Monday, May 5, 2008 - Tokyo Swallows vs. Tokyo Giants
Prior to coming to Japan, Meg and I decided to purchase some tickets to a Japanese professional baseball game. I had heard many good things about Japanese baseball, especially the fans. Meg found a website, www.japanball.com, that sold tickets. The website was opened by an American who had traveled to Japan numerous times and enjoyed watching games. He decided to make it easy for others traveling to Japan to purchase tickets and started a joint venture with a local Japanese man.
The seats to the game were in a good location. We were on the first base side, between first base and right field, and 12 rows back from the field. We arrived early so we could watch the teams warm up and catch the pre-game festivities. The game was between the Yakult Swallows and the Yomiuri Giants. Both teams were based in Tokyo. The Giants are akin to the our Yankees from a Japanese perspective. The game was at the Swallows outdoor stadium. The Giants play in the Tokyo dome.
The pregame festivities were very high energy. They had a group of dancers, a DJ, and the Blue Men. The Blue Men threw out the first pitch (see pic below). During pregame I was busy snapping pics and not paying attention when Meg started to hit me on the arm. The Swallows mascot was standing on the field shooting free shirts into the crowd with a cannon. She was trying to get my attention because one was headed right in our direction. I looked up and instinctively threw my arm and hand in the air. The Japanese fans around me were all standing up trying to catch the shirt, I was still sitting. All I remember is that somehow my arm and hand went above everyone else and I snatched the shirt out of mid-air. We know had one of our baseball souvenirs for the boys. Take a look at some of the pregame pics I took below.
Once the game got going the crowd energy did not change. The best way I can describe the crowd is a mixture between Aggie football fans doing coordinated yells and World Cup Soccer fans cheering wildly for their teams. The Swallows had a dedicated fan section in right field and the Giants had a dedicated fan section in left field. Every time their respective team would do something good the entire section would erupt into chants and cheers complete with banners and large flags flying. I tried to capture some of it in video and pics below.
The best part of the game for me was the 7th inning stretch. Right after the top of the inning was over, all the fans around us pulled out their umbrellas. They then opened them and started singing and chanting. It was hilarious. Take a look at the video below.
Meg and I decided to leave the game in the bottom of the 8th inning to beat the crowd. We also wanted to stop by a couple of booths selling baseball caps and souvenirs on the way out. We found out later the Giants beat the Swallows 6 to 4.
Needless to say, this was a great experience. The Japanese fans definitely have adopted their own style of cheering for their team. I am glad we got the opportunity to experience this. Love to all!
Jason and Meg
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