Attending A Match

It's often possible to attend a game by just showing up at the stadium on the day. If you want to stand with the active supporters you'll need to find out how the Japanese fans do it.

Lining Up

When I first came to a match I couldn't understand how I always seemed to be last in the line to get into the stadium even though we always came fairly early. The reason for this is that Japanese fans often come very early to line up and sit outside with their friends, families or supporter group.

However there are often other local conventions that you should be aware of. Here is an example, though each club may have their own system. In the past in my club there was a rule that you are allowed to come the day before the match day, line up at 7AM and put a piece of tape on the ground outside the stadium with your name and your position in the line. The next day, your group, up to ten people, could come back to that position and line up at the same place. So, no matter how early you came on the match day there would probably be already two hundred or more groups of several people ahead of you. Each club has a local convention such as lining up on the morning of the match, lining up two days before or an online lottery systems etc. Check your local supporters for details.

In the last couple of years Yokohama F. Marinos replaced lining up and experimented by using an application based on the Line chat application. By using the application you can join a lottery and get a number for the queue on match day. The rules for the application seem to change regularly so it is best to ask someone for help.

Lining Up at Away Matches

Lining up at away match is a bit unpredictable as the local rules apply or occasionally the away supporters rules apply. The only way to find out is to look on the away club's homepage where it is often hard to find.

At my first away game, I got into trouble as I wasn't aware that people had line up so early and when I got into the stadium, about one hour before the match, every inch of the ground in the cramped away stand was covered with some item marking it as taken. Early risers had already gone into the stadium, marked their spot with a plastic sheet and then gone back out for local food and beer. I chose a spot that looked like it was unmarked and stood there. When the "owner" of that spot came back he was a bit miffed that I had taken it and begrudgingly moved over let me and another Japanese guy in. Later I realized that he was one of the first people to line up for every match! No wonder he was so surprised that someone he had never seen before had jumped in and nabbed his spot. We bumped into each other often at matches after that and he always made sure I knew the system. I think I could probably go up and ask him to let in the line now. Being seen at away games, even better at far away locations, helps you to earn your place behind the goal but it does take time.

These days, I know several other groups that I can join if I don't have a place in the line or I can squeeze in with if I come late to a stadium and are looking for a place.