A voyage of discovery to Japan

Scotland line up for the match against Japan in the Nissan Stadium

By David McDaid
BBC Scotland in Yokohama

The pre-match teams announcement said a lot about the profile of the Scotland squad that had gathered for the friendly match against Japan.

As George Burley's starting line-up was read aloud by the stadium announcer, four or five of the names did not match the faces flashing up on the two giant screens.

It reflected the knowledge levels of the home fans arriving at the ultra-modern Nissan Stadium in Yokohama - the stage for the 2002 World Cup final.

Speaking to some local Blue Samurais supporters the only names to crop up were Darren Fletcher of Manchester United fame and Stephen McManus - owing to Celtic's previously high profile in Japan because of the link with Shunsuke Nakamura.

Fletcher was one player in particular the Japanese wanted to see, and their manager Takeshi Okada, for one, was irked at the number of Scottish first-choice call-offs.

But most could not even name one single Scot.

"I'm sorry," said one man who had brought his family. "But I am looking forward to seeing your players and their style of football."

In any case, even though they knew little of the opposition it did not stop over 60,000 of them turning up to support their team.

But the Japanese fans would have come along even if the away side was Swaziland instead of Scotland, such is their fervour for their national team.

Many of them took their seats as much as two hours before kick-off - a phenomenon almost unheard of in our country where we like to keep the waiting around to an absolute minimum.

"Why are they here so early?" wondered BBC Scotland's perplexed pundit Murdo MacLeod in the commentary box, double-checking that his watch had not stopped.

It was also interesting to find among the Japanese fans such a large proportion of women and children.

This was not only visibly noticeable but also audibly, as the gasps, groans and cheers over the 90 minutes were one or two octaves higher than at a game in Scotland.

The Japan players celebrate Keisuke Honda's goal which made it 2-0

As ever, the Tartan Army made their presence felt too, with about 500 packed into a corner.

Some had made the 6,000-mile trip from Scotland, others were local ex-pats, and banners also indicated representation from supporters clubs in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

One or two of their number were spotted enjoying a cold beer, sold inside the ground row to row by petite girls carrying oversized barrels on their backs.

But without a pie or bridie in sight, they had to make do with sampling local alternative snacks such as grilled chicken skewers, battered octopus and udon noodles.

Both sets of supporters introduced the other to their repertoire of chants and songs in their own football karaoke show.

They only fell silent for a minute before kick-off to pay their respects to the late Scottish Football Association president David Will.

It was the first Scotland match since his death but the Japanese FA also wished to show its respects for his work in organising the World Cup finals in their country.

The match itself was no great shakes. Both managers Burley and Okada had used it to examine untested players and tactics - whether enforced or by design.

Disappointed by the performance and the 2-0 defeat, and our post-match duties complete, we left the stadium and headed for a restaurant in time to make 'last orders' for food.

It struck me how much this short trip halfway round the world had been a voyage of discovery for all concerned, on and off the pitch BBC Scotland's David McDaid

My colleagues were intrigued to find this was a phrase they could understand, as the English words are simply said with a Japanese accent.

Inside, two local patrons wearing the blue shirts of their national team enquired if we had been at the game.

The affirmative answer was met with bowing and apologies from our new acquaintances for their side winning the match.

Upon returning to our hotel the concierge said he had spotted a group of Tartan Army foot soldiers passing by in the street.

"They were playing an instrument," he stated before puffing his cheeks and playing air-bagpipes.

"They're called bagpipes," I explained.

"It was very impressive… but do men always wear skirts in your country?" he asked.

"Only really on special occasions. And we don't actually call it a skirt but a kilt," I responded in the way in which Scots on their travels are well accustomed.

"Benkyou ni narimashita. Arigatou gozaimashita" or "Thank you very much, I've learned something new," he replied.

And then it struck me how much this short trip halfway round the world had been a voyage of discovery for all concerned, on and off the pitch.