At A Glance: American Football In Japan, USA Style

Posted on 04/16/2021 Last updated on 05/31/2021

Are you living in Japan? Do you like American football? If you’re interested in a home-away-from-home event, then the Tomodachi Bowl is perfect for those who love the game as well as those who are simply homesick.

The Tomodachi Bowl is played yearly in Japan on one of the many American military bases. The event consists of American high school students from the bases in Tokyo and their counterparts from Japanese high schools in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The Tomodachi Bowl has its roots in an event called the Global Challenge Bowl, which was played in March 2008 and 2009 at Kawasaki Stadium. It featured Japanese U-19 collegiate players against high school-aged players from 10 states. Japan won both games.

Originally called the the Camellia Bowl, the game’s name was changed after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster. The Tomodachi Bowl commemorates the partnership between the U.S. and Japanese militaries during Operation Tomodachi, the effort to help put the Tohoku region back on its feet in the wake of the terrible tragedy.

Although it tends to be a somewhat lopsided event, with Team USA being unbeaten in games played on U.S. bases, it’s all in the spirit of fun, and a great event for families. Many Japanese high school students as well as college players feel it’s an honor and a litmus test for them to go up against Americans.

As Coach David Stant, Team Rising Sun of Hawaii said, “it may be the first and last time for them to play somebody from America, to see where they rank against those from the country that invented the game.

Ultimately, the Tomodachi Bowl is about having fun and stands as a symbol of the everlasting friendship between Japan and the US. It’s also a great event to watch, with edge-of-your-seat excitement and, for some, a nostalgic taste of home.

Photo Credits:

Top photo: Dave Adamson on Unsplash

The author wishes to extend thanks to Dave Ornauer (Stars and Stripes, 2016) for information used in this article.