Baseball, the great popular sport
Introduced to Japan in 1872 by an American, Horace Wilson, an English teacher in Tōkyō, baseball slowly spread and the first professional team was formed in 1934. Today it is the most popular sport among the Japanese. And competitions compete for television schedules and fill stadiums. The season for professional games runs from April to October and travelers visiting Japan must go to a game to feel the electric atmosphere of the stadium.
The land of martial arts
In Japan, martial arts developed during the Heian period, between the 9th and 12th centuries. During this period of history, the samurai appeared with the bushidō, which is both the warrior way of life and the code of conduct of the samurai but also his particular way of creating movement. The famous combat techniques, jutsu, then make their appearance, such as archery(kyū-jutsu), jū-jutsu or swordplay(ken-jutsu). While the terms dō (or way) are much more recent and imply a much more spiritual aspect.
Judo. In judo(jūdō), the technique is based on the movements of jū-jutsu, but also on the moral principles practiced by the bushi (because in Japanese we use the term bushi rather than samurai). The movements aim more at using the strength of the opponent in order to take advantage of him, to unbalance him and finally and especially to immobilize him. The practice of judo is sanctioned by degrees(kyū), which are symbolized by the famous belts (from white belt to black), and then by mastery(dan), which range from the second to the tenth.
Karate. In karate, the exercises consist in practicing kata (sequences of typical movements). The art of karate consists in not having any contact with the opponent. Instead, one must simulate the fight and stop the blow just before it is delivered.
Kyūdō. In the Land of the Rising Sun, archery is learned in the early years of school. The dō way actually came to replace the jutsu technique during the Edo period. But then the bow lost its importance in the face of the proliferation of firearms. Thus, today it has become more of a mental discipline than a precision art.
Kendo. Kendo(kendō) is the way of the sword. Even if today the bamboo, the shinai, has replaced the sword. Note that ken-jutsu (the technique of the sword) was forbidden during the Meiji era in order to disarm the samurai. It was then transformed into a combat sport. An art ended up taking the name of kendō around the year 1900. It requires self-control, patience, but also energy, dexterity and speed.
Aikidō. This is one of the newest Japanese martial arts and an empty-handed martial art.
This combat sport, based on over 500 kata and movements, was created in Tōkyō in 1931. The principle is to turn the opponent's strength against himself.
Sumo, the ancestral fight
Sumo(sumō) is a ritual wrestling of Shintō origin. The arena is circular and has a diameter of about 4.50 meters. It symbolizes the sky. It is bounded by a straw rope that defines a sacred circle representing the earth. Wrestling consists of pushing your opponent out of the circle or knocking him down onto the ground. Professional wrestlers are mostly six feet tall and weigh between 130 and 150 kg. The wrestling of sumōtori, or rikishi, likely dates back to the early centuries of our era and would symbolize the fight between two opposing clans. The square(dohyō) measures 7 meters on a side and supports the clay arena located about 50 centimeters off the ground. Two lines 1.20 meters apart are drawn in the center of the circle and represent the boundaries of the two wrestlers. A roof(yakata) reproducing that of a Shintō shrine is suspended over the arena. At the corners of this roof are hung fusa symbolizing the four seasons. No women are allowed on the fighting area.
The role of the supervisor(yodibashi) is to call the wrestlers and to check the correct use of the rules of combat, but also to control the construction of the dohyō and to see to its maintenance. He is the one who gives the signal for the beginning of the fight. The wrestlers step onto the dohyō and engage in the constituent rites of sumō. Each wrestler washes his or her hands and mouth, wipes with a piece of paper, and throws salt to purify himself or herself and to attune to kami. When the ritual is complete, the two sumōtori face each other again and extend their arms to show their loyalty and lack of weapons. The shikiri can then begin: they crouch on their fists and try to perceive how they can take their position in the ma, the interval of space and time they have in front of them in the form of their opponent. They get up, throw back salt, purify the space again. They are obliged to engage in combat at the third ritual, but in the past this ritual could be repeated as many times as necessary. The engagement is extremely quick in comparison to the time of ritual preparation. The sumōtoris obey a very strict code that they must use only 48 properly listed holds(kimarite).
Many hiking trails
Contrary to popular belief, Japan is a very green country outside the cities. This is largely due to the respect of the Japanese for nature. There are about thirty national parks(Kokuritsu kōen), dotted with hiking trails, which will delight walkers of all levels. The most famous, but also one of the most difficult, is the ascent of Mount Fuji (Fuji-San). There is also the Kumano Kodo, a complex network of ancient pilgrimage routes in the south of the Kii Peninsula, all converging on Kumano Hongu Taisha, the historical Shinto shrine. Also worth mentioning, the 88 temples pilgrimage in Shikoku, the numerous paths in the Japanese Alps (especially around Kamikōchi), the Daisetsuzan national park, Mount Daisen, Mount Bandai... But these are only a few examples, as there are so many hiking paths.
Japan by bike
The Shimanami Kaido Road is the Japanese cycling mecca that spans the Seto Inland Sea for about 70 kilometers, from Onomichi City to Imabari City, winding through the islands of Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hatakajima and Oshima. The path has some variations on some islands with "intermediate" and "difficult" paths. Otherwise, one can tackle the Japanese Alps and find beautiful walks in Shikoku, Hokkaido and the Noto Peninsula.
Water activities
Sailing. The Seto Inland Sea is about 500 kilometers long, shallow and includes more than 1,000 islands and islets. It is a sea full of legends through the ages, stories of pirates and heroes as is the Mediterranean. Calm in places, rough in others like Naruto, sailing enthusiasts will find an ideal playground to get from one island to another. But you can also choose to sail on the Sea of Japan, starting from Tottori, or on the Kyushu side, another extraordinary spot.
Rafting. In summer, rafting or canoeing down the Yoshino River in the Oboke Gorge in the west of Tokushima Prefecture is one of the most popular activities on Shikoku Island. An extraordinary spot known worldwide.
Scuba diving. The Okinawa islands are the perfect place to discover the underwater world. A real paradise for all diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. The coral reef is protected and the fauna is extraordinary, especially for an encounter with manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and tropical fish. You can also dive towards the Izu archipelago south of Tōkyō in particular.
A ski destination
Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, in Sapporo in 1972 and in Nagano in 1998. There are over 500 ski resorts throughout the country. The most popular regions for skiers and snowboarders are Hokkaido with the resorts of Furano, Rusutsu or Niseko, Kanto, Kansai (in Hachi Kita Kogen, Biwako Valley, Ojiro or Oku Ibuki), Tohoku, Chūbu (especially Nagano Prefecture and the resorts of Nozawa Onsen and HakubaValley, Gifu Prefecture or Niigata Prefecture) and Chūgoku. The season runs from November to April. Finally, to recover from the day, one can, as everywhere in the country, head for theonsen. These are hot baths whose water is generally coming from volcanic springs sometimes known for their therapeutic properties. The Japanese love to bask in them for hours.
Pachinko or video games, true national monuments
Pachinko. Pachinko is a "standing pinball machine" that is usually located in a very noisy room. The principle consists of throwing a steel ball that will go down by hitting nails towards a feeder. If the ball reaches its destination, it releases a stream of balls that can be exchanged at the counter for cigarettes, pens or even mangas. Entire rooms rattle in a smoky atmosphere. Some are masters in the art of the impulse that makes the marbles fall exactly in the liberating hole. During the night, the establishment changes the spacing of the nails. Any free time is often taken to go to a pachinko room, a true national institution.
Video games and e-sports. Obviously, Japan is also and above all the cradle of video games. And if the first game was born in the United States, it is in the archipelago that the first arcade terminals were conceived with worldwide success: Space Invaders in 1978 and Pac-Man in 1980. Since then, the legendary names of consoles or games coming from the land of the Rising Sun can't be counted anymore: Nintendo or Sony for consoles; for games, Mario Bros, Pokémon, Final Fantasy, Sega, Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Sonic, Street Fighter..
In Tokyo, gamers can be found in the districts of Akihabara,Nakano Broadway andOdaiba.
But, surprisingly, if video games are an integral part of the Japanese culture, the country does not shine on the international e-sport scene. And suffers from the comparison with its Chinese and South Korean neighbors and Western nations. This phenomenon is explained by the predominance of PC games in tournaments, while the Japanese play mostly on smartphones, arcades and handheld consoles, and by rather strict national rules regarding gambling.
