What Sports Are In Japan?
Sumo wrestling
Sumo is the Japanese style of wrestling and is Japan’s national sport. In ancient times, this performance was to entertain the Shinto gods. Even throughout Japan today, many rituals with religious backgrounds are practiced. The wrestler who touches the ground first with anything besides the soles of his feet, or who leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. Fights take place on a ring called ‘dohyo’, which is made of clay and sand. The fight will only last for a few seconds or a minute. Elite wrestlers are trained athletes between 20 and 35 years old. They usually live in residential complexes called ‘stables’, where they sleep, eat and train by the coach, called the ‘stable master’. Six tournaments are held every year.
Martial Arts
Traditional martial arts in Japan include judo, kendo, karate-do and aikido. Judo establishes itself in that ”the key to overcoming an opponent lies in taking advantage of their strength.” Kendo is Japanese fencing. Kendo competitors wear armor-like gear and use bamboo swords to attack and defend themselves. Karate-do competitors don’t wear any sort of protection when they fight, they only use bare feet and hands.
Kyudo
Kyudo is Japanese archery, which has been around since Ancient times. Archers wear a traditional costume that includes special gloves and socks. Kyudo looks simple to do to the outside observer, but it is harder than it seems. Simple movements must be practiced over and over to make them look effortless.
Tokyo Marathon
This marathon starts at the Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku and ends at the Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba. The designed route passes several Tokyo main tourist destinations like the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, Asakusa and Ginza. There are 32,000 participants of both genders and other physically disabled athletes over a 10 kilometers length.
Fuji Speedway
Fuji Speedway is a race circuit at the Shizuoka Prefecture at the bottom of Mount Fuji. This location staged the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in the past recent years. There is another circuit just south of Nagoya, called Suzuka Circuit. In Japan, the first formula race was at the Fuji Speedway in 1976.
Baseball
Baseball is currently the most popular sport in Japan. It is called Yakyu in Japanese, and was introduced to Japan in the early Meiji Period. There are two leagues in Japan, the Central and Pacific League. Each consisting of six teams.
Golf
Golf is another very popular sport in Japan. There are a large number of golf courses with driving ranges throughout the country. Some driving ranges are big constructions, some are in the middle of cities.
Shogi
Shogi is ‘Japanese chess’, it was introduced to Japan from China. The rules of Shogi are very similar to the rules of chess, each piece represents a certain power in the game. The Shogi board is divided up in more fields and has more pieces than a regular chess game. Pieces that are conquered during the game can be reused by the opponent, a player wins the game if they force their opponent into where recovery is impossible.
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