Japan Travel for NPB Baseball
I really should have this in conjunction with r/npbtickets. I’m just finishing up my 2 week trip in Japan that included several NPB stadium visits. If you’re interested in visiting Japan for visiting one or multiple of their NPB stadiums, here’s some tips:
Before your travel:
- Some teams require you to sign up for the team supporter clubs (mostly for free). Most NPB teams will require this. If you want to buy direct and not from third party retailers, you’ll most likely need to do this. In most cases, I’ve found my US phone number and address to work. If worst comes to worst, use your nearby hotel’s address (though I don’t recall ever needing to do so). In most cases, you’ll want digital tickets anyway, so the address shouldn’t be an issue.
- Some teams have different policies on how you buy. Some teams it’s an “application” where you indicate the amount of tickets needed, the section preferred, and an option if you want tickets together or free to be seated in different rows (might not be an option for foreign visitors to go with). The team won’t assign your tickets until the following day when they figure out how to fulfill your tickets. However, at some other stadiums, you can freely choose what seats you want. It all depends on the team.
- Also worth noting that some teams sell their entire schedule at the start of sale season (which is normally around March of the upcoming season), while others sell month by month, like Orix. Just make sure you check in with each team and how they’ll sell, and keep those dates on calendar alarms.
- Special note for Hanshin Tigers - These are diehard fans that will sell out their tickets before the season even starts! For these tickets, follow r/npbtickets on the best way to buy Hanshin tickets. They do have foreigner tickets, but they go fast and operate much differently than just buying regular tix.
Gameday:
- Bag policy for NPB is much less strict than MLBs. We didn’t need clear bags at all. We let security go through each of our small backpacks, which was relatively fast.
- Have your tickets available when you visit security. At Kyocera Dome, the security guy was quite ready to kick us out when he asked in Japanese at first for our tickets, then just looked at us and said “you don’t have them, do you?” Thankfully, I showed my QR code which made security roll his eyes and waved us in.
- Make sure everybody in your group has access to the tickets. For example, Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima required us to show our tickets every single time we left. And if we left in pairs, they would demand to see that you had enough tickets to cover. At least at Kyocera Dome they gave paper tickets, but even then security was very lenient.
- Ordering food is very easy. In most places, they have a mat where you can point at the food you want. Some Japanese would go great, but you can total answer with pointing at the item you’d like on the mat, then indicating how many. Some alcohol stands, you’ll need to ask by name. Then again, if you’re hooked on lemon sours and Cho-his, it’s easy to mention.
- Beer girls … my god are they helpful! I’d recommend just having yen on hand if you’re not on the end of the seat. Makes buying so much easier. If you do have end row seats, it’s so much more easier to order to drink.
- Personal recommendation on Beer girls - stick with one girl the entire game. If you see the green and yellow “Shoshinsha Mark”, it means she’s a rookie. The newbie I ordered from was extremely lovely and had a conversation with her. It just helps with their sales numbers and thus their status with their role.
- Every team has a chant for their players, “Chance” (runners in scoring position) opportunities, and team songs. Not a requirement, but it’s nice to know the team’s songs so you can at least clap along.
- You might get some shock at how silent the start is if you’re rooting for the home team. That’s because it’s customary that the only cheering is done by the offense. If you’re watching a team with little following, it might be just a wee bit quiet. Just remember to root for your team primarily during offense times or when an out has been made.
Finally, if you sit in any of the supporter sections, make sure you wear the same gear as the supporter group you’re in and participate. You could get away with wearing other clothes or even MLB jerseys, but be active with the group.
A slight bonus - feel free wearing MLB jerseys of the NPB team’s former stars. I had a great discussion with Orix fans when I dawned my Yamamoto jersey. In Hiroshima, the amount of Seiya Suzuki jerseys in both Hiroshima red and Cubbies blue was a sight to see. Yokohama - Cubbies and Imanaga all the way!
Also, if you don’t have tickets to the game, or the team is not at home, they always have their team stores open during normal business days.