Japanese Baseball rose to become number one in the world in this February’s World Baseball Classic tournament.
While their bravery and play was highly praised around the world, did you know that it was the support of their Japanese fans that attracted much of the attention?
Yes, it is a well known story. Baseballs fans around the world don’t know what to make of it when watching Japanese baseball games.
Loud trumpets and big taiko drum rhythms are heard, and more than anything else, the loud cheers of the fans as they sing differing cheer songs for each player and team.
I’ve seen many foreign tourists who have come to watch baseball games in Japan, and almost all of them stare with their mouths open as they turn the camera from side to side staring at the cheering of Japanese baseball fans.
Even if you don’t know the rules of baseball, you can enjoy it not just as entertainment, but as an opportunity to cheer as loud as you can to release for your stress from daily life. In a sense it is a strange atmosphere, but that is also part of what makes it so interesting.
Also, at the stadium there is a job known as “Uriko”, where a person carries beer kegs on their back to sell beer to customers. Paying 700 yen to get a beer to keep in hand as you watch the game is about standard. Some fans make it a rule that they can only drink their beer if the team they support scores a goal, but they end up drinking their beer even if the team scores zero points, so don’t worry about it.
If you want to enjoy a baseball game and the overwhelming support of the fans with a beer in hand, an outfield seat is recommended. I can understand if you’d prefer to relax in the infield, but since you’ve come all this way, the outfield is best.
I hope that you too will have an opportunity to experience the strangely uplifting and exciting atmosphere of a Japanese baseball game. If you get a chance, be sure to check out a game at a stadium near you!