2026 Japan Tour Recap & Photo Log
Next Japan Tour: May/June 2027
Days One & Two — May 13 & 14, 2026
Our 2026 tour is underway in Yokohama and Kanagawa!
On Wednesday night, our big group came together for the first time with a wonderful hosted welcome dinner by Yokohama Stadium. This year, we’re especially excited to welcome back students and faculty from the University of South Carolina!
On Thursday, we went out to beautiful Kamakura for a walking tour with local expert and fantastic longtime NPB journalist Jim Allen. After a packed day of visiting historic sites like the Engaku-ji Temple, Kotoku-in Daibutsu, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, while hitting plenty of street food spots along the way, we made our way back to Yokohama for our first baseball game of the trip between the Chunichi Dragons and Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
The starting matchup was former Braves and A’s southpaw Kyle Muller for Chunichi against reliever-turned-starter Taisei Irie for DeNA. They both pitched very well and the game ended as a scoreless tie after 12 innings.
It’s so great to see everyone and we’re looking forward to the rest of the trip! Next up, we’re going down to Nagoya.
Days Three & Four — May 15 & 16
Our next stop after Yokohama was Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city by population and home of the Chunichi Dragons.
On Friday, we got out to the Vantelin Dome Nagoya for a game between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Dragons. The team had been shut out on back-to-back nights, but they finally got some offense going courtesy of Yutaro Itayama, who hit two home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam in the 7th that sent the stadium into a frenzy.
Unfortunately for Chunichi, they couldn’t hold on in the late innings and went on to lose, 8-5. We also met two brothers in elementary school who had come to the game all by themselves to cheer on the Dragons. They were very curious about our tour and some of the guests were able to communicate with them through Google Translate — such a great interaction!
On Saturday, we took a private bus to embark on the Ichiro pilgrimage, which is now an annual tradition on our tours. We hit many of the key spots that defined Ichiro’s upbringing, including the his family home and museum containing many of his decorated award cabinets and memorabilia, the batting cages he frequented as a kid, and even his favorite sushi restaurant. We’re so honored that his father came out to say hi to us and take pictures!
It was a wonderful couple of days and now we’re heading up north to Sendai!
Day Five — May 17
Sunday was our last day of having the NPB tour group and University of South Carolina students and faculty together, so we made the most of it!
We took an early train up from Nagoya to Tokyo and quickly transferred to Sendai to catch an afternoon game between the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park is always a great experience and has a unique atmosphere in NPB thanks to its many activities and food trucks around the stadium, most notably the big ferris wheel. The Eagles came up short and lost, 5-1, but we caught home runs from Ryoya Kurihara of SoftBank and Ryuya Taira of Rakuten!
After the game, we split into several groups and enjoyed a walking tour of lesser known spots in the city with local guides. We also met some new baseball friends along the way!
Next, the NPB tour heads north to Hokkaido while USC makes its way back down to Tokyo! It was so fun to have the big group together for the opening segment of this trip!
Days Six & Seven — May 18 & 19
On Monday, our NPB main tour split off with the University of South Carolina group to head up north to Hokkaido to check in at the Es Con Field Hotel!
We took a quick flight from Sendai to Sapporo, explored some local sites, and spent the evening at the famous Ramen Alley before enjoying some amazing Cremia ice cream (Shane’s favorite!) at The Soft Cream House.
The following morning, we got to tour Es Con Field Hokkaido, Japan’s newest state-of-the-art stadium, and experience the Es Con Field Skywalk! Such a cool view of everything!
Then, we visited the wonderful Sapporo Beer Museum and Garden for lunch, which had some great food, including jingisukan (mutton prepared in the local style).
Afterwards, it was time for a game between the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters, where we were treated to a great pitching matchup between stars Kosei Shoji and Hiromi Itoh. The Fighters put some runs on the board early, courtesy of homers by Yuya Gunji and Chusei Mannami and went on to win, 6-2. Finally a home team victory on this trip! Some of our guests also made it on the big screen!
Big thanks to former Boston Red Sox coach Bianca Smith for joining us again!
Next, we fly down to Osaka to catch the Orix Buffaloes and Hanshin Tigers.
Days Eight to Twelve — May 20 – 24
Once we finished our adventures up north, it was time to fly down from Sapporo to Osaka!
On Wednesday, we visited Kyocera Dome Osaka for a matchup between the Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The Buffaloes came away with an 8-3 win, making it two home team victories in a row for our tour!
The next day, it was time for one of the most iconic baseball sites in Japan: Koshien. Sadly, the game was rained out, but we still enjoyed the pregame experience, including the Babe Ruth monument, Koshien Susanoo Shrine, and the history-filled Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
On Friday, we had some free time to explore Osaka, including Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Kuromon Market, and more. Later in the evening, we checked out a couple of cool spots connected to the old Nankai Hawks before heading to the Hirakuza Sumo Show for another fun cultural experience!
Then, our full tour guests took the Shinkansen down to Fukuoka, where some of us caught an Avispa Fukuoka soccer match before we welcomed our new Segment 2 guests with a great dinner at Yokaromon.
Sunday was packed with activities as we visited the Sadaharu Oh Museum and teamLAB Forest before heading to Mizuho PayPay Dome for Sadaharu Oh Legacy Day between the SoftBank Hawks and Nipponham Fighters. Former star closer Dennis Sarfate was also in the house!
Between the special No. 89 uniforms, exhibits, and pregame ceremony honoring one of Japan’s greatest legends, it was a memorable way to start this leg of the trip. Plus, SoftBank won a thriller, 6-5, making it three straight home team wins!
Next stop: Hiroshima!
Days Thirteen & Fourteen — May 25 & 26
On Monday, we took the Shinkansen from Fukuoka to Hiroshima before heading straight out for a visit to beautiful Miyajima. We enjoyed some great views on the ferry ride, explored the island, and had time to check out famous sights like Itsukushima Shrine.
Afterwards, we got to experience the local powerboat races at Boat Race Miyajima! It was a fun, unique experience before heading back into Hiroshima for the evening.
Later that night, we enjoyed a hosted okonomiyaki dinner at OKOSTA, where everyone got to learn how to cook Hiroshima’s famous specialty dish. It’s always better when you make it yourself!
On Tuesday, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Peace Memorial Museum with the Hiroshima Volunteer Guide Association. It was an incredibly meaningful experience as we learned more about the history of the city and visited sites including the Atomic Bomb Dome, Clock Tower of Peace, and Peace Memorial Park.
Then, it was time for baseball again as we headed to Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium for a matchup between the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Chiba Lotte Marines. It was a tight game in a pitcher’s duel between Hiroki Tokoda and Andre Jackson, but Lotte put up some late runs to take it, 3-1.
Next up, we’re heading back to Tokyo for the last leg of this amazing trip.
Days Fifthteen to Eighteen — May 27 – 30
After an incredible stop in Hiroshima, it was time for the main tour group to head to Tokyo for the final stretch of the trip!
On Wednesday, we came together with the Tokyo segment guests (who had their welcome dinner, a Kamakura day tour, & a Yokohama game in their first few days!) and and became one big group before heading straight to Tokyo Dome for a matchup between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants. The Giants came away with a 5-1 win!
The next day, we spent the afternoon in Asakusa, exploring Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street before enjoying a fun sumo lunch show.
From there, we took a chartered bus to Meiji Jingu Stadium, where we had the honor of meeting esteemed author and historian Robert Whiting, whose book “You Gotta Have Wa” remains one of the definitive English-language works on Japanese baseball. He joined us on the bus and answered all our questions about Japanese baseball and Jingu Stadium. Sadly for the Swallows, the Saitama Seibu Lions got the better of them by a 6-0 scoreline.
On Friday, NPB journalist and professional guide Jim Allen led us on a Tokyo walking tour, including stops at Yasukuni Shrine, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, and Tokyo Dome City.
Afterwards, we made the trek out to ZOZO Marine Stadium for a matchup between the Hanshin Tigers and Chiba Lotte Marines. The energy between the two cheering sections was palpable, but the visitors came out on top, 1-0, thanks to eight scoreless innings by Sawamura Award frontrunner Haruto Takahashi.
Finally, on Saturday, we celebrated our JapanBall Hall of Fame members with a special brunch at Cafe Noodle Roje. We were so excited to see Jun and Koko again and congratulate to our newest members of the ‘See It All’ Hall of Fame: Ryan, Scott, and Michael!
Afterwards, we headed to Belluna Dome for the final game of the tour between the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Saitama Seibu Lions. Chihiro Sumida of the Lions delivered a complete game shutout in an 8-0 win, giving us a great performance to close out the trip.
And that’s a wrap on this year’s tour! Thank you so much to everyone for joining us and following along!