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

Kaikai KitanEVE

Kaikai Kitan – Eve MV

Kaikai KitanEVE

Eve’s “Kaikai Kitan,” known as the theme song for the hugely popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen, became a hit alongside the anime’s rise, reaching No.

5 on Billboard’s download chart, and its music video on YouTube has been viewed over 200 million times.

The melody line, which makes extensive use of syncopation that comes in earlier than the usual timing, gives it a sense of speed.

It’s a song that elementary school kids are sure to know, so playing it at a sports day will definitely get everyone fired up!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

FLASHPerfume

[Official Music Video] Perfume 「FLASH」

FLASHPerfume

The song, which captures the brilliance of a fleeting moment, stands out as a refreshing, exhilarating dance tune.

Featuring Perfume’s signature innovative sound and the charm of the three members, it was released as a digital single in March 2016 and included on the album COSMIC EXPLORER.

It was also used as the theme song for the film Chihayafuru.

Notably, the choreography incorporates kung fu-inspired movements.

The must-see routine, themed around stillness and motion, pairs a fast-paced tempo with a dazzling melody, making it perfect for a school sports day entrance song.

It’s also great for cheering on club activities.

Just listening to it will boost your energy, so give it a try!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Is there still anything that love can do?RADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do? [Official Music Video]

Is there still anything that love can do?RADWIMPS

It’s RADWIMPS’ “Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?”, which many people heard on music programs and in commercials as the theme song of director Makoto Shinkai’s blockbuster film Weathering with You.

Although the song has a gentle, mellow tone, it’s well-known and seems like a track everyone can get into and get excited about as BGM for events like school sports days.

Despite its philosophical-sounding title and lyrics, it’s also a refreshing, uplifting song that encourages a positive outlook.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

TRAIN-TRAINTHE BLUE HEARTS

[Official] THE BLUE HEARTS 'TRAIN-TRAIN' [3rd Single (1988/11/23)] THE BLUE HEARTS / TRAIN-TRAIN

TRAIN-TRAINTHE BLUE HEARTS

This is a work by the Japanese rock group The Blue Hearts.

It’s a song characterized by its brisk tempo.

For some reason, their music has always seemed oddly easy to relate to children.

Perhaps the teachers who choose the songs sense that quality.

Maybe it’s also selected from the standpoint of wanting them to charge straight ahead.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

GO!!!FLOW

FLOW 『GO!!!』(Music Video Short Ver.)

GO!!!FLOW

How about an upbeat, feel-good band sound? This is a smash hit from FLOW, a rock band with catchy melodies loved by people of all ages.

It’s a motivational anthem with a message: even when faced with difficulties and obstacles, keep challenging yourself.

If this is the BGM, everyone’s hype will skyrocket.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Carefully selected J-pop to hype up your sports day and athletics festival! Also great as entrance songs (111–120)

Z Legend ~The Fanfare Won’t Stop~Momoiro Kurōbā Zetto

Momoclo [LIVE] Z Legend ~The Fanfare Won’t Stop~ / from Momoiro Clover Z 10th Anniversary The Diamond Four -in Momo Kyō Dōmu-

Z Legend ~The Fanfare Won't Stop~Momoiro Kurōbā Zetto

As fanfares resound, the athletes make their entrance with burning passion in their hearts.

The perfect song to color such a scene was performed by Momoiro Clover Z.

Also featured in a Tokyo Joypolis commercial, it powerfully sings about the importance of teamwork.

Reworked after Momoka Ariyasu’s graduation in 2018, this track is included on the album “Momo mo Jū, Bancha mo Debana.” Its lyrics, depicting the courage to face difficulties and the strength of unity, are sure to give a strong boost to those taking part in sports days and athletic festivals.

It would also work well as background music for group gymnastics.

It’s a warm, encouraging song that cheers on athletes as they come together as one to perform.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Youth and a momentmakaroni enpitsu

Macaroni Enpitsu “Youth and a Moment” MV

Youth and a momentmakaroni enpitsu

A heartwarming song that captures the casual brilliance and fleeting nature of youth.

With a driving melody and sentimental lyrics, it conveys the importance of everyday moments spent with friends and the joy of watching each other grow.

It tells us that the time shared with a bored-looking friend in the classroom after school will one day become a shining memory.

Released as a digital single in March 2019, it was later included on the album “season,” released in September of the same year.

It was also featured in a McDonald’s commercial and selected as the opening theme for TV Tokyo’s Drama 24 series “I Dreamed of That Girl.” As a work that vividly portrays the passion of teammates practicing together for sports festivals and the image of young people striving to cherish each moment, it is a song we hope many students will listen to.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem