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. It was planned to scale things back a bit this year, and indeed I did in the first half of the year, but a busy July and August has meant that I got close to last year’s tally.

This is the third and final batch of matches featuring 8 different stadiums/grounds with all of them taking place in the Greater Tokyo area encompassing surrounding prefectures Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba. 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! As ever, I enjoyed all of them in different ways.

1o. Toshima Aries 3-0 Joyful Honda Tsukuba @ Chihaya Sports Field, Toshima-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 7th September (15:00 KO)

Rather than standing behind the goal watching through glass and netting I decided to apply for a ticket (still free!) this time and only have nets obstructing my view rather than that plus a glass screen as was the case a few months earlier! The conditions were fairly ridiculous with temperatures in the mid-30s!

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

9. Tokyo United FC 2-1 Toin University of Yokohama FC @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 31st July (18:30 KO)

There were very few chances in this closely fought contest other than a brilliant free kick hitting the bar before some late goals won it for the home team.

Weather: Warm, Price: 0 Yen, Attendance: Unknown.

8. Chifure AS Elfen Saitama 0-3 Urawa Reds Ladies @ Kawagoe Athletic Stadium, Kawagoe-shi (Saitama Prefecture), Sunday 2nd November (12:00 KO)

It’s been a long, long wait to get to see a match at this stadium. Local team Kawagoe only seem to play one game a year there, and usually when I’m not available. When I saw that this Saitama Derby in the women’s game would be played there though I just had to go. It was a good atmosphere and a fairly impressive attendance for such a game too.

Weather: Bright, Price: 2000 Yen, Attendance: Unknown.

7. Tokyo Verdy Beleza 3-1 Nagano Parceiro @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 30th November (13:00 KO)

A cracking third goal sealed the comeback for Beleza having trailed at the break in this Kracie Cup match . Their two goals before that were well-worked passing moves too. It might have been the final day of November but it was still ok to watch without a sweater or jacket on!

Weather: Sunny, Price: 2500 Yen, Attendance: 1,131.

6. Kashiwa Reysol 1-3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Saturday 1st November (13:05 KO)

After two cup final defeats at the National Stadium I was hoping it’d be third time lucky! It wasn’t to be though as Sanfrecce had the game pretty much sewn up by half time when they led 3-0. It turned out to be a hugely disappointing day which really was not enjoyable in any way other than perhaps the pre-match choreography! More details here.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 4000 Yen, Attendance: 62,466.

5. Tokyo 23 FC 5-1 Nihon University N. @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 31st August (15:30 KO)

The ultras group for the home side may be small in number but they really do liven things up with their non-stop rhythmic chanting, drumming and trumpet playing. I actually walked round the two stands which were open and hand-counted the attendance but not because I was bored. Far from it as there were some fantastic goals but I was just curious!

Weather: Boiling, Price: 0 yen, Attendance: 223.

4. JEF United 5-0  FC Imabari @ Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chuo-ku (Chiba Prefecture), Saturday 29th November (14:00 KO)

JEF may be the Chiba prefecture rivals of my team but I don’t really have any hatred towards them. Having said that, I will never go in their section at any game so was with the Imabari contingent for this match. The final score probably flattered the home side a bit who did all they could to try and clinch automatic promotion on a tense final day in J2. At one time they were going up but a goal elsewhere in the 68th minute meant they had to settle for the Play-Offs.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 2900 Yen, Attendance: 19,103.

3. Machida Zelvia 1-2 Melbourne City @ Machida Gion Stadium, Machida (Tokyo), Tuesday 4th November (19:00 KO)

Even though I’ve been lucky enough to attend two Asian Champions League finals I’ve never actually been to a group game or knock-out round. An opportunity luckily presented itself to me to attend a match between Japanese and Australian teams which is something I’ve actually long wanted to do. Not exactly bucket list stuff for many fans! My A-League team is Melbourne Victory so it was rather apt that I got to cheer against their rivals Melbourne City in what was a really fantastic atmosphere. Getting to and from the stadium was not so great though!

Weather: Mild, Price: 2200 yen, Attendance: Unknown.

2. Sfida Setagaya 1-2 Okayama Yunogo Belle @ AGF Field, Chofu (Tokyo), Sunday 12th October (13:00 KO)

The match itself wasn’t too much to write home about but the occasion was! It was the final match of the Nadeshiko League season and the retirement ceremony of Sfida’s defender Ayumi Yue (nee Toda) who I met again after the match. She surprisingly remembered me from two years ago and again was so friendly and revealed more than she probably wanted to me about her post-football career!

Weather: Mild, Price: 1800 Yen, Attendance: Unknown.

1. Kawasaki Frontale 4-4 Kashiwa Reysol @ Todoroki Athletics Stadium, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki (Kanagawa Prefecture), Sunday 28th September (19:00 KO)

A topsy-turvy eight goal thriller with some fantastic goals from both sides. At 2-1 up Reysol were dominant and looking to add a third. Suddenly a corner for Reysol became a breakaway goal and it was level just before half time. The home side led twice in the second half but Reysol pulled it back both times. A classic match that justifiably holds top spot in this ranking.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 3900 yen, Attendance: 21,652.

Click here to read ‘TF Top 12……Football Match Day Experiences In 2025 So Far (Part 1)’

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 2)’

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