2025 Japan Tour Recap and Photo Log
Next Japan Tour: May 2026
Days One and Two — May 8 & 9, 2025
Japan Tour Day 1:
Our annual Japan tour is underway in Tokyo! A nice and relaxing start tonight as we had a grand welcome dinner buffet in our hotel and got to know one another. Tomorrow, we’re headed for some sightseeing and then going to Yokohama for the first NPB game of the trip!
Japan Tour Day 2:
For our first full day of the tour, we started out with some important sightseeing in Tokyo before heading to Yokohama Stadium in the evening to watch the defending Japan Series champion DeNA BayStars host the Hiroshima Carp. After Hiroshima took the lead off Trevor Bauer, DeNA came back and tied the game in the bottom of the 9th. Then, Takuma Hayashi walked it off in the 10th! What a game to start the trip.
Tomorrow, we’ll be in Saitama to see the Seibu Lions.
Days Three & Four — May 10 & 11, 2025
Japan Tour Day 3:
We had lunch at Cafe Noodle Roje, home of the JapanBall Hall of Fame, where we had our newest inductees. Congratulations to Stephen, Anthony, Richard, and Michael!
Then we headed to Saitama to watch the Seibu Lions host the Lotte Marines. Lions ace Tatsuya Imai was in complete control with 10 strikeouts in 7 shutout innings, and Tyler Nevin hit a grand slam as Seibu cruised to a 7-0 victory!
Japan Tour Day 4:
In the morning, we watched a Tohto University college game between Aogaku University and Asia University at the Yomiuri Giants minor league stadium. The Tohto University Baseball League was founded way back in 1930 and the Giants Town Stadium is a really nice place to catch a game! We even met some MLB scouts.
In the evening, we got to Meiji Jingu Stadium and caught a Tokyo Derby matchup between the Yakult Swallows and Yomiuri Giants. It was a low-scoring affair, but Eigoro Mogi’s 2-run shot in the 6th inning was the difference as Yakult came away with a 2-1 victory.
It’s a travel day for NPB teams tomorrow so we’ll be doing the same and flying up to Sapporo!
Days Five & Six — May 12 & 13, 2025
Japan Tour Day 5:
We flew up from Tokyo to Sapporo in the morning and had a group dinner at Ichikura ramen house. A true local place with great food and great people! Can’t wait to get out to Es Con Field Hokkaido, Japan’s newest state-of-the-art stadium, tomorrow afternoon.
Japan Tour Day 6:
Today, we visited Es Con Field Hokkaido to catch the Tsuyoshi Shinjo-managed Nippon-Ham Fighters take on the Orix Buffaloes in a battle between the two top teams in the Pacific League so far this season. Ace Hiromi Itoh was fantastic, throwing eight shutout innings, and a late surge by the Fighters in the 7th inning blew the game open as the home team came away with a 7-0 win.
Thank you so much to Bianca Smith for joining us! Bianca made headlines a few years ago when she became the first black woman to be hired as a professional baseball coach, coaching at the Rookie level for the Boston Red Sox, and is now in Japan for an educational and cultural exchange program.
Days Seven & Eight — May 14 & 15, 2025
Japan Tour Day 7:
We took a flight down from Sapporo to Sendai in the morning and saw the Rakuten Eagles host the Lotte Marines. Former Phillies prospect Spencer Howard was making his NPB debut for Rakuten and picked up the win as the Eagles were victorious, 4-0. We also did some sightseeing around the city and even met some of the Japan Girls Youth Baseball Champions team from Clark High School! We’ll take the train from Sendai to Tokyo in the morning.
Meanwhile, our Tokyo Tour group safely landed and we had a nice welcome dinner at the hotel. Can’t wait to have both groups together tomorrow!
Japan Tour Day 8:
Our two groups came together for the first time as one big family on Tokyo! Our first stop was a scenic walk at the Koshikawa Korakuen Garden in the shadow of Tokyo Dome. It’s a true hidden gem if you haven’t visited.
Then, we had the honor of meeting with esteemed author, journalist, and historian Robert Whiting at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. He shared his stories about the Tokyo Dome, his thoughts on the impact of Ohtani and Sasaki on the Dodgers, and Ichiro’s induction. Afterwards, we saw the Lotte Marines defeat the Rakuten Eagles, 5-2, in a neutral site game where the Eagles were the home team. We all got a cool Rakuten jersey as a giveaway.
Days Nine & Ten — May 16 & 17, 2025
Japan Tour Day 9:
In the morning, part of our group enjoyed an introduction to Japan’s national sport, sumo, at the Sumo Club Annex in Asakusa. The two hour program included a musical geisha performance, a lesson in sumo rules and techniques, a traditional lunch, and even a chance to challenge the wrestlers themselves. Of course, nobody stood a chance, but it was a very fun experience! Highly recommended.
In the evening, we made a trip out to Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba and saw the Lotte Marines host the Nippon-Ham Fighters. Unfortunately for the home fans, the Fighters had a convincing 8-0 victory as shortstop Tatsuki Mizuno hit a three-run homer while southpaw Sachiya Yamasaki threw a complete game shutout (his first in eight years).
Japan Tour Day 10:
Our two groups split up again this morning as the main tour took a long shinkansen down to Kyushu while the Tokyo group stuck around to watch the Seibu Lions host the Orix Buffaloes at the Belluna Dome in Saitama.
Flamethrower Tatsuya Imai dominated and threw eight innings of one-run ball for the Lions. His season ERA is now 0.59 and he may pitch in MLB in the very near future. Down to their final strike, the Buffaloes tied the game in the 9th, but Seibu answered in the 10th as 5-foot-4 Natsuo Takizawa picked up the first walk off hit of his young career to send the Lions fans home happy! Hats off to the short king. Lucky for us, we also received a hockey style jersey giveaway.
Meanwhile, after arriving in Hakata, the group explored the local area and had dinner at the riverside food stalls as Fukuoka is one of the few places in Japan with a vibrant street food culture. It was worth the five hour journey and now we’re ready to see the SoftBank Hawks at the PayPay Dome tomorrow!
Days 11 & 12 — May 18 & 19, 2025
Japan Tour Day 11:
The main tour saw the SoftBank Hawks host the Rakuten Eagles at the PayPay Dome today. The Hawks were wearing pink for breast cancer awareness. Former MLB pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa got the start for the Hawks and Taisei Makihara walked it off in the 12th inning.
The Tokyo group went to Meiji Jingu Stadium in the evening to see the Yakult Swallows take on the DeNA BayStars. 45-year-old Masanori Ishikawa, the oldest active player in NPB, was Yakult’s starter. He got through the order the first time unscathed but things came undone in the 5th as the BayStars scored 7 runs and ended up running away with it, 10-2.
Japan Tour Day 12:
The main group did some sightseeing in Iwakuni where we saw the Kintaikyo Bridge, Iwakuni Castle, and other beautiful sites. In the evening, we headed up to Hiroshima for an okonomiyaki making experience, the local speciality dish. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the Carp game!
The Tokyo group had lunch at Cafe Noodle Roje, home of the JapanBall Hall of Fame. Huge thanks as always to Jun and Koko for being such amazing hosts! Tomorrow will be Yokohama for the BayStars game, marking the end of this segment.ext
Days 13 & 14 — May 20 & 21, 2025
Japan Tour Day 13:
We started the day with some sightseeing in Hiroshima and visited the Clock Tower of Peace, Atomic Bomb Dome, and Peace Memorial Park and Museum. In the evening, we saw the Hiroshima Carp host the Yakult Swallows. Former Ranger Sandro Fabian got the action started with a home run in the 1st inning off former Rockie Peter Lambert and the Carp went on to win, 3-2. We’re off to Osaka tomorrow!
The Tokyo group enjoyed a pregame happy hour at a local BayStars izakaya in Yokohama and unanimously decided that horse meat is good! We also tried an assortment of different foods before heading to the stadium. The DeNA BayStars were victorious, 10-2, over the Chunichi Dragons thanks to homers by stars Shugo Maki, Tyler Austin, and Toshiro Miyazaki. That marks the end of this segment of the tour. What a memorable week!
Japan Tour Day 14:
After arriving from Hiroshima in the morning, we made our way to Koshien Stadium and visited the Koshien History Museum, Babe Ruth monument, and Susano Shrine before the big rivalry game between the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants. It was a very rainy night, but the crowd was packed and electric nonetheless! After going down 4-0 early, the Tigers nearly clawed back but unfortunately fell short, 5-4. We’ll stay in Osaka and see the Orix Buffaloes at the Kyocera Dome tomorrow.
Day 15 — May 22, 2025
Japan Tour Day 15:
After a rainy but exciting night at Koshien yesterday, we made our way to the Kyocera Dome today to see the Orix Buffaloes host the Lotte Marines. We were at Hotto Motto Field to see the Buffaloes last year so this was JapanBall’s first time back at Kyocera in a couple years.
Credit to Frank for this great shot of Raito Ikeda’s home run from the Marines cheering section! Ikeda went deep twice and Lotte ran away with the game by a score of 9-1.
Tomorrow, we’re off to Nagoya in the morning for the final leg of this tour!
Days 16 & 17 — May 23 & 24, 2025
Japan Tour Day 16:
Tonight we saw the Chunichi Dragons host the Hanshin Tigers at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya — our 12th and final stadium of the tour! Before heading to the stadium, we enjoyed a pregame happy hour at a local izakaya where we had plenty of tasty tebasaki — Nagoya’s specialty chicken wings — beer, and other sides.
The game was deadlocked at zero until the 11th inning when Hanshin finally broke through with 3 runs and went on to win, 3-0. Despite the loss, the Dragons fans brought so much passion and energy.
Tomorrow, a few of us are continuing to South Korea for the KBO tour while those who are staying will embark on a special pilgrimage!
Japan Tour Day 17:
For the last official activity of the tour…the Ichiro pilgrimage!
We started with a brief look into Iseyama Sports Ground, a small field where Ichiro grew up practicing while in elementary school, before heading to the nearby exhibit room where Ichiro and his family keep his giant collection. Many of his trophies, jerseys, bats, and other items are being donated to Cooperstown for his National Hall of Fame induction this summer so we were among the last to see them in Nagoya.
Then, we made a stop at Toyama Junior High School, where Ichiro attended and played “rubber ball” baseball, then made our way to his favorite sushi restaurant growing up. It has a Seattle Mariners logo painted onto the parking lot and some other Ichiro memorabilia inside!
After our wonderful meal which included a full plate of sushi, chawamushi (egg custard dish), miso soup, and desert, we walked across the street to take some hacks ourselves at the batting cage where Ichiro honed his iconic swing over the years.
And that marks the end of our annual NPB tour! It was an incredible two and a half weeks and it was so fun to finish it off in style by tracing Ichiro’s upbringing. Thank you all for being a part of our grand journey!