#31 7th Inning Stretch

Monday rolled around and I got to go see a Japanese professional baseball game! I absolutely love baseball. My father and I used to get season tickets to the Giants game. We would sit in the bleacher seats, eating our garlic fries and singing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” at the top of our lungs. Those are all the things I remember the most vividly.

It is not the same in Japan.

First of all, the stadium is in a dome.

Something I’m not used to, with the California weather and all. You wont find any bleacher seats here.

Next, there is definitely no garlic fries. Even if there were, I don’t think it would have been the same, having to eat them with chopsticks and all. Lastly, there was no “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. I know its an American thing, but somehow, I still expected it to happen.

All in all though, what the Japanese lacked in the traditional area, they made up for with all of their incredible enthusiasm. Everyone, and I mean, EVERYONE, was banging their sticks and shouting out loud. Participating in every little support cheer that flashed on the billboard thingy. It was really cool.


I was also amazed by all the younger people, ages 15-28, dressing up in their yukatas. I asked my host dad about and he said it was the “cool” thing to do. Who knew?