In 2024 I went to 32 football matches in Japan which was the most I’ve ever done including my years as a season ticket holder at Leicester City back in the 1990s. Things have been scaled back a bit this year but (all being well!) I should still manage to see 20-something matches in 2025. These are the first 10 of the year featuring 9 different stadiums/grounds (including four I’d never been to before) in six different prefectures.

A few 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 rather Reysol away-day heavy but as ever, 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.

10. Aries Toshima 0-3 Toho Titanium @ Chihaya Sports Field, Toshima-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 18th May (15:00 KO)

A new ground for me albeit one with both netting and a clear plastic screen restricting vision of this fifth tier football match. If it’s good enough to feature on the Futbology ground hopping app then it’s good enough for me to include here. Thankfully it was free and not so far away from the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 0 yen, Attendance: Unknown.

9. Tokyo United 2-1 Vonds Ichihara @ Koishikawa Sports Ground, Bunkyo-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 8th June (17:30 KO)

More people than expected were in attendance here, and the atmosphere was better than my previous visit thanks mainly to a group of young kids getting the chanting and clapping going occasionally. When the home team scored two goals within the first ten minutes I really thought it was going to be a rout but far from it. Some great attempts on goal from both teams just failed to yield the reward they deserved and it was a close finish in the end.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 0 yen, Attendance: Unknown.

8. Yokohama FC 1-1 @ Nippatsu Mituszawa Stadium, Sunday 25th May (14:00 KO)

This was actually quite a good game but sadly the best of the action was at the far end from me with the home team on top in the first half before Reysol picked things up in the second forty-five to take home their share of the spoils which was probably a fair result. I was feeling really tired in this match which is why it ranks lower than it probably deserves.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 2600 yen, Attendance: 8,779

7. Tokyo Verdy 0-1 Shimizu S-Pulse @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 16th February (13:00 KO)

My first football match of the year sadly wasn’t the spectacle many hoped for at the National Stadium. Tokyo Verdy really were quite poor and lacking in any goal threat whatsoever but I really enjoyed watching the match in the company of a friend and his family. Receiving a free baseball-style shirt was pretty cool too.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 2300 yen, Attendance: 52,541

6. FC Tokyo 1-1 Kashiwa Reysol @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Friday 11th April (19:00 KO)

Luckily the conditions were dry before and after the match when I cycled to and from the stadium but in between all of that the weather was pretty atrocious. I didn’t think FC Tokyo looked too good but neither did I see an equaliser coming from Reysol. Thankfully it did come deep in additional time and I left happier.

Weather: Rainy, Price: 3900 yen, Attendance: 43,813

5. Tochigi SC 1-1 Tochigi City FC @ Kanseki Stadium Tochigi, Utsunomiya (Tochigi Prefecture), Sunday 30th March (14:00 KO)

Not only the first ever Tochigi derby but also a match that could be seen as a clash between the use of British and American English in the team names with the soccer club (Tochigi SC) hosting the football club (Tochigi City FC). The $130 million stadium is a pretty modern one having just been open for about five years, and that was the main reason for my visit so it was a huge bonus to be able to mark my first appearance there by seeing Japan’s newest league derby. The two goals were fantastic ones too. More details here.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 2700 yen, Attendance: 12,807

4. Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 1-1 Nojima Stella @ Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima (Hiroshima Prefecture), Sunday 4th May (14:00 KO)

My first time to go inside Japan’s newest top flight stadium may have been for a WE League match but it was by far the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at a women’s match, and the guy with the megaphone did a fine job of leading the fans behind him (a common sight at most Japanese stadia) in a medley of typical football chants and songs throughout the afternoon whilst some big flags were waved. Regina’s equaliser was an absolute stunning goal too. More details here.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 2500 yen, Attendance: 11,879

3. Tokyo Verdy 0-3 Kashiwa Reysol @ Ajinomoto Stadium, Chofu (Tokyo), Sunday 15th June (18:00 KO)

The third of three matches against Verdy in 12 days and a 100% record was achieved with a great performance. It was wonderful to meet up with my friend and his family before the match but this time we were very much on opposite sides. For some reason I decided to wear jeans for this one despite the hot and humid conditions in the late 20s. They got drenched in sweat and then soaked in heavy rain on the way home!

Weather: Sunny, Price: 3900 yen, Attendance: 15,375

2. Urawa Reds 0-2 Kashiwa Reysol @ Saitama Stadium 2002, Midori-ku (Saitama Prefecture), Sunday 2nd March (15:00 KO)

Having been ill for the two days before this match I had to rest my voice I could only stand and mime to the continuous songs and chants. It was my first time to witness the new era of tiki-taka football under new manager Ricardo Rodriguez and what a display it was, and Reysol went top of the league with a convincing win which got off to a great start with an early wonder goal.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 4000 yen, Attendance: 51,009

1. Vegalta Sendai 2-3 Jubilo Iwata @ Miyagi Stadium, Rifu (Miyagi Prefecture), Sunday 23rd March (13:00 KO)

The longest and most expensive away day yet but it was at a stadium that I had long wanted to visit as it was used in the FIFA World Cup in 2002 (as well as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics). It is also a rarely used stadium but J2 side Vegalta Sendai played a host of games there whilst their stadium had new turf laid. By pure chance, fellow Reysol fan Benny was also present and thankfully the match was a good one that softened the blow of my excessive spending! Unforgettable! More details here.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 3200 yen, Attendance: 11,530

Click here to read ‘TF Top 12……Football Match Day Experiences In 2024 (Part 3)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences So Far In 2024 (Part 1)’ 

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences So Far In 2024 (Part 2)’

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