The Beautiful Game in Japan: J-League

Football (or soccer as it's known in some countries) is truly the world's game.  Though baseball reigns supreme among spectator sports in Japan, football is probably a solid third behind sumo.

With my buddies and fellow enthusiasts at Saitama Stadium

Japan League (known as J-League) is the highest level of professional football in the country, with teams situated in many part of the country throughout its top tied and lower tier leagues.  From as high north as Hokkaido down to the Ryukyu team in Okinawa, professional teams have their strongholds with fervent fan support.  In the Kanto Plains, there are more than a handful of teams with support divided somewhat along city lines.

Fernando Torres with his Sagan Tosu teammates just after the match at Urawa Reds

In recent years, with more international players and some very well known international stars making their way to J-League such as Lukas Podolski, Andres Iniesta, and Fernando Torres, not to mention the Japanese National Teams making impact on the World Cup and Olympic stages, the beautiful game is very much alive and well in the Land of the Rising Sun.

So, you'd like to attend a game in person, you say?  Check online at each respective team's website for specific info on tickets.  J-League has its own ticket website (English language) so this helps tremendously for us Gaijin; we simply purchase ticket(s) online and present the email proof of purchase at the stadium on game day/night to receive the tickets.

Once you get there... for the seasoned football/soccer game enthusiast, you'll find the atmosphere, crowd, and stadium experience just as good as that you'll find anywhere else in the world where the sport is a passion among its fans.  Songs, chants, fans dressed in team jerseys/colors, all of it.

If you're a sports enthusiast of any kind, JLeague soccer is worth seeing at least once.  Whether you have an interest in any team or player, or if a specific team's home games are more convenient to attend, perhaps that should dictate the route you take towards the beautiful game in Japan.

Recommendations:

- Purchase tickets in advance

- Understand the seating arrangement: some tickets are reserved seats (specific row and seat number), while others give you unreserved seats in a particular section of the stadium.  For the unreserved ones, you could get really close to the action but need to arrive hours early.

- Find out where the game will be played, and find out what train station is closest to the stadium... which is usually the best for getting to the game.