in the field.I would like to create an atmosphere where these girls can play freely. "
While the 2011 victory marked a surge in the popularity of women's football in Japan, Sameshima, who turns 32 at this year's tournament, admits the sport needs to improve its visibility nationally if Nadeshiko still wants to compete. with the United States.
"It is necessary to establish more firmly women's football [in Japan], "says Sameshima. The United States really has a big pool of players. There are also a lot of little girls playing football. This helps them to produce more good players. "
Although the men's J League has attracted international attention in recent years with the arrival of some of the biggest players in the game, such as Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta and Lukas Podolski, the female equivalent has experienced difficulties.
In the aftermath of the 2011 World Cup, the league matches "have attracted five to ten times more people," according to independent Japanese journalist Arthur Syin, but today the competition suffers from a lack funding and very few fans at the Games. "
Olympic opportunity
The young Nadeshiko team however has a chance to inspire the next generation in France this year. And beyond that, there is also the prospect of a home Olympics.
Japan has failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics, having been a finalist in the United States in 2012, but the host status for next year's Games guarantees its participation.
Fukushima will also be put in the honor.
When the Olympic flame arrives on the shores of Japan next year, it will begin its procession in the country from the site of the tragedy in three stages – earthquake, tsunami, then nuclear collapse – which took place eight years ago .
"The decision to host the Tokyo Olympics was a major reason for reclaiming and rebuilding this place and the football facilities," said J-Village representative Ono.
"We would like to see many teams come here for the Tokyo Olympics, especially Japan's national teams, both men and women, and I would love to see them training here and getting a good start. result at the Olympic Games.
"I hope it will be a truly brilliant light for those in Fukushima who have lived through such a dark and painful period."
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