Nov 23: A Thomas Gravesen figurine used to adorn the counter, until the generous shop assistant gifted it to one intrigued tourist. The Dane's bald, plastic head was at odds with the eclectic blend of colourful J-League kits anyway.
Trendy, curious and sequestered yet vibrant, welcoming and utterly captivating, those few square metres of shop floor are Japan's footballing scene in microcosm, where a Kashima Antlers or Yokohama Marinos shirt can sit side-by-side with iconic European jerseys from Milan, Madrid or Munich.
Japanese football lured stars like Gary Lineker and Zico when the J-League was formed in 1993, modelled its marketing on US sports and imported much of its fan culture - tifos, flags, chants, (relatively friendly) ultras and mascots, all embraced by crowds boasting a large female following and sprinkled with a local twist to make attending games a unique experience.
Three decades into its existence, and emerging from Covid-imposed restrictions on crowds and singing in stadiums, the nation's top flight is thriving in its own right. Average attendances peaked at more than 20,000 before the pandemic and it is halfway through a 12-year $2.1bn (£1.76bn) domestic broadcasting deal with DAZN.
But while the terraces may be flooded with traditions that originated around the world, a stream of the country's top talent is heading the other way.
When Japan hosted the World Cup with South Korea in 2002, just four of the squad, including Arsenal's Junichi Inamoto and Hidetoshi Nakata at Parma, were playing their football abroad.
In Qatar, 19 of the 26 will do so, and that number could feasibly have been higher were it not for the surprise exclusion of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi and a late injury to Huddersfield defender Yuta Nakayama.
"The J-League and its fans are very proud they create this many players who can go to Europe," explains Dan Orlowitz of the Japan Times.
"But it is no longer special - it is kind of expected. [Italian] Alberto Zaccheroni came on as head coach in 2010 and his message was 'go west'."
The route most commonly taken is to Belgium or Germany, where eight of the squad currently play, including captain Maya Yoshida and Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada. And it is against Hans-Dieter Flick's Germany side the Samurai Blue kick off their World Cup campaign.
Japan also face Spain, the home of 21-year-old midfielder Takefusa Kubo, who trained with Barcelona, before joining Real Madrid and who now players for Real Sociedad.
Throw in the likes of Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma and Monaco's ex-Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino and it is a squad bristling with talent.
"The young Japanese players have ability," Vissel Kobe midfielder and World Cup winner Andres Iniesta tells BBC Sport.
"In my opinion they are dynamic, talented and physically strong."
Creating 'a world-class football environment'
Historically, Japanese players who moved overseas tended to do so later in their career. Some even attend university before committing to professional football, including Brighton's Mitoma, who put his progress at Kawasaki Frontale on hold to study coaching, sports and nutrition.
"If you rewind 15-20 years, you needed to be 25/26, needed a few good J-League seasons and to be improving the national team," adds Orlowtiz.
"Now European clubs understand Japanese players really are talented and not just flash-in-the-pan so are going after younger ones."
The J-League is making a conscious effort to produce young talent and has a '2030 Football Vision' that works towards providing "a world-class football environment". It includes 'Project DNA', which aims to help clubs develop top players and coaches.
Former chairman Mitsuru Murai also actively encouraged players to go to Europe, hoping one day they would return and enrich the league with their experience.
"There is some really good quality," says Richard Allen, senior football executive and technical adviser at Yokohama FC, who have just achieved promotion back to the top flight.
"It's a double-edged sword, you want your best players to go and play in Europe, but that does have a knock-on effect on the league."
Allen, formerly the English Football Association's head of talent identification and head of recruitment at Tottenham Hotspur, is keen to facilitate opportunities for young players to test themselves against top opposition.
"They need a variety," he adds. "They need to be playing against Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus - if the players are going to develop they need those experiences and that exposure."
That variety does not currently exist in the J-League despite, with some success, marketing itself as the "Premier League of Asia" - it is hugely popular in Thailand, for example - and attracting foreign coaches, notably Australian Kevin Muscat at Marinos, who replaced compatriot and now-Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
Spanish veterans such as Iniesta, Fernando Torres and David Villa have also passed through in recent years but, besides Japanese players, Brazilians have the most influence, with 56 featuring last season.
'People say Japan could win the World Cup'
According to Sebastian Moffett's book Japanese Rules, when Zico arrived at Kashima Antlers in the early 90s he berated team-mates who laughed after defeats, even insisting his translator shout when he did.
Traditionally, Japanese football - which evolved from corporate leagues - has been accused of lacking a "confrontational" edge, though that trait seems to be changing.
"We don't see football as a battle, it's a sport," says journalist Masatoshi Mori.
"We are technically very good. Any kind of sport, we are the inventor - we invent new strategies - but football is a little bit too difficult to do that, it is already really developed and globalised."
Mori, who follows Japanese stars playing in the UK, has been impressed by two national team players who have shown they can cut the physical demands of the Premier League - Arsenal's Tomiyasu and Brighton winger Mitoma.
"Tomiyasu is absolutely important," he says. "He is the best player at the moment. He plays right-back or left-back for Arsenal, but plays in the centre for Japan.
"Physically he is much stronger, he is quicker. I have never seen a Japanese person who has showed that sort of physical presence in the Premier League."
Some argue this Japan squad is short of a goalscoring centre forward and Mitoma, who followed a starring role in Brighton's 4-1 win over Chelsea with goals against Wolves and Arsenal, will be expected to chip in.
"After the Chelsea match he came on so strongly," says Mori. "I've never seen a Japanese player play at that level for three matches in a row in England before.
"Japan play 4-2-3-1. On the left-hand side we have Kubo and on the right we have Junya Ito of Reims. Mitoma may play as a super-sub, but I think he should start."
Both will be key during Japan's seventh successive World Cup and in Hajime Moriyasu they have a boss with the country's best win percentage, though the coach also has his critics.
"There are people who say Japan could win the whole thing with the right coaching," says Tokyo-based journalist Orlowitz.
"You know what? They're not wrong. This is the deepest player pool, except maybe a goalkeeper, the country has ever had.
"There is a world-class squad at all positions and the talent there. The question is if the coaching is there? And the answer is 'no'." (with inputs from BBC)
ITAHARI, July 21: Nepal's democratic icon, first people's elected Prime Minister and literary giant BP Koirala breathed his last on 21 July 1982 in Kathmandu. He breathed his last shortly after his return from Thailand. He was undergoing lung cancer treatment in Thailand capital.
Koirala's demise was also reported in The New York Times. The news published on 22 July 1982 headlined, 'B.P. Koirala, Former Prime Minister of Nepal' read, ''Bisheswar Prasad Koirala, who served as Prime Minister during a brief period of Western-style parliamentary government, died at his home today. He was 69 years old. He died in two hours after he was flown back in a coma from a hospital in Bangkok where he had been receiving treatment for lung cancer. His son, Prof Dr Shashank Koirala, who was also an eye specialist, said his father returned home after Thai doctors had concluded that his illness was terminal.''
BP Doctrine in Nepal's diplomacy?
Nepal is the oldest surviving nation in the whole of South Asia. When it comes to a written foreign policy, Nepal is so late. Nepal's first foreign policy was formally unveiled on 6 December 2020. The then Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali took the lead to announce the first written policy of Nepal in the 31-page booklet. Besides ongoing diplomatic practices being adherent to Non-Alignment Movement, UN Charter and Panchsheel Principles, among others. Nepal's' new foreign policy talks about 'digital diplomacy', 'public diplomacy', 'track two diplomacy' and the likes.
BP doctrine can also be a good source for the implementation of Nepal's written foreign policy. What is described as Nepal's foreign policy goal is practically implemented by BP Koirala. BP Koirala was PM for almost 18 months from 27 May 1959 to 15 December 1960. His role as premier of the country has left some diplomatic statecraft that can be summarized as 'BP doctrine'. Even in the times of his standing as political leader only, his diplomatic advocacy went in a specified way.
Balancing act within neighbors and pro-Nepal policy
One of the important ingredients of BP doctrine on diplomacy is balancing act within neighbors- India and China. BP Koirala, while remaining in power both as a Prime Minister and a founder leader of Nepali Congress, adopted actions and approaches on balancing act between India and China. He happily welcomed India's facilitation to bring in the dawn of Nepal's democracy in 1951.
On 1 January 1951, a 3-point agreement was inked between exiled king Tribhuwan, Nepali Congress and Rana Regime paving way for forming the Rana-Congress cabinet on 18 February 1951. Commemorating this event, 18 February is celebrated as 'Democracy Day' in Nepal.
This democratic transition was possible by Indian facilitation. However, India was unhappy when Nepal inked diplomatic relationship with China on 1 August 1955 when Mahendra had sacked Matrika Prasad Koirala cabinet bringing his own direct rule. BP Koirala welcomed this move. He has written about this on his diary of that day which is published by 'Shikha Books' of Kathmandu in the title 'BP Koirala ko Dayari' (roughly translated as the diary of BP Koirala). Some congress archivists also said BP Koirala had proposed to ink King-Congress-Rana agreement within Nepal (Biratnagar).
BP Koirala had also opposed Indian military posts in Nepal's northern borders with China which existed from 1952 to 1970. He had raised this issue repeatedly and had attracted angry reaction from Indian journalists. Koirala said about this in his diary. Koirala wanted friendly relationship from both neighbors but as one versus another within Nepali territory. For China's inclusion in the UN, BP Koirala advocated in the 15th General Assembly of 1960. In his address to the assembly on 19 November 1960 as Nepal's PM, BP Koirala talked about urgent need to include China. He said, ''The United Nations can neither become universal nor can it reflect the political realities existing in the world outside until the People's Republic of China is given rightful place in our organization.
The United Nations will not be able to fulfill effectively some of its most important purpose and functions until the People's Republic of China is brought in.''
It might be owing to his balancing act between two neighbors, BP has been accommodated in 'On Diplomacy' book of Mao and the library of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Regionalism and internationalism
BP Koirala was a clear-eyed leader on regional and international issue. He had participated in India's independence movement and had supported weapons to Bangladesh for its independence movement. As a noted regional leader of international socialist movement, he is equally remembered for his support for democratic Myanmar (then Burma).
Even in his only speech at UN in 1960, BP had raised the issue of Algerian independence and Magnolia's inclusion in the UN. During his premiership on 1 June 1960, Nepal established formal diplomatic relationships with Israel becoming the first South Asian nation to do so. In the August of 1960, he had made a 10-day-long state visit to Israel.
BP Koirala's international angle has been reflected in his recently unveiled audio interview recorded by former journalist duo of BBC Nepali Service- Mani Rana and Dhruwahari Adhikari. It is said to have been recorded during BP Koirala's visit to UK during the decade of 2030 BS. In the interview, republished by barhakhari.com on 15 May 2019, BP Koirala has said, ''My aim for my nation is to play a leading role in South Asia. Nepal, despite being a small country, can play an important role in South Asia. These days, we just have 'reaction politics', sometimes to please India and sometimes China.''
Diplomatic and magnetic personality
BP Koirala had a sort of magnetic personality even at international arena He has been praised for his crystal clear views and actions. In his extensive essay titled 'Where India faces China' after Nepal's first General Elections, Hamailton Fish Armstrong, the then editor of Foreign Affairs magazine has praised BP Koirala. In his essay published in July 1959, Editor Armstrong had described BP Koirala as ''Mr. Koirala, the titular leader, is a man of attractive energy, sincerity of purpose and strongly liberal tendencies.''
Ellsworth Bunker, the then US ambassador to India and also accredited to Nepal visited Nepal from May 5-8. His team had arrived in Kathmandu to access about ongoing Nepali political scenario after first General Elections and talked to king and political leaders of Nepal including soon-to-be-PM BP Koirala. Once a classified document, this has been declassified by the State Department.
He had telegrammed his Nepal visit issue to the State Department at 7 p.m. of May 9 where he had praised BP Koirala in six points. He noted, ''BP Koirala: I was impressed by Koirala as clearest thinking Nepalese leader I have ever met.'' He has added, ''He considers himself a Socialist. No question of his basic political motivation, belief in democratic institutions and opposition to communism.''
