Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- Japan women 's national football team will square off against favorites the United States Sunday in their first appearance in a World Cup final . Regardless of the result , Japan 's surprise progress in Germany is a much-needed boost for a country recently devastated by massive tremors and a subsequent tsunami . It is also putting women 's sport in the shop window like never before . `` This is a breath of fresh air , because everything out of Japan has been negative over the last few months , '' said Tom Byer , a youth soccer instructor in Japan for over 25 years and former soccer instructor of starter Aya Miyama . `` Now , you turn on every channel and there are big segments about women 's soccer ... it 's huge for women 's sports here . '' Can World Cup spark women 's soccer surge ? Known as Nadeshiko -- or beautiful flower in Japanese -- the women 's national team has been the underdog throughout this year 's tournament . They are unlikely to relinquish this role in Sunday 's final in Frankfurt , with a star-studded and battle tested U.S. squad -- which took home the cup in 1991 and 1999 -- standing in their way . But what many people may not know , Byer said , is that the Japanese squad has enjoyed a high level of success on the international scene over the last 20 years . In addition to their fourth-place showing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , Nadeshiko has appeared in each of the six women 's World Cups since 1991 , and are coming off a recent win at the 2010 Asia Games held in Guangzhou , China . Yet their success has not had a significant impact on the women 's game generally in Japan . `` Women 's soccer is grossly underfunded , '' said Byer , who once played in Japan 's professional soccer league . `` It was n't until five or six years ago that the Japanese Football Association ( JFA ) got together and decided to put more resources behind women 's soccer . '' He added that recent success from Japan 's national team has not increased the number of young girls interested in playing organized soccer . There are just 25,000 girls registered to play youth soccer in Japan , a country of more than 125 million people , Byer said . This compares to around 200,000 girls registered with the American Youth Soccer Organization in the U.S. State of California alone . So why are Japanese women enjoying such a successful period ? `` It 's not like New York , where you play soccer from the summertime until Thanksgiving , '' Byer said . `` In Japan , you play 365 days a year and you play only one sport . And you train and train until you fall down . '' But the culture of sport in Japan is far different that in the U.S. , Byer said . Women 's youth soccer in the U.S. , especially for girls under 12 , is `` purely recreational , '' he said . In Japan `` they are already trying to find who can be on the national team at the age of 12 . '' Watching the final game ? Send us video of your viewing parties . Unlike the U.S. Women 's Professional Soccer League , Japan 's L. League is non-professional . In fact , many of the league 's players work normal day jobs to pay their bills . `` Aya [ Miyama ] and some of the other players from the team are from Mimasaka , a hot spring town . A lot of those women work in the hot spring resort hotels during the day , after the job they go and train , '' said Byer . Andrew McKirdy , a sports writer for the Japan Times , an English language newspaper in Japan , said the success of the women 's national soccer team has reinvigorated a nation plagued by recent tragedy . `` The women take a lot of pride in the fact that everything is staked against them , '' he said . `` Looking at Germany and Sweden -- the last two teams they beat -- those teams are among the best in the world ... that is a source of inspiration for the country . '' The time difference with Germany has made watching this year 's World Cup difficult for many Japanese fans , and the final match -- broadcast at 3:15 a.m. in Japan -- is no different . Nonetheless , diehard Nadeshiko fans are expected to crowd Tokyo 's sports bars , cheering on their ladies as they reach for history . `` I 'm so happy . I was moved very much that Nadeshiko Japan played such a great game , '' one Japanese male fan told CNN , following the team 's semifinals win against Sweden . `` I want Nadeshiko to let us dream again at the final game . '' For Byer , a Bronx-native , the outcome of Sunday 's U.S.-Japan final is less important than the buzz Nadeshiko has already generated in Japan about women 's sport . `` It 's going to lift the whole nation if they win the World Cup , '' Byer said . `` Even if they do n't , the fact that they got to the final has had a residual effect in Japan ... winning it would just be the icing on the cake . '' CNN 's Junko Ogura and Kotoe Oshima contributed to this report .
The Japan women 's national soccer team is also known as Nadeshiko -- or beautiful flower in Japanese . Japan is seeking its first women 's World Cup title . There are just 25,000 girls registered to play youth soccer in Japan , a country of more than 125 million people .