I love live sports. Not only do I love watching professional athletes perform at the highest level, but I can’t get enough of the unique atmosphere and experience that comes along with it. I have watched a lot of sports in my lifetime, but without a doubt, one of my favourite experiences has been Japanese professional baseball! We were lucky enough to watch a baseball game during both of our visits to Japan. Below is a guide of what to expect and why it you must see a pro baseball game in Japan!
The Experience
First of all, a Japanese professional baseball game is more than just a game. It’s an experience! At each game we attended, we were treated to a barrage of sights, smells and sounds from the moment we reached the stadium until the final out of the game. The customs that accompany the game itself make the experience truly unique! Japanese baseball fans know how to make the most of a game through an overindulgence of food, constant songs and chants with carefully choreographed moves, and a stadium-wide synchronized release of balloons. If this sounds confusing, read on. I’ll explain more below.
The League
The highest level of baseball in Japan is the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Similar to Major League Baseball in North America, the season starts in late March or early April, and ends in October. There are twelve franchises, with teams located all over the country. Most of the players are Japanese, with a few foreigners filling each roster. In comparison to Major League Baseball, I found the Japanese games to be just as exciting or even more so. The players are very fast, making in-field base hits a real possibility!
How to Get Tickets
Tickets can be obtained at the stadium or online. The first time we were in Japan, we bought tickets in Hiroshima a day in advance at the Mazda Zoom Zoom stadium. Despite the game being sold out, we got really lucky when a team representative in a suit approached us. He asked us to wait patiently and left for about 20 minutes. When he returned, he had two tickets in hand for us to see the Hiroshima Carp take on the Hanshin Tigers!
During our second visit in Japan, we asked the concierge at our hotel to help us get tickets online, as the ticket website is entirely in Japanese. The only problem he encountered was that the system would not accept names with English characters. Therefore, he wisely created a Japanese name for Shaleen! Everything worked and we picked up our tickets at the stadium, featuring the Chiba Lotte Marines vs. the Rakuten Eagles.
Before the Game
To experience a Japanese baseball game like the locals do, you need to stock up on food. The game is as much about eating, drinking, singing and chanting as it is about the actual events on the field.
Most local fans stop at a local variety store near the stadium to grab a bunch of food and drinks. In fact, we waited in a line that zigzagged through the Family Mart aisles for almost twenty minutes to buy our snacks.
There does not seem to be any restrictions on what you can bring in. In Hiroshima, alcoholic beverages needed to be poured into plastic cups before entering, while in Chiba, we could bring in cans.
Food, food, and more food
Outside the stadium, most of the fans (the majority dressed in team uniform) begin the festivities by scarfing down some street food from one of many vendors set up outside the park.
These aren’t your typical ballpark hot dog vendors you would find in North America either. These hawker stalls sell all kinds of foods. It almost feels like a street food festival relocated outside the stadium! We enjoyed some of the most mouthwatering kobe beef we’ve ever had from one of these stalls in Chiba!
The barrage of food options doesn’t end outside! Inside the stadium, there is no shortage of food options either. If something captures your attention, my recommendation would be to buy it early, as many popular items sell out by the midpoint of the game!
Eat, eat, and eat some more
The Japanese fans love to eat. From the time the first pitch is thrown, most fans will have already dug in to the food they brought with them. When that food is finished, they will buy more food from one of the ballpark vendors. Many will also wash down their delicious snacks with some draft beer, served by one of the many women wearing a keg as a backpack!
When they feel satiated, the fans will ensure that not a single piece of garbage is left near their seats. At the end of the game, the stadium is spotless!
Inflatable Balloons
Both inside and outside the stadium, packages of inflatable balloons are sold. The first time we attended a game, we had no idea why everybody was buying them. That is, until the 7th inning stretch. At Major League Baseball games in North America, fans sing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” in the break between the top and bottom of the 7th inning. In Japan, the fans also sing a team song in unison, but at a specific moment of the song, they all release their balloons in the air! This leads to thousands of balloons flying around the stadium at the same time. It is quite a sight to see!
Just like the food debris, fans dispose of all the balloons in a waste bin, leaving no garbage anywhere after the game! When we went to the Chiba Lotte Mariners game, we knew the drill and purchased the balloons at the official merchandise store prior to the game.
Songs, chants and orchestras
Songs and chants are a big part of the fun at a Japanese baseball game. There are team songs and chants, as well as an individual song for every player on every team! The songs are led by fans in a designated supporter section, complete with a full orchestra! However, since Japan is a fairly small country with an efficient bullet train system, there is always a large contingent of fans supporting the visiting team at each game.
Therefore, they are also provided a supporter section. In true Japanese fashion, these two rival supporter sections are completely respectful of each other. When the team they support is up to bat, they enthusiastically sing their songs without any inference of the other supporter section. In fact, they sit quietly and wait their turn! It is definitely a drastic contrast to the behaviour of fans at football matches! A pamphlet with lyrics to all the players’ songs can be picked up in the stadium, but they are all in Japanese, of course.
The bottom line
If you love watching live sports as much as I do, you must watch a pro Japanese baseball game! Heck, even if you don’t love live sports, watching a game will allow you a chance to witness true, local Japanese culture for a few hours! Be sure to load up on snacks, pick up your balloons and prepare for a unique and fun sporting event!
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