Social Customs at Baseball Games

I've written mountains and mountains about social customs at Japanese ballgames on my blog. Unfortunately, it's not in one summary (yet -- in theory, it'll be a chapter in the book) but... what exactly do you want to know about? Do you expect to sit in the cheering sections or in the infield?

One of the most important things is that there is a distinct "home" side and "away" side for each stadium. How big it is varies on the team, but you do NOT want to be cheering for the wrong team on the wrong side of the outfield. PERIOD. (That is the biggest mistake I've seen non-Japanese people make... showing up in full gear for a team, thinking they'll fit in, and then sitting in the middle of the opposite team's fans.) In the infield, you should only cheer for the away team on the appropriate side. Cheering for the home team on the away side is usually somewhat okay, but it's better to be on the appropriate side if at all possible.

For the cheering sections, as a first-timer, you don't need to worry about a lot of the more intricate parts of the customs, BUT there are a ton of individual songs and customs and chants that each team does, and if you can't read/speak Japanese it's going to be fairly difficult to learn those, and the best thing to do in that case is to imitate everyone around you as best as possible. And that includes that you stand up and sing when your team is up to bat, and you sit down quietly for the most part when the other team is up to bat. There isn't a lot of booing the other guys (at least not compared to the US), it's mostly about supporting your team. So if your pitcher is struggling, your team might do a cheer of "Ganbare [pitcher]!", even if the other team is at bat.

There are a lot of regional variations mostly depending on how popular the team is. A lot of teams, people won't be standing up and singing in the infield at all, but it varies based on the team. Hanshin, you'll have people doing the chants no matter where they are in the stadium (and for the most part the entire stadium IS the home cheering section). Hiroshima has also kind of isolated the away cheering section pretty well, but it didn't seem like people were doing the cheer songs everywhere.

As a white person, or at the very least as a non-Japanese, people are going to assume you don't know anything about Japanese baseball, and are probably also going to assume you are an American tourist who only speaks English and can't use chopsticks or eat fish. It's up to you to either use that to your advantage or not.

You said you'll be keeping a scorecard, but remember that none of the scoreboards are going to have a damn thing on them in English, so people might either try to help you or not, depending. Some people might be like "Oh look! A foreigner! Free English practice! Yay!" and talk to you. Or people might just ignore your presence entirely and be like "I don't speak English" if you try to talk to them at all. There is no custom or way to predict that, everyone is different about how accepting they are of foreigners.

Overall, the biggest thing you can do is: don't be a jerk. Look at the people around you and try to fit in with what they're doing.

Things you will want to have with you at almost any place in the stadium, that seem obvious, but aren't:
1) A towel to wipe your hands dry with at the bathroom, or to use to clean off a wet seat in the rain, or whatever. Cheering towels are good, but any towel will do.
2) A plastic bag to keep your trash in. People are pretty good about cleaning up their own trash, and oftentimes ushers will come around with trash bags as well. But it helps if you have something to keep your own trash in.
3) An umbrella at the outdoor parks, or a raincoat. Also a big plastic bag to put your other stuff in to protect it from the rain.
4) Not as necessary, but... snacks to share with the people around you. If you do talk to folks, they will probably share food with you, and it's great if you have something to share back. I tend to bring sembei or cookies.

Another bit of advice: get to the game EARLY if at all possible! That'll help you get situated with your surroundings, plus if you are in unreserved seats, then you won't have as much trouble. On weekends, the unreserved areas can be totally full even an hour before the game, with people saving seats for each other. And always ASK before assuming a seat is empty.

Another weird thing is that Japanese people don't seem to like wearing baseball gear (aside from team baseball caps) outside of the stadium. It's not 100% true, but you will see a LOT of people changing into their gear when they get there, and changing out of their jerseys and whatnot before they leave the park. Wearing MLB gear seems to be a fashion statement wherever you are, but wearing Japanese gear doesn't seem to be. I still don't quite understand this one.

Does any of this help?

This is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. I will be sure to take a run through your blog as well for more information.

Unless I have a rooting interest either way, I default to rooting for the home team. Since I have nothing vested here, I'd imagine that would be the case for the entire trip. I'd be looking to sit in the best section that is financially reasonable for me. Is there a general first base/third base side for home/visitors as in America, or is it more complicated?

Are the designations between the "cheering" and the "infield" sections very delineated?

Well, I know a little about Japanese baseball and can use chopsticks, but one other thing that I have been wondering about is politely inquiring about/declining food. My system generally reacts poorly to fish and I have a serious allergy to shellfish, so I was wondering what was the correct way to politely ask if something offered has fish/shellfish and how to politely decline.

I've had a ton of practice with keeping score, so I can probably use my best judgment as far as scoring goes. My larger concern is going to be player names and replacements. Without a lineup card, I'm going to be hard-pressed to keep up with the player changes and whatnot. I'm assuming there are no English-character programs available at most stadiums. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of retroactive names after the game using this site.

As for gear, that is already in my "kit" that I have for baseball games in the US that I will be bringing with me. The garbage issue is exactly the sort of thing I would not have known, which is 100% different than the "toss it under the seat" idiom in the US.

As part of my trips in the US, I tend to get to the stadiums as soon as they open so I can see the entire stadium and take tons of pictures, so that should not be a problem here. One question I have is regarding accessibility. Are the different areas of the stadiums generally cordoned off from each other, or if you have a ticket, can you walk around to all areas as long as you are back in your seat when the game starts? Does a high-priced ticket get you to into any area you want? Also, is there a standard opening time for the stadiums before the game (generally 1.5-2.5 hours in the US)?

The only gear that I will be likely wearing is my Brooklyn Cyclones hat that I took with me to every stadium in the MLB. It is minor league US and I started wearing it to not instigate any antagonisms in the US. I assume it will not cause problems there.

Once again, thank you. You have been extremely helpful.