Oh, sorry. I made a mistake. According to some article, Kawamura scored with her kick after Sakaguchi's heading. I would've been half awake. And Iwabuchi scored for Beleza. I missed it, too.
According to what I could translate from Kawasumi's blog (http://nahomi-kawasumi.net/), she's quite ok today and trying to recover as fast as possible. And she had to thank the fans, who posted a whopping 627 messages on her blog yesterday, because they were worried by her injury and wanting to wish her to recover soon... Looks like Nahomi is quite beloved in Japan now.
I guess everybody will be quite busy these days, with celebrations and whatnot. So, just in case I have no other occasion to say it: Merry Christmas to everyone on this thread!
Thanks Mumf, Tanaka will join INAC right? Do you think she will stay at JFA Academy in January? I want meet her again, this time i will come with somes friends i will able to talk with them and we plan a report video with somes interview. About Rumi party? I know nothing ,what is your question?
Saki seems to be greedy, hope that she don't have weight problems. But she stays so cute like that!!!
mmm, in fact, if you remember, some weeks ago, when Saki had been photographed in Paris (with Sameshima again) I had expressed the doubt that she was looking a little bit chubby lately... I hope she doesn't put on some weight: she has yet a quite stout build for a japanese woman; that's good because Nadeshiko Japan needs a physically strong defender, but she has to look out and to try and remain fit, as needed for an athlete.
The L-league starts in April so she may not join INAC until February. But when does she change her school? I dont know that, it might be important. It seems you have some friends who have followed her play? Well, good luck, it should be interesting, I hope you see a good game. Same has a video channel which lists some movies for Rumi's party. But we could not play them as they are for Japanese mobile phones. Bon Noel to you?! If I say it properly....
UnePomme (or any Japanese friend) - may we go back to this video, like blissett I too want to know what Yuki said about her husbeand, and also what does Saki say about her "cellphone scandal" five months on? ANd anything else interesting..... Thanks + Merry Xmas !!!!!!!!!!!!
A Japanese soccer journalist, Tatsuhiko Kaneko, who some people like and some dislike because of his connoisseur like tone writes a short column about Kozue Ando in the Germany WWC. Excerpt: [ Goals are kind of reason of living for a striker. You can easily imagine that Kozue wanted her own goal from the heart because she lacked it in the WWC, when Sawa's shoot was slowly flying across in front of her eyes in the game against Sweden. A striker, a player who was craving for a goal, must've touched the ball. Few strikers miss this perfect opportunity. If Kozue had snatched it, Japan might've been defeated. She was at off-side position then. If she had touched the ball with her head, Sawa's go ahead goal would've disappeared. Kozue, however, didn't touch it. She smartly stopped even though just what she craved for came in front of her. It was the most impressive scene for me this year. ]
Yuki said, "I can challenge more than before because now I have a person who understand me the most." Saki said, "I was careless at that time because I caused trouble to many people. I will just go forward because now I have no choice but to concentrate on football and German."
Actually it may not be the most impressive image, but it was very important. Its also nice consolation for a player who did not have the luck to score in the tournamant, really because the chances did not fall her way (compare to Kawasumi !). Also I read an article recently written by a USA journalist after the Sweden game in which he thought that the Swedish MF had been "destroyed by unknown players such as Miyama and Ando". I am sorry, no link at the moment, wrong PC here. But I always thought Ando played well in Germany - I think she started all 6 games.
Both are very well spoken, thanks ! By the way, blissett stop imagining that Saki is getting fat. How many games have you seen her play live on TV in the last month? Let her eat, its winter.
I've seen them all, I think... And I don't want to say she wasn't fit, but sometimes I noticed she was outraced by some forwards: too much "Bratwurst", as Micol would say? Just joking: Saki is probably ok, it's just that, in some pics lately, her face looked a little more "round" than I remembered, but in fact she always had a quite "round-shaped" face, with large cheek-bones, so it's just the way she's built. About the interviews in the video: Saki keeps apologizing for that affair, but in fact it has been demonstrated that most of the alleged claims, twitted by that moron that was with Saki that evening, were complete invention, isn't it? Also, it seems to me that these particular interviews didn't shy away from touching quite burning subjects... Not only Kumagai's Twitter affair, but also, if I understood well what was going on in the video, the fact that Nagasato was subbed out in the match vs Germany and then her replacement Maruyama scored and became an hero. Has Yuki been asked about that? And what did she have to say? Also I'd really like to know what Sawa had to say, in that calm, cross-legged, zen-like sitting position... ^__^ I agree that the fact that, in the action of second goal against Sweden, Ando not only didn't touch the ball, but made clear that she wasn't participating in the action at all, so avoiding any off-side issue, was a very important thing. But I'd dare to say that any good forward knows how to act in these kind of circumstances: it's not something like an extraordinary self-sacrifice, it's the natural correct move of a good, wise and experienced forward. I agree that Ando was good there, but i guess that the journalist wanted to hype-up that action a little, for the sake of a "different" article. By the way, after an initial misunderstanding, I got to appreciate the role of Ando in the WWC and in the NT overall, although she didn't score at the WWC: simply you don't have to see her like a "real" forward, because her role in the team is different: she's quite like the link between midfield and forward-line, but i got to realize that she's very important at that. A question for unepomme, sc-f, or other japanese-reading friends: with Google translator I read some of the messages that the fans sent to Nahomi on her blog, after her injury. Some of them seemed to imply that some INAC players (like Sawa and Ohno) announced their retirement after next summer and the Olympics. Is this true? Does anyone know anything about it? We all know Google translator is easily misleading: if you need it, i'll search for one of those messages and I'll copy the japanese text, so you can translate it for me. Oh, last but not least: Merry Christmas to everyone! ^__^ I see we're all here anyway, and we found the time to keep discussing even on Christmas day... ^__^
LOL at that ignorant journalist... I mean, Miyama was even a star in his country, when she was playing for Los Angeles Sol: I mean, if you don't know anything about women's football, please don't write about it... Yes, Ando did start every game at WWC, athough she was sometimes subbed out during the game (most notably in the final match, when, at the same time, Ohno and Ando went out and Maruyama and Nagasato came in). I said in the previous post how much important I think Kozue was, even without scoring. Oh, and by the way I have to add that this time I wasn't first to insinuate doubts about weight problems... I wouldn't even chime in, if Sowater hadn't commented the photo with Same and Saki at the stadium (obviously eating, because they were watching two matches in a row, from 11:00 to 16:00). So don't always put the blame on me, this time it was Sowater's blame!
Yes, he is that kind in some way. And it must be standard for you because you're in the soccer nation. But I dare to say I often see a superior FW spoils the other FW's goal and puts his hands on his head protesting the ref, though I have no statistics about it.
If I remeber well how Yuki reacted to that substituion after the match, what she presently said was quite an understatement... I like a lot the mention of "football's god" (If I remember well, Sasaki talked about him too). How should we imagine Him? He's like one of those strange divine-like manga characters? I'd like to imagine some kind of representation of the "football's god" descending on Homare Sawa and guiding her foot to kick that ball... ^__^ Getting a little more serious: I admit I don't know much about japanese religion. Is it common, in Japan, believing in spirit-like beings that can influence single human acts or activities? I want to clarify that I am just culturally curious, I don't want to imply any kind of judgement or criticism about japanese religion.
I'll give you both the japanese original text and the Google translation, so you'll tell me if there is something wrong. The english text seems to imply that Sawa, Ohno, and maybe Takase are going to retire... Japanese original message: 川澄さん メリークリスマス。心配しました！無理はしないで下さい。川澄さんが出なくとも、準決勝、国立競技場に行きます。世界の澤、なでしこリーグ得点女王大野、高校出プロ高瀬、他のチームに移籍すればエースで通じる引退表明した米津選手がフォローします。震災で低迷した日本を救ったのは、どじょうでなく、なでしこジャパンです。ロンドンオリンピックの出場の要因は、川澄さんの活躍です。今の日本の状況は、厳しいですが、ロンドンオリンピックでの金メダル、日本人の夢です。そして、何度もいいますが、川澄さんが活躍しなければ、勝てないと思います。それだけに、絶対無理しないで下さい。明日、千葉県で１５万人が揺れます。この寒い中、徹夜で並んでいる数が半端でないです。有馬記念です、レコード大賞はＡＫＢ４８．そして、新しい年を迎えて、全日本選手権優勝IＮＡＣ神戸です！ Posted by: 凛として進む at 2011年12月24日 20:12 English Google-translated text: Merry Christmas Mr. Kawasumi. I worry! Please do not force. Not even Mr. Kawasumi, semifinals and go to the National Stadium. World Sawa, Ohno Queen Nadeshiko league scoring, pro out of high school Takase, announced his retirement after heat will follow the lead players in the transfer if the other teams ace. The downturn in the Japanese earthquake saved, not soil, is the Nadeshiko Japan. Factors play in the Olympics in London, he is Mr. Kawasumi. Situation in Japan today is a tough, Olympic gold medal in London, the Japanese dream. And the referred to many times, he must be Mr. Kawasumi, I win. Soredakeni, please do not absolutely impossible. Tomorrow, 15 million people Chiba shakes. During this cold is not a lot of site are lined up all night. The Arima Kinen Grand Prize record AKB48. And welcomed the New Year, and won national championships INAC Kobe! Posted by: 20:12, December 24 at 2011 and dignified proceeding
The one who will retire is Yonetsu. What she wants to say in this message is she will go see the semifinal even if Kawasumi does not play. Sawa, Ohno, Takase and Yonetsu will make it, and she is expecting Kawasumi's success to get the London Gold.
Oh, ok: the name of Yonetsu didn't even appear in the english translation (was probably mistaken for some common word and accordingly crazy-translated), and so the sentence about retirement seemed referring to Sawa, Ohno or Takase, the only ones that were named... Once more it shows you can't really count on automatic translators. Yonetsu was one of the scorers in the last match against Elfen Sayama, wasn't she? Was that beautiful header in the second half by her? Well, so she's going to retire soon... Is she one of the oldest INAC players? How Christmas is going in Japan, by the way? Celebrating?
Japan's most prevailed religion is definitely Buddhism, but most people in Japan now are aware of that only in funerals. Generally speaking, few people in Japan believe in supernatural things as those in Western countries. As for spirit-like beings you mention, it might be 'yokai', though I'm not sure. To be accurate, it's not a religious thing, but a kind of people's wisdom to explain what you don't understand. There were a lot of mysteries in the past because science didn't fully develop, so people made monsters (specters?) and named them to explain the mysteries, saying "Oh, it is kappa who is making sounds in the river at night and try to drag you in the water" etc. Or you mean kind of ghosts. In that case, it may be just the same as those in Western cultures.
I had heard about some of the things you said, like Yokai, Kappa, etc. There are also the Kami? What's the difference? And anyway, when Sawa talked about "football's god", what kind of japanese word she did use? It was a generic word to indicate some kind of invented deity, or did she actually use some precise word, indicating some kind of people's wisdom being?
Sawa used the word 'sakka- no kami-sama'. Kami is a god. You can use the word 'god' very lightly and conveniently in Japan. It's very different from God in Christianity. I think you know about animism, an ancient simple religion, which indicate the concept that every being like a tree or a stone has a god in it. Japan had such a concept in ancient times, and I think it still lingers now subconsciously. Even a song titled 'a god in a toilet' became a hit last year. Furthermore, a man can even become a god after your death. There are such shrines where some historical figures are worshipped, and they draw in many people.