u/kevinichis

After checking out Baseman Iidabashi (thread here) we headed to Hi-Gold Tokyo Base near Jimbocho Station.

To our surprise, the lady tending the store said that their gloves were sold elsewhere. Panic set in. We had a Giants game in a couple of hours and we didn't have the time to trek though the city to another shop.

She said not to worry. It's very near. She locked the shop, put a sign, and walked us up 2-3 very short blocks north and then took a left. Not a minute walking.

We entered the second shop. Gloves on the left side, assorted gear in the middle, batting cage with a tee on the right. She asked us a few questions about where we were from and what we were looking for, and then pulled up a gentleman to help us. It was the freaking owner of Hi-Gold. Absolute delightful guy. She told him what we had told her (especially the bit about my thick hand woes with Japanese gloves at Baseman) and then served as translator.

The owner started pulling gloves of the shelf that might fit. He knew exactly what was in stock and what could work for me. Ended up rounding it down to 3 gloves: one made in Japan pitcher's glove (52k yen plus tax) and two colorways of a 12" utility, made in Taiwan, double welted glove (MKG-5015 if you want to look it up, for 33k plus tax).

Sadly, the one I really wanted, the tan MIJ 11.6" wingtip pitcher's glove (WKG-5191) or its outfield counterpart, were not in stock.

Anyway, I was really feeling the MIJ PG and the blue utility, but I only had three budget for one Hi-Gold. So the MIJ it is.

The owner offered to break it in free of charge. Chose a two hinge thumb to 4th closure, and he went to work right there with the machines right next to us. 15 minutes later it was done. Since the shop doesn't participate in the tax free scheme, he offered a good deal on the second glove (sorry, didn't have the budget 😭), but he ended up settling on a 10% discount. Ended up paying 52000 yen (about 290 EUR / 330 USD).

By far, best glove shopping experience I had in Tokyo, even though it's not at the same scale as Baseman, Mizuno, etc. Really appreciated that personal touch from the owner.

Tiptoeing around my midlife crisis, I finally made it to Japan. Visiting Baseman in Tokyo Iidabashi was on my bucket list, together with watching a game at the Dome (and that's a story for another day).

I'm not a collector per se, but I do have a custom Rawlings HOH dad glove that also doubled as an FP/SP Softball gamer. Also an Italian custom Dominate catcher's mitt, and a HOH ProDCT for 1B. I also have one of the nefarious Rawlings NFT gloves, and a Julio Rodríguez Wilson A2000 on a shelf waiting for the right occasion.

But this was a Japan trip, and I knew I wanted at least a Ryu, a Wilson Teddy, or a Katana. Maybe an Atoms, a Zett, a JB Wagyu, and/or a Slugger. Been saving for months to get at least a couple of new masterpieces for the shelf.

Then the day came I was standing in the hardball aisle at Baseman. Tried on every made in Japan glove they had that day.

Nothing fit properly. In over half of the gloves my hand would even fit through the opening. What in the actual hell?

I don't have big hands. Yeah, the palm is thicker, but normal L sized work gloves do the trick.

So I learned my lesson. Japanese gloves are not for everyone. I'm actually relieved I didn't order a Glove Studio Ryu blindly from overseas.

The takeaway: if Wilson gloves seem too tight when new, you're really not going to like the Japanese fit. If the Rawlings fit is your thing, you're really going to hate the Japanese fit, that is, if your hand makes it into the glove at all.