Japan open

Profile

Japan has had some good success internationally and always sends an unpredictable team of quick and speedy runners and jumpers. The Japanese teams received some good training in the early 90s when delegates from the best American open teams traveled to Japan for week-long clinics and Ultimate strategy sessions. 

One recognizable and often-exploited Japanese weakness from the past was the team's lack of height. Without world-famous 6'4" Japanese giant Nobuyuki Shirota feasting in the endzone the Japanese had been unable to stop lesser teams from defeating them by hucking deep. Shirota, the second-place finisher at the 2004 Nathan's Famous Coney Island Hot Dog eating contest with 38 hot dogs and buns consumed in 12 minutes, will not be in attendance. The gentle giant has found a career worth pursuing that actually pays the bills, unlike Ultimate. 

Japanese teams of late have made up for this past weakness and should no longer be considered endzone liabilities. This was demonstrated at the 2002 World Clubs in Hawaii where club team Buzz Bullets defeated tough European competition en route to finishing 10th, the best finish for a team not from USA or Canada.

But in particular, Canada still owns the Japanese. Furious George was invited to the 2003 Dream Cup, Japan's largest tournament, and defeated all comers handily. But the Japanese have been able to prove themselves against other North American stalwarts. In 2003 the Buzz Bullets attended the Emerald City Classic invitation-only tournament in Seattle and finished 3-3 playing against top-flight UPA Championship competition.

The Japanese open team finished 8th at Heilbronn in 2000 and took bronze at the 2001 World Games in Japan playing 6-on-6 mixed.

This national team is in fact a combination of club teams Buzz Bullets and Nomadic Tribe, so you can expect the best.

Offense and Defense

The Japanese teams usually run a side-stack vertical offence with isolation cuts. Finding a way to stop this wide-open offense is key.

On defense, the team sticks with man-to-man or a Japanese style 1-3-3 zone.

Players to Watch 

It is not easy to get solid information from the Japanese teams, but they were kind enough to respond to a questionnaire which indicated the following:

Team's Best Thrower: Yasunori Fujii

Team's Best Receiver: Yohei Abe

However, with some more limited scouting I was able to acquire a few names of talented Japanese players who will make a difference if they are coming to Finland as expected.

Okada and Yamamoto are tall defenders who played for the Japanese Bronze Medal team in 2001 and will provide height and ups.

Kitikawa is a handler and captain of one of the club teams. He has a strong forehand huck.

Team Colors:
White and Black 

Roster:
21 players