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TOKYO UPDATES File 6 (Sports): The Briton Captivated by Japanese Soccer

2025年8月9日 10:25

Last month, an article for TOKYO UPDATES that I translated for the first time in a while was published last week.

Due to various circumstances, I had been declining business projects, but since I have been working on a series of business articles and articles written by Japanese authors lately, it feels like there has been a gap.

However, when a request finally came in after a long time, it was about sports... I am someone who has so little interest in sports that even when I'm watching the news, I change the channel or mute the sound when it gets to the sports segment.

I even have to ask my husband, "Which one is the round-robin format again?" when it comes to tournaments and leagues. Should someone like me really be in charge of a sports-related article...?

But, since I was able to translate a documentary about the incredibly complex rules of American football before, I figured I could handle soccer too, so I accepted the job.

I still think I did a good job translating Coach Prime which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime (I worked on seasons 2-3).

The note article I introduced previously is here ⤵

However, when I read the requested article, it wasn't about soccer itself, but about Sean Carroll, a British man who became fascinated by Japan and Japanese soccer and became a soccer journalist in Japan.

That said, I had to look up and verify not only British but also Japanese club team names and player names, so that was a struggle in itself.

I even got the kanji wrong at first for the famous Kaoru Mitoma (because when I searched on Bing, it came up as 'Mitoma' with the wrong character). The grass radical and the bamboo radical look so similar that I almost missed it. I finally confirmed it on a newspaper's website.

This Mr. Carroll has a book written in Japanese. The Japanese version is Nippon and Soccer: A British Reporter's Field Notes, which is also introduced in the article. It was at the library, so I borrowed it and read it in a hurry.

What I found interesting was that there is a big difference between England and Japan in how players, fans, and the media react when they lose a match.

In Japan, when they lose a match, the players often make positive comments like, "It's frustrating, but we'll do our best next time," and the fans and media often watch over them warmly.

This was something that surprised Mr. Carroll when he watched soccer matches in Japan. In England, everyone approaches every single match with the intensity of someone risking their life, so when they lose, they are frustrated, saying, "There is no next time!" (Is it like the World Cup every time?!).

It's not just in England; in Europe, we hear about fans of the losing team causing brawls after the match, and if you lose, you get torn to shreds by fans and the media, so the players are desperate.

Moreover, the fans' battle begins before the match, and it's said that it's impossible for rival fans wearing team uniforms to ride in the same train car. Even after getting off the train, fans are guided through separate passages. It is truly a hair-trigger situation! Do not mix, dangerous!

In Japan, even if people wearing the uniforms of both teams are in the same car, fights usually don't happen. This was also surprising and fresh to Mr. Carroll.

Thinking about that, it's true that both Japanese players and fans are calm and polite once the match is over, with no sides. That might be because the spirit of Bushido is rooted in any sport, or perhaps it's because they are properly taught greetings and etiquette in school club activities and sports clubs, and the influence of seniors and juniors might also be significant.

From a foreigner's perspective, I suppose it really is "Japan, the mysterious country." It's refreshing to have it pointed out from the opposite perspective.

Since I am in the home base of Urawa Reds, I felt like I wanted to go to Saitama Stadium at least once to experience the unique atmosphere of the stadium while observing the players and fans. (Not to watch the match...?)

Books: "Translation Notes of a Subtitle Translator Who Makes Dreams Come True"
https://onl.la/Xngg8Ey (Kindle Edition)
"Sequel: Translation Notes of a Subtitle Translator Who Makes Dreams Come True"
https://onl.bz/c3m3Fcd (Kindle Edition)
"Translation Notes of a Subtitle Translator Who Makes Dreams Come True"
https://x.gd/ySA4m (Paperback Edition)

Blog: "Challenges from My Sixties"