11. June 2025
12 Japanese players currently in the MLB will soon be getting a specially designed manhole cover in their hometown.
05. June 2025
The World Athletics Championship will be held at Tokyo's National Stadium from September 13th to the 21st. With 100 days until opening day, tickets for the evening session of day 2, 7, 8 and 9 are already sold out. September will be an exciting time for sports fans in Tokyo. The September sumo tournament will be held from the 14th to the 28th. Regular season games are scheduled almost everyday for NPB Baseball as well as J League soccer matches on the weekends.
10. May 2025
There are long queues for practically everything and getting reservations for the entry to the pavilions is not as straightforward as it could be, but the Expo 2025 in Osaka proved to be a very interesting experience for a fan of Japanese architecture. The Grand Ring by Sou Fujimoto has become the centerpiece of the event as the world's largest wooden structure. It provides a shelter from the heat and rain, as well as a great viewpoint for looking at the pavilions from a higher vantage point....
01. April 2025
The JR Yamanote Line will be partially closed on April 19th (Saturday) and the 20th (Sunday). The right half of the circular line that connects important areas of Tokyo will be affected the most. Be careful if you were planning to use the Yamanote Line to connect to a Shinkansen on these dates. Access to Hamamatsucho Station (Connecting to Tokyo Monorail for Haneda Airport) will be heavily impacted. For access to/from Haneda, consider the Airport Limousine Bus or Keikyu Train to minimize loss...
30. March 2025
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced this afternoon that the cherry blossoms at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine are now fully open. Normally the conditions ideal for viewing continue for around a week, so the weekend of April 5th and 6th should still be fine for viewing. From previous experience, the Sumida Park near Asakusa is always a few days behind other areas of Tokyo. Neighboring cities like Yokohama are also a few days behind Tokyo, so there will be more chances to view the blossoms by...
24. March 2025
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced today that the blossoms have opened for the cherry tree that they regularly monitor at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine. This announcement comes five days earlier than 2024. With warm weather expected through Friday, the blossoms should reach peak viewing mode within the next 5 days or so. Normally the peak condition lasts for around a week meaning the first weekend in April (5th and 6th) would be the rough deadline for enjoying them in central Tokyo. Areas...
12. March 2025
The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing their 2025 season opener at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19th. They also have a pair of exhibition games scheduled against the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers of the NPB. A major promotional campaign has been going off since the start of the year and ads are everywhere in the city. "MLB Tokyo Series Fan Fest" is being held at the Tokyo Skytree from March 8 until the 19th where there will be a public viewing of the games, talk shows by...
10. March 2025
Tokyo saw three snowy days in the previous week but the cherry blossom forecast remains mostly unchanged from the initial forecast with the full bloom expected around March 28th. This would mean the best viewing window would be estimated as March 27-April 3. Usually there is still an error of a few days at this point, but the upcoming two week forecast looks similar to (or somewhat above) average temperature with a good amount of sunshine, so a drastic last-minute delay like 2024 seems less...
20. February 2025
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows announced that the performer of the mascot Tsubakuro has passed away. The mascot made its debut in 1994 and has since become the face of the club and sells the most merchandise among any of its team members. Tsubakuro was popular for his interaction with players as well as comical handwritten comments using a pen and sketchbook. Tsubakuro will not be making any game appearances for the time being and whether the team will bring the mascot back with a different...
29. January 2025
Catching a pro baseball game in Japan is an activity that I recommend any sport fan to do during their stay. However the league does not want you uploading and sharing the exciting shots you took at the stadium to any social network platform - if they fall under a certain criteria. Announced in September 2024, the new rules take effect from February 1st. Fans will be prohibited from: 1) Uploading any movies related to the baseball game that exceeds 140 seconds (this also applies for pre-game...