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Published: March 24th 2008
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Waiting to Start
Ready to start the game... On my second day in Tokyo, me and Michael went to watch a baseball game between the Hanshin Tigers and the Tokyo Giants. I was really excited because I had never been to a baseball game before, and now I was going to one in Japan! The Hanshin Tigers are the team from the Osaka area, so of course we had to cheer for them!
The Tokyo Dome was right down the street from our hostel, so me and Michael just had to take a short walk to get there. Ryan wasn't really interested in baseball and had wanted to do some more sightseeing, so he didn't come to the game with us. As we approached the dome, I saw that there was a large amusement area called the Tokyo Dome City. It was really cool because there was a ferris wheel and even an actual roller coaster beside the dome. There were little stores, souvenir vendors, and other things to do outside the dome. Since we had arrived a couple of hours before game time, we walked all around the area outside of the dome. I even bought a Hanshin Tigers cap so I could officially be a fan!
To the Dome...
Walking down the street towards the Tokyo Dome lol. I noticed that there were a lot of little boys baseball teams going to the game. They would all come dressed up in their uniforms with their coaches, and I thought it was very cute. I was also surprised, and also relieved, to see that there were actually a lot of Hanshin Tigers fans. We were worried that we would be surrounded by Giants fans and be the only ones cheering. But it seemed like the number of fans for each team were relatively even.
Some people got really dressed up too! Nearly everyone had something to cheer with or was wearing clothes with the team's name on it. There were noisemakers, shirts, jerseys, caps, and just about everything you can think of. So yes, Japanese people take their baseball very seriously and enjoy dressing up for the games!
After looking around the stadium for awhile, we found our seats, which weren't bad at all! We were pretty close to the field to the left side of home plate in the area where all the fly balls go to. It was interesting though that the stadium was divided by cheering sections. On our half was mainly Tigers
Finally There
After about 10 minutes of walking we saw the dome ahead. fans and the other half was mostly Giants fans. Then in the seats behind the outfield was the crazy cheering section. Each side had a pep band that would play cheers and everyone would chant along. There were people waving flags and just going crazy. It was so much fun having a pep band, and they played the entire time...almost non-stop! So it definitely kept the game interesting. One thing I found strange, though, was that even though there was the crazy cheering section leading chants and cheers, the rest of the people weren't very vocal. They had little clappers and noisemakers that they would use to follow along with the cheers and they would say the chants, but there was no real cheering or yelling. I just thought that since everyone was all dressed up in their team apparel that they took baseball very seriously and would be a lot more involved in the game. So I was surprised that they were't more vocal. Oh and one interesting part was when the YMCA came on...people were doing all the motions from their seat and using their clappers, but of course they just sat there quietly. I thought it was
Tokyo Dome
The entrance to Tokyo Dome and the Tokyo Dome City funny for them to be playing the YMCA song in the first place...just watch the video!
So I don't know who are better baseball fans, Americans or Japanese. The cheering section was pretty great, but I definitely enjoy how American fans seems to be more vocal and involved in the game...
But I do know that when it comes to serving concessions, Japanese baseball definitely wins! In Japan, they have BEER GIRLS! It's so crazy...there's these girls who walk around with kegs strapped to their backs and they pour your beer from it right in front of you. And they even have whiskey girls...these girls walk around with little bottles of whiskey. They also have some other drinks and snacks that they sell too.
I was a bit disappointed in the game itself though. No one scored! So at the end of the 9th inning it was stil 0-0, and since it was a preseason game they didn't go into extra innings. I wished the game had more action, but overall it was a fun experience. Now I have to go to a baseball game back in the U.S. so I can really compare it to Japanese
Tokyo Giants
The Tokyo Giants...boo lol baseball! And I want to try and catch another Tigers game, but a home game in Osaka. Hopefully I can find time to do that in the next two months...
GO TIGERS!
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