Something for fun…
Book
The perfect companion for your journey through Pro Yakyu - team information, sites to see, stadium guides, maps, photos, and more!
Oh Shea – How I’ve Missed Thee
It's Shea - errr - Chiba Marine Stadium.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’ll let you in on the fact the team I root for in the US is the New York Mets. I’ve been following the team for as long as I can remember and my earliest memories sitting at Shea Stadium with my dad. For this reason, the stadium also held a sentimental feeling with me – not really because it was anything special as far as ballpark experiences go. I’ll be the first to admit it was a sad day when the stadium got torn down after the 2008 season.
So what does that have to do with seeing the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan? Well, they play in a ballpark that is a smaller version of Shea Stadium – except with astroturf. I was probably a bit too excited to go to the ballpark and see the game but I felt right at home. The ice cream served at the ballpark was even Baskin Robbins – same as you would have found at Shea.
The stadium is the typical cookie cutter circle style stadium which was prevalent throughout the majors that were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. The outside is painted light blue with orange field level seats and blue lodge level seating (no mezzanine or upper deck seats though since the capacity of the stadium is about 30,000 – half of what Shea could hold). Of course, as a Mets fan, it was tough not to notice all the photos in the Marines team museum of Bobby Valentine – former Mets manager – who managed the Marines to championship in 2005. All I will say, is if you are a Met fan who spent many, many days and evenings at Shea – it still exists – just a mere 10,000 miles away!
Check out the Chiba Marine Stadium Guide at Japanese Baseball Stadiums »
Loading...
Posted in May 2010 Trip
Comments Off
Fun things besides baseball
Skyline from the Tokyo Tower
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…why would you want do things other than baseball? I don’t have a good answer for that but I figured I had flown all the way over here so it might be interesting to check out what else this fine country has to offer. Below are a few of the stops that were interesting:
- Tokyo Tower
It’s hard to imagine that just over 50 years ago, most of the Tokyo skyline didn’t exist. The Tokyo Tower was the highest structure for miles but today just blends into the surrounding high rises. The observation deck offers a great view of the city and helps to get your bearings as to where everything is located.
- Mt Fuji
We took a bus ride to go up the tallest mountain peak in Japan located west of Tokyo. For the end of May, it was a bit chilly (especially since I didn’t bring a jacket along!). We were able to ride up to the fifth station – the highest point roads climb to – where there are a number of small shops and places to take photos. From this point, we were told it would take a three to five hour hike to reach the peak. Many people make this climb at night so they can watch the sunrise. I think this is an activity that is going to go on the bucket list…
- Tokyo Disney
Ok, I’ll admit this brought the kid in me back out. I hadn’t been to Disney in a long time so it was good see that parks are still surviving and that the Disney parks from Orlando to Paris to Tokyo all have the Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. The park was incredibly busy so we only spent a few hours there. I will say I’ve had my Disney fix so I’m probably good for another decade or so.
One more ball game to go at the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Posted in May 2010 Trip
Comments Off
An interleague battle for first
Seibu Dome - Giants vs. Lions
The second baseball stop on our tour through Japan was a stop at the Seibu Dome – home of the Saitama Seibu Lions. The ballpark is nestled in the woods on a hillside. The stadium was originally built as an outdoor park but in 1998, the dome was completed over the top of the stadium. The ballpark is not enclosed along the outside of the stadium and, as we discovered, does not cover some of the concession areas. At game time, the weather outside would not have been good to be watching a ball game had we not been in a dome with a steady rain falling outside.
The game featured a battle of first place teams between the Central and Pacific League leaders – the Giants and Lions. The game was tight the entire way through with the Giants hanging on for the win with a home run by reigning NPB MVP Alex Ramirez. As would be expected with such a great match up, the stadium was packed with good showings of both Giants and Lions fans.
Only one more game to go on this trip – another Giants game on the road at Chiba.
Check out the Seibu Dome Stadium Guide at Japanese Baseball Stadiums »
Loading...
Posted in May 2010 Trip
Comments Off
Let’s not waste anytime here…
Greetings from Tokyo! This trip has gotten off to a very fast start as I think I might have set a record for the shortest amount of time between arriving in a country to sitting in a ball park watching a ball game. So how did I set this unverified record? Well, our 14 hour flight from the east coast of the US landed at exactly 2:00 pm in the afternoon Tokyo time.
Welcome to Tokyo...first stop the Tokyo Dome
Since one of the stadiums I had really wanted to see was the Tokyo Dome and literally the only home game at the stadium was at 6:00 pm the day we landed, I had little choice but to get tickets to the game. While getting through immigration was a breeze, the Narita International Airport is still about an hour drive to downtown Tokyo. Fortunately, the drive went smoothly and we arrived at our hotel by 4:00 pm – just enough time to pick up our tickets that had been left at the hotel from JapanBallTickets.com and catch a cab over to the Tokyo Dome. Sure enough, 3 hours after landing in Japan, I was standing in front of the Tokyo Dome.
We took a quick walk through the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum before heading inside to check out the game. Despite some hints of jet lag, it was quite the experince. The game appeared to be sold out and in full voice. Japanese baseball games have a different atmosphere than a US game in that there are more organized cheering sections that throughout the game encourage their teams. This makes for a festive atmosphere. The Giants won the game over the Hawks much to the delight of the home crowd. The next stop is the Seibu Dome…
Check out the Tokyo Dome Stadium Guide at Japanese Baseball Stadiums »
Loading...
A Journey through Nippon Professional Baseball
Welcome to the Japanese Baseball Road Trip Guide blog! For those of you following my travels through professional baseball in the United States and Canada, it should come as little surprise that I would want to take the journey across the Pacific to discover the wonders of professional baseball in Japan first hand. This season is set to be particularly exciting as I will be crossing the Pacific not once but twice in order to visit the stadiums and work on the follow up to the “Baseball Road Trip Guide” – the “Japanese Baseball Road Trip Guide” about traveling to see baseball in Japan. The first trip is set for late May with stops at three ballparks in the Tokyo area with family and to learn more about the country in general. In September, there will be a trip with fellow baseball fan’s to see all 12 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) stadiums throughout Japan with an organized JapanBall.com tour. This trip will most likely be more heavily focused on baseball, although there should be some very interesting things to see along the way. Feel free to stop by the blog often to follow the travels and don’t forget to sign-up for the mailing list if you want to know when the book becomes available in the fall.
Posted in May 2010 Trip
Comments Off