Japan's victory over Samoa on Saturday sparked ground-shaking shouts of joy from the many fans who witnessed the game at fan zones set up around Tokyo.

At one such zone near Yurakucho Station in central Tokyo, explosive rounds of applause and calls of "Nippon!" (Japan!) could be heard at the moment of victory. Whistles rang through the air, with fans giving each other joyous high-fives.

"I was nervous in the first half, but I'm glad a last try was scored," said 55-year-old Tetsuya Tajima, a company employee from Tokyo's Nerima Ward.

"I want them (Japan) to win against Scotland (in the next game) and advance into the top eight," said Tajima, who bought tickets for the quarterfinals in case Japan made it to first place in the preliminaries.

A large number of fans also congregated in a plaza in front of Chofu Station in western Tokyo.

"Good job" and "Thank you" were words heard from fans in the heated climax when a final try was scored just before the end of the match.

"I realized that Japan's strength is not a miracle. I also feel their vigor from playing in their home country. I hope they win the next game, too," said 32-year-old Masayuki Mochida from Higashimurayama city in west Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took to Instagram to post a congratulatory message. "Big congratulations to everyone on the Japan team!" he said.

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