TOKYO BASEBALL?? (Giants??)
 

One of the two persons taking a Japan trip is a fanatic Yankee fan. I think it would be fun to go to a game in Tokyo. Is there anything I need to know about securing tickets to a Giants game? I suppose the better seats would be preferred since tickets are not so costly as compared to the US and this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us.

Should I get the tix through concierge? Can I get good seats a few days ahead of time?
I do not yet have my restaurants booked, and will be booking some of them ahead of arrival, so would like to have some leeway....

Any comments from people who have attended a game would be most welcome...

Also, are there any inexpensive (under $10US gifts that I might bring with me from the US and which might be appreciated by locals? I imagine that cheap gifts are not the greatest and that Japanese locals can buy most anything, but if I do bring a few gifts to so far unknown persons but perhaps a guide, or someone I meet that I would like to give a gift, is there anything you all can think of??) Yes, I know that tips are not customary and that I do not NEED to bring a gift.

Our plan is 6 nights (these are more or less) Tokyo, two nights Kanazawa, one night in an onsen spa hotel, Kayotei in Ishikawa prefecture) and about 8 nights Kyoto.

Yes, I would love to learn the cheers and would prefer to be seated with the home team. The fun will probably be more in the crowd than in the actual game, for me at least and I suspect for partner. On TripAdvisor they say that tickets are not so hard to come by, so now I learn from you (thank you!!) that this might not be the case. Thank you!!

Shall I buy the tickets soon, for a visit in mid-May, for the Giants?? I know there are sites that sell these, or I can go through concierge at the Tokyo hotel..

We arrive on 7 May (planned to arrive after Golden Week and abdication) and depart on the 13th for Kanazawa.) So the game could be on 10, 11 or 12 May vs Swallows. Might be a tough ticket, no??

Ok..baseball tickets are obviously best bought, as FromDC said, above, the minute they go on sale. I'm not sure when they were put up for my dates in early May, but by now the best seats are sold out. I went through the concierge at the hotel, who has informed me that only the FC, and lesser,, seats are still available. So I've requested those for a night game. Once I learn the exact seat numbers, I can put them up here. Since we really have no interest in who wins, seeing the game will not be as important as it would be back home. We'd just like to have the experience, see the fans, the stadium, and all else apart from the game itself, which is vs The Swallows.

That Swallows vs Bay Stars game at Meiji Jingu Stadium would be a home game for the Swallows, so if you have an outfield seat then right field would be where the home fans would be. Likely to be a good amount of Stars fans who only have to travel from Yokohama, so you can root with them if you are in left.

The Swallows vs Giants games on May 10,11,12 are at Tokyo Dome, so Giants home game. You definitely won't get rain delayed or rained out.

StubHub has tickets to those games. The lowest price tickets available are labeled "Left Giants Fan Seat". The are in several sections left field.

I now have seats at Tokyo Dome for the Swallows game...maybe this is like Yankees vs Mets (??)

Unfortunately, by the time of purchase, even the FC seats were gone.

So this is where we will be; note the 'good thing."


This is the confirmation I received..it's charming, really. Does "upper class" mean seating area higher/further from field than FC? Or does it mean better class? I think the former.


<1) We have purchase the official YG Seat (upper class ticket of FC seat) and it was available the time we purchased the tickets.

2) Tickets officer informed us that Good thing about this seat is Giants Support team side seats.

Support team cheer for each Giant player with music and it is Japanese version so that you and your husband will enjoy with this experience as well.

3) The ticket Total fee is JPY 9,016 (Done Payment on 27 March 2019 AMEX Credit Card)

Description JPY 8,000 (JPY 4,000 per ticket) plus JPY 216 (Ticket Handling fee) Plus JPY 800 (10% Ticket Handling fee)

4) Special Amenity: Next to Gate 24 - Please bring your tickets: Period: 15:30 until Bottom of 6th inning.>


These are the seats; I cannot find them on the chart I have for the ballpark:

Special Amenity: Next to Gate 24 - Please bring your tickets:

Period: 15:30 until Bottom of 6th inning.

Seat: YG Seat – Gate 24 B42 Block - 1F-44Row Seat #381 #382

Number of persons: 2 adults

Price: JPY 4,000 per person per adult

Also, please: The district of Kagurazaka sounds interesting and appears to be not far from the T Dome. Is it within walking distance of the Dome? Would this be a worthwhile area to explore on foot before a game, or even after a game, on a Saturday?

The area is recommended in the Terrior Food Guide. (I've signed on for a tour with the author, Yukari Sakamoto, for another day--a million thanks to FromDC for that tip!!)

THANKS so much!! Would you know how close the area is to Tokyo Dome? Walking distance? I already booked a table for lunch in Nihonbashi at 12:30 (knowing that we would not have time for a long dinner that evening) but maybe we should go to Kagurazaka directly after lunch, and before heading to the game?? I love the idea of seeing the "old Tokyo" architecture juxtaposed against all the modern businesses..

I found a seat map that showed where you are (maybe) at and wrote a post describing it with a link but lost it! The seats are field level in the upper sections, down 3rd base line.

I think it is like Yankees/Mets, where the Giants are the Yankees, of course. For the Giants, the Osaka Tigers would be the Red Sox equivalent.

The Yakult Swallows are one of the most beloved Japanese baseball teams and are held in deep affection by many fans. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows play their games at the time honored Meiji Jingu Stadium, the second oldest ballpark in Japan, with all areas of the stadium steeped in history.The Yakult Swallows are not as successful in terms of trophies as their cross town and Central League rivals, the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. The Giants have huge financial clout while the Swallows represent the ordinary 'everyman' in many ways, who has endured in life but is still optimistic.

In 2014 wee took in a game at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Jingu_Stadium
It was a great game between the Giants and Swallows. The atmosphere here was near electric and I thoroughly enjoyed.
I forgot exactly how I got my tickets but I searched on line and found a place here and guess what the person I spoke to was the son of formers Dodgers exec Buzzy Bavasi. The tickets were delivered to our hotel as promised.
If you get a chance try seeing a game in Jingu stadium.

Those are GREAt analogies about the two teams. Both of you are very helpful and your comments have made me really eager to attend the game.
The gift shop looks like a great spot to pick up gifts for baseball fans back home. I looked at the prices I saw in an online photo...the items are expensive but not as much as they charge at Yankee stadium, apparently.

https://www.japanballtickets.com/about_us.html
It was in 2014 when we went but I am pretty sure this in the website we used.
Our tickets were waiting for us at our hotel.

You will have a wonderful time, Eckscrunchy! Me and my husband, SF Giants fans, went with our friends, A's fans, and really enjoyed the atmosphere. It will be very loud, and the seats are smaller than what you are used to, but it will non-stop noise and action. Baseball, cheerleaders, chanting for both teams - at designated times, whisky & soda as well as beer sold throughout the stadium while you watch. We had to leave at the 6th inning as we had dinner reservations, but I would have stayed for a good walk around the stadium. The scoreboard has little English and you may not know who the batter is - but each teams' cheer section are full of chants, signs, flags and fun outfits. Bring binoculars if you can as the Giants cheer section is in right field and the visitor cheer section in left field - with musical instruments. We saw the Carp last April (far from our seats) and I swear they had a brass band!