Urawa Reds Racism ?

Hi guys ,

Ive just come for a bit of advice. Me and my J girlfriend are going to our first ever J League game next week , were going to watch Urawa Reds at Saitama Stadium.

I am a little bit worried , i have been reading online about how racist the fans are supposed to be ... And talk of `Japanese Only`banners.

We are sitting in the home stands with the local supporters , i thought the atmosphere would be much better to be in and amongst the locals.

I am worried that i may be on the receiving end of some racism , considering where im going to be sat. Do any of you have any experiences of racism at a J League game? Or more specifically at a Urawa Reds game.

I am English by the way if i makes any odds.

Thanks :)

I don't know the fully story behind this - but after a very small amount of research (3 minutes) I think this was probably something done by some ideas that don't know any better.

Most Japanese are very hospitable, but there are always those 'outliers' in every culture. This does not just happen in Japan. The same has happened in Australia a few years ago.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-25/goodes-gutted-but-places-no-blam...

In Australia, it was a 13 YO girl and it was national news for around a week. In Japan, it made international headlines and the team decided to play to an empty stadium as punishment for it's fans (who would have been a very small number of them).

Could something happen? Yes - but I don't think so. Some of my friends went to a J-League game last year and had no problems, but it was in Yokohama.

Enjoy the soccer - I love the chanting which is more on song than most countries I have visited.....

mfedly
The Australian team played to an empty stadium- that is not correct. The girl was publicly humiliated and apologised. Her club also apologised to the abused player. She received counselling and everyone moved on.
Being amongst a crowd of passionate supporters can be very enjoyable. If you happen to have a bad experience, it is not the norm. Enjoy the game.

The limited number of Reds fans are quite violent but they are banned to enter all Reds games by the organizer.
So I'm sure you won't get involve in a fighting there.
Do not participate any violent action if it happens, just leave there. You will be arrested quite easily.

Apologies for not being clearer - the Japanese team mentioned above played to an empty stadium.

I also agree that the media went on a bit of a witch hunt (in Australia) but as I don't live in Australia anymore I only get a limited taste of what happens...

Those who put up that banner are banned from all Reds games, the general public in Japan seemed very upset and ashamed when that incident was reported, and those involved in the banner themselves claim that they didn't mean it to be racism.

I am no soccer fan, but a big concert-goer, and I feel that things go well when you try to great the people around your seat and have a chat as you enter the stadium.

Crowds can be enjoyable and scary at the same time. When you get to know each other, it gets fun. But when you feel that they are strangers, they become something annoying to you.

Try to wear the right shirts and follow the crowd when you cheer. It's not that the supporters don't like foreigners, but they seem to honor unification and uniformity, hopefully in a good way. Fortunately, so far we haven't had real "hooligans" in Japanese stadiums.

Enjoy the game!

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B5%A6%E5%92%8C%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%8...

Thank you all! :)

You have made me feel a bit better. I just want this to be an enjoyable experience for both me and my girlfriend , not something that we regret doing! I will be buying a reds shirt which should score me some kudos hopefully :D

Don't worry about it. I have been many times at Saitama Stadium, last time in 2014 a few months after the incident.
I always go there alone and never had any trouble; in any case just avoid trying to get a seat in the North side stand, because, you just can't seat there, you have to stand, -it's the home side ultras- so they are chanting and standing/jumping the whole match.
And that's all, perfectly safe, it's Japan after all, not Argentinian football (I'm argentinian, that's why)
And enjoy the game.