A Sampler of the Japanese Baseball Experience
August or Sepember 2023: Approximately 10 Days, 7 Ballparks, 6 Cities
Note: The description and itinerary below are from 2022. We left the information on this page to give an idea of what to expect.
Experience a taste of it all: seven of NPB’s big league ballparks, stops in six of Japan’s world-class cities, delicious Japanese food and drink, the camaraderie of fellow baseball adventurers, and so much more.
Our Main Tour has been a hallmark of international baseball travel for 20+ years, and we promise that it will be the trip of a lifetime!
Highlights include games at Japan’s two oldest ballparks – Jingu Stadium (built in 1926) and Koshien Stadium (built in 1924). Historical Jingu Stadium, home to the current NPB-champion Yakult Swallows, is always a favorite of JapanBallers .
We’ll start off in Tokyo before heading south to Nagoya and then NPB’s two southernmost cities, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. In Hiroshima, we will pay our respects at the Hiroshima Peace Park. We’ll then work our way back north with two days in Osaka (the world’s second-best city for travelers – Tokyo is first – according to Condé Nast) to see the Koshien tournament and Orix Buffaloes. Then, we wrap things up with a night in Yokohama to see the BayStars play at Yokohama Stadium, home of the Tokyo Olympics baseball and softball events!
This tour may be very physically demanding for some guests due to our frequent travel and Japan’s heat and humidity in August. We will change hotels six times via sometimes long train rides. It is required that all guests must be able to carry/roll their own luggage during train transfers for about 1/3 mile (including up and down flights of stairs), and also lift their bags to the overhead space on trains. If you expect to have any difficulties with these requirements, then we recommend that you consider the Tokyo Main Tour.
Japan has Covid-related travel requirements. Guests will likey need to either be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or present a negative Covid test, amongst other requirements. Visit the website of the US Embassy in Japan for current information.
Sample Itinerary From 2022
- Wed. 8/2: Depart U.S.A., cross international date line in-air
- 8/3 Tokyo: Arrival to Tokyo and welcome dinner at the JapanBall Hall of Fame
- 8/4 Tokyo: Dragons @ Tokyo Yakult Swallows (6:00 PM)
- 8/5 Nagoya: BayStars @ Chunichi Dragons (6:00 PM)
- 8/6 Hiroshima: Tigers @ Hiroshima Toyo Carp (6:00 PM)
- 8/7 Fukuoka: Eagles at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (1:00 PM)
- 8/8 Fukuoka: group activity including hosted meal
- 8/9 Osaka: Eagles @ Orix Buffaloes (6:00 PM)
- 8/10 Osaka: Koshien High School Baseball Championship Tournament (all-day)
- 8/11 Yokohama: Tigers @ Yokohama DeNA BayStars (5:00 PM) + annual “Don Robbs Invitational” happy hour
- Fri. 8/12: Departure
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A guide to lead you through a detailed itinerary with an engaging combination of stadiums, teams, targeted sightseeing and outings, the result of which will give you a cost-effective and in-depth personal tour of the country like no other.
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Business class accommodation with modern facilities.
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All in-tour land travel (including the famous high-speed bullet train!).
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Tickets for the best available seats for six NPB games and one Koshien high school game.
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Two meals and one happy hour.
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Additional sightseeing at little or no cost to you.
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Visits with local friends and/or baseball personalities.
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Detailed airport arrival and departure instructions (in some cases, airport transportation may be included).
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Scheduling flexibility. Want to come early or stay late? We can help you plan that. Many of our guests arrive a day or two early to acclimate to the time change and get their bearings. However, we do recommend doing most of your personal travel after our tour because we take pride in teaching our guests how to get around on their own, and that will make your personal travel more enjoyable.
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Translation and travel desk services.
- Carbon offset: In order to mitigate the tour’s environmental impact, we will use our profits to purchase a carbon offset from Sustainable Travel International on behalf of each guest.
Not included: airfare and most meals.
Price
$TBA double occupancy
$TBA single supplement
Questions?

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Chris

Molly and Patty

Paul

Vinny

Scott

Michelle

Nancy

Tom and Maria

Steve

Dennis
