J-Football Journals Round-Up #10
- Adam Błoszko
- Aug 18
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 11
Here we finally are at issue 10! I never thought it would survive this long, especially seeing I have struggled to keep a regular commitment to football writing in recent times.
When I started this site, I was struggling with my dissertation and wondered if I would even pass my driving test. It was a small investment of time and money into a domain I did not think would even survive the "major project" submission date.
Yes, this whole site was originally called "FreeScout!" and was a hub for players to register their names on for agents and scouts. But after producing a match report on a Japanese J-League match which was available on YouTube, the vision changed.
With good guidance from people in and around the industry, certain editorial masterminds, scouting maestros, and football enthusiasts helped me guide the page and it's content into the right direction - you know who you all are.
Special shout-out to Japanese Football on X - keep doing what you do. Please follow them and support their tireless and hard work.
It was a spark of inspiration that not only set multiple things in motion but I met so many different people and gained experience I would not have otherwise. It led to brilliant experiences, both that have been and I am sure will be.
Since it's the 10th issue I wanted to make it something more special. Something more "me" and something I'd enjoy writing, as i have struggled to put too much soul in much of my words lately.
News is great, but when I write about people and communities it brings a sense of achievement and joy. Now let's celebrate the 10th issue of J-FOOTBALL JOURNALS.
Women's Football on J-Football Journals?! A New Journey
J-Football Journals delves into Women's Football for the first time.
With the Japanese Ladies most recent success in a 4-0 trashing of Chinese Tapiei, they then went on to draw two on the bounce ahead of the AFC Women's Asian cup next year. This inclined the writer to take a closer look at female footballers from within the country.
Courtesy of @TheAlbirexLad on X, Takikawa Yume was one of the standout players for the Albirex Ladies - she had recently become even more a pride and joy of the club fans as she netted a goal against Chinese Taipei for Japan.
Fellow Japan international Hina Aikawa, of Kobe Leonessa, only provided one assist but was omnipresent as a creator - achieving the player of the match award.
More immense success follows the Japanese national side as the U20s Ladies scored a whopping 32 goals in three matches in the AFC Asian Cup Women U20s qualification phase. Hammering Guam. Malaysia and Iran's teams 5-0, 16-0 and 11-0 respectively.
Satoko Fujisaki stood out with a brace against Guam and a hattrick against Iran - effectively putting her name on the JFJ radar. The forward represents Urawa Red Diamonds in the WE League and has a good goal return, with five goals and an assist in seven starts, in 2024-2025 season.
Ririka Nezu is another name to keep track of - since turning 18, she achieved promotion to the U20 side after turning out for the U17s. Her early goal against Guam will surely put her on the map for teams watching out for talent. She is a JEF United Chiba player on club level.
An Urawa Red Diamonds fan - akakichinoelevel on X - tipped J-Football Journals on who to look out for within their ladies. As Satoko Fujisaki was a conversation starter, there were more names thrown into the hat.
Fuka Tsunoda, a 20-year-old defensive midfielder, is a plucky tackler and can take posession for her team. Her older brother, Ryotaro Tsunoda, is a professional for the Yokohama F. Marinos.
Tsunoda was able to start numerous matches for the U20 women's side as a 19-year-old, being an integral part of a midfield organisation.
Although Fuka has not yet made an appearance on senior international level, she sure shows potential to be able to capture the interest of of Nils Nielsen, who is the first-ever foreign manager of the talented side.
Rion Ishikawa is a name that has been ringing through England as she put pen to paper in an ambitious Everton side's unveiling. As a defender, she was one of the reasons the Japanese ladies were able to have a stable backbone and provide repeated dominant displays.
Another Urawa Red Diamonds player, Ishikawa
made the move overseas after initially impressing for them.
Stay tuned for more women's football player ID in Japan! J-Football Journals is serious about this one.
J-Football Journals' Favourite Moments
Moments make football. Some of the top moments from Japanese football, and what went through my mind when I witnessed them. Both in YouTube and in person - they can be anything ranging from a goal or a beautiful sight.
Sota Kitano's Instant Impact - Gamba Osaka 2-5 Cerezo Osaka.
The match that ignited the J-FOOTBALL JOURNALS fire.
This was the opening day of J-LEAGUE 2025. The Osaka derby was bringing the fire to the get-go meaning Shinji Kagawa faced off against midfield general Neta Lavi in the battle of experienced midfielders.
But it was Sota Kitano (now in Europe with Red Bull Salzburg) who stole the show. The number 38 successfully exploited the hesitant defenders of Gamba Osaka in order to craft chaotic runs in behind their defence, guiding the ball like a shooting star.
Althougth the CAM was central, his favourite flank was the left - where opportunities were in large numbers. A talented player found his groove, therefore giving Cerezo a deserved flying start to their campaign.
Goal Fest at the Uvance Todoroki Stadium - Tokyo Witnesses a Dynamic Match
Kawasaki Frontale 3, Yokohama Marinos 3. A dynamic viewing.
What a match it was! Yuto Ozeki's early goal for Kawasaki was cancelled out by Yan's strike just before half time. However, Haydar's low-driven shot gave the Frontale a late advantage.
It was far from over, however. The dying minutes saw Amano equalise before Yan added another in stoppage time to seemingly win it for the struggling Marinos. Spurs-bound boy Kota Takai rose to the occasion to rescue a point, scoring in the 90+9th minute to give the Frontale crowd life once more.
Tokyo FC's Summer Nights Display
More than just a football match. It was an eye-opener and a great experience.
I attended this event live. Although FC Tokyo endured a 4-0 loss to Kawasaki Frontale, it meant a lot to me. I met several very good people and had a brilliant night witnessing my first taste of Japanese football live.
Players such as Shin Yamada, Ryotaro Araki, Diego Oliveira and a plethora of other talents made their presence known amidst the roaring chorus of "You'll never walk alone" at the Ajinomoto.
The fireworks and lights display before the match was extraordinary, giving me an experience never to be forgotten.
J-Football Journals' Favourite Players
There is no lack of amazing players in Japanese football. The author's favourite players often come down to playstyle or the role they play within a specific team. We will kick things off with one of the most prominent J-League midfielders.
This is in no specific order! All are amazing in their own ways.
Neta Lavi - Gamba Osaka
A midfield general. Someone who you can count on.
A brilliant all-rounder which exemplifies the playstyle Gamba Osaka deploy in their usual J-League outings. Lavi has since made a big-impact move to Machida Zelvia, a transfer that makes lots of sense.
He was the villain and coveting shadow to Sota Kitano's debut match in the blazing Osaka derby which blew open the vault door to the J-League season of 2025.
Verbalizing what I think of him, Neta is a very good traveller off the ball as well as on it. He is able to play a well-rounded game adding assists and even the odd goal to his expertual coverage of the pitch.
A serial tackler, rough, but not reckless. Lavi enjoys a controlled tackling style which can dispossess players and put them on the ground accordingly, but in a legal way. Zelvia will profit from this controlling midfield general's steel.
Yoshio Koizumi - Kashiwa Reysol
He is a brain on the pitch, always trying to take the appropriate position with suitable timing - Kashiwa Reysol correspondent, Shimpei Watanabe
Yoshio Koizumi is one of the players I've always kept an eye out for. The midfielder is dynamically creative and causes impact on matches well. A consistent rating every game means he achieves a 7.37 avg. rating via FotMob.
An ambitious shooter, he can be rather trigger happy. Per 90, he offers a brilliant standard of pass accuracy for someone who plays in such a higher, more risky position.
While being mainly an attacking player, Yoshio brings a great tackling capability to advanced areas of the pitch. His movement both on and off the ball usually sees him drift to the right-hand side of the pitch, using wider channels to give his teammates more time to move up.
J-Football Journals' Favourite Clubs
While we at JFJ do appreciate all football clubs, we have a select few in mind not limited only to their players, but localisation, aesthetic, kits and how they are ran.
Mito Hollyhock
Ibaraki Prefecture's Beautiful Club
The essence of Mito Hollyhock caputed our hearts thanks to the unique name, players, their playstyle, and ambitiousness. Based near Ibaraki, in the rural town of Mito.
Topping the J2 League, they are aiming for the J1 and look set to grasp promotion for the 2026 edition of the division. The club arose after the Prima Ham workers back in 1990 decided to combine and create a team called Prima Aseno FC.
Their attempts in 1999 to join the J2 were rejected due to the financial unstability and low attendance at home matches. But resilience persisted, and in 2000, they were invited to join the professional leagues.
Shunsuke Saito is the current young star of the club, embodying their great youth development. A more seasoned counterpart in Arata Watanabe, now entering 30 years, has twelve goals and six assists.
Chihiro Kato also helps the team from defensive midfield with great interpretation of the game.
ReinMeer Aomori
"Don't tell us this is not one of the most intruging football badges!"
While Reinmeer initially garnered our attention through their impressive Emperor's cup run, being one of the only non J-League sides next to Toyo University to get into the later rounds, their amazing design of badge also caught our attention.
The club looked set to try and attempt a move up to the J-Leagues, but sit third in the league just behind Verspah Oita bt one point. Shiga top the table, but only by one more, too.
Aomori is a snowy area and offers a more cold climate in Japan, meaning less tourism and less attendance - but the club in itself is a charming prospect to visit, and deserves more attention.
Their match in the Emperor's cup in Yokohama saw them run out as 2-0 winners over giants Yokohama F. Marinos - with Luiz Fernando and Riku Hirosue with goals.
A bold 3-4-3 against J-League oppostion really paid off, ex-Meiji University midfielder Kakeru Suminaga and Futa Nagashima operasting the middle.
Kyoto Seika Leoreson
We wrote about this wonderful club before, and we'll do it again!
FC Kyoto Seika Leoreon's new look is attracting more fans and players to it's charm. With the help of scouting director Andreu Ruz, they are constantly looking to move forward in the midst of a very busy schedule.
The beautiful and unique design of the badge symbolises the growth they seek to do in the next few seasons. Kyoto has a new club rising into the fray, and it is not Kyoto Sanga.
Seika is a small, rural area in the Kyoto prefecture. It has a lot of fertile farmland and is known for the hills and localisation close by to the Kizu River. While close to Osaka and Kyoto, it can be a rather quiet area.
Seika Leoreson will be looking for sponsors and players to help them leap into the next level. Know anyone? Get in touch.
Comments