Pride of Kyoto

Oh, the beautiful game.  It makes me smile, even gives me the chills no matter what continent I'm on, no matter what the competition is.  I love the atmosphere of a live football match; there is something universal about the experience.  There is a certain sound, a certain smell, a certain sensation.  There is no mistaking it for any other sporting event.

Today I watched Kyoto Sanga FC battle Consadole Sapporo in the second division of the J-League.  Sanga is currently third in the table fighting for promotion into the top division with only four matches left in the season.   

I arrived by bus at Nishikyogoku Stadium on the western edge of Kyoto, about an hour from Uji-City.  I could hear the fans singing inside as I approached.  I didn't have a lot of time before kickoff, so I picked up my ticket (courtesy of Footy Weekends) then gulped down a beer and some kind of beef stew that was mostly fat and gristle.

The 20k + stadium was not full, but the crowd was lively, especially in the supporters section behind the goal.  This made me happy.  The Japanese in general are an extremely well-mannered people.  I feared a Japanese football match would be something like tennis or golf, the crowd clapping politely and nodding approval from their seats.  This section was an ocean of purple (Sanga's colors), singing and chanting, clapping, waving giant flags, twirling scarves.  They only stopped to sit during halftime.

There are certain football songs and chants that transcend the boundaries of nations and language.  There were a few sung by the Sanga faithful during the match that I recognized, my favorite being the Frankie Valli song "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" with the refrain "I love you baby/and if it's quite all right/I need you baby/to warm my lonely night" etc.  Of course the lyrics have been altered for the club and are in Japanese.  It is always funny to hear modified pop songs sung by a giant crowd of football fans; it is even better when that familiar song is in another language.  Something I did note was, as best I could tell, the opposing fans do not taunt one another the way they do in England and the European leagues.  The Japanese are too polite, I suppose.

The final score was  two-nil, Kyoto Sanga.  A good result.  After the match the players came to the supporters section and bowed, that quintessential Japanese display of respect.  The quality of football played by a J-2 club is never going to match that of the English Premiere League, but it is a joy to watch footballers playing for honor and glory rather than a giant paycheck.  Have I found a new club?  Hmm.