Having only watched a single game in 2020 and 2021 respectively I really was not expecting to do too many more matches in 2022, 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.

Things went much better than planned and by the start of July I had already been to 10 games in 10 different stadiums (grounds!) so the obvious thing was to split the intended end-of-year compilation into two and hope that I managed to see at least another ten matches. I managed to do that but only just!

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2023 Part 1’

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. Tokyo United FC 0-1 Tochigi City FC @ Akabane Sports-no-mori Park, Koto-ku (Tokyo), 9th July – My first time to see fifth tier club Tokyo United was at a nearby ground I wasn’t really aware of until a short time before this match. It seemed destined to be a goalless draw but a late Tochihi goal deprived the home team of what would have been a well-deserved point.

9. Shibuya City FC 3-0 Intel Biloba Tokyo @ Shibuya Ward Sports Center, Shibuya-ku  (Tokyo), 16th July – Played in an absolute blistering morning heat, this is the lowest level of the football pyramid where the ambitious Shibuya FC are beginning their road to the J-League. It was really good to witness how many people have already invested their time into watching this club (hopefully) rise through the ranks.

8. Tokyo United 3-0 RKU Dragons @ Koishikawa Sports Ground, Bunkyo-ku (Tokyo), 10th September – It was a much more favourable outcome for Tokyo United this time at a ground I only found by chance years ago when I was looking for the architectural work of Makoto Sei Watanabe who designed the butterfly-like entrance to Iidabashi station (Toei Ōedo Line) which can be seen behind one of the goals.

7. Aries Tokyo FC 6-2 Aventura Kawaguchi @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), 27th August – Six goals for the home team in the sixth tier on a busy day where I watched two games with a lunch date (with my wife) sandwiched in between.

6. Tokyo 23 FC 1-2 Toin University of Yokohama FC @ Spears Edoriku Stadium, Edogawa-ku (Tokyo), 27th August – Having seen a rugby match at this stadium at the start of 2023 I thought I should see some football too. Besides a missed penalty, the game was nothing too memorable but I made a friend there and that is the kind of thing which helps propel this match a little higher up this list.

5. Kawasaki Frontale 0-0 (8-7 on pens) Kashiwa Reysol @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), 9th December – Having had a three month break from live football it was all set up for this occasion to take up the remaining spot at number one in this list but it sadly wasn’t meant to be. Maybe I’ll look back on this cup final more fondly in later years but this defeat on penalties was tough to take and added insult to injury! More details here.

4. Yokohama FC 1-2 Kashiwa Reysol @ Nippatsu Mituszawa Stadium, Yokohama (Kanagawa), 17th September – A relegation six-pointer and my team took the share of the spoils amidst a great atmosphere in the away end. I also got to meet up with a guy pre-match who I’d been communicating with on social media for a few years.

3. Kawasaki Frontale 0-1 Bayern Munich @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), 29th July – There may have only been one goal but there could, and should have been many more. It was end to end stuff and fairly entertaining with some great build up play from both teams but time and time again the chances were squandered. More details here.

2. Yokohama F. Marinos 6-4 Celtic FC @ Nissan Stadium, Yokohama (Kanagawa), 19th July – It may have been just a friendly but it was very entertaining with so many finely executed goals, and I watched it in the company of a fellow Leicester fan who I met by chance outside the stadium. More details here.

1. Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 Renofa Yamaguchi @ IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shimizu (Shizuoka), 12th August – Who’d have thought a one-nil match would top this list!! It was the fantastic atmosphere of the home crowd in a wonderful stadium amidst beautiful scenery in the company of a couple of great guys which really helped make this so memorable for me. Again, the score should’ve been higher as both sides wasted a few good opportunities. More details here.

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2023 Part 1’

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

Click here to read ‘Nadeshiko Japan At The Women’s World Cup & Watching The Female Game In Japan’

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