Baseball in Japan Looks about the Same, but the Food and the Vibe Are Different

The Associated Press

10:53 JST, March 19, 2025

TOKYO (AP) — Welcome to the view from the stands in the middle of the jammed sellout at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday as the Dodgers and Cubs opened MLB’s regular season.

Baseball in Japan — the game is called “yakyu” (field ball) in Japanese — carries more of a rock-concert vibe than its American cousin. And with Shohei Ohtani teasing fans for a week in Tokyo as the two-game series approached, it’s a true spectacle.

You don’t see the following routinely in North America. You did Tuesday in the Tokyo Dome.

Young women carry beer kegs on their backs, drawing a cold draft while you’re seated watching the game. Fans are clearly more animated. Even elderly men come with a glove — just in case. And chopsticks are in use as fans watching the game snack on noodles or a rice dish.

The food selection at the concession stands is mostly Asian, but popcorn and beer are plentiful. You can even buy a version of Cracker Jack.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he played baseball in Puerto Rico and Mexico and suggested the Japanese game and the Latin American game were linked.

“I would say the similarity is the passion from the fans. I think in Tokyo it’s a little more controlled emotion, chaos. Where in Latin America, playing winter ball — in the best possible way — it’s chaotic and a lot of passion.”

“It’s definitely close,” Dodgers Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “They enjoy the game a little bit different than the United States. This is the closest thing you will find (to Latin America).”

Dodgers teammate Kike Hernandez, a Puerto Rican, drew a deft comparison.

“When it comes to just culture as it is, the Latin culture and Japanese culture can’t be more far apart from each other,” he said. “But when it comes to the passion and the way that fans enjoy the game — it’s the closest thing to it.”

The food selection in the Tokyo Dome is all-world. And the food prices fall in the reasonable range, though the portions are probably smaller.

The food prices are a sharp contrast to the fact that a ticket for the Dodgers-Cubs series was selling on the secondary market in the $2,000-$8,000 range. At least one ticket was being advertised for $10,000.

A large draft beer in the food concourse was about 900 yen or $6. A double-cheese hot dog will set you back 1,000 yen, about $6.50.

For eats, there’s kimchi noodles, garlic-pepper chicken, Japanese-style dumplings and dozens of other choices. A pita sandwich will set you back about 1,300 yen — $8.50. Add to this many ballpark staples — pizza, fries and soft-serve ice cream.

Let’s eat. In Japanese that’s “tabemashou.”