2024 Japan Tour Recap and Photo Log
Day One — August 28, 2024
And we’re off in Tokyo! The Japan tour got underway with a fantastic welcome dinner at our hotel as the guests caught up with one another (or got to know each other!)
Tomorrow for our first full day we’re going to some cultural sites then head to Yokohama to see the DeNABayStars host the HanshinTigers. Fingers crossed for there to be no rain. Ready for a fun journey ahead!
Day Two — August 29
We started day two by visiting Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa. Built in 646 AD, Sensoji is the oldest Buddhist style temple in Tokyo. It’s always crowded, but the guests enjoyed a nice view of the SkyTree from the observation deck before taking a walk around the area to explore all the cool shops. We also had to get a group picture at the iconic Kaminarimon “Thunder Gates,” of course!
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side in the evening as our scheduled game at Yokohama Stadium was canceled due to rain. The pitching matchup was supposed to be Andre Jackson of the BayStars versus Hiroto Saiki of the Hanshin Tigers in a crucial game with playoff implications. Bummer, but Typhoon Shanshan is hitting Western Japan hard right now so we’re just doing our best to stay safe and keep spirits high!
Weather pending, we’re off to Nagoya tomorrow to see the Chunichi Dragons host the DeNA BayStars 🤞
Days Three & 4 — August 30 – 31
We left Tokyo very early on Friday morning and made a detour via Nagano to make sure we wouldn’t be stranded and made it to Nagoya!
Typhoon Shanshan has made things difficult and the series between the DeNA BayStars and Chunichi Dragons was canceled but we’re still making the most of our time here!
The main highlight has been the Ichiro Suzuki museum as we got a great look as his upbringing and took some hacks at the Kuko Batting Cages that he used to practice at. We also saw his childhood baseball field, ate sushi at his favorite restaurant, and had his father personally come out to thank us for visiting from so far to see their museum!
Karaoke and bowling nights have also been a blast! We tried all different sorts of Nagoya’s famous chicken (including raw chicken). Now, we’re off to Hiroshima. Let’s hope the weather allows us to get to the ballpark tomorrow!
Day Five — September 1
We finally made it! We were thrown another (hopefully last) typhoon curveball this morning when our Shinkansen from Nagoya was unexpectedly canceled but we eventually managed to get to Hiroshima to visit the famous castle which was originally built in the 1590s. Much of it was destroyed by the atomic bombing but it was reconstructed in 1958.
Then it was finally time for baseball! It felt extra special after all the disruptions and the game itself was great as the hometown Carp beat the Yakult Swallows, 5-1. Hiroshima starter Shogo Tamamura was the hero with 8 innings of 1-run ball. And Masaya Yano hit an inside the park home run! They hold onto first place with the Yomiuri Giants close behind in the Central League.
We’ll get a chance to tour more of Hiroshima tomorrow before heading to Fukuoka on Tuesday to see the SoftBank Hawks. It’s already been a wild ride to this point but we got through the biggest challenges and are ready for a great rest of the trip!
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Day Six — September 2
Today was a sightseeing day in Hiroshima as NPB is off on most Mondays. We took a ferry ride to Miyajima Island where we saw the beautiful Itsukushima floating Shinto shrine. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to the three daughters of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, a kami/God of Japanese mythology.
We visited the Atomic Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Peace Park for a guided tour that ended at the PeaceMuseum, paying our respects to the victims along the way and praying for peace.
For dinner, many of the guests had a cooking lesson in Hiroshima’s famous Okonomiyaki at the Otafuku headquarters. It was a great combination of fun, learning, and of course, food! What a great experience!
Tomorrow, we head further west to Fukuoka for a walking tour before catching the SoftBank Hawks take on Nippon-Ham Fighters.
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Day Seven — September 3
We took the bullet train from Hiroshima to Fukuoka in the morning and briefly toured some local attractions including the Kushida Shinto Shrine and the Nakasu Kawabata Retro Shopping Arcade! The Kushida Shrine was founded around 757 and is the site of the renowned Hakata Gion Yamakasa folk festival each July.
We then made an early trip to the Fukuoka PayPay Dome to visit the entertainment complex right outside the stadium with many amazing facilities like the Sadaharu Oh Museum, teamLab Forest digital art installation, and the MLB Cafe. Today was the perfect day to see the Oh museum considering that it’s the anniversary of him surpassing Hank Aaron in career home runs! He’s also a SoftBank Hawks executive, though he spent his entire playing career with the Yomiuri Giants.
Then it was time for the top two teams in the Pacific League to play ball. The game got started with a bang as Nippon-Ham Fighters superstar Chusei Mannami led off with a home run! That turned into a five run outburst for the Fighters in the first and the hometown Hawks couldn’t overcome the deficit, falling by a score of 6-3. Former Padres/Guardians/Cubs/Royals DH Franmil Reyes extended his hit streak to 24 for the Fighters!
Now we head to Osaka where we’ll have a couple of days to soak in the Kansai atmosphere.
Day Eight — September 4
We left Hiroshima just before noon and got to Osaka where we met with our awesome local guides: Trevor from Hanshin Tigers English News, Chirio Hasegawa a very accomplished softball player and coach, and Gensei, a language and travel expert specializing in Japan and the Philippines.
We got to our game at beautiful Hotto Motto Field, the second home of the Orix Buffaloes, and saw reigning Rookie of the Year Shunpeita Yamashita throw 7 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts! Yutaro Sugimoto clubbed a homer and knocked home 3 as Orix shut out Seibu, 4-0. The Buffaloes cheering section was ultra lively and there was a lot of delicious food to pick from! Big day tomorrow…Koshien!
Meanwhile, the Tokyo group got together for a fun welcome dinner chatting about sports all around the world. They’ll be touring Asakusa tomorrow before going down to Yokohama for the BayStars game!
Day Nine — September 5
Our main tour group got the ultimate yakyu experience in Osaka today with Koshien Stadium, Japan’s baseball Mecca!
Trevor showed us around the Babe Ruth monument and Susano Shrine outside the stadium before we got a look inside the Koshien History Museum, which also has batting and pitching cages inside!
Then, it was time to play ball between the Chunichi Dragons and Hanshin Tigers. It was a low scoring affair with lots of strikeouts but the Tigers pulled through, 2-1.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo group had a wonderful guided tour all around Asakusa in the morning, ate at the JapanBall Hall of Fame lunch in the afternoon, and got to see the Yokohama DeNA BayStars host the Hiroshima Carp in the evening!
It was a LONG back and forth contest but the BayStars ended it in the 11th on a literal walk-off (bases loaded walk)! Also big congrats to our latest HOF inductees, Richard and Henry!
Day Ten — September 6
Our main tour group took a short train from Osaka to Kyoto in the morning where they had a “choose your own adventure” sightseeing all around select locations in Kyoto! Of course, there was also plenty of food (especially with all the amazing ice cream options🍦) to keep us cooled in the heat. Four friendly junior high school girls talked to some of our guests at Ryoanji Temple and took a photo together! It was a very eventful and memorable day for all of us.
The Tokyo group got to Meiji Jingu Stadium in the evening to watch the Yakult Swallows host the Hanshin Tigers. Unfortunately, the historic stadium, which is 98 years old, is set to be demolished to install a new commercial complex by 2036. As always, the stadium was electric, which was helped by the fact that Hanshin fans travel so well. The game ended in a 9-1 thrashing by the Tigers as Teruaki Sato hit a grand slam in the 6th to put the nail in the coffin.
Tomorrow, our groups will finally merge together for a few days as we go to Chiba for the Lotte Marines.
Day 11 — September 7
Our main group took an early bullet train from Kyoto and finally came together with the Tokyo group! We’re merged as one big family for the next two days.
In the evening, we made a voyage to Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba to see the Rakuten Eagles play the Lotte Marines. Hideto Asamura smashed a 2-run shot in the 1st and Yukiya Itoh added a solo homer in the 4th. 39-year-old Eagles veteran Takayuki Kishi took a no-hitter into the 6th inning but the Marines finally got some offense in the 7th, putting the tying run on second base. In the end, it wasn’t enough as Rakuten won 4-1.
Big day tomorrow as we go to the Big Egg with legend Masanori Murakami to see the Yomiuri Giants!
Day 12 — September 8
Today our group visited the Big Egg: TokyoDome, which was just a short walk from our hotel.
Before the game, we had plenty of time to stroll around Tokyo Dome City, the team shops, and of course, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. The HOF museum is always a great place to get a rundown of Japanese baseball history. It has everything from game-worn jerseys of legendary players to championship trophies to HOF plaques and much and much more. Even if you’ve seen it before, there’s usually some new stuff. This was also our first look at the 2023 inductees Alex Ramirez, Randy Bass, and Yuji Koseki (check out our video on him on our YouTube channel!)
As for the game, the DeNA BayStars dominated the Yomiuri Giants, 8-0. The Giants made three errors and BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki led the way with two doubles and three ribbies. After the game, we made a short trip to the Abusan baseball izakaya for a mixer event with a local group of dedicated MLB fans! Many famous players like Ichiro and Koji Uehara have visited this place and we were joined by the one and only Masanori “Mashi” Murakami, the first Japanese player in MLB history. Murakami-san was kind enough to share some stories and sign many autographs for our guests!
What a day! Tomorrow, we fly north to Sapporo.
Day 13 — September 9
Our main group took a plane from Tokyo to Sapporo in Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and met with our local guide Jerry. The flight took just over an hour. For dinner, we had a some of Sapporo’s famous ramen in Ramen Street. Ramen in Hokkaido is unique because the noodles are thicker than the kind you would find in other parts of Japan and they use a lot of high quality mountain water. No surprise that it was delicious! Tomorrow we’ll be going to NPB’s newest stadium, Es Con Field Hokkaido to see the Nippon-Ham Fighters!
Meanwhile, our small group remaining in Tokyo made a very short trip to Ryogoku Kokugikan (National Sumo Arena)! Today was Day 2 of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament and it was an amazing first experience for everyone! The Yokozuna Terunofuji is unfortunately injured but there were many exciting bouts nonetheless. The favorite Ohzeki Kotozakura won his match convincingly.
Ready for more baseball in the coming days as we enter our final leg of the tour!
Day 14 — September 10
We started the day by touring some nearby sites in Sapporo including the JR Observatory Tower and the Beer Museum. There’s a lot to learn at the museum and there’s also beautiful facilities right outside including the Genghis Khan Hall and brick Garden Grill, which serves mutton, crab, and obviously, beer!
Once we were full of food and alcohol, it was time for the main event: baseball! EsConField Hokkaido is Japan’s newest stadium, having opened just last year. The park was modeled after Globe Life Field in Arlington and also has local influences such as the Hokkaido style banya roof. The two separate (enormous) jumbotrons are a unique touch.
It’s located in Kitahiroshima, which is more than half an hour from Sapporo proper, and the stadium is in a rural area, so it’s a bit out of the way but construction is already underway to make the stadium more accessible in the coming years. But Es Con Field is so worth the trip up here — gorgeous on both the inside and outside and truly one of the best, state of the art stadiums in the world. There’s countless shops, restaurants, murals, and other fun stuff to experience too.
The game between the Nippon-Ham Fighters and Seibu Lions was a low-scoring affair. Fighters ace Hiromi Itoh threw nine scoreless innings with ten strikeouts but it was still 0-0 so he wasn’t credited with the shutout yet. But shortstop Tatsuki Mizuno came through with a walk-off single against Brazilian Bo Takahashi in the bottom of the 9th to secure Itoh a CGSO and, more importantly, a win for the home crowd.
We love Hokkaido! Tomorrow, we fly down to Sendai before making one last stop in Tokyo to finish our tour.
Day 15 — September 11
Goodbye, Hokkaido! We flew out of Sapporo in the morning and arrived in Sendai which is famous for grilled beef tongue. Give it a try if you’re brave!
In the evening, it was time for baseball! We went over to Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi, which was only a 20 minute walk from our hotel, and got ready for the game between the SoftBank Hawks and Rakuten Eagles. Although the stadium is one of the smallest in NPB, it has a lot of cool stuff like its own craft beer and a ferris wheel past the outfield where you can get a view of the game from an entirely unique perspective.
The Eagles are still fighting for a playoff spot, so every game matters for them. Unfortunately, today wasn’t their day as the SoftBank Hawks crushed them by a 9-2 score with 16 total hits. Tomoya Masaki homered and Kenta Imamiya picked up 3 RBI. Hawks starter Tomohisa Ohzeki allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings.
Tomorrow, we voyage back to Tokyo for the final two days of this incredible Japan tour.
Day 16 — September 12
We took the bullet train from Sendai to Tokyo in the morning and had a special JapanBall Hall of Fame Lunch in the afternoon. Congrats to David, James, Jamie, Mark, Keith, Remt, Ron, and Scott as the newest inductees! They join Henry and Richard from last week as the latest “See it All” inductees — Linda, Rick, Pam, and Steve are existing HOFers on this trip — you guys made it! Thank you as always to Jun and Koko for their hospitality.
After lunch, we took a long train out to Saitama for the Belluna Dome to watch the Seibu Lions host the Rakuten Eagles. Now we’ve hit all 12 NPB stadiums this tour (apart from Nagoya because of the rain out). Since the Seibu railway owns the team, the train gets us right in front of the stadium. The Lions aren’t good this season so the stadium is pretty empty, but that means more room for us! Plus, fans that came out still showed a lot of energy despite their team’s shortcomings. Seibu actually out-hit Rakuten this game, but the Eagles came out on top by a score of 7-3.
Tomorrow marks the final day of our tour as we hit Meiji Jingu Stadium to see the Tokyo Derby for one last game together!
Day 17 — September 13
That does it for our 2024 Japan Tour! What an amazing two and a half weeks it was, filled with great games, great people, and great memories.
For our final day, we caught some Sumo at the Tokyo Basho before heading over to Meiji Jingu Stadium for the Tokyo Derby between the Yomiuri Giants and Yakult Swallows.
But before the game, we were joined by a very special guest: esteemed historian, journalist, and author Robert Whiting. Mr. Whiting has been writing about Japanese baseball for half a century. He’s a true legend of the scene! He told our guests about his good fight against the planned demolishing of Jingu Stadium (one of just four remaining parks in the world that Babe Ruth played at) and answered all our questions about the Japanese game. He also kindly joined us for the ballgame, where we sat in the loud Giants cheering section.
We got to end the trip with a bang off the bat of superstar Munetaka Murakami as he crushed a first inning homer that traveled an estimated 445 feet to center field! The Swallows took that momentum to win the game, 7-2.
This was a truly unforgettable trip. It’s always sad to see it end but don’t worry, we’ll be back soon enough! Thank you to all of you for joining us on this incredible journey.