Japanese Sport

Japanese Sport

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Sport is worldwide in Japan. There is also a special day dedicated to sport and health life-style here in Japan. It is Day of Sport and Health celebrated every year on the second Monday of October. The objective of this day is propaganda of healthy life-style and propaganda of love to sport. On that day there is no everyday discipline in schools and companies. A number of large-scale competitions are held (mini Olympiads), sport trainings and other useful initiatives for health.
In 2020 the summer Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo. Accordingly, sport and Japan are closely connected with each other.
First of all, Japan is associated with martial arts. It is, of course, indisputable. However, modern Japan has interests in baseball, auto-racing and racing, at all.

Traditional sports:

•In traditional sports nothing is typical to Japan as «sumo» martial art. In early times «sumo» tournaments were held in Shinto temples together with festivals and other religious ceremonies. During sumo fighting, held in a very little soil ring, two big sumo were fighting. The winner had to force the adversary out of a circular ring or made him to lie down on the ground with his whole body. Hard rules and ceremonies exist in sumo fighting. Blocking, pushing, everything is a total system of fighting strategy; accordingly, this makes the fighting wonderful and unforgettable. Every year 6 tournaments are held in Japan. In January, May and September it is held in Tokyo, in March-Osaka, in July-Nagoya and in November-Fukuoka.

-judo•«Judo» is a self-defense martial art created in Japan. Currently, this martial art has great recognition in other countries, too. Judo sport principle is to use the opponent power for your own objectives. It is an Olympic sport. The centre of trainings is Kodokan in Tokyo. It is a wonderful place where you can see the trainings of beginners as well as the masters’ ones.

Kendo•«Kendo» is a modern Japanese martial art. Kendo fighters use armor protective clothes, masks and use bamboo swords for fighting. In Tokyo Nippon Budokan Hall is the best place where you can see the trainings of this martial art.

Karate•«Karate» is unarmed martial art developed by the Christians of Okinawa. In accordance with the laws and rules of the country the arm was banned to use during this martial art. Experiencing in the energy concentration of kicking karate masters can break simultaneously several bricks and stone tiles. In Tokyo you can have a visit in Japanese Karate Association. You can see the trainings of beginner and master wrestlers.

Aikido•«Aikido» is another martial art based on the principal of energy concentration: to use the opponent power for the own objectives. Aikido is generally trained by its fans for being physically trained. Aikikai is the Aikido centre in Tokyo.

Kyudo1•«Kyudo» is the national Japanese martial art of archery. Kyudo archery is held with very strict rules. During archery trainings and even in archery performance great importance is given to the spiritual development of an individual and attention concentration. Kyudo can even be seen in the space of the temples because for a long time it was connected with the principles of  Zen-Buddhism.

Modern sports

Baseball

•Baseball is so famous in Japan that the fans get wondered why Americans think baseball to be their «national» sport. The spring and fall competitions are more famous among the teams of secondary senior schools. School teams as well as the winners of their region come to Koshien stadium located in Hyogo region. During this competition the whole Japanese people become fans in order to inspire the teams of their city. Professional baseball is developed here enough. In Tokyo the competition place is «Tokyo Dom» stadium. It is located in the nearby space of Korakuen garden. Moreover, the greeting to their teams is special and impressive ceremony, too.  During this greeting ceremony brass and percussion musical instruments are used, that is to say, any kinds of noise raising musical instruments are used.

Formula 1 auto-racing1•«Formula 1» auto-racing championship rounds are regularly took place in Suzuka highway. The best racers and the best teams come here. Suzuka highway was opened in 1962 and from the very beginning it has become the centre of Japanese auto-racing sport.

the material is taken from   http://visitjapan.ru/japan/sport/

translated from Armenian into English by Tatev Harutyunyan