J2 – Page 13 – J.League Regista

Regional previews: Tokai & Hokuriku

This area is loosely defined as Nagoya in the south, up to Kanazawa in the north. There are a lot of teams in this region that are looking to bounce…

Regional previews: Kita Kanto

An oft forgotten area of the footballing landscape in Japan, with the obvious exception of Kashima, the area between Tokyo & Tohoku is home to the reigning champions, two J2…

Regional previews: Shikoku

Shikoku is usually classed as Japan’s fourth island, and a beautiful island it is too. There are three professional teams resident there, all plying their trade in J2. We start…

Regional previews: Kansai

Kansai is the area usually defined as Kyoto in the east, to Kobe/Hyogo in the west. And this year it is a hotbed of interesting storylines. We are starting this…

Regional previews: Hokkaido & Tohoku

In doing a preview of the season, we are going to break it down into bite-sized, regional chunks. We are starting from the north and are going to work all…

¡Hola! – to the managers in J2

In the first of two parts, J.League Regista investigates the sudden Spanish speaking influence in Japan’s J.League 2… When you think about foreign players & coaches in the J.League, thoughts…

The Master of Promotion

Shinji Kobayashi. You might not know his name, but you might recognize his work. Here, @nellosplendor looks at the career of the promotion specialist. Sometimes it’s amazing how life makes…

J2: The Final Day

This Sunday promises to be a momentous day in Japan’s second tier. At the top, it is a high stakes game of musical chairs, as three teams try to fit…

J2 – The final straight

Whilst J1 wrapped up last Saturday (well, the regular season wrapped up, the ‘Championship Stage’ is yet to come….), the promotion & relegation races in the Japanese second tier are…

A Goalkeeper’s Tale

It isn’t easy being a goalkeeper. The last line of defence is always the loneliest, and there is no hiding place.