2026 Okinawa Spring Training Tour Recap and Photo Log
Next Okinawa Tour: February 2027
Day One — February 18, 2026
Play ball!
Our 2026 NPB Spring Training tour in beautiful Okinawa officially kicked off today as we visited the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters’ training camp at Enagic stadium near our hotel in the afternoon. It’s always fun to see the Big Boss Tsuyoshi Shinjo on the field! The Fighters should compete for the Pacific League pennant again this season.
In the evening, our whole group got together for introductions and a wonderful welcome dinner at Agu Pork and Sushi Island Izakaya Maasan. It was really great to see everyone and we’re looking forward to an action-packed week ahead!
Days Two & Three — February 19 & 20
On Thursday morning, we visited the Hanshin Tigers training camp in Ginoza, watching the defending Central League champions put in their work. After baseball, we switched gears with a fun stop at Nago Pineapple Park — a unique theme park featuring a pineapple farm, winery, shops, and endless pineapple-themed activities. We wrapped up the night with a great group dinner at Yukino near our hotel.
Friday was another full day of baseball and sightseeing. We headed to Kin Town to catch the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles training camp, then stopped for some lunch on the way up the coast to the renowned Churaumi Aquarium, home to massive whale sharks and one of the world’s largest aquarium tanks. Tomorrow, we’ll see our first spring training game as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows take on the Yomiuri Giants at Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha!
Days Four & Five — February 21 & 22
We checked out of our hotel on Saturday morning and made the 2+ hour drive down to Naha for the first official day of preseason action as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows took on the Yomiuri Giants at beautiful Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha.
The Swallows came away victorious, 3-1. We kept the baseball vibes going with a hosted happy hour at Ballpark Chip Cafe before checking in at La’gent Hotel Chatan for a relaxed evening on our own.
As a bonus surprise, we even ran into Japanese basketball stars Yuta Watanabe (former NBA) and Koya Kawamata as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers!
On Sunday, we were back at the ballpark for the Rakuten Eagles vs. Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Union Desukara Stadium Ginowan. We were lucky enough to catch former MLB pitchers Kenta Maeda and Shintaro Fujinami face off, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. We got tons of great pictures and an up close look at the players!
We’ll carry on tomorrow with the Lotte Marines against the Chunichi Dragons at Agre Stadium Chatan.
Days Six & Seven — February 23 & 24
On Monday, we headed out to Agre Stadium Chatan to watch the Chiba Lotte Marines play the Chunichi Dragons.
It was an 8-0 win for Chunichi as new import Miguel Sano hit his 1st spring home run in NPB and Albert Abreu, who is on the Dominican Republic’s WBC team, threw 3 scoreless innings. The evening was free to explore, relax, and grab dinner on our own around beautiful Chatan.
Tuesday was all about culture and history as we spent the day on an in-depth Okinawa History Tour with our great guide Tateo, visiting Shurijo Castle, Okinawa World, the Peace Memorial Museum & Cornerstone of the Peace, and wrapping up at Kokusai Street and Makishi Market. An incredibly meaningful and insightful day learning about Okinawa’s unique past. We closed out the trip with a hosted farewell dinner at Yakiniku Ryukyunoushi Chatan.
And that’s the end of our NPB Spring Training tour! It was such a fun week together and Okinawa was as incredible as ever. Thank you all for following along and safe travels home, everyone!