Strange as it may seem, every year many professionals and fans of baseball they have a mandatory stop at Japan. Interestingly, amateur leagues are as popular as the league professional. There are daily news in the press and on television about the matches and the advertising occupies prominent places on public transport.
While uniforms, standards and fans remind those of U.S, the birthplace of baseball, the sport entered the country in 1870 and over the years it has become so strong that, even unofficially, it was adopted as a national sport, equaling Sumo in popularity. Since 1950, the 12 Japanese professional teams have been divided into two leagues; Central and Pacific. There are also 2 minor leagues: Occidental and Oriental, made up of 6 teams each. The Central It is the most popular league of the 4, especially due to the Tokyo Giants.
The completion of the stadium Tokyo Dome, in 1988, provided players and fans with the first specific venue designed to withstand large crowds (54,000 fans) and long games. With artificial grass, the Dome It is also used for many other events. Since the birth of the Tokyo Dome, others have been built stadiums by different regions of Japan.
Spring (March) and summer (August) are the times when baseball is practiced the most. Parents encourage their children from a very young age to participate in the primary school playoffs where the competition is fierce.
Japanese Baseball is Awesome and You Need to Hear More About it (April 2024)
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