How do I contact a player/team?
Communication is a central theme of this site, and there are many people looking to communicate with either players or team front offices for reasons ranging from private conversations to possible business contacts. However, there is very little information in English on how to go about making that initial contact.
Team Contact Information
To help out, below you will find the list of teams and their mailing addresses.
| Chunichi Dragons | Hanshin Tigers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Address: | Chunichi Blgd. 6F 4-1-1 Sakae, Naka-ku Nagoya, Aichi-ken 460-0008 |
Address: | 1-47 Koshien-cho Nishinomiya, Hyogo-ken, 663-8152 |
|
| Phone: | 052-261-8811 | Phone: | 0798-46-1515 | |
| Fax: | 052-251-8649 | Fax: | 0798-40-0934 | |
| [updated August 28, 2001] | ||||
| Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Tokyo Yakult Swallows | |||
| Address: | 5-25 Motomachi-cho, Naka-ku Hiroshima, Hiroshima-ken 730-8508 |
Address: | Yakult Swallows Baseball Club Shinbashi MCV Building, 5th Floor 5-13-5 Shinbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004 |
|
| Phone: | 082-221-2040 | Phone: | 03-5470-8915 | |
| Fax: | 082-228-5013 | |||
| [Updated Jan 8, 2005] | ||||
| Yokohama BayStars | Yomiuri Giants | |||
| Address: | Kannai Arai Bldg. 7F 1-8 Ogami-machi Naka-ku, Yokahama 231-0015 |
Address: | 3-3 Kanda-Nishikicho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8462 |
|
| Phone: | 045-681-0811 | Phone: | 03-3295-7711 | |
| Fax: | 045-661-2500 | Fax: | 03-3295-7731 | |
| [updated August 28, 2001] | [updated January 8, 2005] | |||
| Chiba Lotte Marines | Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | |||
| Address: | WBG Marive West 26th Floor 2-6 Nakase, Mihama-ku Chiba, Chiba-ken 261-8587 |
Address: | Fukuoka Dome 6F 2-2-2 Jingyohama Chuo-Ku, Fukuoka 810-0065 |
|
| Phone: | 043-297-2101 | Phone: | 092-844-1189 | |
| Fax: | 043-297-2181 | Fax: | 092-844-4600 | |
| [updated August 28, 2001] | ||||
| Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters | Orix Buffaloes | |||
| Address: | 1 Hitsujigaoka Toyohira-ku Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-0045 |
Address: | Midoridai, Suma-ku Kobe, Hyogo-ken 654-0163 |
|
| Phone: | 011-857-3939 | Phone: | 078-799-1202 | |
| [Updated January 8, 2005] | [Updated January 8, 2005] | |||
| Seibu Lions | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |||
| Address: | 2135 Kami-Yamaguchi Tokarazawa-shi, Saitama-ken 359-1189 |
Address: | 5-12-55 Tsutsujigaoka, Miyagino-ku Sendai, Miyagi-ken 983-0852 |
|
| Phone: | 04-2924-1155 | Phone: | 022-298-5300 | |
| Fax: | 04-2924-1155 | |||
| [updated August 28, 2001 | [Updated January 8, 2005] | |||
What about e-mail?
Many of you will have noticed that there are no e-mail addresses in the above table. The popular theory for that is because the teams have yet to enter the 21st century. It may be as simple as the team being unwilling to figure out how to solve the spam problem with e-mail. Some do have fan bulletin board systems, and some players have their own blogs, so the situation is getting better.
Nonetheless, to get into contact with your friends, former team mates, or relatives playing in Japan, you'll need to first go the snail-mail route. Include an e-mail address in your letter, and I'm sure that communication can flow freely after this initial road bump.
Help with marketing/promotions?
If you have something to sell, co-promote, or offer to the teams, please contact them directly via snail-mail, phone, or fax. I've been asked to play go-between for a large number of deals, often for large sums of money. I've turned all such deals down as I don't have the time or resources necessary to do the job right. I'm flattered, but I'm a computer programmer, not a businessman. All I can do is wish you the best in your endeavor.
Keeping in mind that I'm not at all qualified to give business advice, I would like to emphasize that it would be best if you could communicate in the native language of the country, i.e. Japanese. There are abundant Japanese college students in most major populated areas throughout the world would would make great part-time or single-job workers.
Conclusion
It would be great if the teams would come into the 21st century and open up communication channels so that fans can more easilly reach players. There has been some progress in the past couple of years, and players are starting up their own blogs where the teams don't provide them.
In the mean time, it's snail-mail, phone (if you speak Japanese), and fax to communicate with the teams.
Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Writer/System Administrator
JapaneseBaseball.com
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