Japanese people are passionate about sports. From Sumo wrestling, the national sport, to baseball, the Japanese can’t get enough. Even high school baseball tournaments are broadcast on television to homes across the country. The country also has twelve professional baseball teams, the highest level in the sport. In addition to baseball, Sumo wrestling is a religious event.
Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan
Baseball is one of the most popular spectator sports in Japan. First introduced in 1872, baseball has gained widespread popularity in the country. It is viewed as a symbol of modernization in Japan and many Japanese companies have sponsored baseball teams. In the post-World War 2 years, Japan was still readjusting from the war, so baseball was a way for the country to learn from Western ideas and technologies.
There are a number of baseball tournaments held in Japan, including the All-Japan High School Baseball Championships. These tournaments are held every April and August, and the top teams from all 47 prefectures participate. The games are broadcast nationwide and are closely watched by fans.
Sumo wrestling is a religious event in Japan
Sumo wrestling is an ancient Japanese sport with a strong spiritual element. During a bout, sumo wrestlers raise their legs and stamp them violently on the floor. This is done to frighten away demons. Each bout is preceded by rituals that are rooted in the Shinto religion and ancient warfare methods. These rituals have continued in modern times and are still observed in sumo matches.
Today, few young Japanese join sumo schools. In the past, a typical recruit would be a young man from a low-class family in a rural area. However, the trend now is for young people to move to the big cities to find work. Despite the popularity of sumo, it has attracted criticism as an anachronistic military event that demands strict discipline and absolute loyalty to the supreme authority.
Nippon Professional Baseball is the highest level of the game
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is the highest level of baseball in Japan, with twelve teams in the Central League and one each in the Pacific League. Just like MLB, NPB features two leagues, the stock photos Central and the Pacific. The Central League includes the Chunichi Dragons, Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and Yokohama DeNA BayStars, while the Pacific League features the Chiba Lotte Mariners, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Saitama Seibu Lions, and Yokohama Fuki Giants.
Professional baseball in Japan begins with spring training in February and ends with the Japan Series in October. The season consists of 130 regular season games played in the home city of each team. These games are broadcast live and are watched by millions of people.
Japan’s twelve professional baseball teams
Japan’s professional baseball league is made up of twelve teams, divided into two divisions: Central and Pacific Leagues. The champions of each league are determined by an end-of-season interleague playoff. The most successful team in the league is the Yomuri Giants, which has won 22 championships in its history. All of the other teams have won a championship at some point.
The Hanshin Tigers have been the second-most popular team in Japan for the last half-century. They have been based in the city of Osaka, and their rivalry with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants has transcended regional boundaries to the national center. The Tigers are owned by a small parent company.