The Japan's women's sevens development squad left Fiji on Saturday knowing the lessons learned will hold them in good stead as they head toward the Tokyo Olympics and beyond.

"Our short-term target is 2020, but with sevens confirmed for Paris in 2024 we have a long-term high performance plan and it's good to see we have some young talented girls coming through," said Kensuke Iwabuchi, the director of high performance for the Japan Rugby Football Union's women's sevens program.

The Junior Sakura Sevens lost in the semifinals of the Fiji Coral Coast Sevens but for Iwabuchi, coach Makoto Inada and the team, the trip was a great learning experience.

"The only tournaments we have in Asia are for the senior teams, there's very little for the young girls," explained Iwabuchi, whose program sees Japan divided into Senior, SDS and Academy sides.

"We will hold the Okinawa Sevens in February, and Japan will put out two teams alongside sides against sides from Australia, Canada and the United States. Some of the girls here in Fiji will also join up with some of the senior team currently preparing for the Sydney Sevens and play in Brisbane."

One girl who will not be making the trip though is Hana Nagata.

A second-year student at Fukuoka High School, Nagata was one of the stars of the tournament in Fiji. But school exams means she cannot add Australia to the list of countries she has visited as a rugby player.

"I started playing when I was five because my brother played," she told Kyodo News.

"I now play at high school but as we have no girls team I play with the boys side. They are bigger than me so it really helps me develop my game."

Nagata said her dream was to play in both the Olympics in Tokyo and the Women's Rugby World Cup, and the chances are she will be joined on that journey by Rinka Matsuda.

Daughter of former Japan international Tsutomu Matsuda, the first-year student at Kokugakuin University Tochigi High School was the youngest player in the tournament having just turned 16 in December.

"She's been with us for the last two years," Iwabuchi said of Matsuda, who started playing rugby when she was 9 years old.

"We can't send her to all the tournaments as the World Series requires players to be at least 17 years old. And we want to make sure we look after her properly."

Like Nagata, Matsuda plays with the boys' team at school. But whether she would ever play at Hanazono at the All-Japan High School Tournament was something Iwabuchi was unsure about.

"I have no idea if the rules allow it and I would think the coaches might worry a little," he said.

For both girls, the trip to Fiji, which recently bid to host a leg of the World Sevens Series, provided things they will never learn in a classroom or playing field in Japan.

"It was different from Japan," said Nagata. "The Fijians know their rugby so well, so as a player it was a great chance to develop."

Matsuda, meanwhile, admitted the big noisy crowd had made her nervous.

"I realized my level is not that high," she said modestly. "I want to come back and win the tournament next time."

There were more than a few knowledgeable observers who would disagree with the first comment and think the second more than possible.