An American Baseball Game in Japan

Our home team from Seattle, The Mariners, played their season opener in Tokyo at the Tokyo Dome Wed., Mar 28 against the Oakland A's. We went to go see their second game on Thurs. This is the first time that the Mariners have played in Japan (not to mention one of only a handful of times American teams have played games here) and also the first time Ichiro has played baseball in Japan after becoming a Mariner 11 years ago. He is a superstar in Japan and the stadium ignited with cheering and cameras flashing whenever he went to bat. I'm guessing the majority of people just came to see him.

I haven't been to a Japanese baseball game yet so I can't compare the game to that, but I can compare it to other games I've been to in the U.S. It was definitely the quietest baseball game I've ever been to (except for the cheering for Ichiro)! It was strange not to hear any talking, yelling, booing, cheering, or drunken shouting. Or singing--during the 7th inning stretch our group of Americans were the only ones I could hear singing along to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"! Of course, the Japanese were unlikely to know the words.

Unsurprisingly, the stadium was also spotlessly clean. No sticky beer, sunflower seeds, or popcorn spilled everywhere--that was a big difference. Another similarity is that they did show people on the big screen, but there were no silly contests, no "kiss cam," no "Welcome to Boy Scout Troop 56" messages, no funny facts about the players, etc. So maybe the Japanese just take baseball a lot more seriously than we do and don't have the need to be constantly entertained like Americans!

At first glance, it looks like a normal game at the Metrodome!

But everything is in Japanese

And everyone is eating bento

There are cheerful "beer girls" everywhere with backpacks full of beer ready to pour you a cold one

Japanese baseball food includes yakisoba, yakitori and curry rice along with hot dogs and hamburgers

The Mariner moose was there doing some wacky dancing

And Ichiro doing his signature at bat pose

Here he is on a beer ad in left field!

Would you like furaido poteto with that?

The offerings of American fast food burger joints in Japan never fail to amuse me. They try out a lot of concepts that never appear in the U.S. (for various reasons).

McDonald's (or Makudonarudo as they call it here) is beloved by the Japanese as it is most everyone else worldwide. They have a yearly "burger series" called "Big America" (ha). They look like real gut-busters! I stick to my McChicken setto (combo meal). 

So how is Makudonarudo different in Japan? For starters, the portions are a lot smaller and the service is about 100x better than your average U.S. Mickey D's. They will run your food out to you and apologize profusely if it's not ready on time. The atmosphere is pleasant and people just hang out there too...compared to the states where the vinyl benches and obnoxious clientele make me want to take the fries and bolt.

Burger King isn't nearly as prolific as McDonald's in Japan but it's my personal fav. They seem to be playing the novelty angle by rolling out new burgers all throughout the year.The latest greatest burger combos are avocado and nacho. I got the avocado one recently (by accident), but since I'm not a huge fan of avocado it didn't do much for me. However, I am looking forward to the ringo (apple) burger this month--apples on burgers, why not?? Maybe I'll enjoy it with a Coca Cola highball (cocktail). Yes, they serve alcohol at Burger King in Japan!

Then there's Wendy's...they used to have many stores in Japan but they left the market after things fell through a few years ago. Now they're back--their first new store opened in Tokyo's swanky Otmotesando (Harajuku) neighborhood in December with swanky burgers to match. One of the featured burgers is the 1280 yen (almost $16!) foie gras burger. I don't think I can (literally) stomach that.

Wendy's Foie Gras Rossini burger

Setagaya Boroichi

We visited the Setagaya neighborhood in Tokyo to take in the Boro-ichi street fair there. It has taken place every Dec. 15-16 and Jan. 15-16 for the last 400+ years. It's named for the rags (boro) that were sold to bind sandals way back when. Now they sell just about everything but the kitchen sink.

For mochi pounding

Masses of green tea

Anyone in the market for a naked baby statue?

Grilled rice snacks

Furry shoes that look like...well, I won't say it ;)

Sturdy teapots

Used obi (kimono sash)

Chopsticks of all kinds

Tiny dried flower arrangements

Kokeshi and other dolls  (we bought the red one)

Used geta (Japanese clog sandals)

Tiny cacti

Yuzu Cha

We found out we got yuzus from the grocery store and not oranges when we tried to eat one.Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit usually used for its juice and fragrant peel. They look very similar to oranges (see left), but they are very sour, like a grapefruit and light green inside with lots of seeds.

Well, I didn't want to waste them, so I had to figure out wheat to do with them. I found a recipe for yuzu cha (tea) that I had had at a coffee shop. I juiced and chopped up the rest of the yuzus for that--delicious and smells heavenly!

Boiling sliced yuzu peels, juice, and sugar--reduces down to a jam consistency

Making the "tea"

Verny Park

Verny Park is a small park just a few minutes away from where we live right now. It is named after Léonce Verny, a Frenchman who helped build the shipyard in Yokosuka. The park is planted with hundreds of roses--but only a few were blooming, not surprising since it's winter here!

Looking towards the shipyard, a couple American ships (left) and Japanese submarine (right)

Original gates to the shipyard, circa 1865 or so

New Year's in Nihon

Mameshiba eats mochi

New Year's in Japan is the most important holiday of the year. The house is cleaned from top to bottom, special foods are eaten, and houses are decorated with symbolic decor to welcome in the New Year. Millions of people flock to shrines on New Year's Eve and the days following for their first shrine (or temple) visit of the year, called Hatsumōde. 

New Year's Decorations

We visited nearby Kamakura, which has over 70 shrines and temples, including one of the most significant Shinto shrines, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū. The center city is closed to motorized traffic for three days after New Year's. We decided not to wait in line to get in to the shrine since the line was ridiculously long but it was fun to experience the festive atmosphere!

In Which We Eat Strange Fruits

We tried a few unusual Asian fruits the other day at the grocery store--dragonfruit and kumquats. At about 500 yen ($6.50) each they were not cheap but we couldn't resist. I had to research how to eat them since I had no idea. Dragonfruit you slice open and scoop out or you can slice open, scoop the whole piece out and cut it up. The texture is like a melon and we were surprised to find that the flavor was extremely mild. The water chestnut of fruits!

Kumquats I was a little more familiar with...you eat it whole and spit the seeds out. The peel is sweet and the fruit sour. They taste like oranges, being a citrus fruit. Apparently you also can roll them around in your hands to get the juices flowing and make them taste better. Who knew?

Igor was not a fan of the dragonfruit

Bag'o Kumquats