Your Guide to Baseball in Japan

Baseball in Japan: Tournaments, Teams and Pop Culture

Baseball, or 野球 (yakyū), is a super popular sport in Japan.

Knowledge of Japanese baseball can be very useful in building relationships with locals.

For children and adults alike, baseball is one of the most popular topics of conversation and the names of baseball players such as Shohei Otani and Ichiro are well-known to most Japanese people.

In this article, we’ll introduce the history and culture of baseball in Japan, including some must-know teams!

Baseball in Japan || Introduction of Baseball to Japan

Baseball in Japan || Koshien Tournament

Baseball in Japan || Professional Baseball

Baseball in Japan || FAQs

Baseball in Japan || Introduction of Baseball to Japan

It is said that baseball was brought to Japan by an American teacher in 1872. In 1878, Japan’s first baseball team was formed, and in 1896, a team of university students defeated an American team, which quickly increased baseball’s popularity.

In 1903, a match between Waseda University and Keio University took place. Waseda University and Keio University are still considered prestigious universities in Japan today, and games between these two universities have been held for many years. Some professional baseball players are also from Waseda and Keio.

Waseda University was founded by Shigenobu Okuma. Shigenobu Okuma was a Japanese politician active during the Meiji and Taisho periods, and was twice prime minister. Keio University was founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa. Yukichi Fukuzawa was a thinker active from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period who introduced many foreign books to Japan.

He is also known for his portrait on the Japanese 10,000 yen bill. Outside of baseball, Waseda and Keio are also rivals as Japan’s top private universities.

Baseball in Japan || Koshien Tournament

In 1915, the Koshien Tournament was started. The tournament is held twice a year, once in the spring and once in the summer, and high school baseball teams compete for the championship in a tournament format.

The summer Koshien Tournament in particular has become a summer tradition in Japan. It is also a popular theme for Japanese summer conversation, and all games are broadcast by NHK, the national broadcaster.

Participating in the Koshien Tournament is the dream of many young baseball players, and becoming a professional baseball player after playing in the tournament is considered the first step to becoming a professional baseball player in Japan.

About 50 teams that have won the qualifying rounds in each prefecture are eligible to participate in the Koshien Tournament. More than 100 tournaments have been held so far, and some of the strongest schools have participated many times, and there are fans even from high schools in areas that are not their hometowns.

The school that has won the most championships to date is Chukyo University Senior High School in Aichi Prefecture, which has won a cumulative total of six championships.

Other well-known schools with multiple championships include Osaka Toin, PL Gakuen, and Chiben Wakayama. These famous schools are well known even to people outside of the prefecture where the high school is located. When a high school with little experience participates in the tournament, the local people of that high school get very excited.

Masahiro Tanaka won the Koshien championship in his sophomore season in high school, but was unable to compete in his junior season due to a scandal.

Shohei Ohtani was well known for his fastball speed in high school, but failed to make it to Koshien his senior season, losing in the Iwate Prefecture qualifying round.

It is interesting to note that players who are also successful in the major leagues are not necessarily those who made it to the top ranks in Koshien.

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Baseball in Japan || Professional Baseball

In 1936, the Nippon Professional Baseball Association was born. Thereafter, there was an interruption due to the war, but it resumed in 1946.

There are currently two leagues: the Central League and the Pacific League.

The Central League consists of the Giants, Tigers, Dragons, Swallows, BayStars, and Carp, while the Pacific League consists of the Fighters, Marines, Eagles, Hawks, Lions, and Orix. Let’s take a look at each of these teams below.

Yomiuri Giants

The Giants are owned by the Yomiuri Shimbun (Newspaper).

The Giants are the oldest existing baseball team in Japan, and are so representative of Japanese professional baseball that they are often referred to as the Giants when people think of baseball.

Famous players such as Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima played for this team. The team’s home is the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

Hanshin Tigers

The Hanshin Tigers is considered the Giants’ biggest rival. The team is owned by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings and is based at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture.

Major league baseball players such as Kei Igawa, Kyuji Fujikawa, and Tsuyoshi Shinjo have all come from this team. The Tigers are the second oldest baseball team in Japan after the Giants.

Games between the Giants and Tigers are called “traditional games” and are very exciting.

When talking with Japanese people, it might be interesting to start by asking them about their favorite baseball team.

Have you ever watched baseball in Japan? Share your experience here!

Baseball in Japan || FAQs

A Traveller’s Guide to Weather in Japan

The weather in Japan is very easy to plan for, with four distinct seasons but very different climates and temperatures from north to south.

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