What Sports are Popular in Japan?

Japan is home to a huge variety of sports.

In the field of professional sports, baseball, soccer, golf and sumo are very popular.

Professional baseball and soccer have league systems. Both have produced international level athlete heroes. Every year, outstanding players are transferred to major leagues abroad.

Professional baseball is made up of two league systems. There are six teams in each. In a year, the six teams compete for a championship. The number one team in the two leagues with the most wins battles it out for the last time. This is the final game to determine the king of Japan. A lot of Japanese people pay attention to it.

Soccer is also very popular in Japan. In the J-League, the best players are the ones who play for the European and south American clubs. They have received offers from teams to play abroad. Japan's national football team is always thinking about the World Cup. The people of Japan also have high expectations for them.

　

Baseball and soccer are also popular amateur sports. A large number of Japanese people aspire to become professionals. Even those who don't, play them as a hobby themselves.

These two sports are very competitive. However, bowling has the largest population of people actually playing in Japan. It is played by a whopping 19 million Japanese. In the past, bowling championships were always televised on TV. However these days, jogging tends to take the top spot in the sporting population in Japan due to the growing health consciousness.

By the way, what is the most popular sport in the world?

Soccer?　No, it's not. It's basketball. It has 450 million players around the world. That's because basketball has about the same number of student players, male and female. By the way, second place is 250 million football. In third place are 150 million in cricket and 110 million in tennis. Are these surprising for you?

In Japan, high school baseball is as popular as professional baseball. This is a special phenomenon.

It’s not seen in other countries. It really is as popular as professional sports. It is not college. Only high school baseball is exceptionally popular.

Twice a year, in spring and summer, high school baseball teams from all over Japan gather to compete for the top spot in Japan in a tournament system. Cheering squads from their respective hometowns will gather at the baseball field in large numbers. And they cheer with unusual enthusiasm. This is televised and always attracts the same amount of attention as professional baseball.

　

There are many other sports that are popular in Japan.

Sumo wrestling was called a national sport and was often championed as more than a sport, it was a national event. However recently, foreign wrestlers have been dominating the championships.

And a unique and popular sport in Japan is the relay marathon. It is especially noticeable in the New Year's competition. People flock to the streets and cheer on the runners. It is televised and is the news of the next day.

Because of Japan's small size and high information density, once an athlete  has gained the attention of the public, he or she becomes very popular. At one time, martial arts were very popular in Japan.

Recently, the Rugby World Cup held in Japan has attracted a lot of attention.

Each has its own ups and downs in popularity. It is easy for the Japanese to seek out new heroes.

Popular sports, both professional and amateur, include golf, martial arts and professional wrestling.

Other sports such as tennis, basketball, table tennis and volleyball are also in the spotlight whenever a standout talent emerges.

Other forms of public gambling, such as horse racing, bicycle and boat racing, also maintain a certain level of popularity.

　

Originally, Tokyo was scheduled to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. It has been postponed to next year, but the Japanese athletes are not giving up. They remain highly motivated and are still training hard.

At the Olympic, medals are expected to be awarded in the following sports.

Wrestling, badminton, tennis, baseball, table tennis, judo, swimming and gymnastics

These disciplines have won a lot of medals in the past Olympics. There are a lot of talented athletes in these disciplines, and I am confident that they will do well. 

“sport climbing” has been added to the Olympics as a new sport. I am paying special attention. This is a new sport event. There are three events: speed, bouldering and lead. Japan is home to some of the world's best climbers in both men's and women's sports. It is a simple sport, but I am confident that they will win medals.

Japan also holds the top ranking in the world in skateboarding. They have won the world championships. Therefore, they are expected to have a good chance to win a gold medal.

Karate has also been entered as a new sport for the Olympics. Karate is a martial art that originated in Japan, so I hope that they will achieve great results.

As you can see, Japan is a country that is very interested in a wide variety of sports.

I hope we can get along with people all over the world through sports.