Mini NPB Tour

Sapporo, Sendai, and Iwate

September 2027

Itinerary
Inclusions
Pricing

We’re excited to offer a late-summer option for those who still want a Japan baseball fix.

This tour highlights Iwate, the hometown of Shohei Ohtani, and some of our favorite cities in the North of Japan – Sapporo and Sendai, where we will explore and do some sightseeing! On this tour you will learn about and experience the baseball upbringing of Ohtani, one of the best baseball players in the sport’s history. Our expert guide Trevor, who was the interpreter for the new documentary about Shohtei Ohtani’s upbringing, will show you some of the most important places in Ohtani’s baseball life.

The tour will also include plenty of baseball, including a game at ES CON Field Hokkaido, the new state-of-the-art home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (and one of the world’s greatest modern ballparks), a game at Rakuten Mobile Park, the extremely fun (it has a ferris wheel!) home of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, and more NPB action!

This tour may be very physically demanding for some guests. Due to our reliance on public transportation and the inherent “walkability” of Japan’s cities, many guests average about 12,000 steps per day on their step trackers. We will change hotels several times via long and/or early-morning train rides. All guests must be able to carry/roll their own luggage during train transfers for about 1/3 mile (including up and down flights of stairs), and also lift their bags to the overhead space on trains. If you expect to have any difficulties, we recommend that you consider our Tokyo NPB Tour.

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*Sample Itinerary

*This itinerary is a sample itinerary. The start and end dates, as well as the destinations, might change once the NPB schedule comes out in December.

We recommend arriving one day early to give your body time to rest, adjust to the time change, and ensure that you arrive in time for the welcome dinner. We would be happy to reserve your hotel for an additional night.

  • Monday, September 6
    Recommended early arrival day in Sapporo
  • September 7
    Tour begins in Sapporo; NPB Game
  • September 8
    Hosted welcome meal; NPB Game
  • September 9
    Fly Sapporo to Iwate; Shohei Ohtani Pilgrimmage Day 1
  • September 10
    Shohei Ohtani Pilgrimmage Day 2
  • September 11
    Bullet train to Sendai; Walking tour
  • September 12
    NPB Game (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
  • Monday, September 13
    Departure from Sendai

Recaps from Past Tours

Testimonials

Read reviews from prior tour guests.

  • This was an amazing trip that by far exceeded my expectations by far. The tour was exactly how they described it would be and what a well planned and organized adventure it was. The logistics and planning was carried out with no problems everybody involved did their job perfectly. Very professional very respectable business Extra Innings Tours meets and beats the standards I placed in my mind.Im looking forward to booking another world wide baseball tour with Shane and Extra Innings next year. Question is which one? They offer a great selection of tours including The Nederlands, The KBO in Korea and the Dominican Republic plus other packages to many different venues around the world. I could go on and on but I think you get what I’m saying . Try them you will not be disappointed.

    Terry G

    2026 September Mini NPB Tour

  • I really enjoyed this unique and fast-paced tour. Guides were knowledgeable and very helpful when we had questions or needed to locate some place or service. Trevor set the ambience when he said we were family on this trip. So we did watch out for and help each other as family.

    Margaret N

    2026 September Mini NPB Tour

  • This was one of the best tours I have ever been on! It was great to experience Japanese culture and see Japanese baseball in person. Our guides, Yuri, Chihiro, and Trevor were amazing, and incredibly helpful in guiding us through Japan and explaining differences between NPB and MLB. Having a chance to visit the Ichiro Suzuki museum, and meet his father is something I will always remember.

    Daniel M

    2025 September Mini NPB Tour

  • Outstanding trip as we accomplished our goal of visiting the last two stadiums (Yokohama Stadium and Vantelin Dome) that we missed last year because of Typhoon Shanshan. Our trip was capably led by extraordinary guide Yuri Karasawa. We saw five games… Although this was a baseball themed tour, we were able to experience other cultural activities such as visiting Osaka Castle, a city walking tour in Dotonbori… and the Hirakuza Sumo Show, which was highly educational and entertaining. One of the highlights in Nagoya was the Ichiro Pilgrimage… Overall, this tour was a grand slam success.

    Steven I

    2025 September Mini NPB Tour

Inclusions

What’s included in this tour?

Tour Guide

Experienced guides will lead you through the entire detailed itinerary.

Business-class accommodation
All in-tour travel

Including the world-famous bullet train!

Game Tickets

Carefully-selected tickets for four NPB games at four stadiums.

At least two hosted group meals
Admission to all tour activities
Visits with local friends and/or baseball personalities
Detailed airport arrival and departure instructions
Insider baseball experiences and sightseeing
Translation and travel desk services
Climate Contribution

For each guest, we fund emissions-reduction projects through our partner, Sustainable Travel International.

Not included: airfare to and from Japan, airport transportation, and most meals.

Pricing

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