The ever-changing poses of Tokyo Fox!

In 2025 I went to 33 football matches in Japan and the UK which was the most I’ve ever done including my years as a season ticket holder at Leicester City back in the 1990s. Yet again the idea was to scale things back a bit this year but here we are just ahead of the midway point of the year having already been to ten matches in Japan as well as two in the UK. For the record, I have decided not to include the UK ones in this ranking list.

This first batch of matches features six different stadiums and grounds in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Fukuoka. The majority of them weren’t considered worthy of solitary posts 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.

10. Aries Toshima FC 0-2 Shibuya City FC @ Chihaya Sports Field, Toshima-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 12th April (15:00 KO)

Unable to get one of the official free tickets, I had to settle for the free area behind the goal with both glass and netting between me and the pitch! In some ways, it is one of the worst views you can get but when the ball is in that particular penalty area the up-close view is pretty good. Sadly, both goals were scored at the other end of the field though!

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

9. Tokyo United FC 1-0 Aries Toshima FC @ @ Akabane Sports-no-mori Park, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Saturday 18th April (18:00 KO)

The non-league Tokyo Derby failed to live up to the one I saw a couple of years ago but the atmosphere here was far better than on that occasion with United having way more fans present than I’d have expected. On the field, it was a tight affair but the blue side of Tokyo edged it.

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

8. Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 Mynavi Sendai @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 1st March (14:00 KO)

A beautiful sunny afternoon and a match I was never really expecting to attend. It was a late decision to go so just being back at my local stadium was a bonus. This Kracie Cup match was a tight affair with a lack of goalmouth action. It was decided by a late penalty and the home fans, who created a great atmosphere, went home happy.

Weather: Sunny, Price: 2500 Yen, Attendance: 1,353.

7. Tokyo Verdy Beleza 0-1 Chifure AS Elfen Saitama @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 5th April (14:00 KO)

The atmosphere is always the best thing about watching the home team, especially during the second half when they’re (usually) playing towards their own fans. However, on this occasion they were surprisingly beaten despite their heavy favourites tag.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 3,000 Yen, Attendance: 1,562.

6. Machida Zelvia 1-0 Urawa Reds @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Friday 22nd May (19:30 KO)

My first top-flight match of the year and it was a good atmosphere at the National Stadium as the temporary J1 100 Year Vision League was drawing to a close. On the back of many hot days, this was a cold night and the action on the field was not so hot either as Machida claimed the three points. On the plus side, I got to meet up with a friend in the second half who was over from Kansai for the match.

Weather: Breezy, Price: 3,300 Yen, Attendance: 44,871.

5. Tokyo United FC 2-0 Shibuya City FC @ Akabane Sports-no-mori Park, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Saturday 4th April (18:00 KO)

The game itself was nothing special but the conditions made it memorable as heavy rain and swirling winds affected the on-the-field action. The first goal was actually scored directly from a corner early in the second half and miraculously I just happened to be filming a short video then to show the awful weather. A late penalty finished the game, but I was already on my bike riding home then as the rain had eased off a little and I wanted to take advantage of that!

Weather: Heavy rain & wind, Price: 0 Yen, Attendance: Unknown.

4. Shimizu S-Pulse 1-2 Gamba Osaka @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 24th May (17:00 KO)

This tie was a West match being played in the east and the first half was a rather drab end-of-season affair. Still, it was a really good atmosphere with both sets of fans behind the goals in fine voice. Thankfully, the second half was a big improvement with not only a few goals but some other good chances too which kept the record-breaking crowd entertained. More details here.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 3,000 Yen, Attendance: 53,439.

3. Tokyo Verdy Beleza 2-2 (3-1 on pens) RB Omiya Ardija Women @ Todoroki Athletics Stadium, Nakahara-ku, (Kanagawa-ken), Wednesday 29th April (13:04 KO)

An early goal for the underdogs set this women’s league cup final nicely. Favourites Beleza levelled things up not too long after the break with a rocket of a shot that satisfyingly bounced down off the underside of the bar and over the line. When Beleza took the lead in extra time you’d be forgiven for thinking it was game over but Omiya got a very late equaliser to take it to spot kicks where the Beleza goalie thrived during her time in the spotlight and pulled off a couple of saves.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 0 Yen, Attendance: 12,006.

2. Criacao Shinjuku 2-2 (9-10 on pens) Grulla Morioka @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Tuesday 21st April (18:00 KO)

A bonus midweek game for me having finished work early. The away team went 2-0 up in the second half which ignited Shinjuku who got one back immediately followed by a late equaliser. Their goalkeeper even went up for a few late corners which seemed like madness to me. At full time it went straight to penalties and it went on and on! Every player took one and finally after 24 kicks it was over as Morioka progressed to the next round.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 2,200 Yen, Attendance: 1,205.

1. Giravanz Kitakyushu 2-1 Oita Trinita @ Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu (Fukuoka-ken), Sunday 3rd May (14:00 KO)

The stadium next to the sea was one I’ve wanted to visit for a few years now so I managed to sneak in a visit whilst based in Hiroshima in early May. Conditions were awful but that often makes matches more memorable for me! I wanted to see was what happened if the ball was kicked over the low back stand into the surrounding waters. Annoyingly, it didn’t happen though! I’ve since found out that due to this fairly unique geography, fishing boats are often on standby to retrieve any wayward balls. More details here.

Weather: Rainy, Price: 2,000 Yen, Attendance: 8,801

Bonus: Corby Town 1-3 Rushden & Diamonds @ Steel Park, Northamptonshire (UK), Thursday 1st January (13:00 KO)

What better way to spend New Year’s Day! It was good to catch up with an old school friend from decades ago and watch this local Northants derby from a number of vantage points. The original 1:00 pm kick off was actually delayed by ten minutes allowing more people to get into the ground as the attendance was around double the usual amount. Not bad for 8th tier football. More details here.

Weather: Cold, Price: £12 (2500 Yen), Attendance: 853.

Bonus: Leicester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion @ King Power Stadium, Leicester (UK), Monday 5th January (20:05 KO)

Many supporters boycotted this Monday night match so the official attendance given below is definitely not true. Leicester’s keeper had a great game pulling off quite a few great saves before Fatawu scored in injury time to give Leicester an undeserved late winner. Their luck certainly ran out after that! More details here.

Weather: Cold, Price: £30 (6,000 Yen), Attendance: 27,130.

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2025 (Part 3)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2025 So Far (Part 2)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……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)’