J-League Football in Tokyo: A Must-See for Tourists

When you think of sports in Japan, sumo, judo, or baseball might come to mind. But football has grown to become one of Japan’s top sports since the early 2000s, packing stadiums with passionate fans.

The J-League is Japan’s premier soccer league, with teams from many cities vying for the coveted title. Tokyo, the capital, offers a fantastic chance to experience J-League football.

Attending J-League football in Tokyo is a unique yet familiar experience. Opposing fans aren’t separated. They mingle at the same food stalls during half-time, and there’s no real hooligan culture. Instead, you’ll find spirited fans singing loudly and chanting in unison throughout the match, creating an enthralling atmosphere from kick-off to the final whistle.

This article will look at the J-League and Japanese football culture, and guide you on buying tickets. I will also share my experience attending a match between two top J-League teams at what I think is Japan’s greatest football stadium.

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J1-League Teams in Tokyo

The Japanese Professional Football League, also known as the J-League, is made up of three different professional leagues. The top league is the J1 League, which is also known as the J-League. The second division is known as the J2 League, and the third division is known as the J3 League.

The J-League was formed in 1993 and originally featured ten teams. It continued to grow year by year, and in 2002 it received a boost in popularity after Japan hosted the World Cup. In 2024 the J-League now features 20 teams. 

The twenty teams compete in a round-robin tournament featuring home and away games. They play 38 games and receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The bottom three clubs are relegated to the J2 League, making competition fierce and every game important. 

If you want to experience J-League football in Tokyo, there are a few different options. The Tokyo J-League teams are FC Tokyo, Machida Zelvia, and Tokyo Verdy. These are three of the top teams in the league.

However, if you travel a little outside central Tokyo to Urawa, Saitama (part of the Greater Tokyo Area), you will find one of the most famous and successful J-League teams, The Urawa Red Diamonds.

Why you should attend a J-League Match

Visitors to Japan might wonder if attending a J-League match in Tokyo is worth using some of their precious vacation time. Even if you’re not a football fanatic, it’s an enjoyable experience. The sport is easy to follow, and the J-League makes it fun for everyone.

Exploring Japan often includes uniquely Japanese experiences. While soccer is a global sport, watching it in Japan offers a special cultural twist. Japanese fans are organized, singing simple, infectious chants throughout the game, which you’ll soon find yourself joining. The atmosphere, especially at matches between top teams, can be electric.

The football quality is high, with J-League stars moving to major leagues worldwide, including the English Premier League and European leagues. The fast-paced games often feature spectacular goals.

The J-League is also family-friendly, with many children in the crowd and colourful team mascots. You won’t encounter the hooliganism seen at some European matches.

Stadiums have gift shops selling a range of souvenirs, from jerseys and scarves to stickers, pens and stickers. Unique Japanese snacks featuring club logos and colours are also available.

Arriving at the stadium with an empty stomach is no problem. There’s a variety of delicious food options, including burritos, frankfurters, and churros. For Japanese cuisine, try soba noodles with omelette or bento boxes.

How to Purchase J-League Tickets

Purchasing tickets to events in Japan can often be complicated, but the J-League have made this simple for foreign visitors.

Tickets usually cost between 2,000 yen to 8,000 yen. The average price is around 4,000-5,000 yen for a seat with a great view. The prices vary depending on where you sit. The fan sections and the front rows are usually a little more pricey.

Some of the club’s ticket sites work with dynamic pricing, so the price can vary. Many clubs offer discounts to children under 15 and deals for people under 18. 

One of the best ways to purchase tickets in advance is on the Official J-League Ticket Website. The website lists the upcoming games and will take you to a dedicated page to buy your tickets. These are purchased with a credit card. The ticket will be emailed to you as a QR code, or you can select the option to print the tickets at a convenience store. Selecting the option to print tickets may require some Japanese, so the QR code option could be easier for most visitors.

If you need help purchasing tickets on the website or it won’t accept your credit card, there are dedicated people on Fiverr who can buy the tickets for you. This makes the whole process stress-free.

Another way to purchase tickets is at the stadium on the game day. The stadiums have ticket booths, and as long as the game isn’t sold out, you can go there on the day and purchase the type of ticket you require.

The Match Day Experience

I attended the Urawa Red Diamonds Vs Yokohama F Marinos game at Saitama Stadium on 6 May 2024. Saitama Stadium is a massive football stadium with a capacity of 63,700.

Before the game started, there was a buzz around the stadium. The Reds Wonderland area is a bustling area next to the stadium. It’s full of food trucks, beer stalls, and merchandise stores.

There were plastic chairs spread across this area which people used to sit and talk to friends while they ate and drank. Also outside of the stadium, there is an official Urawa Red Diamonds store. This was full of people buying scarves and jerseys which they could wear that day to support the team.

Urawa Red Diamonds, from Saitama in the Greater Tokyo Area, was founded in 1950 as Mitsubishi Motors FC. They are one of Japan’s most successful football clubs, with three Asian Champions League titles and eight Emperor’s Cups. Key players include Atsuki Ito, a defensive midfielder who also plays for Japan’s national team, and Shinzo Koroki, the club’s top scorer since joining in 2013. Ito scored twice in the game I attended.

Yokohama F Marinos, from Kanagawa Prefecture, were formed in 1972 as Nissan Motor FC and became Yokohama Marinos in 1992. They are one of the J-League’s most successful clubs, with five league titles and two second-place finishes. Key player Anderson Lopes, a Brazilian center-forward, joined in 2022 and has been the top scorer for the 2022, 2023, and current 2024 seasons.

Atmosphere and Fan Culture

One of the things that surprised me was the match atmosphere at J-League Football in Tokyo. Urawa Red Diamonds are known for having some of Japan’s loudest and most passionate fans, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Even before the match started, the Urawa fans stood proud, signing together with their fists in the air. Seeing thousands of fists raised while they sang together was a sight. And then the match started.

The fans sang and chanted for the entire game. They never gave up and created an infectious atmosphere. Some chants are simple enough to join in with when you first hear them. Other songs are a bit more complicated but are still fun to listen to while soaking in the atmosphere.

At the end of the game, all of Urawa Red’s supporters held their scarves in the air and sang their anthem, “We Are Diamonds.” This was beautifully done and almost moving as the fans sang in unison. It created a sea of red and black with their scarves held high.

Although the Yokohama F Marinos were the away team, they brought great support with them. It looked like their fan section was sold out. They banged drums, bounced up and down, and sang their own songs. Unfortunately for them, as loud as they were, Urawa Reds fans outnumbered them and completely drowned them out. 

Another element that stood out when I first entered the stadium was the technology and equipment it uses. The seating, lights, sound system, and pitch are state-of-the-art and could be compared to many of the top teams in the world. They have huge screens on either side for replays and also to display graphics for key moments in the game, such as substitutions and penalty checks. This made the game even easier to follow along with. 

Food and Drink at the Stadium

Coming from Scotland and attending many games in the SPL, it was a welcome surprise to enter Saitama Stadium and see stalls with beer and other alcohol. Beer is banned in Scottish stadiums, so it was fun grabbing a beer to drink during the game. Draft beer was 800 yen, and highballs and lemon sours were 500 yen. Soft drinks were also available for 300 yen.

If you are looking for some hot food, there are chicken burgers for 700 yen, pepper chicken skewers for 650 yen, and a whole chicken leg for 550 yen. If you just want a light snack, you can get caramel popcorn for 700 yen or churros for 350 yen.

Before you head into the stadium, many food trucks are in the fan zone. These trucks sell foods from all over the world, including mouth-watering Cuban sandwiches for 800 yen, Nagasaki pork burgers for 750 yen, and karaage chicken for 500 yen. Some sweet treats are also available, including shaved ice for 400 yen, which is perfect for a hot day.

Match Review – Urawa Reds vs Yokohama F Marinos

Attending any soccer match always involves the chance of getting a dull match or a match with 0 goals. This game contained 3 good goals, and it turned out to be an exciting and competitive football match. Both teams had almost equal possession, with Urawa Reds having 51% to Yokohama’s 49%. Urawa also out-shot them with 18 shots, while Marinos s took 12.

Atsuki Ito was the Urawa Reds star man. Scoring an important goal at 42 minutes, gave the team and the fans a boost right before half-time. Ito made it 2-0 when he scored another great goal at 66 minutes. It started to look like Urawa had the game wrapped up when suddenly Hirjiri Kato scored a surprise goal at 86 minutes. The score was now 2-1 and starting to heat up again.

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With only four minutes left on the clock, plus added time, Yokohama started putting pressure on Urawa. They kept pressing and finding their way into their opponent’s box, but Urawa’s defence remained strong and composed and managed to see off any threats. When the final whistle blew and Urawa won the match 2-1, there was a feeling of relief and celebration.

After the match, the Urawa fans stood together with their scarves held in the air as they sang We Are Diamonds. The Urawa Reds players did a lap of honour of the whole pitch and waved to the fans. The players then returned to the middle of the pitch and bowed to thank their vocal supporters.

Tips for Tourists

To make the most of the experience, I would arrive at least an hour before kick-off. This gives you time to explore the fan zone, check the official shop, buy any merch, and then sit and have some food and drinks with the supporters. Also, if you head inside the stadium a little early, there are old trophies and accolades on display, similar to a museum, which was interesting to check out. I got there a bit closer to kick-off, so I never got to fully appreciate all of this.

If this is your first time attending a J-League match, the best advice would be to look at the fans around you and copy what they are doing. If they are clapping, holding their towel in the air, singing, or raising their fists together, copy them. It was fun to join in, and everyone in my area was having a great time.

You should also wear the team’s colour in some way. This will stop you from standing out and make it known that you aren’t a supporter of the opposition. We didn’t have any Urawa Red Diamond jerseys, so we just wore red t-shirts. This made us blend in, and I noticed many other fans doing the same thing.

If you don’t want to buy a soccer jersey but want a useful souvenir for the game, I recommend getting one of the team scarves. These were sold outside and inside the stadium. The scarves were held up at the beginning, at points during the game, and at the end of the game. This would help you get involved with the atmosphere and feel like part of the supporters. 

There is a difference between the crowd chanting and songs compared to what I’m used to in the Scottish league. It feels much more organized in the J-League, which could be down to Japanese principles. If you try to start your own chant, it probably won’t catch on, especially if you do it in English.

Drinking alcohol is allowed at the stadium, but I never saw anyone overly drunk, and I didn’t see any trouble or fighting, which can be common in the UK and Europe. So, if you are drinking there, drink responsibly, especially the lemon sours, which have a way of sneaking up on you.

Also, Japanese fans always tidy up after themselves and take away their own trash. I spotted plenty of bins on the way out, so make sure you clean up after yourself.

Final Thoughts

If you have considered attending some J-League Football in Tokyo, I highly recommend it. Although Urawa is in Greater Tokyo, they aren’t considered a Tokyo J-League team. However, they are just a short train journey away as Saitama is Tokyo’s neighbour. 

The Saitama Stadium and Urawa Red Diamonds are huge. If you want to see a 60,000-capacity stadium full of wild fans and one of the greatest soccer teams in Japan, this is one of the best options available.

I never had an attachment to Urawa Red Diamonds before the game, even though I live in Saitama. But I could feel my passion growing from when I first arrived and soaked in the atmosphere. By the time Urawa Reds scored their first goal, I was cheering and celebrating. By the time they scored their second, I was high-fiving people next to me while jumping up and down.

If you attend a J-League game, go with the flow. Do what everyone else is doing. Throw your support behind the team. In the end, you might have a new favourite team. That’s what happened to me, and I’m now eagerly waiting to attend my next Urawa Reds game.

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