A Yomuri Giants Game

For an American, attending a baseball game in Japan can be an out-of-body experience. The action on the field is familiar, but what happens in the stands—organized fan chants (sometimes employing props, like umbrellas); beer girls running the aisles, dispensing Sapporo and Asahi from keg backpacks; food options such as udon—is completely foreign. Not to mention the cheerleaders, who take the field between innings. Baseball has been a national pastime here since American Horace Wilson brought it over in the 1870s while teaching at what is now the University of Tokyo. The local version largely mirrors the American game. There are two six-team leagues. The Yomiuri Giants who play at the flashy Tokyo Dome, are the team to beat.