On Japanese Baseball

[toudalicious]

Japan... remember: Kyoto, Tokyo, Ninja, Geisha, Samurai. Ah, and Manga and Anime.

It's amazing how one of the most important things in Japan gets absolutely overlooked by gaijin: Baseball

Comments

[das_vika]

The most important sports for Japanese people isn't golf? o.o I saw a HUGE golf area in Kumamoto. Like, in the middle of the city. You don't get to see that in Germany o.ov And everyone (okay, almost everyone) plays golf. When I told my host family that my father doesn't, they were very surprised.

But I guess baseball is huge, too...

[toudalicious]

Golf is the third, I believe, after Baseball and Sumo.
Sumo declined in popularity lately, as well as Baseball, since Soccer gained more.
But Baseball is still No°1! It's like soccer in Germany... all kids play it and it still draws the masses to watch.
But I guess golf is something more people actually play.
I know, there are those big nets places all over each city... but the only true golf place I've seen so far was on Shikoku XD

Perhaps it also depends on the city. The big problem with Baseball (which was exploited by soccer) is that there are only around 12 really professional teams... and 5 of them in the Kanto area, I believe. Kyushu and Hokkaido each got one.
So the areas to see professional baseball live are limited to a very few cities.
But Highschool Baseball (the Koshien tournament especially)
is also very popular in Japan, it's broadcasted in radio and TV as well all over the country.
And the professional games are in TV each evening, at primetime.

[das_vika]

The Highschool Baseball tournament! I remember. Last summer, I listened to NHK news almost every day and they constantly commented on that. I was surprised.

Yeah! The nets are funny. At first, I didn't know what it was... Bird cage? eh? |D

It'll be a pleasure to be able to escape the dull soccer announcements for two months! Baseball is more exciting, I guess. Heh. Although I am no use at all... XD