A last-minute loss to Kawasaki Frontale may have checked FC Tokyo's charge up the J. League table last weekend, but it will take more than one defeat to wipe out the steady progress the capital city club has made over the past six months.
Tokyo sits in sixth place as a result of Hiroyuki Taniguchi's late intervention at Todoroki Stadium, and while that position might not differ greatly from the same stage last season, the improvement on the field has been more tangible.
Naohiro Ishikawa has grabbed all the headlines with a string of spectacular goals, but being part of a team more comfortable in its own skin has helped the attacking midfielder as much as his own excellent form.