Tokyo fall sports guide
From gridiron to baseball, there's a feast of pro sport being whipped up in the capital
American football -- or 'AmeFuto' to the locals -- actually has a pro league in Japan.Talk to any visitor to Tokyo and, chances are, you’ll find pretty much no one who has a day or two watching professional sports high on their to-do list.
Which is a shame, as the capital and its neighboring prefectures are jam-packed with top-notch sporting events that make for a superb day, evening or even weekend, out.
As summer winds to a close, here’s our selection of the best sports occasions worth checking out this fall.
Football: X-League, Obic Seagulls vs. Nojima Sagamihara Rise
The gridiron-deprived can get their fix by watching Japanese players sling the pigskin around from September 6-8 at Tokyo Dome.
September 7 will see the high-flying Rise face the defending X-League champion Seagulls at the Big Egg, where Obic staged a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to win the Japan X Bowl in December.
Football hasn't caught on in Japan quite like baseball -- outside of Kansai at least -- but the sport has a cult following, and the national team does well in international competition.
It's not the NFL, but it's entertaining. Plus, there's usually an ample number of salarymen from each team's parent company to join for a beer in the stands.
September 6-8. Tokyo Dome, 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku. +81 (0) 3 3811 2111.
Sumo: Grand Sumo Tournament
Shoving match: Sumo returns to Tokyo in September.
Things haven't been all sunshine and chanko-nabe for the denizens of the raised ring in recent months, but Japan's ancient sport is worth viewing live at least once.
While watching gigantic men crash into each other is fun, a lot of sumo’s charm comes from the traditions on display each day.
Among the more visible practices are the hair knot each wrestler wears, the combatants’ ritual of throwing salt to purify the ring, and the shiko, where a riskishi raises his leg and stomps the ground.
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Lower-level rikishi compete early, while the real heavyweights file into the arena at 3:50 p.m. The yokozuna then makes his entrance via an elaborate ceremony.
Sumo is an all-day event, which presents a chance to explore the expansive Kokugikan. It’s also common to catch a glimpse of wrestlers walking around the grounds.
September 11-25. Ryogoku Kokugikan, 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku. +81 (0) 3 3622 3300. http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/
Tennis: Toray Pan Pacific Open
Caroline Wozniacki will be back to give it a lick at the Toray in September.
World no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki won here last year and is expected back to defend her title.
Japanese starlet Kimiko Date Krumm, French Open champion Li Na, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are among the other major names expected to compete.
Qualifying September 23-24, main draw September 25-October 1. Ariake Colosseum and Ariake Tennis Forest Park. 2-2-22 Ariake, Koto-ku. +81 (0) 570 06 9995.
http://www.toray-ppo.co.jp/en/tournament/
