Popular Sports in Japan

Christopher Peterson
1 day ago
3 min read

Welcome back to the blog! Today, we will be learning about the popular sports in Japan. There is a whole list and a half of sports, so here we go!

Baseball:

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in Japan! If you think about it, there are quite a few famous baseball players in the MLB from Japan. These athletes include:

Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Dodgers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Los Angeles Dodgers
Shota Imanaga - Chicago Cubs
Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Los Angeles Dodgers

Did you know that baseball was introduced in Japan way back in 1873?

It was actually introduced by an American Teacher named Horace Wilson, who was teaching in Tokyo. It then became one of the most popular sports in Japan. It did take some time for the Japanese people to adapt to the sport. Baron Hiroshi Hiraoka travelled to the United States to learn the American rules of baseball and translated them into Japanese so they could better understand the game.

Sumo Wrestling:

As you may know, Sumo wrestling is also a popular Japanese sport that goes WAY back before you were born! Sumo wrestling originated in the Nara period of Japan (CE 710-794). According to Japanese legend, Takemikazuchi (also known as the God of Thunder and Swords), was the first person to ever win a Sumo match.

Sumo wrestling matches are held in shrines, which became martial arts for Samurai. Some of those Sumo Wrestlers include: Abi Masatora, Akashi Shiganosuke, Akua Shoma, Daihi Susumu and many more!

Soccer:

Here is a shocking one: Soccer (yes, soccer!), also known as football in some countries, is one of the more common and popular sports in Japan.

A British man, Archibald Douglas, introduced soccer to the Japanese people at the same time as baseball in 1873. It was first introduced to the Japanese Navy cadets, and then found its way into schools, reaching the formation of the JFA (Japan Football Association) in 1921.

The first few international matches occurred in 1917 in the Far Eastern Championship Games. When 1929 rolled around, Japan was brought into FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football).

1968 - Japan Bronze Medal - Mexico City Olympics

In 1968, in the Mexico City Olympics, Japan won a bronze medal in soccer. In 1992, Japan didn't have a professional league of their own and only relied on sponsored corporate teams. When 1993 came around, the J. League was formed, which led to its first World Cup qualification in 1998. Stepping into the modern day, Japan has qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1998 and usually is a winner in the AFC Asian Cup. The Samurai Blue is one of Japan's most recognizable teams.

Tennis:

Tennis is another common sport for Japanese people. It was introduced to foreign settlements in Yokohama and Kobe, starting between 1876/1878. Tennis became a popular national sport by the 1890's, where it was also known as "Soft Tennis" using rubber balls.

The Japan Tennis Association was formed in 1922, which led to some pretty popular international stars, some of whom include:

Naomi Osaka
Kei Nishikori
Kimiko Date

Golf:

Golf is another sport that is popular in Japan. It was founded by a British man named Arthur Groom in 1903 (The Kobe Golf Club). It was commonly an exclusive pastime; however, it became even more popular throughout the 1950's. In 1957, Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono won the Canada Cup (Pictured below).

The Kobe Golf Club began in 1903 on Mount Rokko, and eventually, in 1913, the Tokyo Golf Club for Japanese Nationals was formed. Once the year 1924 came around, the Japan Golf Association, or JGA, was established to govern the sport. Fast forward to today, and the golf scene in Japan has skyrocketed to become one of the most popular sports.

Drifting/Racing:

The art of drifting is very popular in Japan. Japan has many drift courses to offer, from dirt tracks to mountain drifting. Sometimes, even American-made cars get put to the test to run in drifting contests.

Drifting/racing became very popular during the 1990's, where a lot of illegal street racing took place on the public roads. One cheeky fact about the racers is that they would tilt their plates in order for the cameras not to pick up their license plate numbers.

From illegal drifting to illegal racing, to now being a recognized sport. Legends were born, and some went too soon. One of my all-time favourite racers goes by the name of Smokey Nagata. He did the impossible and went to extreme measures to make a name for himself.