Sports In Japan

Today, I want to share information about “sports in Japan.” 

Sometimes, we call autumn “the season of sports.” 

That’s why I want to tell you about sports now in October.

I also like doing sports, especially tennis!

I think many readers love sports too!

And when you were young, did you belong to a club as an extracurricular activity?

So from a young age, we do sports.

Those field days were really fun!

Maybe everybody is doing a sport on weekdays or weekends.

The summer has ended, and there have been comfortable days recently.

It’s a good season to play or do sports!

Let’s check the situation of sports in Japan!

What do Japanese People Love? Sports!

As I told you in a previous article about Japanese sense of beauty, most Japanese people are conscious of their health.

So, it’s linked to people who love sports.

Many Japanese people are conscious of their fitness, so they try to do a sport. In this situation, many Japanese people find joy in playing a sport. 

I think I’m the kind of person, so I’m trying to stay fit, and at the same time, I enjoy playing tennis.

It occurred to me.

I wondered what kinds of sports are popular in Japan.

So I did some research.

I have researched what kinds of sports are popular in Japan.

What do you think are the popular sports in Japan?

Thinking about it, I realized there are many sports in Japan and in the world. 

So, it’s hard for me to find the correct answer.

What Are Popular Sports In Japan?

The result is based on research from the Japan Sports Agency and an internet site that summarizes them.

No.1 Baseball
No.2 Soccer
No.3 Marathon, EKIDEN　(it is a relay race where runners wear a team sash and hand it to the next runner.)
No.4 Golf
No.5 Sumo
No.6 Tennis
No.7 Figure skating
No.8 Rugby
No.9 Basketball
No.10 volleyball

Are these results what you expected? 

Maybe this list includes sports that we love to watch as well as play.

It’s rare for a person to play figure skating or sumo daily.

If we could do them, it would be fun but doing them in everyday life…

I would like to delve into a few sports from here.

I cannot review every sport, so I pick up some sports.

Actually, I had forgotten some sports until writing this article.

So I felt a little nostalgic.

Baseball – A universally popular sport in Japan

Baseball is generally prevalent in Japan.

There are many children’s baseball teams in all areas of Japan, and many parents let their children play baseball on those teams. 

Professional baseball is also famous from the old days, so after work, most male workers enjoy watching professional baseball games every night while drinking beer.

Thanks to Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s popularity is heating up again.

Soccer – A little newer than baseball, but with a long history

Soccer is also a popular sport in Japan. Of course, it is also famous all over the world.

But, compared to before the pandemic of covid-19, soccer watcher is decreasing.

Around 2000, there were some famous Japanese players such as Hidetoshi Nakata.

At the time, Japanese soccer players had the momentum to run up the rankings in the world, so many people believed that the Japanese team got a high ranking.

Of course, there are good players like Takefusa Kubo and Takumi Minamino, but attendance figures are decreasing in J-league and the world cup.

On the other hand, soccer is popular in junior high school’s extracurricular programs.

Marathon – Watching It Is Fun, Doing It Is Sometimes Fun 

Many people run to stay healthy, and watching a sport you are doing or playing regularly is fun.

I think that’s why people enjoy watching marathons and Ekidens.

Personally, I have been running once a week to keep my muscles, but it is not an enjoyable thing(lol.) 

After finishing running, it feels good, though.

Golf – Many Adult Men Like It In Japan

From the bubble economy, many men started to play golf.

It has been a tool for making an excellent tie to other companies for business people.

Not only a tool for business, but as their hobby, they have been into playing golf.

Why is golf so attractive?

I assume it has some reasons.

When they play golf, they can be in a good view because the ground is almost green.

The second reason is they don’t need to move hard.

The third one, it’s a simple game. 

In a nutshell, we just try to put a ball in the hall.

I think many sports have simple rules, so this reason would apply to many sports.

There are many simple rules for ball games.

Hit it in the frame, put it in the net, throw it in a certain area, hit it within that area, send it far away, etc.

But the simple way is fun for us.

And we like games that use a ball.

Why do balls attract us?

It’s a big question for me!

In The End…

How was this article?

I wanted to write about other sports, but I will write it next time.

Sports have great things because they can relieve our stress and let us stay healthy; moreover, sports are fun!

This autumn, let’s enjoy sports!