Yomiura Giants

One of the things we said we must do whilst we are in Japan is watch a baseball match. The Japanese are big into baseball, something they got from the Americans after WWII. So when Sasha, a softball player, suggested we go to baseball whilst she was here we jumped at the chance.

A short conversation with a friend at work got us a recommendation to see the Yomiura Giants, not only the best team in Tokyo but the only ones with an enclosed, air conditioned Stadium know as the Tokyo Dome AKA the 'Egg'.

Just to add some technical info at this point. The roof is inflatable and held up by air pressure. The whole building in poistively pressured. So that the building remains air tight you enter through revolving doors. Afterwards they opened the fire exits so everyone could leave quickly. The draft was amazing as you left. Each door had attendants who I am sure are there to catch any small children or old biddies that get blown off their feet.

The matched we booked to see was the Giants vs. Hiroshima Carp.
There was lots of singing each time the Giants came into bat. Mostly the song went 'Lets go, Lets go [insert name of player'. Yes it was English. The programme was in Japanese so the only players we could read the names of were the foreigners. After a while we worked out that we could use the binoculars to read the players names off the back of their shirts.

This Japanese guy sat in front of us decided that our kids needed to be educated in how to watch the game. He returned from the Fan shop with lots of bits and pieces including small orange towels that you whirled around above your head when a home run was scored. Very generous! We also bought mini plastic bats that you thump together rather than clapping.

At was at this point that I spotted an 'award winning' piece of Japanese innovation. They take pretty Japanese girls, strap 20L beer kegs to their backs and send then out to serve beer to the crowd. You don't have to get out of your seat. Tough job though. They spend the whole match running about the stands. Bear in mind that the seating is steeply banked so that they are either going up or down hill.

mittsu beeru o kudasai

After the match finished we emerged from the stadium into the Amuzement park outside. Directly in front of us was the roller coaster. Well it would have been rude not to have a go. Sasha opted out and headed for the shops whilst the rest of use joined the short queue (it was a bargain just 1000 JPY for a serious roler coaster ride). The height restriction was 130cm, we knew Neve was only 128 as she was measured at the school medical that morning. Neve soon figured out that a ride on the roller coaster was at stake, hair suitably puffed up and heels just lifted slightly off the ground she was soon certified as 130 cm.

Now most roller coaster rides have big manly, terrifiying names like Nemesis and Oblivion. Not in Japan, this roller coaster is called .... Thunder Dolphin. What image do you now have in your mind!

Anyway I shan't attempt to describe the ride.

Instead follow link to some footage someone took from their video phone. It will give you a good idea of what the ride was like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k27-1xQryRE

We thought the kids might be totally traumatised by the experience but they both enjoyed it. We now have Fuji Q Highland in our sights. This is a bigger ride near to Mt Fuji.