The Hanshin Tigers have announced, along with the rest of NPB, that it will allow a maximum of 5,000 fans to attend games between July 10 and 31. Depending on how well COVID-19 is contained at that point, stadiums could be allowed to operate at half-capacity from August 1 onward.
The Tigers end their long 15-game road trip on July 5 (or 6, if there is a rain-out in Hiroshima), and start their home schedule on July 7. For the first three games (against the Yomiuri Giants, fans will be allowed to send messages to the team that will be put up on the scoreboard, and also have the opportunity of personalizing messages that will be placed on the backs of seats, and even have a cut-out of their faces strategically placed behind home plate. All of these come at a cost, and it is up to you to dig up that information if you are interested!
We want to share with you ticket-acquisition rules and procedures for the team’s next nine home games (vs. BayStars, Swallows, Dragons). First of all, purchases can only be made via the official Koshien ticketing site. Here is a link to their English instructions for that.
Some (lucky?) fans have already been given access to tickets. The details for everyone else are here:
Prices for the games, in case you missed it earlier this offseason, change based on opponent and time of week. This is what the breakdown will look like for these first nine games:
So the good news is that seats that are normally not available to “regular fans” (i.e., the Toshiba, Green Premium, Green, and SMBC seats) are open to the public. However, there is obviously a chance that they will have all been snapped up before the general public has a chance to get their tickets.
Here are some other rules you need to know about attendance:
- You will need to register with Koshien (no cost) to buy the tickets, so they can track people down if any new cases of COVID-19 happen to crop up.
- You can only buy a maximum of two tickets per game.
- There will be no visitor cheering section seats sold.
- No “special seats” (Mitsuya Cider boxes, Lawson Deck, etc.) will be available.
- You will need to sit separate from other fans, even if you have come to the game together.
- You might not be allowed to bring your own alcoholic beverages into the stadium.
- Children not yet in school and pregnant women are advised to consider their situation carefully.
- You must wear a mask to the stadium (masks not provided) and wear it at all times. If you need to remove it because of the heat, practice proper social etiquette.
- You will have your temperature taken upon entering the premises. You might not be allowed entry if your temperature is too high.
- If you are feeling sick, you are advised to stay home even if you have purchased a ticket.
- No jet balloons, towel-waving, high-fiving, trumpet or whistle-blowing. You may use kung-fu bats for cheering, but no raising your voices excessively.
- Keep your ticket stub for at least 14 days after the game.
There are more rules and advisories, all in small Japanese print, which you can check here if you want.
And there you have it. Attend at your own risk! If you have any questions, I can try to answer them for you, but keep in mind that I do not work for the club and do not have any insider information.