Today we traveled up to Yokohama to watch the Yokohama Baystars, a Japanese baseball team in the Central League.
Despite having our license, the train system is much easier to navigate. Simultaneously, parking in Japan is a HUGE challenge. And considering we are going to a baseball game & we will undeniably have a beer, it was a safer option to take the train.
A little bit about Yokohama. The population of Yokohama is 3.7 million making it the largest populated city in Japan. It is located about 30 minutes, by train, from where we will live and a little less than half way to Tokyo. Yokohama has many areas that I will definitely need to visit and discover.
The Ferris Wheel and Cup of Noodle Museum will definitely be on my list to explore.
I took a picture of a pedestrian bridge in Yokohama. If you notice, there are no crosswalks and actually railings to prevent pedestrians from crossing the street. Instead, pedestrians climb 2 flights of stairs and take a “sky bridge.” It is actually quite lovely. To me this picture truly illustrates the “wa” of Japan. Pedestrian friendly alternatives to crossing a busy road (although the road doesn’t look too busy in this picture). Also, please look closely the picture and notice the Pikachu in the background. Apparently, there was a Pikachu Party going on in Yokohama because this was the third one we saw.
We arrived in Yokohama with enough time to walk around the city a little and also visit Chinatown. The area was HUGE! We will definitely need to make a return trip to see more of the area.
After a day of exploring we finally arrive at Yokohama Stadium.
Attending the game was an experience and so much fun. Much more fun than a boring stuffing American baseball game. To start, the stadium was packed the entire game. It even went into an extra inning and the stadium remained full. Second, the fans are engaged and cheer for their team and more specifically their batter the entire time they are up at bat. Each batter has a song or chat that is tailored to their name that is sung by their fans. There are actually “cheering sections” for each team who are responsible for leading the cheers. If you notice in the picture below, the opposing team is wearing red and the home team is wearing blue.
