US vs Japan Baseball Experience?

For the best first person source on the Japan Baseball Experience, please have a look at Deanna Rubin's Marinerds blog. Deanna has covered her experience from the heart of the Nippon Ham Fighter's oendan (cheering group) for several years and provides an insight into the experience like no one else. (Several of us are trying to convince her to write a book on the subject.)

I think that most of what you want will be in her archives, as there are only so many times she can write the same thing as an introduction. So you may want to go back a couple of years to start your research there. And if your report can have multimedia, she also provides numerous YouTube videos she made herself at games on top of thousands of photographs.

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While Matt ("Hamanchu") only wrote for one season here, he did do a good job of reviewing the foods at many of the stadiums.

Personally, I like to bring my own food (which is allowed in Japan). I usually stop by Subway Sandwiches on my way to Tokyo Dome, and will pick up a Wako (tonkatsu specialty restaurant) obento on my way to Yokohama Stadium. Any Japanese bakery will also do for a change. But the point I'm trying to make is that you may actually bring a meal into the stadium (and avoid high stadium food prices).

Yes, Deanna observes things from a fan standpoint- best source I've seen!

Also, from the train stations as you near the stadiums, vendors sell food you can take into the park!

Biggest difference to me are the "ouendan," which are the cheering sections. These are usually in the outfiled bleachers split up into one side with fans for the 'home' team and the other for the 'visiting' team!

Also, the beer vendors are young ladies dressed up in the uniform for whatever beer they are selling. Then, they pour the beer into a cup from a tank/keg that they carry on their backs!

Most often, foul balls or home runs are thrown back or given to an usher instead of kept - some stadiums are changing this so fans may keep balls!

A small point, but one difference I like about Japan is regarding beer sales. Most MLB stadiums I have been to stop selling alcohol around the 7th or even 6th inning. When I go to my local stadium in Japan, however, the vendors are still walking around with beer in the bottom of the 9th. One obvious reason for this is most people here go to the game by public transportation. I think it makes the live baseball experience better here. If it's an exciting game, doesn't a beer at the end of the game make it even better?

I think it's a totally different experience. If there's an equivalent sports fan experience in the US, to my mind it's college football.

For the Japanese games, many people tend to show up very early (some show up 2-3 hours early, if not more) to reserve spots in line for unreserved seats. They'll show up with food, meet their friends and socialize. Many fans bring a picnic lunch or dinner (and at times a rather large selection of beer or liquor) and make an event of it.

Cheering at the game is more organized - there are songs for each player and cheer leaders to lead the fans in these songs. (There are cheerleaders as well, which I found a bit strange my first time at a game.) It can get quite noisy, especially at dramatic points of the game.

I've actually got many of the cheering songs for my team (Lotte) on my YouTube, if you wish to see what they are like.

Lots of people mentioned you can take food into the stadium, but you can also take alcohol into the stadium (at least at Chiba Marine Stadium).

And yes, they don't stop selling beer. Bottom of the 9th with two outs at Jingu Stadium yesterday and a beer guy stopped right next to me and shouted to see if anyone wanted a beer. (Why do I sound like an alcoholic in this post?)

I think the comment about returning foul balls is a bit out of date, at least from what I've seen at the half dozen stadiums I've visited.

Also, do you see fathers reading books while their sons play Nintendo DS, instead of watching the game in America?