Having only watched a single game in 2020 and 2021 respectively I really was not expecting to do too many more matches last year, especially with the strict Covid_19 measures still in place for much of the season. However, I ended up going to 12 live games at 11 different stadiums and so wanted to equal or better that in 2023.

As it stands, I have already done that so it’s time for a compilation post of what I’ve seen so far; 10 matches in 10 different stadiums (grounds!). The season began in late February and we’re just past the half way point in the season apart from in the top tier of the women’s league which follows the European-style and has thus finished already.

A couple of these have had their own blog posts but the majority of them weren’t really considered to be worthy of a solitary post so I have collated them into this rankings list. It’s certainly not one to be taken too seriously as it’s based on a mixture of occasion, weather, people I met, the stadium and maybe even the football itself! For the record, I have enjoyed all of them in different ways but something has to come last…

10. Shizuoka SSU Bonita 0-1 Nagoya Loveledge @ Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi (Shizuoka), 25th June – As much as I enjoyed returning to this stadium in the sticks of Shizuoka Prefecture, a small crowd in a huge stadium on a warm afternoon in late June was not such a good mix.

9. FC Tokyo 1-0 Kashiwa Reysol @ Ajinomoto Stadium, Chofu (Tokyo), 1st July – Drizzly weather, great humidity and extreme tiredness on my part meant this was not such a comfortable match-day experience. I don’t think Reysol had a single shot on target but they did come close a couple of times in injury time, and if they had equalised then I would have of course left in a completely different mood. Football really is a game of fine margins.

8. Nankatsu SC 0-1 Vonds Ichihara @ Katsushika-ku Okudo General Sports Center Athletics Stadium, Katsushika (Tokyo), 2nd April – Just being able to finally watch the real-life football team inspired by a cartoon hero helped propel this match slightly up the order as the action on the field was certainly nothing too exciting. More details here

7. NTV Beleza 1-1 INAC Kobe Leonessa @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Koto-ku  (Tokyo), 19th March – Being able to see two of Japan’s best women’s teams in action so close to my house was an opportunity I couldn’t miss, and the atmosphere, occasion and the football itself was better than what I’d witnesssed on previous visits.

6. Sfida Setagaya 2-1 Speranza Osaka-Takastsuki @ AGF Field, Chofu (Tokyo), 18th June – Sitting on the grassy banks at this tiny ground is always a joy, and it was great to meet up with my friend Marcus again. The same fixture 12 months earlier was a 6-0 thrashing but there was no repeat of that demolition, and indeed Sfida were hanging on at the end as the Osaka based team came close to equalising a few times. It was a tense and exciting finish.

5. Kashiwa Reysol 1-1 FC Tokyo @ Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, Kashiwa (Chiba), 26th February – My spiritual home, and the stadium I enjoy visiting more than any other. This time was a bit different though as it was all about the next generation of Reysol fans. My friend brought his son for the first time, and though he slept through most of the game he said he enjoyed it and wanted to go again. My eyes were open for the whole game and perhaps I enjoyed it less as FC Tokyo were the better team!

4. Yokohama F. Marinos 5-0 Yokohama FC @ Nissan Stadium, Yokohama (Kanagawa), 8th April – Who’d have thought after watching a fairly drab first half in the pouring rain that things would be so different after the break in this Yokohama Derby! The 2022 champions showed their superiority once the deadlock had been broken.

3. Sfida Setagaya 0-1 Nippatsu Yokohama FC Seagulls @ Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, Komazawa (Tokyo), 2nd July – This one has absolutely nothing to do with the football on the field but was all about what happened off it, particularly pre-match where the highlight was meeting my favourite Setagaya player. More details here

2. Shonan Bellmare 1-2 Kashiwa Reysol @ Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka, Hiratsuka  (Kanagawa), 3rd May – Seeing your team win away from home is always a nice feeling, and it has been one of few highlights in what has been a rather poor season. Getting away from my family for a day out by myself in the Golden Week sunshine in early May was also a good feeling! More details here

1. Urawa Reds 1-0 Al Hilal (2-1 on aggregate) @ Saitama Stadium 2002, Midori (Saitama), 6th May – Not just the number one in this list but quite possibly the best atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed in Japan. The match wasn’t the greatest but the occasion more than made up for it.

Bonus: Urawa Red Ladies 2-0 MyNavi Sendai @ Urawa Komaba Stadium, Urawa  (Saitama), 25th December 2022 – Technically this was last year but it was after I had compiled my top ten list for 2022. In much of the western world, the idea of seeing a game on Christmas Day is pretty absurd! More details here

Click here to read ‘A Completely FREE Matchday Experience At The Stadium Which Hosted Football In The Tokyo Olympics’

Click here to read ‘I went To The Champions League Final! No, Not The UEFA One But The Asian One!’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2022’

Click here to read ‘A Themed Tour Of Tokyo’s Football Manga Mecca’