The blog is back! Sorry for the lack of posts over the past three weeks, Ive been busy with finals and the holiday season. To make up for it Ill be posting regularly for the next week and a half. First off, an update on how Japanese players have been doing over in the European leagues.The star of the last month has undoubtedly been Yuto Nagatomo. The fullback scored in back-to-back games against Fiorentina and Genoa, both Inter wins. His goal against Yanni Gourde Kids Jersey Genoa was a header, and at 5 foot 7 he was the shortest player on the pitch. Then, in the next game Nagatomo provided two a sists in a 4-1 win over Lecce, giving Inter the trickery that they have mi sed as Wesley Sneijder has struggled this year. The win catapulted Inter into fifth place going into the winter break, incredible considering their terrible start to the season. are the highlights of Nagatomo terrorizing last place Lecce.Shinji Kagawais currently struggling with gastroenteritis and was forced to pull out of a charity match in Sendai to support earthquake relief efforts. However he did play well in the two matches leading up to the winter break in Germany. He scored in Dortmunds 1-1 draw at home to Kaiserslautern. Then in Dortmunds 4-1 away win Jaden Schwartz Jersey against Freiburg, he set up three goals and was a constant threat throughout the match. For Dortmunds first goal, Kagawa played an excellent one-two with Ilkay Gundogan before putting it on a plate for Robert Lewandowski. In the 59th minute, Kagawa played a ball between two Freiburg defenders to put Lewandowski through. The Pole opted to wait for support and then served it up for Gro skreutz who curled it off the far post for Dortmunds third. Finally in the 70th minute, Kagawa put Gro skreutz through who then provided Lewandowski with a tap-in to finish the scoring. The win put Dortmund into second place on goal difference ahead of Schalke, and only three points behind Bayern. It was a good finish to the first half of the season for Kagawa, who at times was outshone by the likes of Mario Gotze and Lewandowski, but these performances will encourage Philipp Grubauer Women Jersey him to improve further in the second half. Highlights for the Freiburg match are .December has been decent to Japans other Bundesliga star. Makoto Hasebewas sent off after receiving two yellow cards in Wolfsburgs 2-2 draw with Mainz. The Japanese captain was carded twice in le s than ten minutes to earn an early trip home. However, he was crucial in front of the defense in his next match, a 1-0 win over Stuttgart.Compatriot Shinji Okazakiwatched the match from the Stuttgart bench as an unusedsubstitute. He had a quiet month, with no goals in four matches.Takashi Usamihas had a good month in Bayerns reserves, as he Joonas Donskoi Women Jersey continues to destroy lower league defenses. He scored a goal in Bayern IIs 4-1 away win at Karlsruher II. Then he came on as asubstitutein the first teams 2-0 away lo s against Manchester City.Michihiro Yasudahad an excellent December with Vite se. The Arnhem side went undefeated in four December matches, with three wins and a draw, conceding only oncein a 2-1 cup win over FC Eindhoven. Yasuda has been a vital part of a defense that has not conceded a goal in the Eredivisie for over 400 minutes. Vite se has risen to 6th place during this stretch.On the other hand, VVV Venlo continued to struggle in December and have entered the winter break second to last and firmly on course for relegation. Venlo won once and lost twice in the month, including a 7-0 lo s away at Heracles. Maya Yoshidaand Robert Cullenwill hope for vast improvement in the second half of the season.FC Utrecht had an equally torrid month, with one draw and two lo ses. However, Yoshiaki Takagi started all three of the Haydn Fleury Women Jersey matches.Finally, Hiroshi Ibusukiscored three times in as many December games for Sevilla II. He now has eleven goals in 18 matches for the reserves, already one more than he had all of last season.Look forward to more posts all of this week, including a year review of the national team and the first annual Japan Footblog Player of the Year Award!