Baseball is a popular pastime for children. (sources: AFLO, Web-Japan)
Baseball (yakyu) was introduced into Japan from the United States around 1873. As schools established their own teams for club activities, its popularity spread rapidly. Although professional baseball is Japan’s largest spectator sport, the game still has a strong appeal for amateurs, particularly at the high school and university levels. Many major corporations also sponsor their own amateur teams.
Professional baseball in Japan consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League. Six teams in each league compete in the pennant race (official games). Mid-season, they compete at the “Nippon Life Insurance Central/Pacific Inter-league Games” where a total of 12 teams from the 2 leagues participate in a round-robin tournament, after which they return to the regular pennant race. If a team holds on to first place until the end of the season, it becomes the league winner for the year. Then, the top 3 teams of each league compete at the “Climax Series” in order to advance to the “Japan Series”. Winning teams of the “Climax Series” in each league compete in the “Japan Series” for the number one place in Japan for the season of that year.
[Opening time]
-Exhibition games (March)
-Pennant Race (March to October)
-Nippon Life Insurance Central/Pacific Interleague Tournament (May to June)
-All Star Game (July)
-Climax Series (around September)
-Japan Series (around October)
Click below links to read more:
Link 1 – Japan Fact Sheet on Baseball
Link 2 – Nippon Professional Baseball Official Website
sources credited: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Web-Japan
