Tigar's sake cup I found at a local convenient store in Osaka. Only in Osaka, Japan!!! If you live in America, you must know by now that baseball is a popular sport in Japan. Here in New York, we have one of the biggest baseball stars, Hideki Matsui. A bit up north, "Dice-K" Matsuzaka plays for Boston, Iwamura from Tampa Bay, Ichiro with Mariner's Kaz Matsui with Rockies... just to name a few. If you go to Japan during the baseball season and like the game of baseball, do visit one of their stadiums. In Japan, we have the similar thing going on between two most popular teams like here in America with Yankees and Red Sox. In Japan, it's between Tokyo Giants and Osaka Hanshin. I grew up subscribing Giants Magazine with my mother religiously watching Giants during the season, obviously I am a big fan of Giants. But I must tell you, Osaka Hanshin fans are impressive. I always knew that the Hanshin fans were passionate and loyal fans. But I didn't know how they really are until I saw them in Osaka this year. In Osaka, when it comes to baseball, they mean business, oh they do. It's rather hilarious, yet serious. The people and the city almost converted me to become a Hanshin fan just hanging out with them (though it won't ever happen to me ha...). Whichever the stadium you go to, make sure you take a train. Driving to the stadium and trying to park around there is as tough as trying to become fluent in Japanese. Japan is wired with great transportation anyways, so why risk. For Tokyo Dome, they have a website in English. It is at: http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/ For Koshien Stadium, the home of Osaka Hanshin, the stadium is just a few minute walk from KOSHIEN STATION. With many Japanese baseball stars playing in American major league today, the population of Japanese baseball has been declining, which is rather sad. But it is still entertaining, especially to a baseball fan visiting Japan from other countries. Enjoy the game! Cheers, Yuri E-mail me: jcocktails@cocktailtimes.com
