Konnichiwa fellow HH'ers!

I'm back from a 3 week long trip to Japan! Sorry it took me a little while to post this, but I've been trying to recover from the time change (Japan is 19 hours ahead of Hawaii, which is 16 hours ahead of L.A.).  A last minute addition to our agenda was a must for me: a Japanese baseball game! We were able to squeeze it in while we were in Hiroshima, home of the Carp (who happen to have the exact same logo as the Cincinnati Reds...). So here's a report of the experience and links to photos and videos further down the page.

STADIUM LOCATION: Hiroshima Municipal Stadium (capacity 32,000) is just a short walk away from the Hiroshima Peace Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, and the hypocenter of the 1945 atomic bomb.  The atomic bomb memorial was a very sad place to visit, but I got a good insight to history from the other side's point of view.  The people of Hiroshima don't seem to hold much of a grudge against America; they've focused their time and effort into promoting worldwide peace and the ban of nuclear weapons.

OUR SEATS: The game started at 6 p.m., but our group was a little late so we missed the opening ceremonies and part of the top of the 1st inning.  The match-up: The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters vs. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp.  Since we got our tickets on short notice, we weren't able to get seats on the 1st base/right field side, which is where all the Carp fans sit.  But, we still got our money's worth on the 3rd base line in short left field in rows 7 and 8.

HIROSHIMA MUNICIPAL STADIUM: My initial impression of Hiroshima Municipal Stadium was that it looked a lot smaller than Major League Ballparks, which it is.  Hiroshima's dimensions are: 300 ft. to LF and RF, 380 to CF, and 360 to the power alleys.  For a comparison, Angel Stadiums' dimensions are 330 to LF and RF, 400 to CF, and 387 and 370 to the power alleys.  Also, Hiroshima's park has very short outfield walls.  There was a skin infield with very dark brown, almost black dirt.  The stadium was open air, not a dome. And, the foul poles were orange, not yellow like MLB stadiums. The seats were pretty small-- they were just big enough to fit my backside comfortably.  The scoreboard was nothing special, but it was different to see the rosters listed vertically and in Japanese.  But even though the stadium was smaller than American ones, the place was rocking the entire game.  I think the only time MLB stadiums have an atmosphere similar to that is during October.

THE FANS: The Fighters' fans were sitting in the left field stands and were scattered along the 3rd base line.  Left field was the main cheering section for the Fighters: there was someone leading the cheering with a whistle, a couple people were waving giant team flags, there were several trumpet players, a few taiko drummers, and the Fighters' mascot "BB" walked around the stands and interacted with fans.  The Carp fans took up the rest of the seats; it seemed especially packed in the outfield.  It would have been fun if we could have sat with the home team fans, but it was still a lot of fun!  I guess the unwritten rule is that you do the majority of your cheering for your team when they're on offense.  Plus, the fans are so energetic, they need half an inning to rest.  There was constant clapping rhythms and cheering throughout the game.  Most fans had mini plastic bats that they banged together instead of just clapping (but not as loud as thunder sticks).  Our tour guide told us that the fans were chanting "Hit, (Player's name)," "Homerun, _____," etc. And unlike American baseball, the noise escalated as each pitch was delivered. 

THE MASCOTS: The Carp's mascot is named "Slyly" and resembles the Phillie Phanatic.  But apparently, both were designed by the same people.  The Fighters' mascot "BB" ("Brisky the Bear") was much more athletic: I think it was the 5th inning when both mascots came out to the outfield to throw out souvenirs (I think it might have been balls) to their fans.  BB was doing backflips and throwing and hitting the items out to the stands, while Slyly used his slingshot/air gun to get it out to the fans. Other than that, both mascots mingled throughout the entire stadium during the course of the game. They were both entertaining and were good mascots.

THE FOOD: Hiroshima Municipal Stadium isn't known for its food, and I found that out first-hand.  All I had to eat was some cold french fries and a Coke.  We brought our own snacks, and some people in our group was able to find a stand with ramen (noodles and soup).  They said it was pretty good, but there wasn't much selection.  There were people who came around with coolers with ice cream, and there was one person with a backpack beer dispenser.  No, I didn't have any... I'm not old enough.  (The drinking age in Japan is 20).

7TH INNING STRETCH: This part of the game was very different from what we're used to in America.  For one, instead of singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," fans sing the Hiroshima Carp's song.  The lyrics were displayed on the scoreboard, but in Japanese.  (I could read it, though! But I don't remember any of it now...) Prior to the 7th innning, fans purchase a package of 6 balloons and blow it up just before the 7th inning stretch.  I don't know how much the balloons cost because our tour guide bought it for us.  Anyway, after the Carp song, everyone lets go of their balloon, which goes flying up into the air and a makes a squeaking/squealing sound.  It was very different, but interesting.  I didn't let go of mine-- I kept it as a souvenir!

MISCELLANEOUS: Even though it was a skin infield, it was still raked the old school way, with actual rakes.  A bunch of the ball boys and Slyly came out to rake the field while the defense warmed up. ... When a new pitcher or position player entered the game, they were driven out onto the field by a cart.  It made them look lazy, but it's probably just to speed up the game a little.  ... There was no team store for the Carp like MLB teams have at their stadiums, but I was able to buy souvenirs at a gift shop in the Hiroshima train station.  I did notice Carp merchandise in stores around Hiroshima as well. 

THE GAME: As for the game itself... The Carp took an early 2-0 lead in the 1st, but the Fighters came back in the next inning and pulled away as the game went on.  After 7 innings, the score was 8-3, Fighters.  But in the bottom of the 8th, the Carp rallied for 4 runs, highlighted by a 2-out 2-run double by.... ex-Angel Alex Ochoa (who was a part of the 2002 World Series team).  They seem to love him in Hiroshima.  He hit in the 3-spot and played RF at the game I went to, and was almost  the hero of the game.  Both teams brought in their closers (both of whom were American) for the 9th, and that was it.  Final score: 8-7, Nippon-Ham Fighters.  ... NOTE: There was no DH in the game; it was NL-style. ... Our guide also told us that the Carp were once very good, but have been at the bottom of the standings for the past few years.  However, when we were there, the Carp were within striking distance in 4th place, so the fans of Hiroshima are especially enthusiastic.  (The Fighters were in 2nd place).

PHOTOS AND VIDEO:

PHOTOS FROM THE GAME

YOUTUBE VIDEOS FROM THE GAME...

Fighters Fans in LF 1

Fighters Fans in LF 2

Hiroshima Municipal Stadium 1

Hiroshima Municipal Stadium 2

Fighters Fans sitting in front of us 1

Fighters Fans sitting in front of us 2

Carp Fight Song during 7th inning stretch

Balloons fly during the 7th inning stretch

YU DARVISH: The starting pitcher for the Fighters was Yu Darvish.  Our guide said he is the ace of the Fighters, and one of the best pitchers in Japanese baseball.  He looked full Japanese, but his last name is Darvish, sooooo I did a little research and found out that he is half Iranian! What a combination! His parents met in college in St. Petersburg.  He was highly scouted in high school, and our very own Angels tried to sign him back in 2004.  As of now, he doesn't show much interest in coming to the MLB... Too bad.  He looked pretty good. (I don't remember exactly, but I think he went about 7 innings in the game I saw and gave up 3 runs.) ... Other facts: Trey Hillman, current KC Royals manager, was the skipper of the Fighters prior to this season. And Hiroki Kuroda, who is now in Dodger Blue, was formerly with Hiroshima. 

WRAP-UP: Being the die-hard baseball fan I am, the game was one of my favorite parts of my trip.  It is simply a must-do if you ever make it out to Japan.  Even if someone isn't a huge baseball fan, they'll still have a good time-- the atmosphere of Japanese baseball is truly one-of-a-kind, and can be enjoyed by anyone.

BATTING CAGES: This isn't related to the Hiroshima game, but it was in Japan and it's baseball related, so I thought I'd include it... While in the Mt. Fuji area, we found batting cages that was a short walk away from our hostel, so we paid it a visit.  There were 5 different cages ranging from 80 km/h to 120 km/h (about 50 mph to 75 mph) and a cage for pitching.  It was nothing special, but it was fun to get a little BP in! Then, when we were in Tokyo we found another batting cage that was even cooler.  It was indoors with A/C, but the best part was that there was a simulated pitcher; a virtual pitcher!  There was a screen for every home plate, and on the screen there was a projection of an actual pitcher.  It was timed and matched perfectly so the ball came out the hole in the screen which was the pitcher's release point.  That was the first time I ever saw anything like that, and I thought it was cool, so I thought I'd share it! : ) I hit off of (the projection of) that Darvish guy I mentioned before...

Above: Me hitting at the batting cages in the Mt. Fuji area... Wearing one of my many Angels shirts! : )

And BELOW are links to videos from the cages in Tokyo (with the projections of pitchers).

Tokyo Batting Cages 1

Tokyo Batting Cages 2