The new J. League season kicked off with Kawasaki Frontale surviving a strong fight back by Albirex Niigata and defending champions Kashima Antlers again looking very much the part with victory over Urawa Reds. Omiya Ardija's resounding win over Cerezo Osaka lifted the other Saitama club to the top of the table after the first round of games. Nagoya Grampus continued their winning streak against Gamba Osaka – now four in a row in the league – and 2009 J2 champions Vegalta Sendai made the perfect start on their return to J1 with the season's very first goal and victory at Jubilo Iwata.

Kawasaki Frontale could not have asked for a better start, or even first half, under new manager Tsutomu Takahata in their league opener at home to Albirex Niigata, taking just 28 seconds to go ahead. Niigata keeper Takaya Kurokawa parried the first shot of the game by Masaru Kurotsu but Renatinho made no mistake in controlling and then rifling the rebound into the top right hand corner of the net. Kurotsu made it two when Junichi Inamoto, the new linchpin of rear midfield, intercepted a Niigata pass, surged forward and laid the ball through. Kawasaki's other new signing, Takanobu Komiyama, was also fitting in smoothly on the left. The absence of injured Juninho and Kengo Nakamura hardly seemed to matter as Kawasaki looked to be heading for a big win.

New Niigata manager Hisashi Kurosaki was working from a different script. Niigata took the game to Kawasaki in the second half. Kazuhiko Chiba, Cho Young Cheol and Hideo Oshima all went close and forced a series of excellent saves from Eiji Kawashima. Niigata now played with plenty of movement and received their just reward when Jun Uchida broke down the right and Cho finished with a coolly placed shot. Niigata kept on attacking in the same vein to the finish, and the visiting fans at least matched the noise of the home crowd in the packed stadium, but Kawasaki held on for the 2-1 win.

2009 champions Kashima Antlers made no mistake in their opener with a 2-0 victory at home to Urawa Reds. Mitsuo Ogasawara crossed and Shinzo Koroki slid in ahead of Keisuke Tsuboi to put Kashima ahead in only the fifth minute. Marquinhos wrapped things up with his 99th J. League goal, a header at a cross from Yasushi Endo, five minutes from the end. In between, Marquinhos rattled the Urawa woodwork twice and Kashima keeper Hitoshi Sogahata pushed a shot from new Urawa signing Yosuke Kashiwagi onto the bar. It was the fourth time out of four that Kashima had beaten Urawa on the opening day, the other times being in 2003, 2005 and 2009.

New look Nagoya Grampus extended their winning streak against Gamba Osaka with a 2-1 victory at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium in Osaka. Nagoya fielded a 4-3-3 formation featuring new signings Tulio in defence and Mu Kanazaki on the right of the three man front line. Sturdy midfielder Danilson also had an impact after coming on in the second half. Nagoya went ahead in the 14th minute when Keiji Tamada laid the ball wide to Kanazaki, Kanazaki crossed high for Josh Kennedy to nod back at the far post and Tamada finished with a lunging left-footed volley at close range. Takahiro Futagawa levelled with a pile driver from just outside the box but Nagoya had the last word when Kanazaki robbed Yasuhito Endo close to goal and Kennedy finished.

Division Two champions Vegalta Sendai, returning to J1 after six years in Division Two, lost no time in scoring the first goal of the new season in the first minute of their early kick-off at Jubilo Iwata. Sendai's North Korean captain Ryang Yong Gi received the pass from Yuki Nakajima and netted from five yards out, quickly conjuring up painful memories of Iwata's 6-2 home loss to Montedio Yamagata on the opening day last year. This time, however, the scoring stopped there and the single goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win for the visitors. Iwata were missing 2009 J. League top scorer Ryoichi Maeda, still not quite recovered from a torn thigh muscle, but fielded their two new South Korea defenders, Lee Gang Jin and Park Joo Ho, as well as Lee Keun Ho in attack alongside another new signing, Tomoyuki Arata from Mito Hollyhock.

Shonan Bellmare, back in J1 for the first time since 1999, were next off the mark with the second goal of the new season at home to Montedio Yamagata but in the end had to settle for a 1-1 draw after conceding an own goal shortly before half time. Brazilian defender Jean hit the target for Shonan in the 19th minute on the rebound from Koji Sakamoto's shot. Shonan featured new signings Kenji Baba and Tatsunori Arai either side of Yutaka Tahara in their three man front line. Yuzo Tashiro, on loan from Kashima, started alongside Yu Hasegawa in the Yamagata attack and loaned Kashima teammate Chikashi Masuda also came on at the finish.

FC Tokyo defeated Yokohama F-Marinos 1-0 in an unusual J1 match that featured no foreign players until Yokohama's new Argentine signing Pablo Bastianini came on in the second minute of time added on. That was a minute after counterattacking Naohiro Ishikawa had dribbled from the halfway line and found Sota Hirayama in the perfect position to fire in the only goal of the game. Former Japan striker Kazushi "Mr. Marinos" Kimura was in charge for his first league match as manager at his old club. Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku brought new signings Masato Morishige and Toshihiro Matsushita straight into the team.

The goals came at either end of the 1-1 draw between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shimizu S-Pulse. Hisato Sato put Hiroshima in front from the penalty spot but Shimizu S-Pulse, featuring new signings Eddy Bosnar in defence and Shinji Ono in midfield, hit back in the third minute of time added on. Young Shimizu striker Genki Omae came on for his third J. League game in the 81st minute and headed in his first ever league goal at a Jungo Fujimoto free kick. Newly arrived Shusaku Nishikawa made his first appearance for Hiroshima in goal and Satoru Yamagishi started in right midfield.

In Sunday's action, Omiya Ardija made a dream start with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Cerezo Osaka. Hayato Hashimoto opened the scoring directly from a corner kick in the 14th minute and Naoki Ishihara added the second moments before half time. Rafael made it three with eight minutes left on the clock. The Omiya defence featured new signings Kazuhiro Murakami, Yuki Fukaya and Arata Sugiyama alongside last year's anchorman, Mato Neretljak, and there was also Ahn Yong-hak in midfield. It was a disappointing start for the even more revamped Cerezo, though, who fielded new signings Taikai Uemoto, Teruyuki Moniwa, Daisuke Takahashi, Adriano, Amaral and, as sub, Ryuji Bando.

Popo, just arrived from Kashiwa Reysol, was the hero in his first league match for Vissel Kobe with goals either side of half time in the 2-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga, the first of many Kansai derbies this season. Edmilson, acquired from Oita Trinita, also took up his new position in the Kobe midfield. Kobe captain Yoshito Okubo started on the bench with a sore left knee but came on for Popo midway through the second half. South Korea defender Kwak Tae-Hwi came straight into the Kyoto side along with Thiego and returning Shingo Suzuki.

Note: The J. League has changed its recording practice for match times this season. Times are now rounded up, not down, to the nearest minute. Accordingly, a goal scored 30 seconds into the game is now shown as 1', not 0' as in the past, and a goal scored in the ninetieth minute of normal time is now shown as 90', not 89'. Time added on is also now shown. The time of a goal scored in the second minute of time added on in the first half becomes 45+2', not 44', and so on. Records from past seasons will not be adjusted.