Baseball in Tokyo

Baseball in Japan has come a long way since it was first introduced in the country way back in the middle of the nineteenth century when the country as a whole tried to shun conservatism and move to more western and modern ideas ranging from economy to sports to culture.

However it took a little over a century for the game to find a strong foothold in the country and things seems to look up further with the creation of two leagues consisting of five teams each.

The leagues are called the Central and Pacific leagues and winners of these leagues compete in a kind of championship series called the Nippon championship series. The capital city of Tokyo has not remained unscathed for the baseball frenzy and there are a number of teams to cheer for.

The most famous baseball team outside the continent of America is the Yomiuri Giants who play in the Tokyo Dome. The giants have their fans all over the country and the team has returned the favour by achieving unparallel success.

The Dome where the team plays is well connected and tickets to the matches are available at the stations itself. The Tokyo dome also offers tours to the stadium and also houses the Japanese baseball hall of fame. The other place where basket ball games are played is the Meiji Jingu Stadium where the Yakult Swallows play their games. The stadium is even more conveniently located than the Tokyo Dome.

It is an immensely absorbing experience to watch a baseball match in Tokyo as the teams employ strategies and moves that you can only see in a game of chess. The atmosphere and the ambience are mind-boggling with a lot of noise and cheering. People usually bring in bull horn like things to increase the intensity and fun quotient of the place.

Tickets are a tad expensive when it comes to a base ball match and one can get them by paying a price of about 3,000 to 10,000 yen. However if you want to catch a game of the famous giants then it can dig a bigger hole in your pocket, but its something worth experiencing.