Watching NPB/Pro Baseball in the Tokyo area

Last update: Feb 24th -  Added ticket info for the Seibu Lions - now tickets can be purchased in English

Preseason

The 12 teams will have their spring training in Okinawa or Kyushu and then start playing their preseason games in the end of February. Schedule: https://npb.jp/preseason/2026/schedule.html

The first game is in the Okinawa area on Feb 21st.  The first game in the Tokyo area will be on March 3rd (Tues) when the Baystars return to Yokohama Stadium. The last preseason game will be on March 22nd (Sunday) and then the teams will take a few days off before the regular season opening day. 

Admission fees are charged for preseason games but it is generally much cheaper than the regular season. It is very rare for a preseason game to sell out. If a preseason game is rained out, the game will not be rescheduled.

From March 5th-10th, there will also be WBC (World Baseball Classic) Pool C games at the Tokyo Dome. Pool C consists of Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic and Taiwan with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinal in Miami. NPB preseason games will still take place while the WBC games are being played but the Giants will be on the road during this time and not play a preseason game at the Tokyo Dome until the 14th.

Regular Season 

The 2026 season schedule has been released in mid January. Opening day will be March 27th (Friday).

The below link to a Japanese page is for April (Note that content on the NPB English page takes awhile to get updated, so try seeing the Japanese version with a translation tool)

https://npb.jp/games/2026/schedule_04_detail.html

Home teams are indicated on the left. Some games are held in a neutral site away from the usual home venue. For example, the April 21st game between the Giants and Dragons will be played in Nagano and not the Tokyo Dome.

There is a short pause after the interleague competition finishes in June (no games scheduled from June 15-18) and another pause for the All-Star break from July 27-30. The NPB will always play two all star games; The 2026 All Star Game 1 will be at the Tokyo Dome on July 28 and Toyama for Game 2 on the 29th.

Any days with 予備日 indication is where the postponed games get rescheduled. If there is not enough 予備日 than any games rained out will be rescheduled to the end of the season in late September or early October. For 2025, the Central League added the schedule for 15 games which were postponed earlier in the season on July 29. 

The last regular season game is currently scheduled for September 30th, but chances are they will be a few games in early October also. For 2025, the last regular season game was on October 5 with a cushion of five days before the playoffs were to begin. The NPB will always try to avoid doubleheaders unless it is absolutely necessary to finish the regular season in time. There has even been cases where non-playoff bound teams were playing their final game while a playoff game was being held on the same day. The last doubleheader dates all the way back to 1998. 

Postseason

In each league, the second place team will host the third place team in a three game series. The winner advances to play the pennant-winning team. This time it is a best of 7 series, though the 1st place team is given a one win advantage. The winner from each league face each other in the Japan Series , another best of 7 series.

For the 2026 season, the playoffs are scheduled to start on October 10th. Game 1 of the Japan Series is on October 24th, at the home venue of the Central League winner (Games 3-5 will be played at the home of Pacific League winner)

Last season before CL introduces the DH

The Central League will be (finally) introducing the DH system for the 2027 season, so 2026 will be the last time pitchers will be batting. The Pacific League has already been using the DH since 1975. 

Of the five teams in the Tokyo area, the Giants and Swallows have decent information available in English on their websites, including the option to buy tickets. The Lions added the option to purchase tickets from abroad, though they still have no English content on their website. Other teams will require a Japanese phone number for signing up and even with the aid of Google Translate, acquiring tickets might be a big pain.

There used to be organizations like JapanBall, where someone would secure tickets on your behalf for a fee. The NPB has apparently been cracking down on these type of services. 

Giants English Website: http://www.giants.jp/en/

The ticketing site gives you the option to choose tickets from a seating chart. You either print the tickets yourself or pick them up at any 7-Eleven in Japan.

Not all tickets are sold through the official ticketing site and sometimes there is better availability showing on other agency sites (mentioned below).

Swallows English Website: https://www.yakult-swallows.co.jp/en/

The calendar shows the dates when home games are held. If the ticket sales have already begun, the "buy tickets" icon will be appearing. There is a seat view for each section which should assist with your preference. There is dynamic pricing so usually the price goes up as the game date approaches.

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars provide a limited quantity of tickets to Lawson Ticket which has an English page that is poorly designed and only partially translated. Only a small number of tickets (which look like random leftover seats from the Japanese ticketing site) are sold from this English page.

https://l-tike.com/st1/baystarsEng/sitetop

Tickets will need to be retrieved from the LAWSON convenience store by first going to the Loppi kiosk that is located near the ATM or the copy machine. You then receive a receipt to take to the register where the staff will print out your ticket.

The Seibu Lions do not have any English content on their website, but it is now possible to purchase tickets from the below Ticket Pia website, using a system that is similar to the Tokyo Swallows.

https://ticket.pia.jp/piasp/inbound/lions-inbound.jsp

Tickets need to be picked up a Seven-Eleven store (They are everywhere in the Tokyo area but there isn't any near the Belluna Dome so be careful!) 

The Chiba Lotte Marines do not have any English content on their website. It is rare for the tickets to sell out so going to the box office on game day should be fine for a normal weekday game. 

”Ticket Pia” and "e plus" are reputable online services that sells tickets for all teams, but with only a Japanese option. Also both websites will require a Japanese phone number for verification when opening an account (It will make an automated call to the specified number as part of the signing up process, so you cannot put a random number)

"Lawson Ticket" is another agent. It might allow you to purchase from overseas but payment with a foreign credit card is not possible. It means you have to go to a Lawson convenience store to pay to a clerk within the due date. Usually you are given only three days after purchase. (Information Source https://l-tike.com/guide/en/)

There might be other third party sites offering the tickets but reselling tickets for a price higher than the original price is now illegal in Japan. Some event organizers are now taking the extra effort to track any tickets sold via unofficial routes and even refusing entry for tickets linked to an account with suspicious activity. 

(FYI) For teams outside the Tokyo area:

The Chunichi Dragons added the English ticketing option in July 2024, using the same platform that the Swallows use.

https://quick.pia.jp/dragons_en/

The Rakuten Eagles (based in Sendai), Hiroshima Carp and SoftBank Hawks (based in Fukuoka) all have the English option on their websites, but not the choice to purchase tickets directly in English. The Hawks do have a link posted to Klook Travel, a third party booking site where tickets can be purchased. The Hawks officially announced their partnership with Klook, so the tickets sold there are legitimate.

MORE ON THE EXPERIENCE

The season starts around the last weekend of March and continues on until early October. There are two teams in Tokyo and another three in the vicinity, so usually there will be at least one game going on somewhere. Just keep in mind there are usually no games on a Monday, unless it falls on a National Holiday. Games typically start at 6pm on weekdays and anywhere between 1-3pm on the weekends, though this can vary depending on the team. During the hot summer months (July-mid September), most games are moved to the night slot starting from 6pm. 

When getting tickets, take the following into consideration:

Home team fans sit on the first base side, the visiting team on the third base side (It's the opposite at the Belluna Dome; home fans on the third base side)

The most loyal fans occupy the outfield bleachers with continuous cheering/noise throughout the game. In contrast, seats behind home plate are much quieter, and often reserved for season ticket holders who may or may not show up.

Many teams now have a dynamic pricing system where the price will increase with demand. I've never seen the cost drop below the original price, so it's a good idea to secure them early if your plans are firm. Games on weekends and holidays will always attract higher demand regardless of the teams they are facing. Weekday games earlier in the season (April/May) are easier to get, especially if the weather is still chilly at night. From late June to mid July, the Tokyo area heads into a wet season when games can get postponed; getting tickets for the Tokyo Dome or Belluna Dome will eliminate any risk of the game being washed out.