You will often find clubs go on pre-season tours to places where they have strong connections.
Japan has all sorts of links for Arsenal including Arsene Wenger and, of course, Ryo Miyaichi who is returning "home" to familiar territory.
Wenger managed Monday's opponents Grampus Eight for 18 months and he remains a hero there after winning two cups and finishing as runner-up in the league. Incredibly, this is the first time Wenger has been back to Nagoya and, in particular, he is excited about meeting up with his old interpreter.
It was also here in Nagoya that Wenger managed Dragan Stojkovic (who is now in charge at Grampus Eight) and the Serbian has often been seen as a potential successor at Arsenal.
They held a press conference together in Nagoya and the respect, friendship and affection between the two men was clear to see.
Stojkovic said: "We shared a lot of good moments. For me, this was an unforgettable period - 1995 and 1996 as a player I really enjoyed.
"I gave my best, I gave my talent, I helped my team and we had a very good connection, a very good understanding. [Wenger] was the boss on the bench and I was the boss on the pitch, so it was a good combination.
"Practically every year I went to London to visit and watch Arsenal train. Arsenal is a team that I love a lot. I love how they play, the style and spirit of the team.
"What we've learned from Arsene Wenger here is the team spirit and the family spirit. Don't be surprised to see people working in Nagoya for a long time. We keep that spirit and we keep the family atmosphere [like at Arsenal].
"I'm sure that Monday, July 22 will be a very special day. We are honoured to welcome one of the most prestigious teams in the world.
"The special and very strong link between Nagoya and Arsenal is [down to] Arsene Wenger, who was in charge of Nagoya for almost two years. We have waited for 17 years to see him here again so it's a really special feeling for everyone here."
The other Arsenal man getting a hero's welcome is Ryo Miyaichi who is expected to get a run-out against Grampus Eight. In fact, the locals won't forgive Arsenal if he doesn't.
This is the 20-year-old who was plucked from Japanese high school, signed by Arsenal, loaned to Feyenoord, Bolton and Wigan, and has pace, trickery and huge potential.
"At Nagoya Grampus now, they have a very good calibre of players and I'm looking forward to playing against them on Monday," said Ryo (he is known - affectionately and professionally - by his surname)
"I've thought about it a lot. I've really been looking forward to coming back here since I heard about the tour last year.
"When we arrived, some of the fans were at the airport. I haven't met with family or friends yet but I went to a signing session and it was good to see Japanese people and Japanese fans.
"At Nagoya Grampus now, they have a very good calibre of players and I'm looking forward to playing against them on Monday. I will try to do my best and try to show them my speed, stamina and good play."
Arsenal's tour has been split into two parts. The concrete jungle and heat of Jakarta together with the humidity, traffic and mopeds of Hanoi, were about commercial tie-ups, personal appearances and opportunities for the future. There was training, but not like in Japan.
Arsenal are now doing locked down double sessions at their training base but they also conducted an open training session at the Mizuho Rugby Stadium on Sunday. It obviously has a football pitch as well.
Thankfully, it's close to my hotel in Nagoya's answer to Croydon. It's a long way from the centre, has the university campus and you really struggle to find many English speakers.
It is a wonderful and refreshing challenge to get about and the few that do speak English put us to shame. We become complacent in England that everyone speaks English around the world (and when that fails I can always turn to my wife who speaks four languages).
She's not here and even she doesn't speak Japanese so there's a lot of finger pointing, signs and guesswork while these incredibly friendly, respectful and polite people indulge our ignorance.
Nagoya is in central Japan, it is a sprawling city and Arsenal's hotel is in the centre but their training base is a few miles out.
Football clubs who go on tours, in my view, forgo the right to complain about burn-out, the lack of winter breaks and international call-ups. It is about commercial opportunities, selling shirts and the brand around the world.
But, for a week or more in Japan, at least Wenger has his players working hard. His opposition is recent seasons to globe trotting tours has been offset by this intense week in Japan.
It has thrown up a few positive things. Olivier Giroud has scored five goals in two games (well, half an hour, and then the first half) as Arsenal spanked second rate opposition in Jakarta and Hanoi, putting seven goals past both.
Bacary Sagna looked terrific at centre back in the second game. Of all the emerging Arsenal players, Gedion Zelalem looks the one to watch. Whisper it quietly, but the word is he's every bit as good as - if not better than - Cesc Fabregas at the same age.
Zelalem is only 16, is a terrific prospect, comfortable on the ball, able to dictate and run a game as well as having super vision. He's young but strong for his frame and has shown in a couple of outings that he can take tough challenges.
That has been a fascinating insight into one for the future while another interesting feature has been to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain play central midfield in both games.
This is clearly his preferred position, Wenger sees him there long term and he appears to be grasping the opportunity while Jack Wilshere is eased slowly back after surgery at the end of last season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is enjoying the training, get away and also says the conditions make it tough - but increases their fitness level.
The rising star said: "It's always hard coming back for pre-season, especially when you're in hot countries with really high humidity.
"It's something that you're not used to and it can make you feel a bit sluggish and lethargic because it's harder to get your breath out here. But I think the longer we stay out here, the fitter we'll get.
"I do feel stronger from the first game which was in Jakarta. We've got two more games now in Japan and that will only bode well for when we go back to England where it's not as humid and as hot. It should stand us in good stead for when we get home.
"[Arsene Wenger] says in the meetings that it's interesting to see when we're suffering because of the heat, how we can still keep focused mentally and tactically and keep doing our jobs even when we're really tired.
"That's always something that you come up against during the season when you're playing tough games and you're feeling tired towards the end of the game. You can't let your concentration slip. Pre-season is all about preparation and that's all part and parcel of it so it's really good for us."
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