‘Fun, informed picture.’ The Guardian
‘Excels - well worth a read.’ FourFourTwo
‘Humorous reading.’ Daily Yomiuri
A great guide and insight to travelling to Japan, watching football, drinking beer and chatting to the locals.
In this insightful and humorous book, Moran, a Japan-based, Japanese-speaking English journalist, allows you to share what it was like to be there as he travels 6,400 miles to see 14 games and meets visiting and local fans.
The 2002 World Cup in Japan promised to be different. The first tournament in Asia saw the first Asian semi-finalists and the first time for years that a tournament passed off with no England fans arrested for public-order offences. Perhaps this was because the majority of them were Japanese.
Moran’s many years of experience living in Japan help conversations relive the highs and lows in the stadiums, comments in the press box, sounds and sights on the streets, and observations in restaurants, bars and parks all over Japan. We are Nippon - the title comes from a familiar Japanese football chant - is the perfect souvenir for those who attended the World Cup in Japan, the perfect illustration for those who couldn’t make it, and those yet to travel.
Reviews
Fun, informed picture of the tournament's cultural context; the story of a passionate Englishman abroad and Japan's cheerful brand of nationalism. -- The Guardian
Excels - well worth a read. Has the rare distinction of achieving an intelligent balance between foreign visitor and host's viewpoint. – FourFourTwo
Brings the monthlong festival of soccer back to life. Moran's encounters make for humorous reading. -- Daily Yomiuri
Light-hearted charting offers vastly different perspectives of the World Cup. Should be revisited regularly. -- Japan Times
About the Author
Simon Moran is a Japanese-speaking English journalist based in Kyoto, Japan. He was a freelance contributor to FourFourTwo magazine and had FIFA accreditation for the World Cup. We are Nippon is his first book.
The World Cup in Japan Paperback – 1 Nov. 2002
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: S U Press (1 Nov. 2002)
The book is available in the UK and Japan with free postage and packing (P&P), you pay only £8.99 (¥1,800). Price for P&P elsewhere added at checkout.
£1.50 from each sale will be donated to both the West End Foodbank and Wor Flags. (Total £3 donation.)
Simon's blog is here: www.moranactually.com
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 4901068016
- ISBN-13: 978-4901068017
- Package Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 1.6 cm