Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Recommended exit songs for sports day: A collection of tracks that are perfect for a brisk, quick-march exit.

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

When is sports day season in your area?

It might often be in a cooler season, like May or October.

That said, for the children actually competing, it’s a heated battle.

Some kids might be fired up, saying, “I’m going to take first place in the 100-meter dash!”

This time, we’ll introduce recommended pieces for the exit music at a sports day.

We’ve picked a wide range—from classic staples to recent hit sports anthems and the latest chart-toppers.

We hope you find the perfect one.

Recommended exit songs for sports day: A collection of tracks that are perfect for a brisk marching exit (41–50)

Young powerShinichi Takada

“Young Power” (National Sports Festival Song) — Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band, Concert at the 2018 Gunma Prefecture Encouragement Rally for Prospective SDF Enlistees and Trainees

Young power Takada Shinichi

This is a classic sports day staple that everyone in Japan knows, created during the postwar reconstruction period.

Composed by Shinichi Takata as a sports song to enliven the National Sports Festival venues, it is notable for its bright and powerful melody.

At the second National Sports Festival held in Kanazawa in October 1947, about 4,200 sixth-grade boys and girls performed a group routine to this piece, captivating the audience.

Since then, it has been widely loved as background music for school sports days and athletic festivals across the country.

With an up-tempo beat that makes you want to run, it was also used at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Koshien High School Baseball Exchange Games.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for a march for sports days or a lively piece for group performances.

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March “Beyond the K-Point”Takahashi Shinya

March “Beyond the K-Point” — Composer: Shinya Takahashi; Performance: Tokyo Ryusei Wind Orchestra; Conductor: Takao Hatakeda

March “Beyond the K-Point”Takahashi Shinya

A passionate and powerful wind band march adds vibrant color to any sports day.

Composed by Shinya Takahashi in 1999 as a set piece for the All Japan Band Competition, this work is named after the K-point in ski jumping.

Its charm lies in a bright, lively melody interwoven with modern harmonies that create a rich, resonant sound.

You can enjoy a commanding performance of this piece on the album “All Japan Band Competition: Reference Performances of Set Pieces 1997–1999,” recorded by the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (now the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra) as a reference rendition.

From scenes of vigorous marching to the opening of the ceremony, this is a piece that shines in every moment of a sports day.

Just listening to it straightens your posture and gives you a refreshing urge to step forward—perfectly suited to the spirit of the event.

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Sports MarchMayuzumi Toshirō

Sports March / Toshiro Mayuzumi — Nippon TV sports program theme song

Sports MarchMayuzumi Toshirō

This is a march for orchestra known as a landmark masterpiece that blazed a new trail, distinguished by its powerful, dynamic melody.

Composed by Toshiro Mayuzumi in 1953 at the request of Nippon Television, the work is a wonderful piece that evokes a bright, forward-looking spirit.

Its brilliant trumpet sonorities and exhilarating rhythms lift the heart.

It has been a mainstay on Nippon Television’s sports programs, boasting a track record of use across numerous shows, including professional wrestling broadcasts, professional baseball night games, and the Hakone Ekiden.

It is truly a piece that has walked alongside the history of sports broadcasting in Japan.

It’s a perfect choice when you want to energize a school sports day or athletic event, or when you simply need a boost.

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Ultra SoulB’z

[Wind Band Hit] ultra soul / B’z

Ultra SoulB'z

It looks especially cool when the men make their entrance to this song! Some venues even use it as the entrance music for the finals in competitive swimming, so maybe the image of “battle” naturally goes with this track.

It’s a song you want to use at just the right moment.

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Decisive Battle SpiritCHiCO with HoneyWorks

Decisive Battle Spirit / CHiCO with HoneyWorks

Decisive Battle SpiritCHiCO with HoneyWorks

A hot, high-energy youth anthem, “Kessen Spirit.” It’s a song by CHiCO with HoneyWorks that was used as the ending theme for the anime Haikyu!! TO THE TOP.

Plenty of kids in elementary school and up know CHiCO with HoneyWorks, right? As you’d expect from the ending theme of a coming-of-age volleyball series, this track is sure to fire up anyone striving in sports.

Its lyrics about facing hardships will give you strength when you listen while running!

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