Extremely talented, incredibly normal

Kengo Nakamura has been an institution for Japanese football, more than his loyal history with Frontale might say.

All I want for 2020 is development

There’s one final step Japanese football has to take to overcome its massive flaw: fixing the refereeing by improving. A lot

The sweeper-scorer

The J. League time is over for Marcus Tulio Tanaka, but 2019 will say goodbye to one of the best Japanese interpreters in pro-history.

Cambio de dirección

En los últimos años, la J.League fue dominada por jugadores sudamericanos, pero ahora Europa ha vuelto con prepotencia a desempeñar un rol importante en la liga profesional japonesa y España es la principal nación de este nuevo cambio de tendencia.

J. League 101: discovering “J-Talk Pod”

While the J. League seems finally on the brink of a global narrative about itself, the J-Talk Pod has already done it for a long time.

A Sunday in Machida…

At The Match Machida Zelvia 0-1 JEF United (2017 J2 League, Round 1) Attendance: 8, 124 (Nozuta) Highlights: Last weekend, Jon Steele was at Nozuta to run the rule over two Kanto-based J2 clubs. Visitors JEF United emerged victorious thanks to (confusingly) a goal from Yamato Machida at the end of the first half. Here […]

Fukuoka Pride

We all know about the “derby” situation in Japan. You have the “real” ones that are borne out of proximity and have grown organically over time. Examples of these would include: Shimizu S-Pulse vs Jubilo Iwata Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka Urawa Reds vs Omiya Ardija And then you have the ones dreamt up by […]

The Kumamoto Comeback

On Sunday June 26, Roasso Kumamoto scored a last kick winner to beat FC Gifu 3-2 away from home. In a regular season, you’d think it would be one of the most noteworthy events, but this has been no ordinary season for Roasso – not by a long shot. From the high of their best […]

The Sendai-gnosis

What is going on at Vegalta Sendai this year? From afar, it looks like the club are in trouble, but what do people close to the club think? In his debut piece for J.League Regista, @maimaidenden gives us an update on what is happening at the Yurtec Stadium. 1. So far, Sendai are struggling […]

The Rough (football) Guide to Kyoto

By @sushi_football Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, is high on the bucket list of many world travelers. And for good reason. It is a city full of cultural treasures, and scenes that foreign (and domestic) holiday-makers long to see: beautiful shrines, zen gardens & traditional buildings. Speaking of traditional buildings, Kyoto Sanga’s Nishikyogoku stadium […]