Turned on the TV this morning to see pictures of fans rioting, turning over cars, smashing shop windows, but it wasn't thankfully taking place in these regions (or even in protest against Eamonn Dunphy in Ireland), but in Russia, after their defeat by Japan.

Took the subway for a quick stroll around some of the shopping areas, then headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

Old Tokyo—The Edo-Tokyo Museum

This is a most interesting museum, covering the history of the "Edo" (as Tokyo was called under the Shogunate) period and the following "Tokyo" period, up to the end of the Second World War. I can see the need for it, as there are practically no pre-war buildings remaining in Tokyo. The museum building itself (below) is very impressive.

In the "Edo" section are maps, documents from the period, assisted by very impressive miniature scale models (the Japanese are past masters of miniaturization) of streets and buildings of the period, as well as full-size reproductions of work and living spaces.

The Flowers of Edo

For centuries the wooden houses that were the only kind of habitation in the city regularly burnt down—there was on average one large fire every year, and no house could expect a life span of longer than twenty years. "The flowers of Edo", these catastrophes were called. In 1855 an earthquake, with the epicentre right under Tokyo, caused widespread devastation. Later in that century they finally cottoned on and started building houses with bricks, but though they didn't burn down, even these were demolished in the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. This was followed by a fire that destroyed any remaining wooden houses. It was noticed that the only building to survive earthquake and fire were built of re-enforced concrete, so this became the building material of choice from then on. However, even this material provided little protection against the Allied Forces air raids which continued with increasing ferocity until the Japanese capitulated in August 1945.

Japan's Wars

Although the Japanese have a right to feel aggrieved over the death of so many people at the hands of the allies, it cannot be forgotten that they brought these problems upon themselves by first attacking neighbouring countries and then taking on the USA. The Japanese still refer to their long and brutal invasion of China as the "Chinese Incident," and don't seem to include it as part of World War II (which they call the "Pacific War" or "East Asian War"). Politicians still find it difficult to apologize for the wrongs carried out by the Imperial government. Among the 3.5 million prisoners of war and civilians that historians estimate Japan slaughtered and enslaved, 200,000 women were forced into sexual slavery; 2 million men were made to work as slaves on an array of projects in Java; and untold thousands were butchered in biological and chemical-warfare experiments and atrocities like the 1937 Rape of Nanjing.

Yoshiwara

The entertainment districts were set up in many cities. The best known one, Yoshiwara, was in Edo (modern Tokyo). During the 18th century, Yoshiwara was the seat of entertainment, crowded with visitors enjoying themselves, and the courtesans and Kabuki actors were the district's celebrities (an 1869 census shows that there were 153 brothels, 3289 courtesans, and 394 teahouses within Yoshiwara).

The women there lived both at the extremes of poverty and enormous wealth and were ranked according to their beauty, character, educational level and accomplishments. A courtesan of the highest ranking was designated a tayu, and she was worthy of being a companion to a daimyo (feudal lord).

Lie Back and Think of Japan

Since geisha first appeared some 300 years ago, they have spent most of their time working in the formerly government-licensed brothel quarters of Kyoto and Tokyo. A geisha is trained to entertain men, to put it simply. Yet while the women plied their trade alongside prostitutes, the distinction was that the Geisha had sex with men voluntarily rather than for money. Their numbers are very small in present-day Japan, and, with only a few thousand left, it is a dying art form. Many Japanese have never even seen a geisha, and many mistake Maiko (apprentice geisha, distinguised by the design on the makeup they wear on the base of their neck) for the real thing.

This visit to the museum took up most of the day, after which I returned to the hotel to pick up my gear for the match, just stopping off to reserve my seat for Kyoto (I had already decided that whether Ireland qualified or not I was going to Kyoto, which was in the right direction anyway for the ferry to Korea).

The Train to Yokohama

Of course it was rush-hour when I headed for Yokohama stadium at 5:30, and the trains were packed enough, even before we started to pick up the ever-growing bands of Irish and newly-Irish Japanese. By the time we had to change trains at Higashi-Kanagawa, we were packed like sardines into the carriages.

The first railway to Tokyo to Yokohama, 18 miles long, was built by English engineers and opened by the Mikado in 1872. At that time the ticket-clerks were all Chinese, and the guards and engine-drivers, all English. All the rest of the staff were Japanese dressed in European clothes, a rare sight at the time. A bone of contention during construction was the insistence of the samurai on wearing their swords, a jealously-guarded status symbol, while being instructed in the use of the surveying instruments--the steel in the swords affected the readings. It is said that many Japanese stepped out of their shoes when boarding the train as if they were entering a house, and were mortified when the train drew out and the shoes were left behind on the platform.

The Beautiful Game—Ireland v Saudi Arabia

Since most of the spectators were already inside, there was nothing of the carnival atmosphere outside the stadium, but boy was that a sight to see when we got inside! The vast stadium, filling up fast, was dominated by Irish supporters—many of the Japanese fans were wearing green jerseys, running around being photographed with Irish fans, cheering alternately "I-rand" and "Nippon". There were about 65,000 spectators in total, and it was just one sea of green.

Robbie Keane got Ireland off to a great start when he scored on the 7th minute, but late in the first half they hit a worrisome patch during which they were unable to mount a serious attack - and the Saudis kept applying a surprising amount of pressure. Fortunately, keeper Shay Given was up to the task, making several big saves. In the second half, they got the critical second goal from an unexpected source (itself a fitting touch, given the way they came together as team in the wake of the Roy Keane fiasco) as defender Gary Breen went through the defense to finish a Steve Staunton free kick. With the margin they needed, they took control, and Damien Duff blasted a wet, veering shot through keeper Mohammed Al-Daeyea three minutes from time for the final margin.

I was again seated in the sixth row and almost next to the corner flag, so was nicely positioned for the second half, and enjoyed in particular Damien Duff's goal. He had a big grin on his face as he ran to the goal-line and bowed Japanese-style to the fans. After the game the team did a lap of honour around the stadium, while the fans went bananas.

Travelled back on the train with two Northern lads who didn't seem quite as elated as the rest of the Irish fans. Both were wearing green jerseys. However, on closer inspection, one turned out to be a Glentoran and the other the IFA jersey.

Back at the hotel, Japanese TV showed the celebrations at the Submarine Bar, in Crumlin.

Other results today were: In Group A Denmark beat France 2-0. Without a win or a single goal scored, and with the worst record of any defending champion ever, France are going home with their tails between their legs.

In the same group, Senegal took a 3-0 lead, then hung on for dear life as a valiant and relentless Uruguay forced a 3-3 draw. Senegal coach Bruno Metsu hailed it as an historic day - at their very first World Cup, the Senegalese were advancing to the next round, much to the delight of Liverpool's latest acquisition, El Hadj Diouf.

In our group, Group E, Germany beat Cameroon 2-0. Germany opened dynamically, survived some lapses and ultimately slogged their way to a 2-0 win over Cameroon in the ugly, bitter Battle of Shizuoka. There was a melee at the half hour mark and Carsten Ramelow was sent off just before the half, reducing Germany to 10 men - though coach Rudi Voeller says that motivated his team. And indeed, they took the lead on the 50th minute, thanks to Marco Bode, and Miroslav Klose headed home another with 11 minutes remaining (his fifth goal of the tournament) to seal the win. Cameroon's Patrick Suffo was also sent off, and the match will not be remembered for either its grace or beauty, but for the record number of bookings recorded by referee Antonio Lopez Nieto. Cameroon are out and Germany progress with Ireland to the next round.