After the shock of their quarterfinal exit at January's AFC Asian Cup, 2015 turned out to be a decent year for Japanese football.
But with Shinji Okazaki playing an influential role at English Premier League leaders Leicester City, it's the progress of another Europe-based Shinji that remains the obsession of Japanese fans.
Here are five hopes for Japanese football in 2016.
1. Kagawa's continued resurgence
Shinji Kagawa's time in Europe has been a rollercoaster affair. His first spell with Borussia Dortmund was a sensation, with two titles in two years earning a big move to Manchester United in 2012. The Japanese star's first season in England was promising and also ended with the championship.
Under David Moyes, he fell out of favour and was often played out of position on his rare occasions off the bench. In August 2014, he returned to his former German home. He didn't seem the same player for quite a while but under new coach Thomas Tuchel he has been handed a more central role and the old Shinji has started to return. His form in the 2015-16 season has helped the giants into second and, as things stand, only the Black and Yellows can stop Bayern Munich.
For Japanese fans, the return of form of Kagawa is more important than whether the title returns north or not. During and since the 2014 World Cup, the playmaker's form for his country has been erratic. The Samurai Blue needs him back to his best.
2. The J-League fights back
For football chiefs in Tokyo, it is a source of frustration that while East Asia has dominated the AFC Champions League over the last decade, not since 2008 has the trophy ended up in Japanese fans. After Gamba Osaka's triumph, there have been three Korean and two Chinese successes. Even getting to the final has been beyond the J-League. Next season is not going to be any easier with more Chinese clubs with the funds and ambitions to do well in the continental competition.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima have claimed three of the past four domestic titles and now need to show their worth in Asia. It is not just about the Purple Archers, however. Gamba and Urawa Reds have won in the past. The time has come for one to do so again. The Chinese Super League has usurped the J-League as the most watched domestic tournament in Asia. The best way to ensure that the J-League is seen as the best is for its clubs to beat rivals in the Middle Kingdom.
3. Consistency for the national team
The past 18 months have been mixed for the national team. A year ago when Japan were still licking their wounds after a dismal 2014 World Cup, they prepared to defend their continental title but were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage by United Arab Emirates at the 2015 Asian Cup. That was not in the script and within weeks, coach Javier Aguirre was fired, ostensibly for alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal during his time in Spain. In truth, there was some dissatisfaction with the Mexican's style and methods and in came Vahid Halilhodzic.
The Bosnian has yet to really stamp his style on the team. There was a dismal last place finish at the East Asian Cup and a disappointing home draw with Singapore in the second round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup. Regardless of some of the stutters of the past 12 months or so, the Samurai Blue are going to progress to the final stage of the road to Russia with ease and it could be that playing against a better class of opposition is precisely what the four time continental champions need.
4. The end of the two-stage system
Most fans were against the return to the two-stage system that was announced in 2014. After a decade of exciting single stage title races, bosses wanted to create more tension to tempt the casual fan and corporations to support the game. Thus, the league was split into two stages with the divide coming at the halfway point.
At the end, the two stage winners were joined in the playoffs by the team who had collected more points overall than anyone else. Attendances did rise slightly but not enough to suggest that it is due to changes in the format of the league. It's all a bit confusing and can be hard to explain quickly to the less than diehards.
The recent playoffs were exciting but if there is a need to have such games then a different system would be preferable. Instead of the more complex two stage system, a simple single stage season in which the top four enter a championship play-off series would be just as exciting and much clearer and cleaner.
5. A Japanese coach goes to Europe
There are some excellent coaches in the J-League who have the experience to do a job in Europe. Names such as Akira Nishino and Hajime Moriyasu spring to mind but there are plenty of competent tacticians in the country. Sooner or later, an Asian coach is going to go one of the top tier clubs in one of the top tier leagues. It has not happened yet but Japanese managers are the best bet. Making the breakthrough is hard but Asian coaches need a trailblazer. If 2016 is when it finally happens, then it will be a memorable year, regardless of results on the pitch.