Andres Iniesta settled his family in Japan. No further mid-season excursions will occur. The Barcelona legend embedded himself at Vissel Kobe. In the month's first two home games, he made the score sheet against Jubilo Iwata and Sanfrecce…

With the J.League's top tier currently on hold for the World Cup. there's no better time to step back and analyze the fine football radiating from the land of the rising sun.  With 15 out of 34 matchdays already taken place, the…

On this hedonistic venture into J.League football, my first ever match was in Hiroshima. I watched Sanfrecce play Jubilo Iwata. Since that fateful 2016 season, the team have gone through the emotional spectrum to reach their current perch atop…

This weekend in the Japanese top tier is certainly one to remember. Urawa Red Diamonds with their empathic win, Yamamura coming back to haunt Kashima Antlers and of course Sanfrecce overcoming their winless run against their bitter foes and…

The 2015 Champions last year didn't provide the title defence expected of them, at all – and didn't produce a single piece of silverware. This season sees the club reach its twenty-fifth year of existence and they need to make it a good one.…

We've managed to sit down with the J1 League top goal scorer and Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker, Peter Utaka. The former Nigerian international has already engrained himself into Sanfrecce legend despite only being on loan at the club. His parent…

The quarter-finals of the J.League Cup (for sponsorship reasons, known as the Nabisco cup), are underway as the first leg ties were played mid-week. No team one by more than one goal, so all of the aggregates are tightly poised for the second…

Japanese football fans, assemble! There is only nine matches left in the second stage and there's still lots to play for with teams trying to get into the Championship stage and whilst others are merely trying to stay in the top flight. This…

The current J.League champions, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, are currently outside the Championship qualifying berth but have managed close the gap between themselves and the Kashima Antlers to just six points in the overall table. They're also still…

The J.League Second Stage is picking up the pace and the sixth round provides an interesting collection of matches. The top three teams in the second stage table all face teams currently fighting against relegation – sure they haven't been…

The dust has just about settled on last weekend's enthralling end-to-end games, although the table hasn't shifted much as only three of the nine games produced winners, the six others ended in stalemate. Yokohama FM now tops the table thanks…

The top-tier of Japanese football resumes its second stage action on Sunday after its first mid-week games took place just a few nights back. Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama FM and Urawa Red Diamonds lead the pack as they've all assessed nine points…

Don't starve yourself of football between now and the start of the domestic European leagues, watch one of Asia's finest football leagues, the top flight of Japan – the J1 League. It's open, improving (at dramatic pace) and generally full of…

In January, Southampton signed a Japanese international striker who goes by the name of Tadanari Lee. Many Saints fans, including myself, had never heard of him and were a bit skeptical whether he would fit in with the style of play that the…