Let’s go, suck on my toe!! Our first baseball game in Tokyo, Japan

Sunday was baseball day!! We’d heard really good things about Japanese baseball games, and never having been to one before we thought it would good to experience something new.

The morning started with a wander through the backstreets of Asakusa over to the  railway station at Ueno. Really interesting seeing the locals go about their daily lives. We then managed to successfully navigate our way by train over to Suidobashi Station, one of the closest to the Tokyo Dome where the game was being held.

As we stepped off the train we quickly realised that the conditions had deteriorated somewhat compared to when we got to Ueno! It was pouring down with rain as joined the throngs making their way between the station and the Tokyo Dome! Thankfully we had brought our umbrellas, but they never really seem to cover everything!

As we had a couple of hours to kill before the start we thought we’d do a bit of shopping in the shopping centre that we had heard about that was part of the Tokyo Dome complex. We walked into what looked to be the right shopping centre at first, but after a bit of poking around we realised we had walked into a multistory betting hall, and Karen was the only female to be seen!! After a swift exit and a visit to the information centre we were soon on the right path!

As for the game…it was incredible! The Japanese put their heart and soul into their sporting teams, and it really showed throughout the whole game. What could have been a very tedious 3 hours was turned into a great event through the constant chanting, cheering and passion that was on display for the entirety of the match. As an example, every player had their own chant that the crowd would recite while the player was up to bat. Our favourite was “Let’s go, Sakamato!”.

Here’s some pics from the game…

The crowd in the underbelly of the stadium…

Play ball!

More bento goodness!

What good is a game without popcorn and beer?!!

And here is how they serve the beer. Girls that looked to be nowhere near 18 were racing up and down the stairs looking for customers and filling the cups with beer from backpacks that they carried around with them. Would love to have one of them to take to the cricket!!

An ice cream sandwich in the shape of the Tokyo Dome!

What would have to be one of the strangest mascots of all time…a dancing shrine!!

The game…

Home run to seal the game!!

The crowd!

A game where everyone put their hands in the air (ie. pick me, pick me!!) and if the camera picked you out then you won something from Maccas.

As the winner of their division, the Giants get to play in the ‘Climax Series’!! Childish, I know…but hey…

And here are some shots of the theme park next door, and the stadium itself (testing out the high ISO capabilities of the Nikon D7000 I just bought as well :))…

And the start of the train ride back home…