Square Pegs

Cash Cup 2006

While I have to admit, I'm not a huge sports fan, and I haven't really been keeping up with all of the World Cup field action, I have been keeping my eye on all of the World Cup merchandise and memorabilia that have whipped quite a few of my Japanese neighbors into a soccer induced frenzy!  I've seen everything from little soccer ball buns at the bakery to World Cup pasta!  You can't escape Samurai Blue 2006!  I don't mind it at all though because it seems to be giving the Japanese economy quite a boost- a boost to the tune of about 4 billion dollars!  While World Cup 2006 won't be around much longer, Japan will be reaping the benefits of Samurai Blue long after the last goal is scored and the players have all hit the showers. 

Kattobase- Let it Rip!!!

Nothing says summertime fun like making your way to a fan-filled stadium to enjoy some baseball on a beautiful, sunny afternoon!  This past Thursday, as the radiant sun shone down on the bustling city of Yokohama, that is precisely what John and I did with friends. 

Not only was Thursday our first Japanese baseball experience, but it was also the kick off of the 2-day Yokohama port celebration that marked the port's 147th birthday!  There were several food vendors that set up stalls outside of the stadium for the festival, and we took full advantage of their presence and chowed down on all of the best local fare. I don't think I have ever eaten so well at a baseball game!  Forget the hot dogs and beer, give me yakitori and Chu-hi at every game!!

After stuffing ourselves full of tasty Japanese junk food, it was time to head into the park to find our seats and meet up with our baseball loving buddies!  When we finally got to our seats we realized there was not a bad seat in the house!!  Yokohama stadium is relatively small and it allows almost all fans to be close to the action!

I'm not sure how many people attended the Baystars game on Thursday night against the Hawks, but there certainly was not a shortage of enthusiastic Baystars fans to keep the evening lively!  After about 30 minutes in our seats, surrounded by cheering fans, we realized we were in dire need of some Baystars paraphernalia.   John made a couple stops at the team store and before long, we were all "geared out" and ready to cheer for our team... AND CHEER WE DID!!!  We cheered alongside all of the other Baystars fans (of all ages) who were at the game that night! There was even an impromptu band comprised of fans who lead all of us in team supporting cheers.  We very quickly learned the ever important chant "Kattobase <name of player>", which means "Let it Rip <name of player>"!  We reveled in the almost ritualistic chanting and banging of hollow baseball clackers as each new player came up to bat (for a sample of this, please download the short video at the end of this post).  We even got a big kick out of holding the hollow bat clackers over our ears and listening to the chanting in stereo, and then of course using them as silly binoculars.

As the game drew to a close and we finished the last of our chu-his and soda, we thought most of the action was over, but boy were we mistaken!

The stadium was in an uproar after the final call by the umpire, declaring the Hawks as the victors for the evening.  Moments after the call was made, fans began chucking their waste onto the field in protest.  We even witnessed a couple of over- zealous fans having a beer induced brawl on the field. In the end, everything was resolved and it was time for us to head back to Kannai station and get home.  After all our cheering and yelling, we knew our throats would be sore the next morning, but the experience with our friends made it totally worth and we can't wait for our next Baystars Game!!

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