This article is part of the Guardian's World Cup 2014 Experts' Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.

Masahiko Inoha

After making his J-League debut in 2006, Masahiko Inoha quickly became famous not so much for his footballing skills but for his obsession with ice cream. He proudly claimed he would eat three a day – "two at the clubhouse, one after bath time" – and was always on hand to offer critiques on all the latest frozen snacks to team-mates and club officials. His status as one of Alberto Zaccheroni's favourites melted somewhat after an ill-fated six months with Hajduk Split, but he denied accusations that rescinding his contract made him a flake after the Croatian side had failed to pay his wages.

Toshihiro Aoyama

From diligent defensive work to penetrative long passes, good looks to a unique sense of humour, surprise selection Toshihiro Aoyama has it all. His readiness to spend time joking with fans sparked a collection of anecdotes on Twitter, which he embraced by writing the associated hashtag across his bare chest and uploading a photo. Aoyama became a minor YouTube sensation in 2012 with an astonishing 69-yard strike. In celebration, he got his team-mates to line up like bowling pins at which he aimed not one, but two balls; converting a 7-10 split to complete the spare.

Eiji Kawashima

The positioning of foreign languages within Japanese compulsory education is similar to that in its fellow island nation, the United Kingdom, but Kawashima knew from a young age that if he was to be a star footballer, he would have to get learning. Plus, in his own words, he thought he would "look cool to others if [he] could speak English fluently". Brief spells training with Parma and Udinese early in his career led him to study Italian, which he exhibited with remarkable fluency as a guest on the Sky Italia show Speciale Calciomercato in 2012. The Portuguese interpreter at Kawashima's old club, Kawasaki Frontale, claims he had no problems conversing with his Brazilian teammates, and after dabbling with Spanish and Dutch, four years playing in Belgium means he is now perfectly comfortable giving television interviews in French as well. Indeed, his equally fluent English is now laced with a soft but noticeable Francophone twang, which – you've got to hand it to him – does make him look pretty cool.

Yasuyuki Konno

Usually deployed as a centre-back under Zaccheroni, Japan's versatile answer to John O'Shea scored the decisive goal in a frantic five-way title race in 2005 when his equaliser for FC Tokyo demoted Cerezo Osaka from first to fifth in the final minute of the season and allowed their local rivals, Gamba Osaka, to steal glory instead. The following April, Konno became the only opposition player in memory to gain a rousing pre-match cheer from the champions' notorious ultras. He later donned the blue and black shirt himself to help Gamba to the J2 championship in 2013, but only after they went from perennial trophy contenders to relegation following his arrival from Tokyo the previous year.

Hiroshi Kiyotake

Having made his international debut just three months earlier, Hiroshi Kiyotake enjoyed a glamorous 22nd birthday in November 2011, travelling from Tajikistan to North Korea as Japan sought to secure their way through the first stage of World Cup qualification. For those of us watching on television, the Samurai Blue's first visit to Pyongyang since 1989 was like a journey into history – only in high definition – filled with Cold War-style military uniforms, mass games propaganda, and plenty of (choreographed) anti-Japanese sentiment. For a young footballer who actually had to go there and be part of it, however, it was all a little daunting. Spooked by the dark corridors and silent, expressionless North Korean security guards monitoring each floor of their hotel, Kiyotake chose to abandon his own bed and share a single room with the goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa, three years his senior in the Oita Trinita youth setup where both began their careers.

Ben Mabley is an Osaka-based football writer and television pundit for JSports

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Click here to read a profile of Shinji Kagawa

Click here to read a tactical analysis of Japan