Japanese train station decked out in support of Wales national rugby team

A Japanese train station has been redecorated in anticipation of an upcoming match between the Japan and Wales national rugby teams.

The forthcoming “Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025” rugby match, which will see the national teams of Japan and Wales compete at Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu, affectionately known as Mikusta, on Saturday, July 5th 2025.

In anticipation of the match, JR Kokura Station has been fitted out with decorations promoting the match, creating an enthusiastic and supportive atmosphere for the upcoming sporting event.

The decorations currently displayed throughout JR Kokura Station are scheduled to remain in place until the day of the highly anticipated test match on July 5th 2025.

JR Kokura station has been decorated with red and white banners and signs in anticipation of the Japan vs Wales game.

These visual displays are intended to amplify the excitement and heighten the mood of rugby enthusiasts traveling from various parts of the country as they make their way to the match venue.

The city of Kitakyushu hope that all who visit can experience the sense of anticipation building up for this significant international rugby encounter.

Among the array of decorations, the most immediately noticeable and impactful are the banners that include the words “Welcome Home Wales”, extending a heartfelt greeting to the visiting Welsh rugby team, and the eye-catching bright red wall decorations, symbolizing support and adding a vibrant splash of color to the station environment.

Large banners welcoming Wales back to Kitakyushu have been installed in Kokura station

Beyond the general support for the Japanese national team in this international fixture, the city of Kitakyushu holds a particularly special affinity for the Welsh team, providing a unique reason for their enthusiastic backing.

This special connection stems from the year 2019, when the Welsh national rugby team chose Kitakyushu City as the location for their pre-tournament training camp in preparation for the Rugby World Cup held in Japan.

During this pre-camp period, the Welsh team actively engaged with the local community and interacted with elementary school students through a variety of thoughtfully organized programs, fostering a strong bond and leaving a lasting positive impression on the residents of Kitakyushu.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup saw the Wales team visit schools in Kitakyushu

A particularly memorable event during the 2019 pre-camp was an open training session held at Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu, which drew a remarkable crowd of 15,300 people, completely filling the stadium.

As the Welsh players emerged onto the field to commence their training activities, the assembled crowd surprised the team by spontaneously singing the Welsh national anthem, “Land of My Fathers,” and the hymn “Calon Lan” as a gesture of welcome, an act that deeply moved and surprised the visiting players.

During previous Welsh games in Kitakyushu, the team was well supported by locals

Following this display of local support, a public viewing event was swiftly organized in Kitakyushu to further rally behind the Wales national team as they successfully navigated their way through the Rugby World Cup, ultimately advancing to the final round of the prestigious tournament.

From Kitakyushu, the local populace keenly followed the progress and every move of the Wales national team, sending them enthusiastic cheers and messages of support, culminating in Wales achieving a commendable fourth-place finish in the global competition.

Artwork promoting the upcoming rugby game has also been installed on the stations stairs

Now, six years since those memorable events and the forging of that special connection, the people of Kitakyushu are filled with excitement and anticipation for the return of the Wales national team to their city.

In the lead-up to the test match scheduled for July 5th, a variety of engaging events are currently being planned to further build the atmosphere and celebrate the reunion between the city and the Welsh rugby team.

Further information regarding the specific details of these upcoming events and the schedule for ticket sales for the “Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025” match between Japan and Wales will be announced in due course through official channels, including the Kitakyushu City website and the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Kitakyushu Sports Commission.

Rugby fans and interested individuals are encouraged to regularly check those platforms for the latest updates and announcements.

Sources: PR Times