Spectator sports in Japan Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Sports in Japan are a significant part of Japanese culture. Traditional sports, such as sumo and martial arts, and Western imports like baseball, association football, basketball and tennis, are popular with both participants and spectators.

Sumo is considered Japan's national sport. Baseball was introduced to the country by visiting Americans in the 19th century. Martial arts such as judo, karate and modern kendō are also widely practiced and enjoyed by spectators in the country. Soccer (Association football) has gained wide popularity since the founding of the Japan Professional Football League in 1992. Other popular sports include figure skating, rugby union, golf, table tennis and racing, especially auto racing.

Baseball (野球 yakyū) has been hugely popular since it was introduced to Japan in the 1870s by an American professor. Baseball is played in many high schools and by professionals. See Baseball#Japan for details.

Baseball fans travelling internationally may find Japan to be one of the great examples of baseball popularity outside of the United States. Baseball is not only played in many high schools and by professionals, but also referenced much in Japanese pop culture as well. In addition, many Japanese players have gone on to become top players in Major League Baseball, such as Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani.

The official Japanese baseball league is known as Nippon Professional Baseball, or simply known as Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball, and it is regarded by many to be the strongest professional baseball league outside of the United States. There are also some local independent leagues in Japan.

The Japanese national baseball team is also considered to be one of the strongest in the world, having won the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, in 2009 and in 2023.

Tickets to baseball games are generally easy to get, even on the day of a game, although popular games should of course be reserved in advance. Tickets start around ¥2,000. If you are interested, be sure to leave 4–5 hours free. At some stadiums, you can bring in outside food and drink, which is a good way to save some money instead of paying prices inside the stadium (¥800 for a pint of beer); you'll just need to have your bag inspected and pour your drinks into disposable cups. Especially in Osaka, it's also popular to visit local restaurants or bars where the entire store will be taken over by fans loudly singing, chanting, and cheering non-stop through the entire game.

The rules in Japanese baseball are not much different from baseball in United States, although there are some minor variations.

The biggest rivalry is between Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants (a national favorite and top performer, although equally disliked by many) and Nishinomiya's Hanshin Tigers (a perennial underdog, widely known for having the most boisterous and dedicated fans, along with many cheers, songs, and traditions). Japan has two national high school tournaments each year that draw possibly more attention than the professional game. Both are held at Kōshien Stadium, a stadium in Nishinomiya City near Kobe that seats over 50,000 and also hosts NPB's Hanshin Tigers.

• The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, commonly known as Spring Kōshien (春の甲子園 haru no kōshien, or センバツ senbatsu) – Held in March, featuring 32 teams invited from throughout the country.
• The National High School Baseball Championship, commonly known as Summer Kōshien (夏の甲子園 natsu no kōshien) – A two-week event in August, it is the final phase of a nationwide tournament structure. 49 teams participate in the final phase—one from each of Japan's prefectures, with second teams from Hokkaido and Tokyo.

Soccer (サッカー sakkā) plays second fiddle to baseball. The top men's league is the Japan Professional Football League (日本プロサッカーリーグ nippon puro sakkā rīgu), known as the J.League (Jリーグ J rīgu), of which the top division is the J1 League with 20 teams. The country launched a fully professional women's league in 2021–22, the Japan Women's Professional Football League (日本女子サッカーリーグ, Nihon joshi sakkā rīgu), which is branded as the WE League (WEリーグ, WE rīgu), with "WE" standing for the English words "Women's Empowerment". Some Japanese players have had successful careers in the top European leagues.

Basketball (バスケットボール, basuketto bōru or バスケ basuke). The professional league, "B-league", has 24 teams in B1 division and 14 teams in B2 division as of 2024.

Takehiko Inoue's manga series Slam Dunk (1990–1996) is frequently cited as popularizing the sport in the country and for inspiring a generation of players, however participation has since waned.

Sumo wrestling (相撲 sumō) is a popular Japanese sport. The rules are simple enough: be the first to get your opponent to step outside the ring or touch the ground with anything but the bottom of his feet. Almost anything goes except for a handful of forbidden moves, but most matches are won by pushing or grappling, which explains why girth is usually an advantage in a sport with no weight classes. Sumo has retained many traditions from its Shinto origins, and a single bout usually consists of many minutes of rituals and mental preparation, followed by just 10–30 seconds of wrestling.

Sumo wrestlers, known as rikishi (力士), live a regimented life in training stables (部屋 heya, lit. "rooms", or 相撲部屋 sumō-beya), devoting themselves to nothing more than bulking up and competing. A few foreign wrestlers have been successful in the top ranks, although controversial rules have put a limit on how many foreign wrestlers each stable may train.

Sumo is organized by the Japan Sumo Association (日本相撲協会 Nihon Sumō Kyōkai). The biggest events are the six honbasho (本場所, "main tournaments") throughout the year, which are the only events that affect wrestlers' rankings. Each tournament is 15 days long; they're in Tokyo in January, May, and September, Osaka in March, Nagoya in July, and Fukuoka in November. With some planning, you could also arrange to visit a stable during training (稽古 keiko), although you'll need to speak Japanese or bring a Japanese guide, and strictly observe Japanese etiquette and rules from the stable. (For example, you'll be expected to sit silently for the entire duration of practice, which is usually several hours.) Training starts in the early morning, anytime from 05:00 to 08:00.

Professional wrestling (プロレス puroresu) is also very popular. While it is similar to professional wrestling elsewhere in the world in that the outcomes are predetermined, its psychology and presentation are uniquely Japanese. Puroresu matches are treated as legitimate fights, with stories strongly emphasizing the wrestlers' fighting spirit and perseverance. Also, because many Japanese wrestlers have legitimate martial arts backgrounds, full-contact striking and realistic submission holds are commonplace. Foreign wrestlers also participate. New Japan Pro-Wrestling is clearly the largest promotion nowadays, with other significant promotions including All Japan Pro Wrestling, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Japanese women's puroresu, known locally as joshi puroresu (女子プロレス), is run by separate promotions from men's puroresu. Joshi promotions cooperate with men's promotions, and frequently share cards. The biggest single event in puroresu is New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom show on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome.

Horse racing (競馬 keiba) is a big business in Japan, and one of the few forms of legal gambling. The Japan Cup, held annually at Fuchu's Tokyo Racecourse, is one of the premier events on the international horse racing calendar, and regularly attracts the world's top jockeys and horses. The Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, the Kyoto Racecourse in Fushimi, and the Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi round off Japan's "big four" racecourses, and also host numerous internationally important races. Among these races, Arima Kinen, held at Nakayama near the end of December, is notable as drawing more betting interest than any other race in the world by a very wide margin.

The Nakayama Grand Jump is Japan's most prestigious steeplechase race.

The Japan Racing Association (JRA) operates races at the 10 major racecourses in Japan, while local operators have gathered under the umbrella organization National Association of Racing (NAR) to run the minor racecourses. Bets for all JRA races can be placed at any of the JRA-run racecourses, off-track betting facilities known as WINS and some NAR racecourses. Online betting is also possible.

The Japan Golf Tour is the third most important professional men's golf circuit in the world after the U.S. PGA Tour and the European Tour. Tournaments are played on numerous courses throughout Japan.