2025 Mini NPB Tour Recap & Photo Log
Next NPB Tour: May 2026
Day One & Two – September 4 & 5
And we’re off on our mini NPB tour! Despite a big typhoon passing through, our first two days couldn’t have gone much better.
On Thursday night, we kicked things off with a welcome dinner at a local baseball-themed izakaya, Baseball Hub, where we enjoyed good food and caught part of the BayStars vs. Carp game in Hiroshima on TV (which was called in the 6th inning due to rain). We also made a quick stop at the Hanshin Tigers store, located just 5 minutes from Yokohama Stadium.
On Friday, heavy rain swept through Yokohama but cleared just a few hours before first pitch, miraculously saving the game from cancellation! We were rewarded with a great matchup that featured homers from both former MLB slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (DeNA BayStars) and future MLB star Munetaka Murakami (Yakult Swallows). In the end, the BayStars edged it out, 7-6.
Tomorrow morning, we head to Nagoya for the next leg of the trip!
Day Three — September 6
We were up bright and early, leaving Yokohama for Nagoya, and packed in a full day of baseball adventures!
The first stop was Ichiro’s exhibit at his family home, where we even had the pleasure of meeting his father, who’s always such a warm and welcoming guy! This was our first time hitting the place since his induction into the Hall of Fame, so some of his prized items were donated to Cooperstown a few months ago. From there, we checked out Ichiro’s childhood batting cage and then grabbed lunch at his go-to sushi spot.
In the afternoon, it was off to the Nagoya Dome to catch the Chunichi Dragons take on the Yomiuri Giants. Our group was scattered around the stadium — the right field cheering section was especially great for a true super fan experience! The game stretched over four hours, with the Giants rallying late to edge out a 5-4 win. We wrapped up the night with dinner at the nearby mall before calling it a day. Back at it tomorrow in Osaka!
Day Four — September 7
We departed Nagoya in the morning and were joined in Osaka by coach Yuhei (@konaka.yuhei) from Amazing Baseball to catch the Orix Buffaloes against the Nippon-Ham Fighters at the Kyocera Dome! Yuhei is an alum of powerhouse Osaka Toin High School, where he was teammates with none other than Shintaro Fujinami!
The timing couldn’t have been better for the game as we got to see young stud Shunpeita Yamashita make his much-anticipated 025 season debut in front of a packed house after dealing with a season-long injury. He was electric, striking out 11 batters over just 5 innings, and the Buffaloes bats came through late to seal a 3-2 win.
Later in the evening, we headed to Bistro Tachizushi Kalimocho, the same spot where Amazing hosted our Play Abroad group last month! We were then joined by coach Aniruman (@hirohata_shoichi) — or as we called him, Animal-man — which made the night even more lively! Aniruman is the older brother of Amazing CEO Minoru Hirohata-san (@hirohata.minoru).
The food was wonderful and we had an awesome night hanging out and talking ball! Huge thanks to both Yuhei and Aniruman for coming out and we’re looking forward to collaborating more with @amazing_baseballgear in the future!
Check them out on YouTube and subscribe to AmazingTV!
Day Five — September 8
After three straight days of baseball, we slowed things down and enjoyed a walking tour of Osaka! We explored the Shinsaibashi shopping street, wandered through Dotonbori, stopped by Hozen-ji Temple, and of course, treated ourselves to some world-class Cremia ice cream and fluffy pancakes along the way to fight the heat.
Our main destination was SELECTION, a store packed with awesome MLB, NPB, and other cool sports merch (they also have a big location in Shinjuku). Following a short break, we wrapped up the evening with a visit to the former site of Osaka Stadium, once home of the Nankai Hawks, before enjoying the lively and entertaining Hirakuza Sumo Show!
Tomorrow, it’s Koshien!
Day Six — September 9
Big day today as we made our way to Koshien Stadium, Japan’s baseball cathedral! Before the game, we fueled up with tasty okonomiyaki and yakisoba at a local restaurant called Jajauma, then hit some important spots like the Tigers shop, Susano shrine, Babe Ruth monument, and the Koshien Stadium museum. It was great catching up with Trevor, formerly of @hanshintigersenglishnews!
Fresh off clinching the Central League pennant on Sunday night, the Hanshin Tigers took the field for their first game since the big celebrations. But it was Anthony Kay of the DeNA BayStars who stole the show, tossing 7 scoreless innings and driving in two himself with a double. (With the DH coming to the CL in 2027, moments like that are on borrowed time!) DeNA won the game, 3-0, but the Tigers faithful were as electric as ever!
Day Seven — September 10
For our final day of the tour, we visited the MINT sports card shop in Umeda to pick up some cool NPB trading cards before making our way to the Hanshin Tigers farm team’s brand new stadium, Nippon Steel SGL Stadium Amagasaki!
Though the stadium is pretty small compared to many minor league parks in America, it’s very modern by Japanese minors standards and is situated in a very accessible area that’s only a short train ride away from Koshien. Attendance for the night was in the several hundreds. The weather was the best it’s been the entire trip and we got to see a very competitive 2-2 tie between the Tigers and Orix Buffaloes! Former MLB pitchers Nick Nelson and Yoshihisa Hirano even made appearances.
Thanks to @konaka.yuhei from @amazing_baseballgear for joining us yet again! It’s always so great to see you.
And that does it for this edition of our mini NPB tour! The week felt super short but we had lots of fun and were able to avoid any rainouts! Thank you all for joining and we hope to see you again!