Land of the rising fun as Tokyo parties

Japanese fans did not get the win they wanted but took heart from their team's grit as the Samurai Blue came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Senegal on Sunday to keep alive hopes of a place in the last 16.

Japan looked on the verge of defeat until veteran Keisuke Honda fired home the equalizer 12 minutes from time, sending supporters into a frenzy in the stadium and at sports bars across Tokyo.

"They've been great. I want them to keep playing hard," Shintaro Sakamichi, a 23-year-old civil servant, said above the raucous cheers at M-Spo pub in Shibuya, where people banged drums, blew horns and draped themselves in giant flags.