Silver Week :: I Went to a Baseball Game

I love baseball. I swear I really do. My passion has waned a bit over the years due to the A's being embarrassingly horrible, living in New York being sandwiched between pompous Yankees fans and depressed Mets fans, and the overexposure of SportsCenter at my former job. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to a Japanese baseball game and the season is winding down. During Silver Week, roomie and I headed to Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo to watch the Yakult Swallows play the Yomiuri Giants. The Swallows are the less popular team in Tokyo, but I'm kind of a fan. The stadium is small and intimate and this being Japan, had the NICEST outfield scoreboard I have ever seen.

Some Japanese Baseball 101:

• Baseball teams in Japan are owned by companies. Yakult makes a weird yogurt drink that is very popular in Japan. Yomiuri is a newspaper company. Unlike college bowl games (I'm looking at you Chik-Fil-A), you have to be a pretty legit company to own a baseball team.
• The Yomiuri Giants are the Yankees of the East. They play at the Tokyo Dome and pretty much have all the good players. The Hanshin Tigers are the Red Sox of the East. They are from Osaka (nemesis of Tokyo) and it pretty much comes down to these two teams for the Japan Series.
  
• Japanese baseball fans are super passionate but also respectful. Organized cheering and chanting from the bleachers NEVER stops. It is actually very impressive. More impressive is their following of an unspoken rule that only the batting team's fans chant during the inning.
• Beer servers run like the wind, wear beer backpacks and are mostly all cute girls or pale skinny pasty guys. We were told by our beer girl that we were "best couple!!!".
  

The trend in The States right now is gourmet food at stadiums. I can't speak for all of the stadiums, but Meiji Jingu keeps it real. Hot dogs, beer, french fries - check, check and check. You can also get some Japanese staples like Yakisoba, Udon and Octopus Meatballs. Missing were peanuts, cracker jacks and cotton candy, but I'll let it slide. The french fries were pretty much the best I've had EVER - hyperbole intended. Salty, crispy, and oily.

It was a great night at the ballpark. The Giants won, but the home team scored a few runs. Apparently the Swallows' version of the Terrible Towel are tiny pastel umbrellas that they open and lift up and down anytime the Swallows score a run. This was quite a sight for someone that is not in the know. As was this:

Silver Week :: I Went to Shimoda

Japan has a lot of holidays. This is a fact. There is at least one national holiday a month and it is awesome. Also awesome? The Japanese law that states if there is a work day sandwiched between two holidays, the working day becomes a holiday too. Because of this fancy law, we got a 5-day weekend in September. It is sometimes called Silver Week. Taking advantage of the days off, roomie and I took the Shinkansen to a small beach town on the Izu Penninsula called Shimoda. Shimoda is most famous for being "discovered" by Commodore Matthew Perry, thus ending Japan's Era of Isolation. (I got that from a guide book...)

Shimoda is pretty awesome. It reminds me of a sunny and warm Santa Cruz minus the Boardwalk. Beach frolicking can really work up your appetite and we definitely took advantage of what Shimoda had to offer. We had some gooey ramen (think Shark Fin's Soup with Ramen Noodles), super fresh conveyor belt sushi, lots of candy, Mos Burger, Tsukune (chicken meatballs in a sweet sauce), chicken skin on a stick and a funny late night burrito from a night market/ska concert.

Like a good Japanese coworker, I brought back some omiyage for my coworkers. It is customary in Japan to bring back a souvenir from your trip for your coworkers to enjoy. Shimoda is in Shizuoka Prefecture which is apparently NUMBER 1 for a lot of things. Citrus and Green Tea are two things that Shizuoka is famous for, so I brought back some citrusy treats and tea for those hard working teachers. They loved them and now they love me. Thank you Shimoda!!