GO GO SWALLOWS!

Last night, some friends and I went to a baseball game at the famous Meiji Jingu Stadium.  Apparently, it’s the second oldest baseball stadium in Japan and one of the few remaining stadiums in the world that Babe Ruth has played in.  It was so much fun! 

The game was the Yakult Swallows (home team) vs the Chunichi Dragons.  The Dragons’ mascot is a koala.  I don’t understand.  The English version of Wikipedia didn’t tell me anything.  One friend hypothesized that it’s because koalas are cute and cuddly, and dragons are not.  If anybody knows the true reason, please share!

Mascots watching the fireworks

In the middle of the game, they stopped for some fireworks.  I love fireworks!  A few minutes after the fireworks, the fastest moving DOWNPOUR I’ve ever seen came sweeping over the big screen and across the stadium.  Ten minutes later, the rain was gone, and we were back to baseball.  Final result: Swallows won, 6-2!

Just some random observations:

* On my way to the gate where I could buy last-minute tickets, I passed by what I think is the Swallows’ clubhouse.  A Swallows player who appears to be African American came strolling into the stadium.  What was funny about this was seeing all of the little old Japanese ladies who were frantically trying to snap a picture of him with their cell phones.  I was very close to being elbowed out of the way.  Those little old ladies are not only genki; they’re also tech-savvy!

* There was a wide variety of food, with prices not really any more expensive than you would see outside the stadium.  You can also bring in food and beverages, which means that the 5-minute walk from the subway is lined with people/restaurants selling drinks and food. 

* In Japan, not only do you have people carrying around beer, soda and ice cream to sell, you also have beer on tap – i.e. girls walk around with a small tank (backpack-sized) of beer on their back.

* We sat in the outfield, which is cheaper and has no assigned seats.  By the time we arrived, seat availability and chance had us sitting with the Dragons, but either side would be fun.  Both sides had a few trumpet players, a guy who swings a giant flag, and a guy on a ladder leading the whole section in cheers and songs for their team.  Everybody was singing/cheering and banging these small plastic baseball bats together in rhythm (like drumsticks).  My favorite Dragons cheer was the one that started out with everybody singing long tones – rather 3^rd Encounters-esque.

Dragons fans

* Whenever the Swallows score (and again at the end when they won) the fans all sing a song while waving small plastic umbrellas.  It’s very fun looking.  Next time, I’ll try to get to the game really early so that I can sit on that side and get a video of it.

Swallows fans celebrating their win