A Baseball Outing

Last Friday, my husband and I went to watch our first baseball game since Covid-19 began. This makes it sound like we regularly went to games before Covid-19, and we didn't. We actually have not been to a game in six years. This was only my second Japanese baseball game, the first one being seven years ago, also in Tokyo.  

I can't tell you how to get tickets because my husband got them. It is a somewhat complicated process involving different dates and different seating areas for different membership tiers, including the free membership which is what we got to buy the tickets. Last Friday's game was between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Hiroshima Toyo Carp. The Swallows won the Japan Series last year, so they have been popular, and the stadium was nearly full. Since we bought the tickets on the first day they became available for our membership tier, we were still able to get great seats. 

A perfectly balmy evening for a baseball game. 

Baseball is just as popular, if not more so, in Japan as it is in the U.S. In the U.S., I've been to a few Mets games and a few White Sox games. There are lots of similarities between baseball here and there, but some differences as well. The most notable differences:

The Seats

The Meiji Jingu Stadium is old, dating back to 1926. Apparently it is one of the few standing professional stadiums, along with Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, that existed when Babe Ruth played. 

Perhaps because of its age, the stadium seats are narrow and small for just about anyone. Our friend J is tall and mostly sat with his legs together. He savored the minutes when his seat mates were getting food and drinks. While the seating is not luxurious, I didn't mind it. Our neighbors were respectful about keeping to their own space. Despite there being no government mandate for mask wearing outdoors, the majority wore masks. Everyone cleaned up after themselves (People say this is a Japanese phenomenon, and I have to say, I don't understand why this is phenomenon. It should be common sense.) and kept their rubbish in their own space.

The Food

The food is similar to its American counterpart, though there is more variety. It is definitely not healthy, but you can buy edamame, which is considered a good beer snack. You can easily buy food at grocery stores or convenience stores nearby and bring them with you into the stadium. Stadium food is reasonably priced, but outside food is still less expensive. 

Concession stands sell hot dogs, fried noodles, yakitori, fried chicken, etc. Let me show you some of the things we ate: 

Different types of bentos boxes. 

Takoyaki (grilled squid balls) with scallions and chili sauce. 

Pineapple shaved ice. 

A concession stand selling Chinese food. 

Three cheese french fries and a Kirin beer. 

Curry...with imprinted cheese. 

The Volume

The final major difference I noticed is the noise level at Japanese baseball games. I don't know what it is about sporting events in America, but the noise is deafeningly loud. The speakers blast music, and then people have to shout over the speakers to converse with each other. And then you have to buy baby earmuffs to prevent damage to your kid's ears. While there are also chants and cheers here, I found that I could talk at a normal volume and hear what my seat mates were saying. 

It's the same game around the world, but the experience of watching baseball is definitely unique in Japan. Even though I don't know anything about baseball (I mostly follow what is happening based on crowd cues), I had a great time. I would even say that it was more fun to watch baseball in Japan than in the U.S. as someone who is not a big baseball fan. The environment was more relaxed. After all, there was so much to enjoy - the food, the company, and the beautiful spring evening.