Latham's Guide to Japanese Baseball:

See a game in the Japanese Countryside

Since nine of Japan's twelve pro baseball teams are clustered around Tokyo and Osaka, most folks living in rural areas don't have a chance to see teams play at their home ballparks. Fortunately, all teams play between ten and fifteen "home" games on the road, in places like Sapporo, Sendai, Kurashiki and other rural areas. While these games may not be accessible unless you live nearby, they are certainly a treat to attend.

People in the countryside tend to be much friendlier than their big-city cousins. Don't be surprised if the people sitting next to you buy you a drink, offer you some of their shrimp flavored corn chips, or try to talk to you.

Moreover, most of these rural stadiums bring to mind an earlier era, before Astroturf, domes or multi-billion yen scoreboards. Many of these games are scheduled for the afternoon, simply because some stadiums do not even have lights. The emphasis is on baseball, in its most distilled form, as opposed to big - stadium attendance - enhancing gimmicks. You may find that some of Japan's best ballparks lie in these relatively small towns.

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