Japan got a ticket to FIFA world cup 2014 at Saitama stadium

This has nothing to do with Kansai, but very encouraging to Japan.

Japan scored an injury time equalizer in FIFA world cup qualification match with Australia in Saimata this night, finishing the game a draw. That is enough for Japan to clinch the ticket for next year's world cup in Brazil.

Japan has been experiencing the lost decades of economic slump, but the period overlaps the emergence of Japanese football in the world stage. Japan first qualified for FIFA world cup in France 1998. The game that decided Japanese football's first appearance at world cup was played in Malaysia in 1997, when I had stayed in the U.S. for one year. I got the rental video of the game at Japanese bookstore in the U.S. and watched the game intensely. (Yes, rental video existed 16 years ago!)

Last year, I watched three games of world cup qualification at British pub in Kyoto. Kyoto has several of Irish or British pubs and most of them airs international football and rugby games live. I have been enjoying the atmosphere since Japan had held the FIFA world cup in Japan/Korea in 2002. But today, I watched the game at home. What a pity!