The relatively short time between the end of the FIFA World Cup and the start of the domestic league season this summer does seem to have meant fewer European clubs coming to Japan for money-spinning ties against local opposition. To my knowledge, the only teams to have made a journey to Japan have been a couple of German giants.

What usually happens with these matches is that when they’re first announced I roll my eyes at the absurdity of a half-hearted friendly match being played in extreme heat in front of a different crowd to normal with costs at a premium … and then I end up purchasing a ticket for it! To be honest, there wasn’t too much hesitation this time as I’ve never seen the 1997 Champions League winners in action and the match against FC Tokyo was at a convenient time and location for me.

The match kicked off at 7:00 pm last Saturday (August 1st) at Japan National Stadium (known as MUFG Stadium nowadays due to sponsorship reasons) in Shinjuku-ku and was the second match of Borussia Dortmund’s mini-Japan tour having beaten Cerzeo Osaka 1-0 in Osaka a few days earlier.

After such a busy day of lessons, I’d usually be drained after leaving work but I was actually quite excited for this international friendly match and in good spirits as I exited the nearby station. However, big spots of rain immediately began to fall and it soon turned into a huge downpour that lasted about half an hour. Luckily, I found shelter in the nick of time.

Very heavy rain about an hour before kick-off

I had arranged to meet up with my friend Yuki as I do whenever her team FC Tokyo are part of my matchday experience.

The surprise rainfall delayed the meet-up with her and her nephew so we sadly couldn’t hang out for too long as we had to go to opposite ends of the stadium.

When I entered the stadium just ten minutes before kick-off, I was actually quite shocked to see so many empty seats as I was just assuming it’d be reasonably full as Dortmund are the most popular German team in Japan due to the likes of Shinji Kagawa (2010 – 2012 and 2014 – 2019) and Takato Yamamoto (present) representing Die Schwarzgelben (the black and yellow).

As I climbed the stand to take my seat I could see about seven people sat together with no one else around for rows and rows so of course my actual seat was typically right in the middle of them! I just told them that I’d sit elsewhere until someone else came but that never looked like happening so I soon moved down much closer to the front.

The only retro 1980s Dortmund shirt in the stadium!

After the teams took to the field, there was a moment of respect for the victims of the earthquake in Kumamoto earlier in the week.

The FC Tokyo fans at the opposite end of the stadium seemed in fine voice but it all felt a bit flat elsewhere and the action on the pitch in the opening period didn’t really help change that.

Hydration breaks in the recent World Cup caused something of a stir but they have been around for a while in the hot and humid Japanese summer season. Known as mizu (water) time or a water break, they are for just a minute without any tactical input from the coaches.

There was of course one here but it was slightly comical as it was absolutely hammering it down with rain at that midway point in the half!

Even though I was quite high up in the stand the rain began to spray on me more and more as the rain got heavier. Conditions really were horrendous and eventually at the 33-minute mark, play was temporarily suspended. There had been an official thunderstorm warning too so the teams left the field for about 25 minutes.

Once they resumed the action was actually much better, especially in the second half. There were a few good chances but the game was ultimately decided by a nice swivel from striker Fabio Silva who shined and struck gold with his shot. That was followed by their goal music set to the tune of ‘Go West‘.

There was a multitude of substitutions in the second half and when they were made by Dortmund, announcements followed in both English and German which took an eternity to do when there were four at one time. By the time they’d finished, some new changes were set to take place!

Final Score: FC Tokyo 0-1 Borussia Dortmund

Bonus: A week earlier Bayern Munich played in Saitama Prefecture at Nack5 Stadium Omiya and I was there for that one too. This was a women’s game with FC Bayern Frauen taking on RB Omiya Ardija in an international friendly match, presumably because the German giants have a history of Japanese players among their ranks including Momoko Tanikawa in the present.

It was a 5:00 pm kick-off and a pretty good game but the German team were stronger both physically and technically and ran out comfortable winners.

Final Score: RB Omiya Ardija Women 1-4 FC Bayern Munich Women

Click here to read ‘German Giants Bayern Munich Back in Japan for a Couple of Money-Spinning Friendlies’

Click here to read ‘The Little-Known German Park in Tokyo (+ Memories of My Time Living & Working in Hamburg)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2026 So Far (Part 1)’

Click here to read ‘Allez Les Bleus! France Provide a Reality Check for Japan at the World Rugby Nations Championship in Tokyo’