Japanese baseball!

On my absolute final night in Japan – back in Tokyo – I went to a baseball game. Baseball is huge in Japan and my dad and students had told me about some sort of organized cheering at Japanese baseball games. As a big baseball fan, I knew I had to check it out, so with other Princeton students and alums, I went to a Hanshin Tigers game in the Tokyo Dome. (Princeton’s mascot is a tiger so naturally we had to root for the Tigers who happen to be the or one of the most popular teams in Japan.)

When we bought tickets, we actually had to declare which team we were supporting because they have different sections of the ballpark designated to each team. This game was wild and indeed all of the Tigers fans energetically sang, danced, shouted, waved flags, and flew balloons all in unison. I really cannot describe what a spectacle it was. One of the Pton alums who had been to multiple games informed me that the Tigers have some of the most hardcore fans and they actually meet before games to rehearse the cheers.

The transitions between songs and cheers was seamless which really impressed me, and this is thanks to the cheer captains in the front whose job is to inform the crowds what to do in order to make the evening go smoothly. After a 3+ hour game, the Tigers won 4-3, and we celebrated with the friends we had made around us. After the game, just as after the World Cup matches, the fans stayed behind to clean the area around their seats. What a remarkable custom!

Here's a video that gives you a taste of what it's like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9CcpTA6L1E

As you can see in the photo and video, in Japan tigers are considered yellow and black. We, however, have been told that they are orange and black. I google searched “tigers” after the game to see whether I had simply been culturally trained to think they are orange but I actually think we’re right on this one. Don’t they appear more yellowish orange than orangish yellow?