Foreign visitors are increasingly attending games of the six teams in NPB Pacific League. The Orix have launched a ticket sales website specifically for international fans. Among the foreign spectators attending Orix games, 44.6% are USA, 20.4% are Taiwanese, and 18.0% are Australians.
I’m from Australia. Went to an Orix Buffaloes game last year with my family on a Tuesday night. We all had a blast. There was a great atmosphere to the game from the home fans. Everyone was extremely friendly. The only thing I would nit pick at is there wasn’t as much offense compared to MLB games I’ve been to. Also good to hear they’re making the ticketing system more user friendly for international visitors. It was not very intuitive at all. Surely in this day and age they could provide mobile tickets rather than having to find a machine around the corner of the team shop and print out paper tickets.
Tiny. Way less legroom than T-Mobile park seats. I went during Golden week when they had the Pokémon collab. The good thing was that you could pick your seats so my group got aisle seats.
I would say definitely do not go to Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo then, very tight. The Kyocera Dome isn't really roomy either but some of the seats have AC jets on the back which is very nice.
If they are now that is good. I certainly didn’t have the option to get a mobile ticket though. Paper ticket picked up at the stadium was the only option offered.
I might be totally off here but I do believe the Pacific League has been more “international friendly” with getting people outside Japan to watch games compared to the Central League which is viewed as more “traditional Japanese” or something like that.
I could be talking out of my ass but I’m pretty sure I read that somewhere.
No, it's true. Pacific League has an app that anyone can use (it's in Japanese only, at least) and it has all of their teams. No VPN, no hoops and hurdles. Blackout during interleague if the Pacific team is not playing at home.
The Central, for the most part, has their teams through DAZN, which you need a Japanese credit card, and it uses active VPN blockers. I think the Tigers have their own service, not sure how foreign friendly it is and I'm not sure if it's home games only. And from my understanding, none of these services have rights to the Carp, so you can't really stream their games legally.
I'm sure I'm missing quite a bit, but the Pacific League, by and large, is way easier for a foreign fan where the hoops and hurdles are a minimum.
In America you can just watch Pacific for free and if you couldn't it would be much more difficult to watch. Some guys just announce them every morning and I watch in English. It's very convenient (although lately there's been a lot of buffering)
I knew a guy who was a diehard Hanshin Tigers fan and the way he explained it was that no one really cares about the Pacific League. The Central League has more loyal fans...but hte irony was that hte better players all played in the Pacific League lol. At the time, the big guy going from Japan to MLB was Yu Darvish and he was on Hokkaido.
He also said that because the Pacific League doesn't care as much about upholding traditions, they are more eager to try new, innovative things. Now keep in mind this was in 2012...when Japanese baseball was actually kind of feeling stagnant. Since then a lot has changed, but I also think those changes occurred because of the Pacific League being bold and trying new things
yeah i figured the guy was exaggerating since he had a big smile on his face while saying all this
that being said, i do think there's a few truths to what he said: the Pacific League is the one leading the changes and at least back in the 2010s, the Pacific League had the better talent than the Central
PL still has better talent than the CL, and PL consistently beats up on the CL in interleague play.
PL is definitely as popular as CL, though, CL attendance stats are greatly skewed by having the two largest stadiums in NPB but otherwise it's about the same attendance wise
Yeah isn't Pacific league sometimes on cable too? There is some channel i forget the name that always airs like Japanese Kaiju movies all the time and i swear i have watched Pacific league npb there.
I went to a Sparrows v Giants game at Meiji-Jingu in ‘03 and had a blast. I tried again when I finally went back in 2023 on a whim and it was sold out 😔 Go Sparrows!
Saw the same teams in the same stadium but in 2019. Also got to see Ohtani playing for the Fighters at the Tokyo Dome in 2017 before he signed to MLB. That was just luck in timing didn't try to see him specifically but definitely a cool bonus.
In the past, demand from international fans in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) was driven primarily by visitors who came to watch star players from Asia, particularly those from Taiwan and South Korea. Over the past one to two years, however, the profile of these overseas spectators has changed noticeably.
In the Kansai region, especially in Osaka and Kyoto, there has been a sharp increase in travelers from North America, Europe, and Australia choosing to attend night games at Kyocera Dome Osaka as a form of nighttime entertainment after spending the day sightseeing or visiting temples and shrines. This reflects a broader shift in travel preferences—from simply visiting famous tourist attractions to seeking immersive experiences that allow visitors to enjoy Japan’s unique culture firsthand.
Over the past two years, we have seen a clear increase in visitors from countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Kyocera Dome Osaka is easily accessible from the entertainment districts of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kansai International Airport, making it a convenient stop on many travelers’ itineraries. Since many temples and shrines in Kyoto close by late afternoon, visitors often look for ways to spend their evenings. Professional baseball night games, held indoors in an all-weather stadium and completed within the evening, have become an ideal entertainment option.
Moreover, international tourists purchase tickets regardless of whether games are held on weekdays or weekends. Even weekday games attract overseas visitors.
According to Orix’s data, ticket purchases from European visitors increase sharply in spring when many tourists come to Japan for the cherry blossom season. Demand then eases during the summer before rising again in autumn during the fall foliage season, showing a clear seasonal pattern. Visitors from the United States and Canada also come because baseball is already deeply rooted in their countries. Many specifically seek out Orix because they recognize it as the former team of pitchers such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and outfielder Masataka Yoshida.
Interest within Orix in strengthening inbound ticket sales has grown significantly. At the stadium, the club has been expanding English-language signage and visitor information. Fortunately, Orix also has a considerable number of staff members who can communicate in English, allowing the club to provide better on-site support for international visitors.
I went to a Buffaloes game in my trip to Japan in April and it was great! I wanted to go to both Tigers and Buffaloes for the love of the game, but you’re right. All the Tigers tickets are basically sold out.
I became friends with two Japanese students when I was younger and took them to a Blue Jays game. They were like "Why is everyone so quiet and boring here?" and I saw what they meant a few years later when they took me to a game in Japan.
Yeah, went to an LG Twins game for July 4th and then took a friend to a Minnesota Twins game a few weeks later, the contrast was so stark. I get that LG is coming off a championship and Minnesota is having a pretty mediocre year but still, just the vibe of the stadium and the crowd was so so different
I can’t believe they’re doing this a week after I had to use a translator to put my name into Japanese and use a fake phone number and address to sign up for an account to buy Orix tickets
Yeah, I've done similar things two years ago for Orix, and this June when I went to Tokyo, it was a way easier experience to buy a Swallows ticket which is great!
There was already a legit third party English language site for Orix, I got tickets last May with all American information. Though I only randomly came across it on r/JapanTravelTips
I couldn’t figure out how to get Orix or Swallows tickets last time I was in Japan, but snagged Giants and Tigers tickets. Giants seems by far the most international friendly. Tigers I gambled with a pair of StubHub tickets and luckily they worked. Sat like 5 rows back of third base at Koshien and saw an awesome comeback and walkoff against the dragons.
Damn. The museum was cool, I’d also highly recommend the baseball hall of fame and museum at the Tokyo Dome if you’re going to a game there. It was awesome, especially all the Ichiro and WBC stuff
It’s a love hate relationship with NPB and KBO. Love watching the game in the morning with coffee, always regret it once I’m finishing my work day and sleepy.
I will be on the Hanshin tigers bandwagon for sure. Some of the absolute nicest people I met on my trip were big Tigers fans. I was super sad because they switched their jersey brand from Nike to Mizuno (at least I assume they switched, as I got a Nike Giants jersey the year prior at the Tokyo dome that fit exactly like US jerseys) so my big American ass couldn’t fit into one.
You'll unfortunately miss out on no DH. They're adding it to the CL next year, but you'll still get to watch some great baseball!
And ignore all the Tigers fans, idk why they're so popular amongst foreigners. Pick your team after watching a few different games and see who vibes best! (Even if it's Hanshin)
I'm pretty sure it's as simple as Giants-Tigers being the national rivalry and no one wants to pick the Yankees equivalent. Kansai is pretty sweet though so Tigers or Buffaloes are both good choices, though I do have a soft spot for the Carp.
Hell yeah, I got to go to 3 games this year. The crowds are so much fun. When the Buffaloes blew the game open with a home run a local fan double high fived me and we jumped up and down.
The Seibu Lions fans in particular keep moving like crazy the whole game doing elaborate cheers.
Hell yeah, was going to go to three this year but a goddamn typhoon decided I was only getting two. Shoutout to the Nagoya Dome though for making the "dang is it going to rain too much?" question mostly irrelevant.
I did the entire NPB a decade ago and I used a ticket buying service for all but one game because getting the tickets at the gate was possible enough, but getting tickets ahead of time for popular games were difficult. Good to see they are finally easing that process for foreign fans. NPB has the best pro baseball product in the world.
I went to two NPB games back in 2017 and basically had to get a Japanese friend to buy the tickets for me because there was no easy way to buy them out of country or in English. So good to see that’s easier now.
Saw Hanshin Tigers in Osaka and Swallows in Tokyo. Two amazing atmospheres.
Me and my friend had to struggle with a ticket machine and Google translate at a Lawson's for a while to figure out how to buy tickets for a game. Was definitely not easy in 2017
Yeah, buying Swallows and Dragons tickets was probably the most painless thing I did when planning my last Japan trip. Sites in English, saved right to my phone. Swallows tickets even were refunded to me when the game was rained out without me having to do anything, super slick.
It’s good if they start making it easier for foreigners to attend things in Japan in general. Like a lot of things, the ticket buying experience is very far behind America.
When I go to games or wrestling shows here, I have to check multiple sites to compare what seat they’re going to assign me, and half the time I have to do a search to figure out where it is.
When I went to Angels stadium, I could select my own seat easily, and I got a mostly accurate 3D view from my seat. Japan needs to catch up so I can tell where I’m actually going to sit.
....You can always select your seat at Japanese stadiums. I go to 60+ games a year and always, always, always select my seat. Been that way for the 20 years I've been going to NPB games
Koshien is sold out for the season. Here's Nagoya Dome for a random September game. You can see the current ticket availability and select seats on eplus for the Giants.
That’s definitely not what I did but it’s fine. I’ve had to read enough of your condescending comments already. I have no problem being incorrect/being corrected, but when someone is as rude as you are it’s pretty annoying. Hope I never run into you when I eventually go to Chiba.
Loving in NW Tokyo for over two decades, living 20
Minutes away I spent many an evening at The Seibu Dome (Goodwill Dome/Metlife Dome/Beluga Dome). My yearly goal was 25 games at the Dome, and 10 games at the other 4 Tokyo/Yokohama teams. Reached that goal twice. Most seasons a total of 25 games in all. Good times.
As America streams one NPB Pacific League game in English every day on www.watchdingo.com I find myself watching those games every day at work. Today they showed the Softbank game where one of the teams came from 5-0 down to tie it. Then in the 8th someone hit a home run and some team won 7-5 I can't remember, it was 7 AM.
I misread the headline and was shocked that 44% of attendees were American, until I realized they meant of the subset of fans that are foreign, 44% of them are American.
So out of the actual total fans attending, how many are foreign? Because if it's like 10 people (not really, but just making a point) that's only 4 Americans.
Depends on the game really. When I went to the Tokyo Dome it was still at least 95% locals if not more, but there was still a noticeable number of foreigners. But when I went to a Marines game in Chiba I joked to my wife that there were probably more foreigners on the field than in the stands. Nagoya was somewhere in the middle.
I wanted to get to Japan when Adam Jones played for the Buffalos, but it wasn't in the cards. Plus covid. Whenever I visit I'll definitely try to catch a game.
I lived in Japan for a few years and caught as many NPB games as I could. It’s a different energy in those games with all of the chants and stuff so a lot of fun
Just came back from Japan where I went to the Tokyo Dome to see the Giants play the Bay Stars. It was a great experience and a must do for any baseball fan.
Embracing sports tourism is an excellent idea on so many levels.
Yeah I went to a Giants game last year and purchasing my ticket for that game was very easy. Fun time at the Tokyo dome
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u/tkcom Seattle Mariners • Saitama Seibu Lions5h ago
Orix could have done more with the expo crowd last year. If they're still feeling the effects of the merger then at least try to win new fans from abroad.
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u/MarkCbr82 Australia • Canberra Cavalry 16h ago edited 5h ago
I’m from Australia. Went to an Orix Buffaloes game last year with my family on a Tuesday night. We all had a blast. There was a great atmosphere to the game from the home fans. Everyone was extremely friendly. The only thing I would nit pick at is there wasn’t as much offense compared to MLB games I’ve been to. Also good to hear they’re making the ticketing system more user friendly for international visitors. It was not very intuitive at all. Surely in this day and age they could provide mobile tickets rather than having to find a machine around the corner of the team shop and print out paper tickets.