Baseball in Japan

[CPHFighter1]

Not sure if this is the right forum or not, but I'll take a crack at it.

I'm going to be in Japan for the next month starting tomorrow. I'll be in Osaka, home of the.. Hanshin Tigers? This is likely a longshot, but has anyone ever been to a baseball game in Japan? If so, to the Tigers home stadium?
Any practical info would be cool.

For those interested, I just checked the roster for the Hanshin Tigers to see if I would recognize any names, and there was one. None other than the Fat Toad himself, Hideki Irabu.
Here is the link:
http://www.japanesebaseball.com/teams/t ... &Year=2004

[baseball6791]

i visited tokyo last year, and went to a yomiuri giants vs. hanshin tigers game at the giants stadium in tokyo. japan really is a wonderful place, but that's besdies the point. the baseball there really is good baseball, a lot more small ball and agressiveness than american baseball. the do have some kind of odd unique things at the games there, such as cheering sections with clappers and cheerleaders who come out on the dugouts every inning. if you can find the time, its a pretty fun experience overall.

[nikku88]

If you are going to see a baseball game, I highly recommend going to a Hanshin Tigers home game at Koshien stadium. The fans are crazy. Sit in the left field stands where all the cheering fans go. It's open seating.
Technically, Hanshin Tigers are not in Osaka. They are in a city called Nishinomiya in Hyogo prefecture. It's only about 10 min from downtown Osaka though.

[ocmusicjunkie]

Long shot? Not on the Cafe.

I was there in March for spring break. Caught a Tigers vs Buffaloes game in Osaka. Great stuff... the fans there are crazy. Each team hires their own band and professional cheering squad to get rowdy during games... even for spring training!

Hmm... useful info...

Most (if not all) stadiums there have nets to prevent balls from going into the stands. These cover all the way from foul pole to foul pole base- not just behind home like at our stadiums. I’m not sure how useful knowing this is... but you could get seats in the OF or second deck to prevent having to look through it the entire game.

You’ll have a great time though

[CPHFighter1]

Awesome, guys. Great info.
Nets over the seats, cheerleaders, aggressive play, open seating, cheering sections, rowdy fans, and a... a band!? Woah, weird. I'm there!
I'll actually be in Kobe, not far from the stadium I guess. I'll be there long enough to where I could end up at couple of games. Appreciate the insight, fellas!