Many kinds of sports are enjoyed in Japan. Especially popular are baseball and soccer, which are played by youngsters as well as adults, in local, school, and company teams. People also enjoy watching professional matches live and on television. Tennis and skiing are popular, too. And many people jog or swim for health or play ball games, such as volleyball. Typical traditional sports are sumo, kendo, judo, and aikido.

Three Olympic Games have been held in Japan: Tokyo hosted the Summer Games in 1964, and the Winter Games were hosted by Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998. Photos courtesy of Kodokan Judo Institute and Tokyo Metropolitan Government. What are the features of traditional Japanese sports? Which sports are played professionally in Japan? What are the characteristics of karate? Is there Little League baseball in Japan? Are there foreign players on Japan's professional baseball and soccer teams? Is football popular in Japan? What Japanese athletes have done well in international competition? What were the Nagano Olympics like?

Daily Life/Schools/Outside the Classroom/Tradition and Culture/Sports/Regions of Japan/Nature and Climate Protecting the Environment/History/Politics and the Constitution/Economy and Industry/International Relations