Japanese baseball – Baseball Travels

Baseball Tickets

A smattering of tickets for games at Shea Stadium, Queens, NY, during an era when all tickets were torn.

Full disclosure: I am a couple of years short of my 60th birthday, and some of the views here are consistent with those of an American man of that age. Considering during my career I made considerable use of computers and other electronics, I would classify myself as tech savvy, and I understand the importance of progress from a technical standpoint. That having been said, I do believe that some things could remain the way they were, at least as an option in a world where technology changes quickly.

As the title stays, the blog entry deals primarily with baseball tickets, and how access to the ballpark has changed during my years as an avid baseball fan. Unfortunately, I was not aware enough in my younger days to keep the ticket stubs from baseball games, as I did not then understand the importance they would play later in my baseball life. My brother and I went to MANY ball games together during the 1980s, but none of the tickets from that time survived. We did collect yearbooks and scorecards from the 1980s, but tickets were an afterthought.

The oldest ticket stub in the collection dates back to 1991, when I saw the Kansas City Royals host the New York Yankees.

During the 1990s, we did have enough forethought to keep some of the tickets from the games we attended. At that time, we were attending only Major League (MLB) games, so that was the whole of our knowledge of baseball. Most of the tickets we had while attending games in New York City or Philadelphia were rather mundane (like the image of tickets above), but the ticket I received in Kansas City was very colorful (for the time), featuring an image of the iconic scoreboard and fountain. As was the case back in the early 1990s, this ticket was torn, as the ushers kept a portion of the ticket to verify the attendance for that game.

This simple transaction piqued my interest regarding tickets as memorabilia, and I became more vigilante keeping my tickets stubs. In the 1980s and 1990s, purchasing tickets at the gate or directly from the team ensured a genuine ticket. Buying tickets from a third party vendor (like Ticketmaster) almost guaranteed a drab, corporate looking thing that was hardly worth keeping once the game was complete. In fact, that is what happened to many tickets during this era, as many tickets were procured tickets from vendors and not the teams themselves.

A ticket purchased through tickets.com, not nearly as pleasing as a ticket from the team. This ticket was for a game on September 16th, 2001. Because of the national emergency following 9/11, this game was not played on that date.

We started traveling a bit more in the mid to late 1990s, when circumstances (and finances) allowed it. Whenever possible, I would buy a ticket at the box office, which was a risky proposition depending on how well the home team drew. Coming back from a work trip, I passed by Boston just before the evening commute, when one of my colleagues indicated that the Red Sox were home. Not yet as popular as they would be in the upcoming years, we diverted to Fenway Park to see the game. It was my first trip to that hallowed ground, and I was able to get a ticket from the box office. That trip to Fenway Park also opened my eyes to the exorbitant amount people were charging for parking, as we paid $30 to park in a Sunoco gas station lot.

My ticket for Fenway Park in 1996, with the Green Monster in the background. Note that the ticket says no smoking, a relic from what seems to be the distance past.

Crossing into the new millennium, technology for ticket taking was undergoing change, and some ballparks were embracing the future by no longer tearing tickets. This change first caught my eye when we were in San Francisco in 2002. Buying the tickets ahead of time, I was concerned that the tickets would be drab documents from a third party provider. Imagine my surprise (and delight) when we received the tickets in advance of our first West Coast trip.

Our tickets had barcodes at both ends, making it unnecessary to deface them. The tickets themselves were beautiful, and it was clear that the Giants organization not only brought their services into the new century, they took some pride in the artistic flare the tickets exhibited. Though these tickets were much longer than typical, my brother and I took great care to keep them intact, as they were as much a souvenir as an admission to a ballgame in the newly minted Pac Bell Park.

Tickets for games at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco during September 2002.

How tickets were handled at MLB ballparks was still widely varied, as we went to Montreal to see the Boston Red Sox take on the Expos. Clearly the Montreal front office was caught in the past (which may not have been their fault, as the team was rumored to be sold and moved for years), sending us tickets that were torn at the gate. Though the game was played in Quebec (where French is the official language, and the locals were unwilling to deal with English speakers), luckily there was enough English to help us get to our seats. The ticket from that game was printed primarily in French, but the vital information was discernible. Those tickets were keepsakes not only because that might have been the last season in Montreal for the franchise (as we thought it might be; the move to DC did not occur until 2005), but because they were our first tickets displaying a foreign language.

A ticket from Montreal in 2001. Note that most of the information is displayed in French.

As the number of MLB parks we needed to visit started dwindling, we added minor league (MiLB) and Atlantic League (ALPB) ballparks to our schedule. Like the MLB, there was a variety of ways to obtain tickets, with some parks still tearing tickets, and others using the barcode approach. Moving to the DC area in 2013, I adopted the Bowie BaySox (the Double A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles) as my home team, seeing as many as 30 games a year. In my entire tenure there, the BaySox did little to change they way they handled tickets, tearing at first, and then scanning. All the while, they had turnstiles, even as some ballparks were eliminating from the process.

Other MiLB teams, perhaps taking a page from their MLB team, began to make their tickets more artistic, something that could be treasured as much as any other souvenir. It took some time for that change to occur, but we started noticing the change when we traveled further from home. By this time, printing tickets at home had become a preferred way to obtain tickets when ordering online, I had to make certain I chose a physical ticket, even if it cost more.

Though the online tickets had the same artistic images, it was not the same as holding the ticket in your hand. Almost all print at home tickets we used managed to find their way to the trash, as the ticket itself was much less durable. Barcodes made sure that these tickets were unadorned, and we took great care to keep them that way. These were memorabilia in my opinion, and should be treated as such (perhaps my age is starting to poke through here).

A ticket for an Indianapolis Indians game in 2017. Physical tickets were becoming harder to obtain by this point.

By the late 2010s, getting physical tickets, especially for MLB games, was becoming more and more difficult. Even print at home tickets were being discouraged; teams preferred fans load their tickets on their phones for easy scanning. Bringing a ticket to a game on my phone presents no problems for me, other than the fact that I miss an opportunity for a souvenir from the game. This approach however, is far from infallible, even to this day. There have been times I needed to step out of line to make sure my ticket was displayed on my phone, and even doing this was no guarantee of admittance. In Houston during 2018, my brother had serious issues attempting to enter Minute Maid parking because of persistent scanning problem at the gate.

Last, and not least, the technology can be formidable for aging fans, particularly if they are uncomfortable with the mobile devices. As I mentioned at the start, I consider myself tech savvy, but I understand that not everyone is, especially if connectivity is a problem at the venue. This is why I would like to see getting physical tickets remain a feasible method for seeing a ballgame.

We can still get physical tickets for Jersey Shore BlueClaws (High A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies) games in Lakewood, NJ. The tickets are HUGE, and may be my favorite MiLB ticket.

In the US and Canada, baseball tickets are fairly easy to decipher, even in French, but we experienced something much different in our travels to Japan. Though there is generally enough English to help you navigate the urban areas in Japan, outside of these areas things become a bit more challenging. Visiting the TokyoDome presented no challenges, as there were plenty of English speakers and the tickets were relatively easy to read.

However, our next stop in Nishinomiya (near Osaka), getting to our seats proved more problematic. My brother used a QR code (which was still fairly new to me) to print out our tickets. Unlike our Tokyo tickets, little of the information was printed in English, and it took some time and help from the stadium personnel to finally arrive at our seats. Even with the mild inconvenience, it was worth it, as the ticket we received was a physical ticket, a beautiful souvenir from the event.

One of our tickets for Koshen Stadium, located near Osaka, Japan. The information was barely discernible, unlike the ticket for the TokyoDome . However, the ticket is quite beautiful as a souvenir.

We had roughly the same experience in Hiroshima, where tickets are exceedingly difficult to secure, as the entire season sells out mere hours after going on sale. A disappointing transaction meant that the tickets were ordered were unable for the game, and the general admission tickets we had in hand did NOT guarantee us seats for the game. Like the tickets for Koshen Stadium, the tickets for Hiroshima were also quite beautiful, even if ultimately useless to us at the ballpark.

Our seats for Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan were beautiful, if not useful at the stadium.

Encouraged by some of the tickets we received for our Japan trip in 2018, I looked forward to our 2019 baseball trip. We used a highly regarded ticket broker in Japan to secure seats for our trip. While the seats themselves were quite good, they were disappointing visually. In Japan, tickets can be purchased at any 7-11 store, but you need to understand Japan to retrieve them. Our ticket broker used the 7-11 approach for the tickets, which looked much like the vendor tickets we have received in the US (minus the Japanese writing, of course). In addition, the 7-11 tickets can be very difficult to read, so most of the time we relied on the ushers at the ballparks to get us to our seats.

Our ticket to see the Sendai Golden Eagles. The tickets are, in my opinion, visually unappealing and difficult to discern.

This has been a short history of our history with tickets going to baseball games over the past 40 years. While the current prevailing method of distributing and using tickets has proven to be mainly hassle-free, there is something missing. Hopefully, getting and using physical tickets will remain a viable option for as long as I go to see games.

Kyoto/Nishinomiya, Sunday September 23, 2018

Day 2 of our Japanese baseball tour moved us to Kyoto. We chose to stay in Kyoto for a few days, since it was the ancient capital of Japan and would afford us an up close view of Japan the way it used to be. My brother chose a hotel close to Kyoto Station, as we would be traveling on the Shinkansen the next three days.

After the rainy and humid conditions in Tokyo, the sunshine in Kyoto was a welcome relief. Following an early breakfast, we went out exploring nearby Kyoto. The hotel was located within walking distance of MANY temples, as well as parks. Walking through local neighborhoods on the way to see the temples, we could not help but notice vending machines nearly everywhere. As we later find out, vending machines are ubiquitous throughout Japan.

Kondo Hall, the largest structure at the Toji Temple complex.

About ten minutes from the hotel, we found the grand complex of Higashi Hongan -ji. There are several temples and shrines in the complex, spread out over a few city blocks. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the complex contains the largest wooden tower in Japan, the five story Pagoda. This structure may be one of the most recognizable in Kyoto, and is spotlighted at night.

The Pagoda on the grounds of the Toji Temple. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes).

The largest structure in the complex is Kondo Hall (pictured above). Not accessible to the public (like most of the structures here), the Hall is the centerpiece of the temple. Strolling through the complex, we could almost feel the spirituality. It didn’t take long to see why Kyoto is so popular with tourists and Japanese alike.

Ambling through the complex, we came upon a manmade pond. Within the pond we saw some of the locals, soaking up the late September sun. Having spent more than two hours at the temple, we headed back to the hotel before leaving for Nishinomiya. The visit to the temple had me looking forward to what else we might see in Kyoto in the coming days.

Toji Template residents sunning themselves on a rock in a manmade pond. (Photo credit; Jeff Hayes)

1. Getting to Nishinomiya

Going to see the Hanshin Tigers take on the Yomiuri Giants at historic Koshien Stadium, we would need to take the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station. The trip took roughly 30 minutes, with three stops. After arriving at Osaka Station, we walked across the street to the Osaka-Umeda Station to catch the local train to Koshen Stadium.

Getting from Kyoto to Osaka, as depicted by Google Maps.

Like many train stations in Japan, the Osaka-Umeda Station seemed like a labyrinth of platforms and escalators. While we knew we had to take the Hanshin Line to the stadium, it wasn’t immediately clear where that was in the station. In addition to the Hanshin Line, there was the Hanshin Railway (a private line). The distinction caused some consternation, but once we determined where we needed to get Hanshin Line, we were ready to head to the stadium.

Not surprisingly, the train was packed with Tigers fans headed to the stadium. The trip to Koshien Station took about 20 minutes, with a walk of just a couple of minutes from there to the stadium.

The direct train line to Koshien Stadium took about 20 minutes on a very crowded train.

2. Koshien Stadium

Koshien Stadium is a unique ballpark in many ways. It is the oldest ballpark in Japan, having opened in 1926. It is one of only four major league stadiums still in use in which Babe Ruth played (the others being Meiji Jingu Stadium in Shinjuku, Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago). Koshien Stadium is the only remaining NPB ballpark with an all dirt infield.

It was against this backdrop that we entered Koshien Stadium. My brother had a QR code for our game tickets, and obtained our tickets via QR scanner at the stadium. Unlike the tickets we had in Tokyo, these tickets were more difficult to read. We asked a stadium employee which gate we should enter, and the answer was not clear. In order to find the gate, we had to nearly circle the stadium.

A ticket for the Hanshin Tigers game on a September, 23, 2018. It took some time to decipher the vital information in order to find our seats.

When visiting the TokyoDome the day before, we were able to walk around from section to section, taking pictures. This was not the case at Koshien Stadium. Security made it clear that we were to stay in our area, which limited our ability to take pictures of the stadium.

The view from our seats. Note the all dirt infield to the right. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

The stadium was packed, with a sold out crowd there to see the Tigers take on the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. Clouds gradually filled in during the early afternoon, and by the 1400 start, skies were overcast, but seemingly no threat of rain. Even with cloudy skies, the beauty of the ballpark shined through. The stadium dates back to the 1920s, and possessed some of the charms of an older ballpark. Koshien Stadium has a feel similar to that of Wrigley Field (before its modernization). However, the stadium did not show its age, being maintained and groomed well. From the first look, it was clear that this was a classic ballpark; a great place to see a ballgame.

Our seats were located near the left field corner, less than 10 rows from the action. We were located next to the visitors section in Koshien Stadium. As we would learn, there is a visitors section in each NPB ballpark, but not all are in the same part of the park. It was interesting to be so close to the Giants fans, who were indefatigable throughout the game. You can experience the Giants fans chanting here.

The scoreboard at Koshien Stadium. The scoreboard bares a vague resemblance to the old scoreboard at Wrigley Field. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

The game itself was a tight affair, scoreless after 5 innings. The Giants opened the scoring with a run in the top of the 6th, with the Tigers answering in the bottom of the 7th. A single run in the top of the 8th provided to be the winning run for the Giants, who triumphed 2-1. Toward the end of the game, the sun tried to break out, resulting in a very striking cloud pattern late.

Sunshine trying to break through the clouds at Koshien Stadium toward the end of the game.

The game time was about three hours and 30 minutes. Unlike MLB games, nobody seemed to be concerned about the pace of play. In fact, we saw a fan served a beer with two out in the bottom of the 9th inning. As we left the stadium, we noticed fans still milling around their sections, slow to exit the ballpark. Clearly, NPB fans see the game as more of an event, and these fans were in no hurry to leave.

Koshien Stadium proved to be a classic ballpark, in the vein of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. My brother commented this was the stadium he wanted to see on this trip, and it was well worth the effort. Should I ever find my way back to Osaka, I’ll do my best to revisit this place.

The train ride back to Osaka was not quite as crowded as the trip to Nishinomiya, a benefit of a lingering fan base. After arriving in Osaka, a quick walk across the street brought us to the Shinkansen and the ride back to Kyoto. Arriving after dark, we walked back toward the Toji Temple to get a look at the Pagoda at night.

The top of the Pagoda at the Toji Temple. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

Hiroshima, Monday, September 24th, 2018

The third stop on our 2018 Japanese baseball tour took us to Hiroshima. Our main purpose was to see the Carp in action at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. However, the trip itinerary also included a visit the the Atomic Peace Dome and Peace Memorial Park. Having seen the plane that delivered the first atomic weapon, it seemed appropriate to see the remains of the destruction it helped create.

1. Getting to Hiroshima

From our base of operations in Kyoto, we walked from the hotel across the street to the Kyoto Station. We took the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen to Hiroshima Station, covering the 350 km distance in about one hour and 45 minutes (including six stops). Morning sunshine in Kyoto faded behind cloudiness as we traveled southwest.

The Kyoto-Hiroshima trip depicted in Google Maps.

The trek covered mainly rural areas, with cities interspersed with the rice paddies and mountains to the north. We noticed many solar farms along the way, but given the weather so far on the trip, I’m not sure useful they were this week.

As we approached Hiroshima Station, we passed close to Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. Even though we arrived in Hiroshima more than three hours before the 1330 game start time, there were fans already lining up to enter the ballpark. Most NPB ballparks open their gates about two hours before game time, meaning fans were willing to wait an hour or more in line to get inside. We didn’t know why at the time, but we would find out later.

2. Hiroshima and the Atomic Peace Dome

After arriving at Hiroshima Station, we took the Hiroshima Streetcar to the Peace Memorial Park. Though we paid cash for the trip, you can purchase a one day pass (which might be a nice souvenir), or use the Suica card you bought earlier in your trip.

A map of the Hiroshima Streetcar stops. In addition to getting you where
you’d like to go, it afforded a great way to view Hiroshima.

The streetcar stop for the Peace Memorial Park is less than 10 minutes from Hiroshima Station. Upon exiting the streetcar, the Atomic Peace Dome is immediately visible. A somber reminder of the first use of an atomic weapon, the overcast conditions seemed a fitting dreary backdrop. The Dome is the only remaining structure remaining from that day, as it was directly beneath the air blast.

The Atomic Peace Dome. A UNESCO Heritage site, this vantage point superimposes the Dome on the modern Hiroshima in the background.

Upon closer inspection, even the rubble from the blast was left in place. As might be expected, the Atomic Peace Dome drew significant interest, even on this cloudy and humid afternoon. Being in the presence of the Dome was a sobering experience, conjuring images of unimaginable destruction and chaos.

The Atomic Peace Dome is the focal point of the Peace Memorial Park, which stretches along the banks of the Motoyasu River. South of the Atomic Peace Dome is the Peace Memorial Museum. Time was a limiting factor when visiting the museum, which has a Japanese section on one side, and an English section on the other. Among the photographs in the museum is a picture from 1947, in which Hiroshima still lies in ruins. The image shows Emperor Hirohito addressing the citizenry, with the Dome in the background. This is reportedly the first time the Emperor had addressed the nation in person.

The Peace Museum from a distance. The Atomic Peace Dome is to the left in this picture. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

2. Getting to Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium

With game time fast approaching, we headed toward Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium for the 1330 game start. From the Peace Memorial Park, we caught the streetcar back toward Hiroshima Stadium. The streetcar stop was about 1.3 km from the stadium. Walking through a suburban area following the streetcar ride, we followed a long asphalt walkway toward the stadium. Clouds were lowering and thickening, with rain threatening at any moment.

Along the walkway, we noticed groups of people sitting or standing, watching TVs broadcasting the pre game activities. Though it seemed a bit odd, especially with rain approaching, we didn’t think much of it at the time.

A quick walk around the stadium showed nothing remarkable, though there were food and souvenir stands around the park. Much like other NPB tickets, the seating information was difficult to decipher. Typically, we can at least glean the gate number from the ticket, but in this case, we were stumped concerning where to enter the ballpark. Eventually we tracked down a staff member, who graciously showed us where to enter.

My Hiroshima Carp ticket. Almost all of the vital information is in Japanese.

Our tickets were general admission, which meant we would have to view the game from wherever we could. Soon after arriving, we realized why there were lines to enter the stadium three hours before game time. The general admission seating was long gone. To watch the game, we would need to stand. Unfortunately for us, all of the railing around the ballpark was ringed with fans, sometimes four or five deep. It became clear that our view of the game would be tenuous at best.

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp have perhaps the most enthusiastic fans in the NPB. The team often sells out the entire season (70 home games) just hours after tickets go on sale, so this is definitely a tough ticket to secure. Since it didn’t seem to matter from where we saw the game, we sought out the Carp Team Store. The store was comparatively small, when compared to other team stores we’ve seen. There was not much of interest to us, so I purchased a Carp cap and a program.

Following the trip to the store, we walked around the stadium. The game as a sellout, of course, and we didn’t see many empty seats, even with rain on the way. One thing that struck me about the park was its resemblance to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati OH. Of course, the Carp modeled their uniforms after the Reds, so I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising the stadium would have a familiar feel. In any event, we got as close to the railing as we could to see the start of the game.

DeNA BayStars fans in the upper deck in right field at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

The Carp’s opponent this afternoon was the Yokohoma DeNA BayStars. A light rain starting falling as the game started, and the afternoon was becoming murkier by the moment. Since we could not get close to the rail to see much of the action, we decided to circle the field, popping in occasionally to watch the action.

Following our trip around the park, the rain began to fall more steadily. Conditions were becoming less conducive to watching a game, especially since we did not have seats. Having seen the stadium, we decided to leave before conditions became worse. Heading back to Hiroshima Station, we saw fans in the rain, huddling around TVs along the asphalt walkway we took coming to the park. The devotion of the Carp fans was impressive, to say the least.

A manhole cover seen on the asphalt walkway back to Hiroshima Station. (Photo credit: Jeff Hayes)

With the weather taking a turn for the worse, we cut short our visit to Hiroshima, and caught the next Shinkansen for Kyoto. Arriving in Kyoto after dark, we decided to visit the Kyoto Tower. Located across the street from Kyoto Station, we had seen it during the day, and thought it might afford a nice view of Kyoto at night.

Kyoto Tower is located in a commercial building, along with shops and restaurants. A quick elevator ride took us to the observation deck. The deck was crowded, which limited the amount of time we could spend in any one location. The view of the city lights was impressive, though low clouds may have obscured some of the lights from nearby cities.

Kyoto at night, from the Kyoto Tower. Even with the clouds, the mountains are visible to the west. (Photo: Jeff Hayes)

Following the visit to the tower, we headed back to the hotel, exhausted from a long but fun day in Hiroshima.