| One of the most popular sports in Japan, baseball, | | | | Giants Ballpark: Tokyo Dome Chunichi Dragons |
| is about to start its new season soon and is well | | | | Ballpark: Nagoya Dome Yokohama Bay Stars |
| worth catching a view of even if you are not an | | | | Ballpark: Yokohama Stadium Yakult Swallows |
| avid fan. Japan's professional baseball season is | | | | Ballpark: Gingu Stadium Tokyo Hiroshima Toyo |
| from April to October. There are two leagues in | | | | Carp Ballpark: Hiroshima Shimin Stadium Hanshin |
| Japanese professional baseball: the Central League | | | | Tigers Ballpark: Hanshin Koshien Stadium Pacific |
| and the Pacific League. There are six teams in | | | | League Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks Ballpark: |
| each league. The winners from both leagues meet | | | | Fukuoka Yahoo Dome Seibu Lions Ballpark: Seibu |
| in the Japan Series in October. In July, two or | | | | Dome Golden Eagles Ballpark: Full Cast Stadium |
| three All-Star games are held by best players | | | | Miyagi (Sendai) Chiba Lotte Marines Ballpark: Chiba |
| from two leagues. Also, exchange games | | | | Marine Stadium Orix Buffaloes Ballpark: Osaka |
| between two leagues called koryu-jiai are planned | | | | Dome Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 |
| every year. This has been the main event where | | | | by Horace Wilson, and the first formal team was |
| some or most of the Japanese community | | | | established in 1878, and it has been a popular |
| become one, They unite or sometimes bet on | | | | sport since. It is called ?? (????; yakyu) in |
| either teams, however this is the instance where | | | | Japanese, combining the characters for field and |
| all Japanese people gather in one place and | | | | ball. It is played at all age levels but most widely in |
| together cheer for their favors. This game has | | | | junior high schools and senior high schools. In |
| always been compared to other games that | | | | March and August, two tournaments are held in |
| exists in the country but still, statistics showed an | | | | Koshien Stadium for senior high school teams that |
| unfavorable result. Also to other countries this is | | | | win a prefectural tournament. The highest level of |
| being mostly compared. It's going to be so much | | | | competition is Nippon Professional Baseball, started |
| fun to see popular baseball teams and players. If | | | | in 1920. It is called Puro Yakyu (????), meaning |
| you are living in Japan or visiting Japan, plan to go | | | | Professional Baseball. In 2005 the Japan Samurai |
| watch a baseball game near you. You can contact | | | | Bears began play in the Golden Baseball League, |
| each team's ballpark. Here are the details of the | | | | becoming the first Japanese team in an American |
| main teams/stadiums: Central League Yomiuri | | | | professional baseball league. |