The Tigers punched their ticket to the Japan Series on Friday evening at Koshien Stadium, defeating the Hiroshima Carp by a 4-2 score. This meant that the games that were scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were not played, leaving a gaping hole in everyone’s baseball-viewing lives. That did not stop me from going to Koshien Stadium on two of those days, though, and I was able to poke around and take a few pictures that left me drooling in anticipation for the most important baseball this team has played in nearly a decade.
If you can read this, you understand that this has been dubbed the “Namba Line Series”. The reason is obviously that one could theoretically go from the Tigers’ home ballpark (Koshien Stadium = Koshien Station) to that of the Buffaloes (Kyocera Dome = Domu Mae Station) on a single Hanshin train ticket on the Namba Line. You can probably see at the bottom of the poster that they are selling commemorative train tickets and station entry passes. The tickets themselves are worth a mere ¥1,060 but the set costs ¥1,800. I figured, what the heck? This kind of series only happens once every 59 years, and I kind of doubt I’ll be in any shape to take in a ballgame in 2082. So I bought it. No intentions of using the actual train tickets, though – they will be excellent time capsule material, though!
On to the ballpark proper! As one walks along the first-base side of the stadium, there is a wall separating the walkway from a parking lot (and taxi drop-off spot) for players and other team representatives. On that wall are posters of the players, and now they show off the team’s 2023 buzzword (which comes courtesy of Dominican Johan Mieses): VAMOS.
Just a little further down the path, I was about to take a picture of the Koshien 100-year anniversary sign. Before I could snap a picture, a man riding a SuperCub parked his bike right in front of it. That’s OK! I got an even better picture, as well as some stories from him about life as a Tigers fan these past 40+ years. For the record, he has named his bike Bass III because it is the third one he has owned and named after the most famous import in team history!
On to the stadium! For reasons that cannot be explained here and now, I was able to enter the batter’s eye on Saturday. I simply LOVE this view and this place, and imagine myself seeing a Teruaki Sato long ball soaring through the air and landing next to me. Perhaps my worried look here is my imagination getting the best of me… what if I got hit???
After some time pondering the outcome of the Japan Series, it was time for lunch… and what better place than KFC? You know the Curse of the Colonel, right? The team is apparently OK with playing it up…
On the way back towards Hanshin Koshien Station, right by the West Exit, is a Hanshin Tigers-themed Lawson convenience store. It can’t be missed and is a great place to pick up some Tigers’ merch and/or snacks…
As you might be aware, the Japan Series starts on Saturday, October 28. The first two games will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka, and Koshien will host games 3, 4, and (if necessary) 5 from October 31 – November 2. I will be there for at least one of those games, and you can expect more reporting then – and definitely pictures with a lot more crazy Tigers fans in them than these have had!
I hope you enjoyed this look at Hanshin Koshien Stadium on off days just before the most important series of the year.