The J-Talk Podcast

After Jonny and Ben begin the episode with a look back at ACL heroics from Kobe, Machida and Gamba Osaka (Spoiler alert: Kobe lost in the ACL Elite semi finals on Tuesday morning) last week (to 12:05), they welcomed Kawasaki correspondent Neil Debnam back to the pod to chat about Frontale's CEJLC so far, and their dramatic late Kanagawa derby win over Yokohama F.Marinos last Saturday (to 34:17). T...

This week’s JTET begins in the East, as Jon Steele fills us in on matchday 10 and talks about the Fukushima Derby (to 25:20), then we move westwards for James to talk about Oita v Yamaguchi (to end). Both parts include the regular Most Bravo Player and games to watch selections.   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https:...

After a very eventful J1 Matchday, Alan Gibson joined Jonny and Ben to chat about Kobe's win over Nagoya - that ended on a somber note after the sickening collision between Vissel players Matheus Thuler and Daiya Maekawa - then a rough week for Gamba Osaka, who lost 1-0 at home in both the ACL Two semi final first leg, and the Osaka derby (to 42:30). Then Alan reflects on his incredible trip to th...

James Taylor and Jon Steele got back together to review matchday 9 of the J2/J3 100 Year Vision League. In part 1, James reviews West-B, asks Jon about his trip to Kitakyushu, and then talks in more detail about West-A before crowning his Most Bravo Player and picking some games to watch (to 29:00). Jon takes over in part 2 for a review of the East groups, with a focus on Sendai v Gunma and Iwaki...

The J1 Chaos Energy J.League Cup reached the halfway point of the league phase over the weekend, and Jonny and Ben were pleased to welcome Fukuoka correspondent Daniel Hawkins back to the pod to chat about Avispa's season so far, their character-building 1-0 away win over Hiroshima on Sunday, and Daniel's outlook for the second half of the half-season campaign (to 25:40). Then in Part 2 Jonny and...

In a bare-bones episode this week, James & Jon bring you up to speed on the latest results from the J2/J3 iteration of the 100 Year Vision League. Due to Jon's trip to Kyushu, the boys recorded separately this time. James has all the news from the West in Part 1, with Jon speeding through the East region in Part 2. We hop everyone enjoys the show! *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https:/...

The Samurai Blue claimed a first-ever win over England in their second friendly of the international break, and Jonny and Ben run through events at Wembley Stadium, before the latest installment of everyone's favorite game - Who's on the Plane? - less than two months before Hajime Moriyasu names his World Cup squad (to 35:05). Then we return to domestic matters, reviewing the two J1 games played o...

After Japan scored late to beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park, Jonny and Ben were delighted to welcome Ryo Nakagawara back to the pod to chat about the 'B Team' lineup, how the game progressed, and players who impressed, before we moved on to look ahead to the second friendly of the international break, against England at Wembley (to 59:00). Then we shifted to domestic matters, as Ryo gave us the l...

We start this episode in the West, as James Taylor focuses on Niigata’s home loss to Toyama (to 23:50), then move to the East, where Jon Steele fills us in on his trip to Sagamihara v Yokohama FC and the Tochigi Derby (to end). All the regular Most Bravo Player and games to watch chat is included as usual.   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk...

Jonny and Ben were pleased to welcome Kashiwa correspondent Seamus Johnston back to the pod for the first time this year, after Reysol enjoyed a pair of wins in the past week. We begin with Seamus's thoughts on the early part of the season and what might have been behind Kashiwa's struggles, before moving on to their comfortable win over Mito on Sunday, that was highlighted by our new clubhouse le...

This week’s episode begins with the West: first James Taylor discusses Ryukyu v Yamaguchi, before revelling in Kanazawa’s win away to Toyama in the Hokuriku Derby (to 19:45). In part 2, Jon Steele runs through the East groups, before trying to make sense of Nagano’s capitulation at home to Matsumoto in the Shinshu Derby (to end). Both parts also include picks for Most Bravo Players and games to wa...

Jonny and Ben begin this episode with a look back at the ACL Elite and ACL Two action from last midweek, and after celebrating the progress of Machida, Kobe and Gamba Osaka (and commiserating with Hiroshima), we discuss whether these two competitions will actually be played to completion due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East (to 18:15). Then in Part 2 we dive in on the J1 matchday, begin...

In part 1 of this week’s JTET, Jon Steele reviews the latest from the East groups of the J2/J3 100 Year Vision League, including a discussion of Tochigi City’s ticket prices and his trip to watch Yokohama FC away in Hachinohe (to 33:00). Then in part 2 James runs through the West groups, with discussion of Miyazaki’s win at Kitakyushu and Toyama’s shootout win over Ehime to continue their encourag...

After JEF Chiba triumphed in the first J1 Chiba derby in 17 years on Saturday, Jonny and Ben were thrilled to welcome new JEF correspondent Allen to the pod to chat about the season so far and events at the Fukuda Denchi Arena on Saturday, among other topics (to 26:02), then in part 2 we round up the rest of the east games from Matchday 5, and check in on how some young players have fared in the e...

This week’s JTET begins with a look at the West groups, as James Taylor recounts Shiga’s first J.League victory, elects a Most Bravo Player, and chooses games to watch (to 19:30). Part 2 is Jon Steele’s look at the East, particularly Fujieda’s win over Iwaki, Most Bravo Players, and games to look out for in matchday 5 (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra T...

Our Yokohama F.Marinos correspondent Stuart Woodward guests on this week's podcast, after his side claimed a first victory of the Chaos Energy J.League Cup at home against Tokyo Verdy on Saturday (to 28:00). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other four east games, highlighted by a first victory for Kashiwa and a stunning comeback by Kashima away at Urawa (to 43:30), then we run through the...

In this week’s JTET, Jon Steele kicks things off with an update on the East groups, with a detailed and gleeful look at Yokohama FC’s victory over Tochigi City, picks a Most Bravo Player and a game to watch (to 19:00). Then, James Taylor talks about the West, particularly group-toppers Kochi United’s win against Kanazawa, picks his MBP and games to watch (to end).   Thank you for your support of t...

After a brief ACL Elite and ACL Two review to begin the episode (to 6:20), Jonny and Ben welcome Tokyo Verdy correspondent Lewis White back to the pod to chat about Verdy's fast start to the Chaos Energy J.League Cup after their win on penalties over Machida in Matchday 3 (to 32:17). Then we round up the other four games from the east (to 50:50), before moving through the west slate and finish the...

Jon Steele and James Taylor return with a review of the big games from the 100 Year Vision League matchday 2. First, James discusses Tokushima’s win over Niigata in the West, picks a Most Bravo Player and a couple of games to watch (to 21:40). Then in part 2, Jon brings us up to date with the East, focusing on Omiya v Sapporo in detail, then elects his MBP and highlights some games to watch for ma...

On this week's episode Jonny and Ben round up J1 Matchday 2 of the Chaos Energy J.League Cup, beginning with the four games from Sunday (to 25:00). They then move on to the five from Saturday (to 51:15), before they finish off the pod with Kobe's win over Nagasaki on Friday night, and a look ahead to upcoming ACL and J1 fixtures.

The J2/J3 100 Year Vision League kicked off at the weekend, so Jon Steele and James Taylor got together to discuss the big talking points from the opening round of fixtures. In part 1, Jon reviews the East groups, with a particular focus on Yokohama FC v Yamagata, then picks his East MBP and games to watch for matchday 2 (to 24:25). Then in part 2, James talks about Imabari v Kanazawa and Kagoshim...

The Chaos Energy J.League Cup got underway over the weekend, and in Part 1 of this episode Jonny and Ben were very pleased to welcome new Hiroshima correspondent Robert Turner to the pod to chat about Sanfrecce's opening night win over Nagasaki, and his thoughts on their prospects this season (to 23:55). Then in Part 2 your co-hosts round up the other four games from the west group (to 37:30), bef...

Jon Steele and James Taylor return with a preview of the J.League’s half-season tournament for J2 and J3 teams. First, James runs through the tournament setup and prize money (to 04:45). Then Jon talks about Yokohama FC and Tochigi City from the East-A group (to 15:30) and Sapporo and Matsumoto in East-B (to 25:20). After that, James looks at Imabari and FC Osaka from West-A (to 33:50) and West-B...

We wrap up our top flight previews with the final five teams from the east group, beginning in the capital with FC Tokyo (to 18:15), Tokyo Verdy (to 30:40) and Machida (to 44:40), before Kawasaki correspondent Neil Debnam joins us to chat about Frontale's interesting moves in the transfer market, and their prospects for The Chaos Energy J.League Cup (to 1:19:10). Then Jonny and Ben preview Yokoham...

We wrap up the west on this week's episode, and after celebrating Japan's triumph in the Under 23 Asian Cup, Jonny and Ben welcome Kyoto correspondent Jamie Meikle back to the pod to chat about Sanga's tremendous 2025 season, and to look ahead to their 2026 by discussing their dealings in the transfer market, key players and ones to watch, and our final thoughts on their prospects for the Chaos En...