The latest
#TheHachi
is now in subscribers' inbox and online, featuring:
⚽
#FMarinos
getting it done in the ☔
🏀 Yuta Watanabe's homecoming
⛷ Gettin' high with Red Bull
🏎 A unique Japanese GP perspective
Read and subscribe for free, link in next tweet ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Really encouraging to see Kaoru Mitoma doing postgame interviews in English. After a long period in the 2010s in which many Japanese players in Europe struggled with communicating, the new generation seems to understand the importance of language study.
I've spoken to a lot of outlets about this over the last 2-3 weeks, but this map is exactly what has gotten Japan to the top of Group E: 30 years of dedicated effort to build the pyramid, going from 10 to 60 professional clubs covering over 80% of the country's prefectures.
In Could Be Something/Could Be Nothing news, the Japanese Olympic Committee has announced that Yuzuru Hanyu will be holding a news conference on Monday night - from 6:30pm Japan time, which gives all the evening news shows something to lead with.
#Beijing2022
Taking this incredible
@yangasc1935
uniform out for a walk - thank so much to
@Arafat__AH
for getting it all the way here and
@NuhuAdams_
for the assist!
ヤング・アフリカンズSCというタンザニア強豪クラブのユニを何とゲットした!昨シーズンの無敗優勝で身につけた超格好良いデザイン。
Kyogo Furuhashi joins the rare class of Japanese players to have won a significant domestic trophy in Europe, and among an even rarer class to have scored in the final, something I’m not even sure Shunsuke Nakamura did while he was at Celtic.
I love this approach. Let’s see sport as a vehicle to help young people learn about different aspects of culture, talk about Italian food, geography of the country, their history. Lean on aspects have are capturing our nation, harness it, embrace it. Sport can do that.
The J.League with an incredible promo vid - viewed 1.8 million times as of this tweet - highlighting the domestic origins of the
#SamuraiBlue
squad and reminding fans that they can see Japan's next stars not four years from now, but two months from now.
However Celtic does in the Champions League, watching them try to play like this against top-class opposition is going to be a delight. Ange Postecoglou deserves nothing less than this opportunity.
Reo Hatate appeared on soccer variety show Yabecchi Stadium alongside former Frontale teammate Kengo Nakamura.
Asked what left a strong impression at Celtic: "The support... If you play well they applaud, but if you play poorly they boo. I'm thankful for it either way."
Shoya Nakajima makes his debut for Antalyaspor ✅
On the pitch for no longer than 20 seconds before committing a late tackle... 😬
...for which he's shown a straight red card after VAR 💀
And the broadcaster had a camera on his family/friends 🥶
Kyogo Furuhashi going through airport security this morning ahead of his journey to
@CelticFC
. Expectation is that he'll quarantine in London before joining the squad, just as Ange Postecoglou did. (video:
@sports_kobenp
)
J-watchers, Ange Postecoglou and everyone else on Reo Hatate: Don't rush to make Shunsuke Nakamura comparisons, he's his own player and you're going to see him do his own thing.
Reo Hatate:
Multiple Japanese outlets reporting in the last 30 minutes that Daizen Maeda is expected to join Celtic on loan with a €2m purchase option to be exercised this summer.
Based on variety of sources I'd say this is done.
Ideguchi is probably fair value but as far as Maeda and Hatate are concerned this is the most audacious heist in the UK since Leave realized what Brexit was actually going to cost.
@aishiterutokyo
Surprised at the fees Dan? You mentioned it was a steel at the higher fees mentioned a month ago so I imagine these are even more in bargain territory
Sponichi: “Final countdown” for Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, who have gotten their work permits and flown to Europe for medicals ahead of joining Celtic.
Reo Hatate expected to fly over “in the new year.”
Though I am allegedly still on vacation until Monday (?) I could not of course go another week without writing about
@CelticFC
's blockbuster signing of three
@J_League_En
stars, so here's the first
#FromtheSpot
of 2022.
Evening dispatch from the JOC:
"This press conference has been arranged because it would be difficult to respond to the large # of individual media requests that have been made. Hanyu will not be making any announcements and we ask that media outlets refrain from speculation."
Here is how Olympic media/officials who aren’t in the bubble are getting around town. I wonder if these will be chargeable after the games or if it’ll just be a cool souvenir.
In the 12 days since
@CelticFC
launched its official Japanese-language Twitter it's grown to 19k+ followers, cracking into the top 10 of European clubs w/ 🇯🇵 accounts.
Just 11k more needed to overtake
@PSGJapan
and
@Inter_jp
- and get halfway toward matching
@LFCJapan
.
SPOTVNOW, Japan's new Premier League streamer, announced that it's picked up the rights to the Scottish Premiership and will air one match/round with an "emphasis" on Celtic.
I love Burger King's creativity.
• Sponsors Stevenage FC
• To get their logo in FIFA 20
• Challenges gamers to play as Stevenage, score goals, and share on Twitter
• Stevenage most used team in “career mode”
• Shirts sell out IRL
But what I *really* want to see is those Hatate highlights because I’m seeing nothing but praise for him in my mentions.
As we told y’all, you have gotten a gem.
Keegan Messing with a crowdpleaser of a performance to end his competitive career as Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium briefly becomes Canada's 11th province.
#wttfigure
Sponichi reports what I've been calling for months: Celtic planning a summer tour of Japan in 2023. Marketing staff have already made several trips to lay out the groundwork.
Two matches expected against J.League sides including, of course, Yokohama FM.
Absolutely love this - interpreting is arguably one of the most mentally demanding off-pitch roles in sports, and to do it not for one player but four!
Give him a medal, give him a bonus, give him a vacation and maybe give him a coworker next season 🏆
Jun Amano, playing for the K-League All-Star team, scores a stunner of a free kick against Tottenham.
Would love to see
@J_League_En
bring back ASGs and use this format, the fanbase is perfect for it.
From last night:
@WashSpirit
striker Kumi Yokoyama has come out as transgender and intends to transition fully after retiring from soccer. Per the club, Kumi now uses they/them pronouns.
A huge announcement that will hopefully be received well & spark conversation in Japan🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
NHK report on social media misinformation following yesterday's earthquake. Fake addresses being posted, old disaster footage mislabled as new stuff, fraudulent requests for donations.
Almost like any yokel being able to buy a blue check wasn't a good idea.
Almost none of the usual Urawa flags behind the goal, showing that their hardcore support mostly stayed home today (1). Compare to some J.League games from earlier this season (2-3-4).
#urawareds
#PSGJapanTour2022
FWIW I am leaning slightly toward "could be nothing" - the alert leads with "We won't be taking individual interview requests so please use this presser to get your Qs in" - but now that he's had a few days to reflect on his 4A attempt we might get some more insight on his plans.
🚨 TRANSFER NEWS 🚨
Pleased to announce that after 15 years of loans from 🇺🇸 to 🇯🇵 I’ve secured a permanent deal (w/ a buyback option, of course, because never say never).
上京してから15年が経ってやっと永遠の我が家ができた。
This is a story written by someone who hasn't paid attention to Asian soccer in 20 years, getting quotes from someone who hasn't paid attention to Asian soccer in 10 years. Total 🤡 show.
This is making the rounds on
#JPN
Soccer Twitter: a letter from
#SamuraiBlue
head coach Hajime Moriyasu to his younger self, taken out as a full-page newspaper ad by the JFA in December 2018.
"To you, whose dream was destroyed on that day,"
1/
A bit of brightness from my archives as we react to the sad news of Masato Kudo's passing. He really was one of the most exciting players of that era and it hurts so much to lose him.
自分のアーカイブから工藤壮人 選手の明るい思い出を掘り出した。本当に本当に素晴らしい選手だった。
A Tokyo ryokan suffering from
#coronavirus
-related cancellations is offering the Literary Giant Experience: you get locked in & until your stay is over, staff pretending to be editors (they will dress up for extra) regularly call to check on your progress
Good morning to the 30 or so Celtic fans who followed me while I was sleeping to find out all about these Yuki Kobayashi reports, I will be out of bed and at my desk in a bit with more details but Sponichi certainly sound more confident than usual this time.
Miura checks his phone to see about 50 missed calls from Ange and Kyogo Furuhashi ends his J.League career (for now) in the 80th minute.
Take care of him, bhoys!
Japan's new origami-themed kits - to be worn by the Samurai Blue at
@FIFAWorldCup
and Nadeshiko Japan at next year's
@FIFAWWC
- have just been announced by
@adidasJP
.
The Adidas shop is offering the home kit in a women's silhouette but no design difference b/w broso and woso.
One big improvement Celtic has made from the start of the season: subtitling interviews w/ their Japanese players rather than overdubbing in English.
More authentic to hear the players themselves speak *and* the content can be shared more easily with Japanese fans.
🍀🇯🇵
@CelticTV
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:
@Kyogo_Furuhashi
✅ A goal in his first start in 4 months
✅ Mindset on return from injury
✅ Giorgos Giakoumakis' form
✅ His Celtic Park standing ovation
Watch in full below 📽️⤵️
The Samurai Blue will be calling up their first national team squad of 2023 in about two weeks if we’re ready to start having *that* conversation again.
If you’re Moriyasu you surely have to give Furuhashi a clean slate and get him involved. You can’t ignore this form.
Commentator on Celtic radio:
“Fans of this club didn’t know too much about Ange Postecoglou, nor did I to be honest, but we do now!”
Surprises are nice, aren’t they.
Superb achievement. Brilliant for Ange, and 🇦🇺 ⚽️
"¥3,000 for Urawa v. 6-time UCL winners Bayern, and ¥8,000 for PSG who haven't won UCL. You joking?"
Regular individual tickets in the back/main stands cost as much as ¥28,000. Upper level tix for kids discounted to an "affordable" ¥5,000.
Ahead of this afternoon's board meeting, the J.League has announced a four-year renewal of its title partnership with Meiji Yasuda.
Additionally, the J3 title mark has been redesigned to match the other two divisions.
Andres Iniesta on Kyogo Furuhashi: "To be honest, he absolutely has the talent to play in Europe. He's leading the J1's scoring chart, but it's not just that. He's got strong technique, and I believe he can succeed in Europe."
(continued)
In 1960, the Japan Football Association appointed Dettmar Cramer as a technical advisor; he became known as the father of Japanese football for his efforts in building the national team.
Today Japan has beaten Germany at the World Cup.
The student has become the master.