Aussie life in Tokyo: footy by the river, cricket up the line and your people

Here's Tokyo's best-kept secret for homesick Aussies: the time zone. The grand final is a lunchtime event, not a 4 am alarm.

The short version

• The Tokyo Goannas have played Australian rules football since 1991 and train on Sundays by the Tamagawa river in Setagaya. Beginners and social members are welcome [1].
• Cricket is organised nationally by the Japan Cricket Association, whose home ground is the Sano International Cricket Ground north of Tokyo [2].
• Tokyo is only one or two hours behind Sydney and Melbourne, so live Australian sport fits into a normal day.
• The Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan runs regular networking events, and the Australian Embassy supports an alumni network for people who studied in Australia [3][4].
• Cooee Japan, our Facebook group, is the fastest way to find people to watch the footy with.

Who the Aussies in Tokyo are

There's no Little Australia in Tokyo. Aussies are spread across the city, and they tend to arrive through a few well-worn doors.

• Working holiday makers, usually in their twenties. Australia was the very first country to start a working holiday programme with Japan, in 1980 [5].
• English teachers, at schools, companies and language chains.
• Corporate transferees, often in finance, resources, law and consulting.
• Japan lovers who stayed: people who came for a ski season or a language course and are now ten years in, bilingual and running their own business.
• Mixed families, with one Japanese and one Australian partner, juggling two school systems and two sets of grandparents.

That mix is the best thing about the community. On any given Sunday at footy training you might meet a 23-year-old on a working holiday, a banker from Roppongi and a dad who's lived in Tokyo since the 1990s.

Footy: the Tokyo Goannas

Yes, there's Aussie rules in Tokyo, and the club has been at it for more than three decades. The Tokyo Goannas were established in 1991 and describe themselves as the best-known Australian sporting club in Japan [1].

What to know:

• Where: Training is on Sundays at Tamagawa Futagobashi Park in Setagaya, near Futakotamagawa Station [1]. Check the club's site or socials for the current season's times.
• Who: Training is open to anyone, Japanese or foreign, at any level of experience. The club welcomes social members as well as players [1].
• What they play: The club's calendar has included league fixtures, a Japan Cup and Asian championships [1]. Its 2026 committee includes a women's role, so ask about women's footy if that's you [1].
• Watching: The club also promotes AFL viewing get-togethers in Tokyo [1]. A pub full of Aussies yelling at a screen is exactly as good as it sounds.

Getting there is half the fun: the riverbank at Futakotamagawa is one of the prettier corners of Tokyo, and there's no shortage of places for a post-training feed.

Cricket: an hour up the line

Japan's cricket scene is small, keen and growing. The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) runs the national teams and domestic competitions, and publishes fixtures and "play cricket" information on its site [2].

The sport's home is the Sano International Cricket Ground in Sano, which the JCA was recruiting a head groundsman for in November 2026 [2]. The JCA calendar has included an Embassy Cup, held on 24 October in 2026 [2], and Japan's national team played at the 2026 Asian Games [2].

How to get involved:

1. Start with the JCA site and its play-cricket and player portal pages to find clubs and fixtures [2].
2. Ask in the community. Clubs often recruit through word of mouth, and Australians who can bat, bowl or umpire are rarely turned away.
3. Plan your Saturdays. Some matches are a train trip out of the city, so treat it as a day out.

Watching sport from home: the time zone win

Tokyo runs on Japan Standard Time, nine hours ahead of UTC, with no daylight saving. The east coast of Australia is one hour ahead of Tokyo from April to early October and two hours ahead during Australian daylight saving. Brisbane is always one hour ahead, and Perth is one hour behind.

Compare that with mates in London setting alarms for 4 am. Tokyo wins this one.

Food, comforts and the things you'll miss

Tokyo has some of the best food on earth, and you'll still crave a meat pie at some point.

• Pack the essentials. Vegemite, your favourite Tim Tams and the brand of tea you can't live without travel well in a suitcase. Imported Australian goods can be hard to find or pricey.
• Be careful with medicines. Japan restricts some common medicines, and narcotics such as codeine need a certificate [6]. Don't ask friends to post you cold and flu tablets without checking the rules first.
• Coffee is fine, actually. Tokyo takes coffee seriously, from old-school kissaten to modern specialty cafes. Hunt around and you'll find a flat white you can live with.
• Barbecues need a plan. Public parks have different rules on grills and fires. Check before you fire one up by the river.
• Learn some Japanese. Even basic phrases change how locals respond to you, and it's the difference between living in Tokyo and visiting it for a year.

Groups, networks and how to meet people

Professional networks

The Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ) has been connecting Australian, New Zealand and Japanese business since 1972 and lists more than 550 members [3]. It runs seminars, networking nights and sporting and social events. In late 2026 that included a welcome networking reception on 9 November and its year-end bonenkai at the Trunk Hotel in Shibuya on 3 December, at ¥13,500 for members and ¥15,500 for non-members [3].

Embassy connections

The Australian Embassy in Tokyo, in Mita, Minato-ku, runs an alumni initiative for graduates of Australian universities living in Japan and lists upcoming events on its site [4]. It's also where to go for passports and consular help.

Everyday Aussie life

1. Join Cooee Japan. Our Facebook group for Australians in Japan is where people post grand final screenings, flat leads, "anyone flying home with a spare suitcase?" requests and meetups.
2. Turn up to footy. Even if you never kick a ball, the Goannas' social side is a ready-made friendship group [1].
3. Say yes to the bonenkai. End-of-year parties are a big deal in Japanese working life. Go, even if you're tired.
4. Mix it up. The Aussies who seem happiest a few years in have Japanese friends, international friends and a couple of people who understand why you call it "arvo".

If you're still in the planning stage, our guide to moving to Tokyo covers visas, the ward office and your first fortnight.

Sources

1. Tokyo Goannas Australian Football Club
2. Japan Cricket Association
3. Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ)
4. Australian Embassy Tokyo
5. Working Holiday Programmes in Japan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
6. Japan travel advice – Smartraveller (DFAT)

Keep reading

• Moving to Tokyo from Australia: the complete guide
• The Japan working holiday visa and finding work in Tokyo
• Cost of living in Tokyo vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Voting from overseas: staying on the roll