Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Carefully selected J-pop to liven up sports days and athletic festivals! Also great as entrance songs.

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.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

Music is essential for staging a successful sports day or school athletics festival.

You might find yourself thinking, “I want to pick songs that will hype up this once-a-year sports celebration!” or “What tracks will boost participants’ motivation and get the audience excited too?”

In this article, we’ve gathered the perfect songs for background music and entrance scenes at sports days and athletics festivals.

From tracks that fire you up to songs that gently encourage, you’ll find plenty of pieces that work in all kinds of moments.

Let moving music set the stage for an unforgettable event.

Carefully selected J‑Pop to amp up your sports day and athletic festival! Also great as entrance songs (91–100)

superstarKetsumeishi

Ketsumeishi “Superstar”

superstarKetsumeishi

This song celebrates recognizing the potential and talent hidden within yourself and letting them shine.

Its empowering message—that everyone has a unique brilliance—blends beautifully with the pop sound.

Ketsumeishi’s positive lyrics and catchy melody carry a warm, gentle push for listeners.

Released in November 2020, it was chosen as the theme song for the TV Asahi anime Crayon Shin-chan.

The music video, filmed in India, also captures the song’s bright and uplifting worldview.

It’s a perfect fit as a cheer song for school events like sports festivals, and for anyone seeking encouragement to discover their true self.

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Fukuwarai (a traditional Japanese “lucky laugh” face-making game)Takahashi Yuu

Yu Takahashi - Fukuwarai

Fukuwarai (a traditional Japanese “lucky laugh” face-making game)Takahashi Yuu

Watch “Fukuwarai (a traditional Japanese ‘lucky laugh’ face-making game) Takahashi Yuu” on YouTube

This is a motivational song sung by Yu Takahashi, a musician whose powerful voice and emotionally overflowing performances have won support across generations by uplifting listeners’ hearts.

It’s a classic that teaches the importance of keeping a smile.

Perfect for the climax of a school sports day or athletic festival.

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Carefully selected J-pop songs to hype up sports days and athletic festivals! Also great as entrance music (101–110)

Dancing FighterAwesome City Club

Awesome City Club – Dancing Fighter (Music Video)

Dancing FighterAwesome City Club

How about some upbeat four-on-the-floor music? It’s a track by Awesome City Club, a five-member band with both men and women.

It was released in 2018.

The positive lyrics are moving, and you’ll feel like cheering them on while dancing to the beat.

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Liberated zoneASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION 'Liberated Zone'

Liberated zoneASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

A fiery number by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION that sings of a strong longing for freedom.

Featured on the double A-side single “Dororo/Kaihōku,” released in May 2019, this track was also chosen as the official support song for Fujieda MYFC.

Set against the loneliness and alienation of modern society, its lyrics portray a thirst for liberation that truly resonates.

The melodic, powerful band sound helps push you out of that sense of stagnation.

Give it a listen when you want to blow away the haze of everyday life—it’s sure to strike a chord with teens and twenty-somethings in the midst of their youth.

It’s also a perfect closer for a live show!

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Bling-Bang-Bang-BornCreepy Nuts

Creepy Nuts “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” × TV Anime “MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES” Collaboration Music Video #BBBB Dance

Bling-Bang-Bang-BornCreepy Nuts

An upbeat tune by Creepy Nuts that sings about the importance of shining as your true self.

It was released in January 2024.

Used as the opening theme for the anime “MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES,” it matches the show’s dynamic worldview.

The lyrics are distinctly Creepy Nuts—energetic and free-spirited.

It has gained international attention, ranking 8th on the Billboard Global 200 for the week.

It’s also been spreading widely on social media like TikTok.

It would work well as an entrance song for school sports days and athletic festivals, too.

With a message celebrating self-affirmation and the spirit of challenge like this track, it’s sure to give everyone a boost!

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Follow MeE-girls

E-Girls / Follow Me ～Short Version～

Follow MeE-girls

Perhaps because the electronic sounds and cute vocals blend together perfectly, just listening to it makes you feel happy.

It’s a song by the popular dance-vocal group E-girls, released as their third single in 2012.

It gained attention after being used in commercials for Samantha Thavasa.

The lyrics are truly wonderful, expressing that meeting someone special made it possible to find hope for tomorrow.

Sports days and athletic festivals are events where you work hard together with your teammates, so this is a perfectly fitting, positive song, don’t you think?

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heartbeat soundMiura Daichi

heartbeat sound

heartbeat soundMiura Daichi

Centered on the sound of athletes’ heartbeats, this song is the official cheer anthem for TEAM JAPAN at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Daichi Miura’s powerful vocals and beats resonate with the athletes’ racing hearts, moving everyone who listens.

Released digitally in July 2024, the track expresses the effort built second by second over a lifetime and the challenges that lie ahead.

Fencer Kazuyasu Minobe and gymnast Daiki Hashimoto have both said it’s a great source of encouragement.

It’s the perfect song for anyone about to take a step toward a new challenge—one that will surely give you a push forward.

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