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Sports
Sports are a big part of the Japanese culture. Even hundreds of years ago, the people practiced a number of sports for recreational and
enjoyment purposes.
The following are the most popular traditional and modern sports in Japan:
Sumo
A full-contact, combative sport that originated several hundred years ago as a ritual to please the Shinto gods, sumo wrestling is the national
sport of Japan.
Sumo wrestling rules are quite simple: two wrestlers fight in a ring (4.55 metres in diameter) and the one left standing inside the ring, without
allowing any part of his body to touch the outside of the ring, wins. These bouts usually last for only one round, just a matter of seconds. The
winner is declared by a referee or judge.
The professional sumo wrestling scene in Japan is governed by the Japan Sumo Association. Every year, there are six 15-day tournaments held:
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Tokyo – January, May, September
Osaka – March
Nagoya – July
Fukuoka – November
There are also regular sumo matches held in different cities, particularly in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo, which is known for its sumo stables,
a place where wrestlers train, sleep, eat, and do other day-to-day activities.
Baseball
Introduced to Japan by American expatriate Horace Wilson in 1872, baseball is Japan’s most beloved sport. It is very commonly played by
elementary school children through to adults, who treat it as an enjoyable hobby and pastime.
In Japan, there are various baseball tournaments held every year in both the amateur and professional levels.
Junior and senior high schools all over the country participate in a series of tournaments to get the chance to represent their respective
prefectures in national tournaments held at the Hanshin Koshien Stadium every March (Spring Koshien) and August (Summer Koshien). These
events are so popular that local television networks air several matches, from the qualifying rounds to the finals.
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