I’m an English football journalist based in Japan who reports on Japanese football for Football Channel (フットボールチャンネル) (http://www.footballchannel.jp) and The Japan News (http://the-japan-news.com), as well as appearing on the J.Sports show ‘Foot!’ covering the J.League. I previously wrote a regular column for Weekly Soccer Magazine (週刊サッカーマガジン) before it ceased publication in November 2013, and have provided content for The Guardian, Football Critique (サッカー批評), FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes, the-AFC.com, the official J.League website and Facebook page, and numerous other publications and websites. I am on Twitter, @seankyaroru.
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Sakka Nihon 
Can I interview you about the Japanese team in advance of their showdown with Denmark for a Los Angeles-based radio show.
http://www.thepeoplesgame.org
ww.kpfk.org/programs/184-the-peoples-game.html
please contact me to let you know when you might be available at aminsky65@hotmail.com
I’d love to do the interview between the two sets of games tomorrow (group c and group d) – or later in the day if that’s more convenient for you
Just wondering if you ca recommend any places to buy jleague tickets online. I’ll be visiting in March and was hoping to catch a game of some sort.
Really enjoying the blog.
Thanks,
Matt
Hi Matt,
If you can read Japanese then I’m fairly certain you can get tickets direct from the clubs’ websites (or from convenience store machines when you get here).
If not then I wouldn’t be too worried though – 99.9 times out of 100 you can buy tickets on the day at the stadium (cheapest usually ￥2,500, most expensive ￥4,500/￥5,000ish).
Whereabouts will you be visiting?
Cheers,
Sean
I’ll be in the Tokyo and Yokohama area mainly.
Hello Sean, forgiving for writing to you about this, but I just really can’t find any info, so maybe you would know something.
Let me explain…
I’m from Brazil and I live here in Japan, I’m the coach of my own team named Golden Eagles Soccer Club and well, my real question is, that I would like to become a profesional coach (so that I can train even Division 1 teams) but for that, I would like to do it here in Japan, cause I cannot leave my kids to go study in another country. Would you know how or where I can study for that here in Japan? Being the studies in English? Cause I don’t read Japanese (Even though I speak some) But anyways, I’ve searched “a lot” everywhere, but I just can’t find any info or contacts that might help me do so…
It would be a pleasure for us to receive your visit here… if you wish please visit my blog.
http://www.risinggod.wordpress.com
(keller_costa@hotmail.com)
Sorry for the trouble Mr. Carroll and thanks for your time.
Keller Costa
Hi Sean, I’m a a footie fans from the Philippines which is currently experiencing a football revival due to its national team.
Trivia: (I’m sure you know this but for the benefit of your readers, I’ll post this)
The Philippines has been on the other end of the worst defeat(2-15) and Largest win (15-0) of Japan
Anyway, I’ve come here not just to post some trivia but to learn about the JLeague.
I’ve been scouring the net for information regarding football leagues that I can use as input for a (hopefully) planned NATIONAL football league here in my country since at the present the Philippines doesn’t have one at the moment.
(No, I’m not doing this on an official capacity but rather as an individual who can do my part.)
Coming back to the point, I’ve been scouring the net when I came across Yuto Nagatomo’s Wikipedia Article. This phrase “Designated Players for Development by J. League and JFA” has aroused my curiosity. I’ve found that various Japanese International Footballers like Nagatomo and Honda had that status before. (Although it seems that my favorite Japanese player Yasuhito Endo isn’t).
The “Designated Players for Development” (DPD) doesn’t have its own article but based on the articles about the players it seems that those with DPD were able to play with J.League Clubs while retaining their amateur status as a highschooler or College player hence still able to play for their schools.
Can you enlighten us on the matter? Can you give me some official literature(history etc) we can read and drawn conclusions from?
Thank you very much mate.
PS. I should note that I found you on the J League site with your interview with my man Endo. Thumbs up for that. Googled you then voila found you here finally. =)
Another one, what do you think about the comment by observers that the J League has become the Seria A of Asia? You know, Great tactical football and annoyingly rampant diving. hehe.
Hope to hear from you mate.
Most young players in Japan are registered with High Schools or Universities until they are at least 18, sometimes as old as 22. While they are registered for an educational institution they cannot play for any other team.
However, the “Designated Players for Development by J. League and JFA” means that J.League clubs are able to invite players (a maximum of three at a time, and only for a spell of three months at a time) to train with them. During this time they are allowed to play for the youth and top team of the club.
This obviously provides the player with the chance of training and playing at a higher level and gives the club the opportunity to sell themselves to the player as a possible destination once they have completed their studies. (Of course, sometimes this doesn’t work, as in the case of Kensuke Nagai who until last year was playing for Fukuoka University. He had spent time at Avispa Fukuoka and Vissel Kobe as a ‘Designated Player for Development’ but this season chose to sign for Nagoya Grampus.)
More information and a list of current and recent ‘Designated Players’ can be found here (sorry, only in Japanese): http://www.jfa.or.jp/training/honor_players/index.html
Hope that’s some help and best of luck,
Sean
Thank You very much for the help. Very Much appreciate it.
I’d like to confirm though, has there been a case where a DPD has been able to play in a official JLeague Match while still a DPD?
Also, I won’t be badgering you for not responding to the Serie A comparison. =)
Hi Sean,
Obviously the J2 League is a very strong second tier competition and I see it is expanding to 22 teams in the 2012 season. Does the J2 League have a salary cap budget or do the richest clubs turn out to be the most powerful in the J2 League? What kind of money would their “marque” players be on say compared to a J1 player? If a J2 club got promoted would it mean his(marque players) salary would rise comparitively? Thanks Sean you have a good English language site giving us the lowdown on the Japanese Game. Incidentally I discovered the CSL English version and they’re doing a great job as well in promoting the forward momentum in the Chinese Super League. Some of the amounts of money been spoken of in the CSL are quite impressive. Still I think the J-League sets the benchmark for football in Asia for the time being. Cheers.
Hi Sean,
I’m enjoying your articles and updates on Japanese football, really interesting.
I write on combat sports for tv and newspapers in the UK, could you drop me a line with your email address (brianfmallon@ymail.com) in order that we can keep in touch if any mutually beneficial stories arise
thanks
Brian
Hi Sean
Will the FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Liverpool be broadcast widely in Japan? It’s on April 14th at 9.30pm local time and I will be in Osaka. I’ve seen there are a couple of Irish bars in the city – a decent bet to be showing the match?
Thanks
Harry
Hi Harry,
I don’t know Osaka too well so can’t offer any specific recommendations, unfortunately, but would say the Irish Bars would be almost certain to be showing it. If not then aim for a “Hub” (a chain of ‘British pubs’ in Japan).
Good luck and enjoy your trip,
Sean
Hey there,
I work for this sports brand newly connected to a major football team that is doing a launch over summer. Was wondering if I could get your contact so I may give you more details when the dates are confirmed? Trying to search for as many Japanese football bloggers as possible because there is also talk of doing something in Japan! It would be great if you were part of it seeing you have such a wide audience and a passion for football. I hope to hear back from you soon!
Have a nice day!
Best,
Lizzy
Hi Sean,
My name is Lizzy; I work for the PR agency that is handling the Warrior Sports (new apparel sponsor of Liverpool FC) account here in Asia. I was asking Dan Orlowitz about potential football bloggers that I can reach out to in Japan and he mentioned that you be of help. I thought I’d get in touch as I’m currently compiling a media database for bloggers in Japan. I was wondering if you could please point me in the direction of any prominent football/ sport bloggers in Japan you follow or know of [both Japanese and English], and also have your contact so when the kit is released I may share that with you? Any tips you could pass on would be much appreciated.
You may contact me at ewu@racepointgroup.com.
Hoping to hear from you soon. Thanks and have a great day!
Best,
Lizzy
Hi Sean,
My name is Philip. I work as a Producer for an NHK World TV show called Sports Japan. We sometimes do stories about the J.League. I was wondering if it might be possible to discuss the possibility of having you on the show in the future.
Please contact me at: philip1166@gmail.com
What’s going on Sean.
Amil here from Toronto, Canada. I produce a Italian soccer radio show on Monday nights for SerieALive.com and we are currently in the process of getting some things ready for the Confederations Cup. We’d love to have you on our show to discuss the Japanese squad as they enter the tourney.
If you are interested, could shoot me an email?
Great blog. Really interesting. Never knew this existed in english. Love it!