Bonn's Blue Samurai

A stroll through the streets of Bonn will reveal that many Japanese visitors have traveled half way around the world to support their national soccer stars as they face the world's very best this month in the World Cup. They have chosen to stay in the former German capital for part or all of the month of June because the Japanese team also has set up its headquarters here.

While all of Germany was busy preparing for scores of international guests, Bonn focused especially on preparation for the Japanese guests to come.

G-JAMPS

The team's official media and fan headquarters -- dubbed G-JAMPS (Germany Japan national team Media Partners Supporters) -- is not located in a hotel, stadium or office building, but in a museum.

"We chose (the Rheinisches Landesmuseum) as our media and fan center because many of the guests from Japan who are coming to Bonn during the World Cup also want to take a bit of culture back with them," said Masato Watanabe, a representative of the Japanese Football Association.

G-JAMPS serves as a central meeting point not only for Japanese visitors and journalists but also for anybody interested in the Japanese team. But soccer is just the beginning. Courses, performances and presentations are being offered throughout the World Cup in cooperation with the German-Japanese Society -- everything from flower arranging and kimonos to martial arts, Go (a Japanese board game) and origami is on the program.

The museum's restaurant features both Japanese and local cuisine and, in the spirit of intercultural understanding, sushi is only on offer when the German team plays.

Sausage and beer

A Japanese beer-maker is an official sponsor of the country's team and its presence can't be overlooked at G-JAMPS. But visitors from Japan are eager to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know elements of German culture while they are in the country. It is not surprising that beer and sausage are among the musts.

"Most of the Japanese guests speak good English and those who don't bring pictures with them of German dishes they would like to try," said Paul Hofmann, a server at Haus Daufenbach. Through connections with the United Nations, located in Bonn, the combined restaurant and hotel also has numerous guests from other UN nations, including Yemen, Ecuador, and Ethiopia.

Michael Thomas from Zum Gequetschen (which could be roughly translated as "At the Squeezed"), a popular restaurant in the city center featuring traditional German cuisine, said that around 50 percent of international guests this month are from Japan.

"The Japanese customers drink less and meals are more communal," he said. "They'll order one dish and four plates and share it."

Home comfort

But heavy German dishes on a daily basis get to be too much after a while. According to a server at a Bonn sushi bar, some of the Japanese visitors also search out more familiar tastes in between the sauerkraut and bratwurst.

"The Japanese noodle house around the corner has many Japanese guests," she said. "They prefer warm dishes and sushi is more of a snack. They come here first to eat sushi and then they go over to the noodle house for miso soup, tempura and other warm things."

Big stadium or big screen

Well nourished, rested and ready to go, Blue Samurai fans have several options when it comes to watching their team in action. The best bet is to visit the stadium in Bonn, where the team trains. Times are made public and entry is free -- quite a deal, considering the hundreds of euros people pay to see the same team in a live game. The only disadvantage, of course, is the absence of an opponent.

Those who want to see the games but don't have tickets can still enjoy the stadium atmosphere by going to the big screen set up on one of Bonn's two large, open market squares. There the cheapest seat goes for 11 euros (13.50 dollars), which makes the slightly smaller screen at the pub around the corner look a bit more appealing.

Megunu and Musaku, two soccer fans from Japan, were on their way to view the Blue Samurai during a training session at Bonn's stadium. They had met as tourists in Barcelona and decided to continue on together to Germany for the World Cup. When asked about the Blue Samurai's performance, Musaku didn't beat around the bush.

"The players are very good, but the coach is bad," he said.

One point for Japan

Japan's national coach, Zico, is a soccer legend from Brazil.

"In my opinion it's better to face Brazil in this round rather than later in the K.O. round," Zico was quoted as saying in Die Zeit. "Better now and then again the finals. Whoever wants to achieve something at the World Cup has to be prepared for everything."

After losing to Australia last week 3-1 and tying with Croatia 0-0 on Sunday, the Blue Samurai will come up against Zico's native Brazil on Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m. UTC.