{"id":12540,"date":"2017-01-04T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=12540"},"modified":"2020-12-18T12:41:10","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T12:41:10","slug":"baseball-japan-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/04\/baseball-japan-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Insider tour leader Brett Plotz originally hails from Iowa, but is now based in Yokohama \u2013 Japan&#8217;s second city. In this blog post, he discusses the similarities and differences between baseball in Japan and his home country,<\/strong><strong>\u00a0arguing that baseball is the true national sport of Japan!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>As Japan\u2019s national sport, sumo certainly fits the bill. Quintessentially Japanese, the name itself conjures images of Japan: two massive men wearing the traditional <em>fundoshi<\/em> (loincloths), squaring off on a raised circle; their slicked-up hair bobbing around as they slam into each other, grappling to see who falls first.<\/p>\n<p>So yes, sumo is a very apropos national sport for Japan. But what sport is most popular with the Japanese? The answer is somewhat surprising: baseball. Yes, America\u2019s national sport is by far the most popular sport in Japan. Surprise!<\/p>\n<h1>A national sport?<\/h1>\n<p>Baseball actually has a longer history in Japan than you would expect. Introduced in 1872 by an American university teacher, the game was only a few decades old in the States \u2013 but it caught on quickly in Japan. In fact, it really took off after a Japanese team defeated a team of foreigners in Yokohama near the turn of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n<p>Professional baseball quickly followed \u2013 and by the 1930s, Japan had a flourishing baseball scene. Major cities and areas got professional teams, and the sport continued with its near dominance in popularity. Elementary schools to universities all fielded their own teams. In fact, high school baseball is the most-watched sporting event every year in Japan, with the Spring Baseball Tournament (Koshien) being the pinnacle of sport.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12557\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12557\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12557 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam.jpg\" alt=\"kidsteam\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/kidsteam-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">School baseball is taken very seriously!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1>Similarities and differences<\/h1>\n<p>Watching a game of baseball in Japan is a completely different experience from watching a professional game in the States. First off, Japanese baseball has a few different rules. The ball itself is smaller and harder, the strike zone is smaller, and the field dimensions are downright illegal in some cases compared to Major League baseball in the States.<\/p>\n<p>Games can also end in a tie in Japan. I know, Americans \u2013 it hurts my chest, too. Though if a game does end in a tie, it is neither good nor bad for their overall record for the year. So I guess there\u2019s that!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12548\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12548\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2.jpg\" alt=\"Fans outside the Tokyo Dome\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fans2-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12548\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fans outside the Tokyo Dome<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1>The fans<\/h1>\n<p>OK, so now that we know the subtle differences, let\u2019s talk about the experience of watching the game itself. Attending a baseball game in Japan can be overwhelming. Japanese fans are rabid, and seem to never sit down during the whole game. This is completely opposite to attending a game in the States, where the actual baseball is ancillary. The fun is in relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere with your friends and enjoying the weather. Or the dome. Most likely the dome.<\/p>\n<p>But in Japan, cheering is a hands-on, full-body experience. There is dancing. Yelling. Singing. Synchronised cheers. You may find yourself asking, how does everyone know what to do, what to say, at what time? Did they all get together and practice beforehand? Is there some email chain you\u2019re not a part of? No one knows! Just enjoy the game!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants.jpg\" alt=\"A hands-on, full-body experience\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/giants-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Concessions are also different in Japan. Sure, there are hot dogs, nachos, and soda. But they also serve curry, fish, and <em>onigiri<\/em> (Japanese rice balls). Also, if you want a beer in the stands, no problem. There are ushers with literal kegs strapped to their backs to serve you a cold draft beer right at your seat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12543\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12543\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium-plus-size wp-image-12543\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-510x680.jpg\" alt=\"Want a beer? No problem!\" width=\"510\" height=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-510x680.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-423x564.jpg 423w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/beerusher.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Want a beer? No problem!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So, if you fancy checking out a professional baseball game in Japan, but think it may be the same old boring sport as in America, think again. Though it\u2019s not the national sport of Japan, Japanese baseball is still a whole different experience!<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you&#8217;d like to see a game of baseball on your trip to Japan, simply let our travel consultants know and they&#8217;ll be happy to incorporate it into your itinerary. The baseball season in Japan runs from the beginning of April for eight months, concluding in October. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/contact-us\/\">Click here to get in touch today.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12540\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Insider tour leader Brett Plotz originally hails from Iowa, but is now based in Yokohama \u2013 Japan&#8217;s second city. In this blog post, he discusses the similarities and differences between baseball in Japan and his home country,\u00a0arguing that baseball is the true national sport of Japan! Like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2369],"tags":[1325,2620,2904,2907],"class_list":["post-12540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports-and-adventure-in-japan","tag-baseball","tag-brett-plotz","tag-basebal-in-japan","tag-sport-in-japan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12540"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29217,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12540\/revisions\/29217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}