After last weekend's Super Cup stupidity, league action finally returns to Japan as football fans up and down the country awake from their two-month hibernation.

As usual, the fixture list (ie. some bloke at J. League headquarters) has thrown up some fascinating opening day encounters - not the least being Urawa Reds' return to Nissan Stadium, where they face bitter rivals Yokohama F. Marinos. It was at Nissan that the Reds incredibly choked on the final day of last season, losing 1-0 to the already relegated Yokohama FC and handing the J. League title on a plate to Kashima Antlers.

The Antlers kick start their proceedings by hosting J2 champions Consadole Sapporo, with Antlers coach Oswaldo de Oliveira still smarting at Masaaki Iemoto's hysterical refereeing performance in the Super Cup. Nevertheless the Antlers will expect to kick off the new season with a win - in the league at least, with troubled Sapporo plagued by financial worries and hindered by the fact that their training pitch is usually under about ten feet of snow.

The return of Tokyo Verdy to Todoroki Stadium will have the locals hot and bothered, as Kawasaki Frontale host their former city rivals. The 25,000 capacity stadium is likely to be packed for the first clash between the sides since Verdy decided to leave the city of Kawasaki and reestablish themselves in the capital. That move has worked out wonderfully well for Verdy... if you exclude the fact that both FC Tokyo and Kawasaki Frontale are now more popular than Verdy, who've spent the past two seasons scrapping it out in the glamourous surrounds of J2.

Elsewhere Nagoya Grampus will slug it out with Kyoto Sanga FC at Toyota Stadium, with both clubs having deemed a shortening of names was in order. More importantly the match marks the return of legendary former Nagoya midfielder Dragan Stojkovic, who takes over as coach from the departed Sef Vergoosen. 'Pixy' has a street named after him Nagoya, but the diminutive Serb will be hoping that his Messiah-like return doesn't end in crucifixtion if he is unable to lift the Toyota-backed giants into the top five.

Personally I'll be down at Nihondaira Stadium and from the looks of it, I won't be the only one. Shimizu S-Pulse are expecting one of their largest opening day crowds in history and given that visitors Oita Trinita are likely to bring a couple of hundred away fans at most on the 1000 kilometre journey to Shimizu, that's quite an effort from the orange faithful. The atmospheric ground will thus be rocking to the tune of 20,000 partisan locals, as the Kyushu-based Oita Trinita get set for an uncomfortable afternoon.

So stay tuned for all the thrill, spills and old-school skills because the J. League is back, bigger, better and with more blind referees than ever!