The Japanese Baseball Game

On Sept. 26th, we had the joy of attending our first baseball game in Japan. We went with our very good friends and their children - 12 of us in all. We went out to see the Chiba Marines take on the Orix Buffaloes - the train took us right past Tokyo Disney and we all decided that if the game didn't work out we'd come back there!

As with games in the U.S., there is quite a lot going on pre-game. We came upon some dancers who were performing to a type of Japanese "rap" music. They ranged in age from small children to adults - it was quite a site to behold. Every group had a "flag waver" who had this GIGANTIC flag that he constantly waved throughout the dance - thinking those guys have some awesome arm muscles after that!

After that we realized that there was a huge section where they were just giving out samples of all types - this was serious stuff - people brought extra bags just to carry out their "freebies" - of course we got in on it, but couldn't compete with the locals.

Next it was time to head into the stadium - FYI, the Chiba Marines are currently being managed by Bobby Valentine, who used to coach the Mets. His team also had Benny Agbayani playing for him. The stadium was much like others we've seen... except there was a distinct difference in the concession stand! No Fenway Franks were found here! We sat off the third base line and realized quickly that it was going to be a HOT game as we were in the direct sunlight and it was hot hot hot - add to that the fact that several women around us were dressed in wool clothes and hats and we were all pouring in sweat!

The best part about a Japanese baseball game are the songs and the keg girls... there is a section on each side of the outfield for each team's fans. As players come up to bat, they start singing a song for that individual player - for instance, when Benny Agbayani came up they sang, "Let's go, let's go, B - en - ny!" Every time he batted. They also had specific team songs that they sang during the inning changes. Then when the other team came up to bat, they were silent while the other team sang their songs - they are very organized - they even have drums and horns!

Then there are the keg girls... these are young Japanese girls who walk around with kegs strapped to their backs and come to you to pour you a fresh beer - pretty cool. They have all the different types of beer so all you have to do is wait for your favorite brand to come walking by...

It was so hot we made it to about the 7th inning before we had to leave - the little girls had the reddest cheeks and all we could think of were the full trains that we would encounter if we waited until the end of the game... certainly didn't want to try out the train pushers with the kids!

It was a fun experience and another thing we have checked off our list - certainly may try that again!

Check out my pictures of the day below...