{"id":26928,"date":"2022-10-08T15:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-10-08T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=26928"},"modified":"2023-09-27T03:12:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T03:12:56","slug":"popular-sports-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/popular-sports-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"From sum\u014d to skateboarding: popular sports in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sports<\/strong> are a huge part of life in Japan. It\u2019s so important that there\u2019s even a public holiday each year to promote sports and an active lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From centuries-old traditional sports to modern sports exploding in popularity, you can find it all in Japan. Read on to learn more about some of the most popular sports in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Person<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is Sports Day in Japan?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second Monday of October each year is Health and Sports Day<\/strong>, or <\/span>Taiiku no Hi<\/i> <\/strong>\u4f53\u80b2\u306e\u65e5<\/strong>, in Japan. This day was created to commemorate the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Tokyo, with the aim of promoting an active lifestyle for a healthy body and mind.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this day, many businesses and schools hold Sports Day events (<\/span>und\u014dkai <\/span><\/i>\u904b\u52d5\u4f1a). These usually involve races like obstacle courses, tug-o-war, relays, three-legged races<\/span>, and the like. Und\u014dkai is a big deal, particularly with schools, which usually hold opening ceremonies that involve speeches, mascots, and closing ceremonies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top sports in Japan<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From traditional activities to contemporary favorites, there are a variety of sports that keep Japanese people active and entertained. Here are a few of the most popular sports in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sumo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sum\u014d <\/b>\u76f8\u64b2<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s national sport<\/strong> is deeply steeped in religion and traditions. Sumo<\/a> originated as a performance to entertain <\/span>Shint\u014d <\/span><\/i>\u795e\u9053 gods and still retains many Shint\u014d rituals. These rituals include the referee\u2019s dressing as a Shint\u014d priest and the purification ritual of throwing salt into the ring to get rid of evil spirits.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Japan is the only country where sum\u014d is practiced professionally.\u00a0Learn more about the ancient sport in our article <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martial arts <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of interesting and unique martial arts practiced as sports in Japan. They stem from samurai warrior traditions and were used to teach samurai combat skills. The physical aspect of martial arts is only the start though – they also require mental and spiritual training and discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note the Japanese words for martial arts are <\/span>bud\u014d <\/span><\/i>\u6b66\u9053, or the \u201cway\u201d of martial arts, and <\/span>bujutsu<\/span><\/i> \u6b66\u8853, the \u201cscience\u201d or \u201ctechnique\u201d of martial arts. \u201cBud\u014d\u201d is described as referring to the philosophical and personal growth aspect, while \u201cbujutsu\u201d focuses on how to defeat the opponent. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a handful of different types of martial arts practiced in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Karate<\/i><\/b> \u7a7a\u624b<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most well-known form of martial arts in the West, karate originates from Okinawa <\/span>\u6c96\u7e04 in the southwest of Japan. \u201cKara\u201d means \u201cempty\u201d and \u201cte\u201d means hand, which reflects the weaponless nature of the martial art. Within the practice of karate are different styles, all combining kicks, punches, and strikes, with speed, rhythm, and balance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karate is now an official Olympic sport, that debuted at the <\/span>2020 Tokyo Olympics<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u016bjutsu<\/i><\/b> \u67d4\u8853 and <\/b>j\u016bd\u014d<\/i><\/b> \u67d4\u9053<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u016bjutsu is an ancient martial art and is the basis on which some modern forms of martial arts are built. The name means \u201cgentle technique\u201d and the focus is to use the opponent\u2019s force against themselves. It involves grappling, strikes, throwing, choke holds and takedowns. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u016bd\u014d is j\u016bjutsu\u2019s modern-day descendant. It was created in 1882 by Kan\u014d Jigor\u014d <\/span>\u5609\u7d0d \u6cbb\u4e94\u90ce, who was an educator and athlete. He was a student of<\/span> j\u016bjutsu and incorporated many aspects of it into j\u016bd\u014d. However, j\u016bd\u014d has more of a focus on throwing. It became the first Japanese martial art to become an Olympic sport, debuting in 1964.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ky\u016bd\u014d <\/i><\/b>\u5f13\u9053<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated as \u201cway of the bow\u201d, ky\u016bd\u014d is Japanese archery. It has a long history and was a huge part of samurai culture. These days, the martial art is practiced for spiritual discipline, focus, and to achieve \u201ctruth, goodness, and beauty\u201d (<\/span>shinzenbi<\/span><\/i> \u771f\u5584\u7f8e).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kend\u014d <\/i><\/b>\u5263\u9053<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rooted in swords used by samurai, kend\u014d means \u201cway of the sword\u201d. Instead of using actual swords, modern kend\u014d utilizes bamboo swords and practitioners wear protective gear. Balance is important in kend\u014d – not just mental and spiritual balance, but physical balance too. For example, when striking an opponent, you need to be balanced and not fall over in order for the strike to count.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about another martial art style in our article about a student\u2019s experience practicing <\/span>aikido <\/span>\u5408\u6c17\u9053<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baseball <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yaky\u016b<\/span><\/i> \u91ce\u7403 came to Japan from the United States during the Meiji Period (<\/span>Meiji jidai <\/span><\/i>\u660e\u6cbb\u6642\u4ee3)<\/span> (1868-1912). It\u2019s gained immense popularity, now being the most watched and played sport<\/strong> in the country. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching a professional baseball game in Japan live is a thrilling experience. Fans of each team show up with team colors, and cheer and sing throughout the whole game, which sends an electric energy throughout the stadium. Even if you\u2019re not into the sport, you\u2019ll find yourself drawn into the vibrant and passionate support shown by the audience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Football\/Soccer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Soccer (<\/span>sakk\u0101<\/span><\/i> \u30b5\u30c3\u30ab\u30fc) is among the most popular sports in Japan, second only after baseball. It came to the country in the 1870s, not long after the foundation of the Football Association in London in 1863.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure skating <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Figure skating (<\/span>figyasuk\u0113to<\/span><\/i> \u30d5\u30a3\u30ae\u30e5\u30a2\u30b9\u30b1\u30fc\u30c8) in Japan dates back to the 1920s and the country has a history of prominent and successful skating icons. Well before current superstar Hany\u016b Yuzuru <\/span>\u7fbd\u751f \u7d50\u5f26, there was Sat\u014d Nobuo <\/span>\u4f50\u85e4 \u4fe1\u592b – a 10-time Japanese national champion – and It\u014d Midori \u4f0a\u85e4\u307f\u3069\u308a, who, in 1988, became the first woman to land the demanding triple Axel jump in international competition. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popular up-and-coming sports in Japan<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sports mentioned so far are well-established with long histories and traditions in Japan. But there are also many \u201cmodern\u201d sports that are becoming more and more popular amongst the masses. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skateboarding (<\/b>\u200b\u200bSuk\u0113tob\u014ddo<\/i><\/b> \u30b9\u30b1\u30fc\u30c8\u30dc\u30fc\u30c9)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once considered a counterculture activity in Japan, skateboarding\u2019s popularity is soaring at the moment. This surge in interest and acceptance of this sport was spurred by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where five Japanese athletes won medals – including two golds. The Tokyo 2020 games were the first to include skateboarding as a sport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surfing (<\/b>S\u0101fin<\/i><\/b> \u30b5\u30fc\u30d5\u30a3\u30f3)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being an island nation, it\u2019s little surprise that modern-day surfing has been growing in popularity in Japan. It first came to Japan in the 1960s by American servicemen, who were based at military bases in Japan during the Vietnam War.<\/span> Surfing also made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sport climbing (<\/b>Sup\u014dtsukuraimingu<\/i><\/b> \u30b9\u30dd\u30fc\u30c4\u30af\u30e9\u30a4\u30df\u30f3\u30b0)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Traditional climbing started gaining popularity in Japan in the 1970s and in recent years, Japan has been one of the fastest-growing countries when it comes to sport climbing. Japanese climbers enjoy easy access to several climbing and bouldering gyms, as well as natural rock faces – unsurprising given that over 70% of the country is made up of <\/span>mountains<\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sport climbing also debuted as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo 2020 games. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick up a sport in Japan<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taking up a sport is a great way to do something you love – or learn a new skill – and make friends as a foreigner in Japan. It\u2019s also a great way to learn and practice Japanese!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re curious about how to learn Japanese in Japan, get in touch – our team will be happy to help. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy this article? Read more about Japanese culture, language, society, and life on our <\/b>blog<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sports are a huge part of life in Japan. It\u2019s so important that there\u2019s even a public holiday each year to promote sports and an active lifestyle. From centuries-old traditional sports to modern sports exploding in popularity, you can find it all in Japan. Read on to learn more about some of the most popular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":25863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401],"tags":[663,671,683],"class_list":["post-26928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-japan","tag-experience","tag-society","tag-tradition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26928"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109327,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26928\/revisions\/109327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}