Cultural differences: Japanese baseball versus American baseball
(Yakult Swallows vs Hanshin Tigers )
Ah! Ambassadors Japan took me to see my first Japanese Baseball League game. I’ve been waiting to witness a professional Japanese Baseball League game since I collected baseball cards. Not only was I absolutely overwhelmed to enjoy Japan’s #1 sport but also I was excited about doing something somewhat rare for foreigners. In some ways, my pictures don’t give the match much justice but I’ll try to describe the game the best I can.
Let’s talk some cultural differences you might find during a Japanese baseball game versus an American baseball game. Most stadiums in the U.S. offer food staples like hot dogs, popcorn, fries or wings. At Japanese games you’ll find foods like takoyaki, udon soup, hot dogs or delicious katsu curry. Oh, did I mention there is a professional cheering section keeping the energy up during the game? The enthusiasm of this section is off the charts. If I had to compare it to anything I’d say the energy is something close to a U.S. college football or an English premier soccer match. Each cheer squad is constantly blowing trumpets, clapping cheer bats and banging on drums to support their team. Not only does each team have its own song, but also each player has his own chant. Woo, that’s a lot of singing! In the end, the Tigers won 7-1.
If you’d like more information about Japanese culture please visit Ambassadors Japan
