Editing Sports in Japan (section)

== School and sport ==
[[File:Hanshin Koshien Stadium 2007-21.jpg|thumb|right|[[National High School Baseball Championship]] at [[Koshien Stadium]]]]
There are opportunities to play various sports for all ages, and school plays an important role in community. Kindergarten and lower elementary school students can play in a private sport club that can be joined for a moderate fee. Most martial arts can be started as little as 5 to 6 years old. When a student starts 5th grade, school offers free after-school activities for its students to participate. Middle and high schools also encourage their students to join school sport clubs.

Prefectural and national-wide level contests and tournaments are held every winter and summer for all sports. Some of the tournaments, such as [[National High School Baseball Championship]], have a very high level of popularity among fans, comparable to professional sports.