In Japan, people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds enjoy watching and participating in a variety of sports. The history of sports in Japan begins in the twelfth century, when military nobility known as samurai introduced popular sports like judo, kyudo, and kendo. Kendo is a form of Japanese stick fencing. In the Edo period (1600–1868), these athletic contests were eventually codified as martial arts, with an emphasis on mastering the mental aspects of each contest in an effort to elevate the participant to a higher, more transcendent level. These sports have been passed down from one generation to the next and are still in high demand today. Japan’s national sport, sumo, which also has a long history as a traditional martial art, was first performed as a ceremonial dance to amuse the Shinto gods about 2,000 years ago. Even today, the event still incorporates ritualistic practices from the Shinto religion, such as the throwing of salt to the ground before each game as a form of symbolic purification. Simple guidelines govern sumo. In a circular ring known as a dohyo, two wrestlers known as rikishi square off. The wrestler who first makes contact with the ground with any part of his body other than his feet or who is pushed outside the ring by his opponent loses. The actual fight typically ends in a matter of seconds, but on rare occasions it may go on for a minute or longer. There are six tournaments throughout the year, each lasting 15 days.
With the arrival of the Meiji Restoration, baseball was eventually introduced to Japan, starting in 1872. Since then, baseball has developed into one of the most widely watched spectator sports in the nation. Each season, thousands of passionate fans attend professional games played in stadiums located in all of the major American cities. The Central and Pacific leagues, which each have six teams, have games that are broadcast live on television several times a week. In recent years, there has also been an increase in the number of Japanese athletes who are currently competing successfully in the American Major Leagues, whose matches are widely reported on in Japanese media. There are many teams from universities and high schools, and millions of people watch the All Japan High School Baseball Championship, which is held every summer and broadcast nationwide. Soccer, which debuted in 1993 with the introduction of the J-League, a professional soccer league with two divisions, J1 and J2, has been challenging baseball as the most popular sport in the country. For many years, amateurs in Japan played soccer, but after Japan’s national soccer team made its debut at the 1998 World Cup in France, the sport’s popularity grew.
Golf is the sport that is second in popularity in Japan only to soccer. Golf quickly rose to prominence as one of the most popular sports in the nation during the 1980s bubble economy boom and ensuing affluence. Enjoyed in the past by only a privileged few, it soon grew in favor among the average “salary man”, who used it as a means of extending his business network by playing a round or two on With potential customers on Sunday. Large corporations wanted to join the ranks of those who were frequently closing more business on the golf course than in the conference room. At the time, memberships in prestigious clubs were so in demand that they could cost anywhere from 100 to 400 million yen. The average person in Japan still finds the prospect of playing golf to be an expensive one due to the rise in players and the limited space available; the cost for 18 holes of golf in Japan typically ranges from 20,000 yen and up, with caddy fees and lunch typically not included. Another consideration when figuring the cost of playing golf in Japan is that of “hole in one insurance”. Those who are fortunate (or unfortunate enough) to sink the elusive “hole in one” celebrate the event by paying for all fellow member’s fees that day, as well as bestowing expensive gifts on those present. In order to cover the residual cost for those who had the necessary skill to make this challenging shot, insurance became available for purchase.
In addition to playing baseball, soccer, and golf, more Japanese people than ever are engaging in a variety of sports-related activities, such as jogging, weight lifting, long distance running, calisthenics, aerobics, jazz dancing, softball, swimming, badminton, volleyball, cycling, tennis, table tennis, billiards, and bowling. This is due to an increase in free time available in recent years. The popularity of high-risk activities like scuba diving, hang gliding, and horseback riding is also rising.