Richmond Tigers Win!! - Football and Sport in Japan & Australia

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This month many people in Australia have been celebrating the end of football season. For football-lovers, the AFL Grand Final was held on Saturday September 30th, and the Rugby League Grand Final on Sunday October 1st. Congratulations to the Richmond Tigers on their first Grand Final victory in over 30 years!!

In Australia many different types of football are played and enjoyed by professionals, amateurs, young people and children. The first round of the Australian A-League soccer begins the week after, as well as sports like cricket and tennis becoming very popular through the Summer months.

Japan has a range of popular sports too - some of them might be familiar to you and some of them might be new.

Sports like baseball, soccer, rugby and golf have become very popular in Japan. From a young age, children will join teams and begin playing their favourite sports.

Many people will go to the ocean for surfing or scuba diving during the summer, and enjoy skiing or snowboarding during winter. This is because of Japan's diverse landscape - with many oceans and mountains to choose from!

Additionally Japan still celebrates many traditional sports. Many people think of Sumo as Japan's national sport. There are sumo tournaments (basho) every two months in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Shinto legend believed that Japan's survival was because of a sumo match between the gods. 

Many forms of martial arts have also come from (or become popular) in Japan. In Kendo, people use bamboo swords to practice and show off their skills. Karate and Judo have become very popular in Australia, and are both ways of overcoming an opponent without using weapons. Judo is impressive because it relies on using the strength of an opponent against themself.

► Did you know that Japan also has a sports team called the Tigers? Why not research the Hanshin Tiger's baseball team from Osaka!

► Did you notice the Taiko drums at the start of the AFL Grand Final? (Learn more about Taiko)

► Can you think of what other sports might come from Japan?

► Sign into Palaygo and ask your Japanese friends what sports they enjoy!