My first game of the season was a good one. My Lions beat the visiting Nippon-Ham Fighters from Hokkaido.
Half the fun at Japanese baseball games is the cheering. Above is a video I took of one of the many cheers. Get your cheers down before the game for maximum enjoyment. 
Here you can practice them with music, but you need to be able to read Japanese.
The words to the cheer (for a player named 久) in the video are:
光り輝く
日はまた昇る
燃える男だ
チャンスに久
かとばせ久
Go Go Let’s Go 久
To say that the Japanese overreacted to the Swine Flu scare is more than a bit of an understatment. A group of educators were supposed to come to my university in Oregon, but they all canceled due to the H1N1 hysteria. Never mind that there are far fewer cases in my neck of the rural woods than there are in densely populated Japan (meaning they would have been safer here than at home) or that the death rate from this flu bug is less than it is for the regular flu (which inflicts far more people anyway).
One of Japan’s Swine Flu “precautions” was the prohibiting of balloons at professional baseball games. I’m happy to report that this ban has finally been ended, just in time for my arrival and attendance at Japanese ball games. Yeah!
Let the launchings begin…
アーケード大通り or The Big Street Arcade at 西武園ゆうえんち.
Japanese baseball has begun and my Lions won on opening night (4/3/09). I’m hoping they can keep it up so that by the time we get there they will still be in the thick of things.
If you ever go to a baseball game in Japan note that your experience will be radically different depending on where you sit. Sit in the outfield and, not only will you pay much less for your ticket but, you will be in the thick of the ouendan (応援団), or cheering sections, of the crowds. Sit near home plate and things will be much less lively, perhaps even boring. The fans in the outfield tend to be much more friendly too.
The beer vendors at Japanese baseball games are always female. They carry a huge keg on their back, something you can’t imagine seeing at a game in the U.S.
If beer isn’t enough to put a smile on your face at the game, though, you can always wait for the Whiskey Girl. They canvas the stands as well and will be more than happy to provide you with a shot, or two, or three… Again, something that blows the mind for those only familiar with Major League Baseball games in the states.
The Lions went from worst to first between 2007 and 2008, beating the Giants in the Series in dramatic fashion to win it all.
Apparently, since the change in name from Seibu Lions to Saitama Seibu Lions between 2007 and 2008 was so lucky they have decided to change their long-standing logo in 2009. The old logo featured Kimba (and can be seen here). The prior logo based on Kimba, the White Lion, an Osamu Tezuka creation, lasted for 30 years. I’m sad to see it go. The new logo is nothing spectacular.
Baseball people tend to be very superstitious. I’m not one of them, but changing things after going all the way doesn’t sound lucky or wise to me.
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