After watching a Seibu Lions game last year we were able to go down on the field with many other fans. Not only were we on the field but we were on the big screen as well. Ryan was rather excited (can you spot him?). Ellie, on the other hand, had been on big screens so many times (thanks to her blonde hair) by this point in Japan that I think she was doing more to get off the screen than remain in the public eye.
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.
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