My old stomping ground certainly proved to be the ideal place to stage the World Cup finals - and the team weren't bad either.
I thought they may buckle under the burden of expectation, but right from the first whistle they played with a vim and vigour that hosts often have - none more so than Junichi Inamoto.
Hidetoshi Nakata was supposed to be the player to keep an eye on, but Inamoto stole his thunder - he was a revelation.
I'm sure some of those French stars from North London wish they had joined him on the Highbury bench for the season if that's what it does for your form!
Japan upstaged both Belgium and Russia and after those efforts it was a shame they went out at the next hurdle to Turkey.
And while the players performed creditably on the pitch, the fans stole all the prizes off it with their colour, passion and warm welcome for visitors.
