For information on current sporting events taking place in Tokyo, ranging from kickboxing and pro wrestling to soccer, table tennis, and golf, check the quarterly magazine Tokyo Journal or contact the Tourist Information Center. Tickets for many events, including baseball and sumo, can be purchased at Ticket Pia (tel. 03/5237-9999).
Baseball -- Introduced into Japan from the United States in 1873, baseball is as popular among Japanese as it is among Americans. Even the annual high-school playoffs keep everyone glued to their television sets.
As with other imports, the Japanese have added their modifications. Some of the playing fields are smaller (new ones tend to have American dimensions) and, borrowing from American football, each team has its own cheerleaders. There are several American players who have proved very popular with local fans; but according to the rules, no more than four foreigners may play on any one team. In recent years, there's been a reverse exodus of top Japanese players defecting to American teams, including the hugely popular and successful Suzuki Ichiro, leadoff hitter and right fielder for the Seattle Mariners; and Matsui Hideki, a power-hitting right fielder with the New York Yankees. In fact, Japanese fans have been so mesmerized by the Mariners and Yankees (whose games are broadcast on Japanese TV), that television ratings for Japanese games have fallen.
While playing your hardest is at a premium in the United States, in Japan any attempt at excelling individually is frowned upon. As in other aspects of life, it is the group, the team, that counts. To what extent that is so may be illustrated by the case of an American player: When he missed opening day at training camp due to a life-or-death operation on his son at a hospital, his contract was immediately canceled. And rather than let a foreign player break the hitting record set by a Japanese, American Randy Bass was thrown only balls and walked.
There are two professional leagues, the Central and the Pacific, which play from April to October and meet in the final Japan Series playoffs. In Tokyo, the home teams are the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Ham Fighters, both of which play at the Tokyo Dome (tel. 03/3811-2111; station: Suidobashi); and the Yakult Swallows, which play at Jingu Stadium (station: Gaienmae). Other teams playing in the vicinity of Tokyo are the Chiba Lotte Marines, who play at Kawasaki Stadium, Kanagawa (tel. 044/244-1171; station: Kawasaki on the JR Tokaido Line, then bus no. 16, 19, 21, 22, or 23); the Seibu Lions, Seibu Lions Stadium, Tokorozawa City (tel. 0429/24-1151; station: JR to Seibu Kyujo-mae on the Seibu Sayama Line); and the Yokohama Bay Stars, Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama (tel. 045/661-1251; station: Kannai on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line). Advance tickets go on sale Friday, 2 weeks prior to the game, and can be purchased at the stadium or, for Tokyo teams, at Ticket Pia (tel. 03/5237-9999). Prices for the Tokyo Dome and Jingu Stadium range from ¥1,800 ($15) for an unreserved seat in the outfield to ¥6,000 ($50) for seats behind home plate. The Giants are so popular, however, that tickets are hard to come by.
Sumo-- The Japanese form of wrestling known as sumo began perhaps as long as 1,500 years ago and is still the nation's most popular sport, with wrestlers -- often taller than 6 feet and weighing well over 300 pounds -- revered as national heroes. A sumo match takes place on a sandy-floored ring less than 4.5m (15 ft.) in diameter; the object is for a wrestler to either eject his opponent from the ring or cause him to touch the ground with any part of his body other than his feet. This is accomplished by shoving, slapping, tripping, throwing, and even carrying the opponent. Altogether, there are 48 holds and throws, and sumo fans know them all.
Sumo matches are held in Tokyo at the Kokugikan, 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku (tel. 03/3623-5111; station: Ryogoku, then a 1-min. walk). Matches are held in January, May, and September for 15 consecutive days, beginning at around 10am and lasting until 6pm; the top wrestlers compete after 3:30pm. The best seats are ringside box seats, but they're bought out by companies or by the friends and families of sumo wrestlers. Usually available are balcony seats, which can be purchased at Ticket Pia (tel. 03/5237-9999). You can also purchase tickets directly at the Kokugikan ticket office beginning at 9am every morning of the tournament. Prices range from about ¥2,100 ($18) for an unreserved seat (sold on the day of the event) to ¥8,200 ($68) for a good reserved seat.
If you can't make it to a match, watching on TV is almost as good. Tournaments in Tokyo, as well as those that take place annually in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, are broadcast on the NHK channel from 4 to 6pm daily during matches.
