Super Bowl in Japan?

American professional American football "NFL" which boasts a history of 52 years. The final match "Super Bowl", which determines the top of all 32 teams, is held in February every year, and it has become a popular sports event in the United States, attracting more than 50% viewer ratings.

Actually, I've lived in the United States and watched the Super Bowl at a local sports bar. It was impressive that all the customers in the shop were excited and worried about each play, and they were cheering for their favorite team from the bottom of their hearts as if they were themselves. In America, sports are a part of people's lives, and we talk about "Yesterday's game was amazing!" and "That player played well." in schools and companies every day.

Super Bowl is popular in the US every year, but I was wondering how popular it is in Japan, so this time I went to "KITSUNE" in Shibuya for an undercover interview!

NFL official live viewing event

KITSUNE performs live public viewing of the Super Bowl every year and is the only official event officially recognized by the NFL in Japan. Even though it was a Monday morning, more than 300 American football fans gathered every year, and the restaurant was very lively with enthusiastic cheering of fans from the morning, so I also participated!

On the day of the event, the doors opened at 7:30 AM (8:30 KICKOFF), so I arrived in front of the store at 7:30. At first, I had an image that there was a long line in front of the restaurant, but I was able to get in unexpectedly quickly!

What surprised me when I entered the store was that there were already many customers. By 7:35, all the seats were occupied and about 200 people were waiting for the game to start. Customers who made a reservation in advance were allowed to enter preferentially, so they opened the hall early to let in customers.

This time for 2000 yen, all you can drink until the end of the game, and food such as fried chicken and French fries was prepared separately! There was a line in front of the bar counter on the main floor, and everyone was drinking and waiting for the game to start!

Around 8 o'clock, the number of customers increased one after another, and the restaurant was filled to the point where there was no space to walk before the game started! There were 3 screens and 10 monitors in the store, but every area was full of customers in front of the screen! The most popular area was the main floor with KITSUNE's famous island counter, where many supporters gathered in front of the large screen! The main floor was the best place to hear the live music, so if you want to enjoy the lively atmosphere with everyone, I recommend the screen in front of the main floor!

In KITSUNE, it is good that you can enjoy various watching styles such as private room, sitting and standing bar counter. It is a space where everyone can enjoy watching sports in their ideal style. There was also a private room with a spacious monitor for smokers inside, and I felt that it was a particular space that was made with the expectation that various customers would come.

KICK OFF at 8:30!!

This year's Super Bowl was a battle between last year's champions, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. I had an image that KITSUNE had many supporters from both teams and the number of supporters was about half. I thought there were many foreign guests, but most of them were Japanese, so I was surprised at that point! There were also many female customers!

The Eagles scored the first goal in the field and scored the first goal. The Patriots scored a goal soon after that, and both teams didn't give up even a single step in the first half. Customers were excited every time they played, and when the team they were supporting played well, they cheered and applauded, and when they were beaten by the opponent, they heard screams and sighs, and it was as if they were watching the game on site!

There were a lot of big plays in this year's Super Bowl, and it was good that there were a lot of exciting scenes! Patriots QB Tom Brady's catch mistake from a trick play was the most exciting one in the first half (laughs). In American football, there is a time between one play and the next, so it's good to enjoy the afterglow of each play! I think it's a really fun game to watch the players talk about their impressions and get nervous before going to the next game! If you have never watched football, I recommend you to go to a sports bar.

Must see every year! half-time show

The first half ended quickly, with the 22 -12 Eagles leading at the start of the warmtime. In the first half, the situation was so tense that I couldn't breathe, and maybe because I couldn't leave my seat, everyone went to the bathroom and had another drink at this timing. But the next biggest event after the Super Bowl is the half-time show. This year, American pop superstar Justin Timberlake will perform, and you'll be right back in front of the screen. Justin Timberlake was at the Super Bowl halftime show back in 2004, when he was involved with Janet Jackson.

When the performance started, the audience was glued to the screen and gazed at it! The collaboration with the late Prince and the showy performance of the last song "Can't stop the feeling" was very exciting!

Match Finished! It is a memorable historical battle!!

The halftime show is over and the game goes into the second half. The Patriots, who were on the back foot at the end of the first half, scored a touchdown early in the second half, closing the gap to three goals! This area is really the power of the king!

After that, the match continued to be seesaw, and once one side turned the game around, the other side turned the game around again. The cheers of the audience got bigger from the first half, and the excitement reached its climax! The best part of watching a game at a sports bar is that you can cheer your favorite team with other customers. This time again, the audience who came to watch the game alone and the other audience were cheering while talking together, and the group and the group were mixed together and they were cheering together. It was a space with a sense of unity as a single sports fan.

The game came to a close, with the Eagles leading by five goals in two minutes. The Patriots ’ offensive turn, which could turn the game around if a touchdown was scored, showed the biggest play of the game. Just as the Patriots QB Tom Brady was about to throw the ball, the Eagles' defense tackled Brady! At the same time, they made a funnel-recovery, and the offensive power was transferred to the Eagles! As a result, the Eagles scored a field goal, eight points behind. The Patriots had a chance to equalise with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but they didn't have enough time and failed to pass the last play. At this moment, the first victory of the Eagles was decided!

After the last one play, we were surrounded by the best cheers of the day! I felt that the attraction of a sports bar was also the fact that there were some customers who exchanged high fives with each other and some customers who were crying, which I could not feel without being here!

Join the watching event

Before I participated in the event, I was wondering if it would really attract customers because of the time of the game starting at 8:30 on Monday morning and the fact that the NFL is not well known in Japan. Even if we get together, I thought it would not have the same atmosphere as the real America, but I experienced firsthand that my assumption was wrong by actually participating in it!

In fact, the demand for watching the Super Bowl was so high that about 500 people came to one store, and all the visitors were core people, so they really came to support the team. The atmosphere in the restaurant was as lively as when I watched it at an American sports bar, and I enjoyed it very much. I think football is a very enjoyable sport to watch because the play is loud and the rules are simple! I especially recommend watching the Super Bowl game at the store!

At KITSUNE, you can watch Japanese national soccer team matches, professional baseball and other sports all the time! It is a perfect place to watch sports because it has full monitor and sound equipment, and you can enjoy it in various watching styles! If you have a sports game you want to watch, why don't you come and see it?

Store Overview

Shop name: dining & bar KITSUNE
Address: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Higashi 2 -20 -13 Chatley Shibuya Building B1F
Access: Shibuya Station (JR) Shin-South Exit/7 minute walk
Ebisu Station (JR)/8 minute walk

Business hours: Monday - Thursday - Sunday 18: 00 - Next 3: 00
Fri, Sat, Holiday from 18: 00 to 5: 00
TEL: 03-5766-5911
Homepage: http://kitsune-web.jp/
Monitors: 3 x 120 ” screen
10 x 40 inch LCD monitors
Number of seats: 220 (Up to 500 people including standing)
Watching style: private room, fun with everyone, all-you-can-drink, course, events