Kon’nichiwa!
There are 5 baseball teams that you can go and see if you will be staying in Tokyo.
This means that there are 5 stadiums in the Tokyo area that you can go to in order to experience the famous Japanese baseball culture!
So, having never been to a baseball game in Japan, off I went to watch 5 baseball games around Tokyo in 6 days! 😂
For the best Japanese baseball experience, you want to be in a cheering section so you can be in the middle of the fun lively cheering fans and coordinated chants. The cheering section stands up during every half inning that the home team is up to bat, so be ready to be on your feet for half the game!
Attending a baseball game in Tokyo will get you a true local experience!
Most Tokyo area baseball teams have English websites, but you can also buy tickets through the Japanese websites.
You can use a Japanese website to buy baseball tickets even without knowing Japanese by using google translate. It will require patience though!
The regular season of baseball is from the end of March to early October. On weekdays, games usually start at 6pm. They usually last over 3 hours, sometimes closer to 4 hours. On weekends, there may be earlier starts of like 1pm. All stadiums can be reached by train, and there is no problem with catching a train after an evening game.
Now these are the baseball teams in the Tokyo area that you can see for your Japanese cultural experience!
There are partner websites included in this post.
Is going to a Japanese baseball game worth it?
Read the REVIEWS and read MORE REVIEWS to see what a Japanese baseball game is like!
JAPAN TRAVEL > TOKYO MAP | JAPAN BASEBALL
1. Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
The Giants are Tokyo’s most famous baseball team, playing at the iconic Tokyo Dome.
👆 Tokyo Giants game in the cheering section! I guess a pro tip would be if you see a merchandise stand while walking around Tokyo Dome, look for an orange towel to buy so you can join in the towel cheering! I was not looking, but I am guessing you’ll find one.
Baseball stadium: Tokyo Dome (20-30 minutes from Shinjuku)
How to buy tickets: English website | viator tickets | getyourguide tickets | klook tickets | Japanese website
Schedule: Calendar
The orange marker in upper corner indicates home games.
Home team fan cheering section AKA fun seats: Look for “outfield right” when buying tickets on the English website.
Your indication that you are selecting the right seats aka the home team cheering section is this note when you select the outfield right tickets:
Spectator manner and rule for Outfield Reserved Right, Left Giants Booster, Orange Seat. These seats are for cheering GIANTS. Please note that you cannot cheer for the opponent team or wear/bring any opponent team shirt or any cheer goods in this area.
MLB connection: Tokyo Dome was the location of the 2025 MLB “Tokyo Series” between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Tomoyuki Sugano of the Colorado Rockies and Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays played for the Tokyo Giants.
World Baseball Classic: There were early-round WBC games that were played at Tokyo Dome in 2026.
You can see a bit of behind-the-scenes of Team Japan on Netflix. Look for Beyond the Game Samurai 2026 World Classic.
What color to wear to the game: ORANGE!
All baseball stadiums have team merchandise you can buy before a game if you want to get in the spirit even more! Otherwise, the next best thing is to wear the team colors!
Where to stay near Tokyo Dome: Tokyo Dome Hotel
The Tokyo Dome Hotel is a less than 5 minute walk from the baseball stadium and from the nearest train station. Things to do nearby include Koishikawa Korakuen Garden (right next to Tokyo Dome) and Imperial Palace East National Gardens (30 minute walk or 4 minute train ride away).
👆 Use google maps to figure out how you want to get to Tokyo Dome. You can compare how much time each route takes, along with how much it will cost. As an example, this is from Shinjuku to Tokyo Dome (map + directions). Adjust the departure or arrival time to give you a better idea.
Japanese baseball teams have corporate ownership. These corporations are so prominent that teams are often referred to by their corporate names rather than by geographic locations. For example, for the Tokyo Giants, they are more often called the Yomiuri Giants, with Yomiuri being the corporation’s name.
2. Tokyo Yakult Swallows
The Swallows play in a classic outdoor stadium right in central Tokyo, with a famous fan experience of spinning little umbrellas every time a run scores.
👆 Tokyo Swallows game in the umbrella cheering section! This was a high scoring game so the umbrellas came out a lot! This is an open stadium so check the weather for rain. If there’s rain in the forecast, come prepared. This may include a plastic bag to sit on, a bigger trash bag to put your backpack in, and rain gear.
Baseball stadium: Meiji Jingu Stadium (20 minutes from Shinjuku)
How to buy tickets: English website | Japanese website
Schedule: Calendar
Look for days with HOME. Google translate may say “shrine” next to HOME since jingu means shrine.
Home team fan cheering section AKA fun seats: Look for the home outfield section that says “To root for Swallows with the traditional cheering umbrella!” on the English website! On the Japanese website, you must confirm that you understand that you are buying tickets for a “Swallows supporter’s seat”!
MLB connection: Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox played for the Tokyo Swallows! Babe Ruth played at Meiji Jingu Stadium during an American tour promoting baseball in Japan.
What color to wear to the game: LIME GREEN!
Where to stay near Meiji Jingu Stadium: Nihon Seinenkan Hotel
The Nihon Seinenkan Hotel is a less than 5 minute walk from the Meiji Jingu baseball stadium and a 5 to 10 minute walk from the nearest train station. Things to do nearby include the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (20 minute walk away) and Meiji Jingu Shrine (30 minute walk or short train ride away). Meiji Jingu stadium is centrally located, so you can stay near Meiji Jingu Stadium for good access to other main attractions in Tokyo too.
👆 Use google maps to figure out how you want to get to Meiji Jingu Stadium. As an example, this is from Shinjuku to Meiji Jingu Stadium (map + directions).
3. Yokohama DeNA Baystars
The Baystars play in Yokohama, a port city that can be a destination on its own. So you can make a day of it in Yokohama and end the day by going to an outdoor stadium with a fun fan experience!
See about things to do with one day in Yokohama before the game. Or make it Kamakura and Yokohama in one day, ending with a baseball game!
👆 I was at the Yokohama baseball game in a non-cheering section. This game was against the Tokyo Giants, which can cause tickets to get sold out more quickly. By the time I was looking for tickets, there were no tickets in the cheering section. In the section I was able to get tickets for, people were sitting pretty much the whole time, which felt like quite the difference from the other games I went to in the cheering section. I liked standing and being involved for half the game in the cheering sections!
Baseball stadium: Yokohama Stadium – also called HAMASTA for YokoHAMA STAdium (1 hour from Shinjuku)
How to buy tickets: English website | Japanese website
Schedule: Calendar
The blue marker in upper corner indicates home games.
Home team fan cheering section AKA fun seats: Select “home outfield reserved seats” from the “list of seat types” when buying tickets on the Japanese website.
MLB player: Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga played 8 seasons with the Yokohama Baystars. His Japanese wiki says: He likes professional baseball cheering songs and regularly listens to the cheering songs of other teams in his car. When he is in a pinch while pitching in a game, he sometimes hums the opposing team’s theme song to give himself a self-hypnosis!
What color to wear to the game: BLUE!
Where to stay near Yokohama Stadium: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Yokohama-Koen
The Daiwa Roynet Hotel Yokohama-Koen is a few minutes walk from Yokohama Stadium, a 5 minute walk to Chinatown, and a 10-15 minute walk to the waterfront.
👆 Use google maps to figure out how you want to get to Yokohama Stadium. As an example, this is from Shinjuku to Yokohama Stadium (map + directions).
4. Chiba Lotte Marines
The Marines are just outside of Tokyo in Chiba, known for having some of the most energetic fans. Aside from some classic cheering, there are some coordinated cheers that include jumping up and down!
See about things to do with one day in Chiba before the game.
👆 Chiba Marines baseball game in the cheering section! It’s easy to join in on the hand movement cheers by copying what people in front of you are doing! So make sure you do NOT get a front row seat in a cheering section.
👆 This was at the train station closest to the Chiba baseball stadium!
Baseball stadium: ZOZO Marine Stadium (1 hour 15 minutes from Shinjuku)
How to buy tickets: Japanese website
Schedule: Calendar
Home games are the black highlighted dates at ZOZO Marine.
Home team fan cheering section AKA fun seats: Select “narrow down from the list of seat types” and then “home outfield cheering reserved seats” from the “list of seat types” when buying tickets. Choose a section that doesn’t have a lot of availability to ensure that you will have lots of cheering fans all around you! Sit towards the back of the section so you can see how others are cheering to be able to copy them.
MLB player: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki played with the Chiba Marines, including pitching a perfect game at ZOZO Marine Stadium
What color to wear to the game: If it’s “Black Summer Week” (which is more like black summer month, from mid-July to mid-August), then wear a bright “key color” of the theme! It changes every year. In 2025, it was purple and turquoise. Otherwise, you can wear black.
Where to stay near ZOZO Marine Stadium: APA Tokyo Bay Makuhari
APA Tokyo Bay Makuhari is a 10 minute walk from the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball stadium and a 10 to 15 minute walk from the train station. From this train station it’s a 20 minute train ride to the gateway to Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland.
👆 Use google maps to figure out how you want to get to Zozo Marine Stadium. As an example, this is from Shinjuku to the train station near Zozo Marine Stadium, which is Kaihimmakuhari Station (map + directions).
5. Saitama Seibu Lions
The Lions play just outside of Tokyo in Saitama, and the fan experience is famous for their splashy fan celebrations… literally! There’s the Lions splash zone!
👆 There’s a splash zone cheering section at the Saitama Lions baseball game! I couldn’t believe it that literally every half inning they were splashing away. So you will continue to get wet if you’re in this section! When you buy tickets, it will tell you which the splash zone is. I’m guessing this is a summer thing. I was in one section over that was designated as “you might get wet,” and I didn’t.
Baseball stadium: Belluna Dome (1 hour from Shinjuku)
How to buy tickets: English website | Japanese website
Schedule: Calendar
Home games are the dark blue highlighted dates at Belluna Dome
Home team fan cheering section AKA fun seats: If it’s a hot summer day, look for the Lions “splash seats” and you might get wet every time a half inning is over… and when the Lions score! (Seriously, there were people who were drenched!) To be in the action without getting wet, choose a seat in the section right next to the splash zone!
What color to wear to the game: Blue
Where to stay near Belluna Dome: Kikusuitei
The Kikusuitei hotel is a 7 minute train ride to the Belluna Dome baseball stadium. Before you go to the baseball game, you can go to the Totoro Forest nearby! And if you’re a Totoro fan and your game is on a day it’s open, be sure to make reservations to go to Kurosuke’s House.
👆 Use google maps to figure out how you want to get to Belluna Dome. As an example, this is from Shinjuku to Belluna Dome (map + directions).
Where to stay for Tokyo baseball games
There are good hotels to stay near the baseball stadiums, but it’s not necessary to stay near them.
Tokyo is well connected by public transit, and you will be able to manage using it with the help of google maps!
It’s okay if you struggle using the local train. It’s completely normal. Consider it a part of the Tokyo experience! 😂
But seriously, overall you will get the hang of it after using it a few times! Use google maps and pay attention to signs at the train station!
So you can stay in a centrally located Tokyo neighborhood like Shinjuku, and then go see one or more of the baseball teams at their home stadium. It will take between 20 minutes and just over an hour, depending on which game you go to.
It’s completely reasonable to stay at a hotel in Shinjuku and go to all 5 stadiums!
As a solo traveler, I stayed at Nishitetsu Shinjuku to go to 4 out of the 5 baseball stadiums. It was a simple room that worked out well for me to see Tokyo area baseball games!
I also stayed at APA Tokyo Bay Makuhari which is walking distance from the Chiba Marines baseball stadium, as well as being near Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea by train. So if you want to make it a few days of Disney and baseball, this location can be perfect.
Tokyo baseball teams map
More baseball teams to see
If you are doing the typical Japan tourist route, then other teams you can make an overnight stop to see along the way are the Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya (Nagoya day trip: Nakasendo samurai trail), the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka (MLB: old team of LA Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Boston Red Sox hitter Masataka Yoshida), the Hanshin Tigers near Osaka, and the Toyo Carp in Hiroshima (MLB: Chicago Cubs hitter Seiya Suzuki’s old team; Hiroshima day trip: is Miyajima).
MLB: Shohei Ohtani’s old team is up north in Hokkaido. This is also where Yu Darvish played. Make it an excuse to do a Northern Japan itinerary!
Explore the map of baseball teams in Japan.
JAPAN TRAVEL > TOKYO MAP | CHIBA | YOKOHAMA
>> Read the baseball reviews here and here