The ever-changing poses of Tokyo Fox!

Japan migrating to the Euro-style calendar league season this year has resulted in a promotional push encompassing a fair few matches being played at the National Stadium which means this compilation post contains more top-flight action than is typical for the summer when I have tended to mainly watch lower league games.

The idea was to scale things back a bit this year but having been to 24 matches thus far it is highly likely I’ll try to beat last year’s record of 33 by doing at least another ten, if not twelve matches. This second batch of matches features eight different stadiums and grounds in Tokyo, Saitama and Kanagawa with just one of them being new for me.

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!

12. Nankatsu SC 3-1 Toin University of Yokohama @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 19th July (18:00 KO)

Something has to come at the bottom of these rankings and this is it. I did see far worse matches but they had more memorable things going on around them than this one which was fairly entertaining for this level. Other than the beautiful sunset I sadly can’t remember much about this match.

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

11. Tokyo United 4-0 Toin University of Yokohama @ Koishikawa Sports Ground, Bunkyo-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 23rd August (17:30 KO)

A staff member approached me on my arrival and asked if I’d do a survey in order to get a free shirt and fan. I actually turned him down as I said it was mendokusai (troublesome) but he then raced after me and kindly gave it to me anyway. I was very grateful and then witnessed a comfortable win for the home team whilst wearing my new shirt.

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

10. Sperio Johoku 3-1 Keio BRB @ Akabane Sports-no-mori Park, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 12th July (18:50 KO)

After a lot of searching for live football that morning I came across this 8th tier match taking place at a stadium I’ve been to a few times now. There was some nice passing phases mixed in with wild and speculative shots as well as some fairly dirty challenges. What was surprising was that there were a small group of hardcore fans helping to make it a livelier atmosphere than expected.

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

9. Aries Toshima FC 4-1 Nihon University N. @ Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Kita-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 5th July (15:00 KO)

A dominant first half display saw Aries go 2-0 up and in control. The away team came out after the break firing on all cylinders though and deservedly pulled one back via a header from a corner. Any signs of a comeback were undone moments later when their keeper made a howler to make it 3-1 as Fukahori completed his hat-trick in fortunate circumstances. What stood out in this game was the Nihon centre back wearing 10 and the left back in the number 8 shirt!! The game’s gone!

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 1,000 Yen, Attendance: Unknown.

8. Tokyo Verdy 1-1 Kawasaki Frontale @ Ajinomoto Stadium, Chofu (Tokyo), Sunday 9th August (18:00 KO)

It was a fairly late decision to go to this match on the opening weekend of the new J1 League season, and it was great to meet up with my friend Toru. Verdy made a good start and got an early goal. It was probably too early as they then sat back and just when they looked like they might actually hold on for the win, Frontale equalised deep into stoppage time.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 2,000 Yen, Attendance: 27,452.

7. Coedo Kawagoe FC 2-5 Tochigi City U-25 @ Asaka Chuo Park Athletic Track, Asaka (Saitama-ken), Sunday 26th July (16:00 KO)

A ground just half an hour away from my place by bicycle that I didn’t know about until about five days earlier. There was a huge shower in the early afternoon and predicted rain later on but it cleared up for this goal thriller which was played in boiling hot conditions. I met a fellow groundhopper at this game so it was really good to share some experiences of visiting various stadia around Japan.

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

6. RB Omiya Ardija Women 1-4 FC Bayern Munich Women @ Nack5 Stadium, Omiya (Saitama-ken), Saturday 25th July (17:00 KO)

Not a classic match by any means but I really enjoyed the occasion, and it was the climax of a great day out for me in the surrounding area. I stood at the opposite end to usual with those fans supporting the German team who were dominant and in control for the majority of this international friendly match.

Weather: Hot, Price: 1,300 Yen, Attendance: 6,506.

5. FC Tokyo 0-1 Borussia Dortmund @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Saturday 1st August (19:00 KO)

Again, this Japan versus Germany match-up was a fairly below average affair but it was memorable for the huge downpour that happened in the first half leading to the action being temporarily suspended for about 25 minutes. Once it 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. More details here.

Weather: Heavy rain, Price: 6,200 Yen, Attendance: 32,489.

4. Yokohama FC 3-1 Jubilo Iwata @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 16th August (18:00 KO)

Quite an action-packed J2 league match with a fair few chances in both halves as well as a couple of penalties, a red card, a goal from a free-kick and a wonderful curling shot that unfortunately (for Jubilo) hit the bar.

Weather: Wet, Price: 400 Yen, Attendance: 53,973.

3. Tokyo Verdy 1-3 Kashiwa Reysol @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Friday 14th August (19:00 KO)

I was excited to see my first Reysol match of 2026 but it was a terrible start for my boys as they conceded after just one minute. They settled into it after that and dominated the match with their possession-based gameplay and came back to win it fairly comfortably in the end. It also cost me nothing and I got to hang out with a friend too.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 0 Yen, Attendance: 44,690.

2. Machida Zelvia 3-1 Urawa Reds @ Japan National Stadium, Shinjuku-ku (Tokyo), Sunday 23rd August (19:30 KO)

Having seen these teams go head-to-head at this very stadium just a few months earlier I really wasn’t expecting much at all from this game. However, it turned out to be a hugely entertaining occasion. Had Urawa’s finishing better it really may have been a different outcome!

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 500 Yen, Attendance: 47,781.

1. Kashiwa Reysol 4-2 V-Varen Nagasaki @ Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, Kashiwa (Chiba-ken), Friday 21st August (19:00 KO)

A second consecutive Friday night game and this one was at Hitachi-dai which I hadn’t been to for over two years. It was a wet night pre-match but stayed dry for the duration of the game. Of course, I’m a little biased in putting this at the top of the pile but it was great to be back at the home stadium of the team I’ve followed for a long time now.

Weather: Cloudy, Price: 3,500 Yen, Attendance: 13,383.

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

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)’