Once you've earned a reputation, it's hard to shake it. The English are coming to Japan for the World Cup next month and the word on the lips of many Japanese is "hooligan." So some soccer fans in Osaka, hoping to smooth the way for their British visitors, have come up with a T-shirt bearing the legend "I am Not a Hooligan" in large letters, with "Not" written in red. The idea, says one, is to help foreign fans who fear they might be hassled by the police. "Even more than that," said Koichi Takeuchi, "it's a bit of sarcasm aimed at the people who just look at people and think they might be hooligans."
Sock It to 'em
Once you've earned a reputation, it's hard to shake it. The English are coming to Japan for the World Cup next month and the word on the lips of many Japanese is "hooligan." So some soccer fans in Osaka, hoping to smooth the way for their British visitors, have come up with a T-shirt bearing the legend "I am Not a Hooligan" in large letters, with "Not" written in red. The idea, says one, is to help foreign fans who fear they might be hassled by the police. "Even more than that," said Koichi Takeuchi, "it's a bit of sarcasm aimed at the people who just look at people and think they might be hooligans."
