A Peek at Osaka Baseball & the Japan Series

If you’re a baseball fan, and even if you’re not, this is one place you don’t want to miss! Japanese Professional Baseball will knock your socks off with incredible plays, stadium food, and fun vibes. When you’re in Osaka, definitely check out a game.



On more than one occasion, I’ve taken friends to Kyocera Dome or Koshien Stadium. And on more than one occasion, I’ve been met with, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that? That was so much fun!”

So here’s a quick peek at Osaka Baseball so you know what to expect, and a glimpse at the Japan Series.

■ Two Teams, Two Leagues

Osaka’s most famous team is, without a doubt, the Hanshin Tigers. Playing most of their home games out of the glorious Koshien Stadium in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, the Tigers also call Kyocera Dome, in Osaka, their home away from home.

Their cartoonish tiger mascot Tolucky is adorable and has two sidekicks who help him drum up team spirit.

The Tigers have been around since 1935, when they were known as the Osaka Tigers. They are one of Japan’s oldest teams and have some of the most devoted and notoriously routy fans. The Tigers belong to the Central League often abbreviated to Ce League (セリーグ). In the narrowest sense the team represents Osaka (大阪) and Kobe (神戸), borrowing a character from each word to build the term Hanshin (阪神) meaning the Osaka–Kobe area. However, they are loved throughout Kansai and celebrated throughout Japan.

Japan Professional baseball also has a Pacific League which unlike the Central League does use designated hitters. This is where the famous Osaka-born pitcher Yu Darvish got his start before moving on to MLB in the US.

The Pacific League, or Pa League (パリーグ), is where you’ll find Osaka’s other team—the Orix Buffaloes. The Orix Buffaloes are an old, but new team. Officially formed in 2004, they have a long messy history which involves the Hankyu Braves (1936), Orix Blue Wave (1991) and Kintetsu Buffaloes (1949). After transfers, mergers, and sales of teams, which both confused and devastated fans, we have the modern-day Orix Buffaloes. And who also happen to be the Pa League champs!

The Buffaloes play most of their games out of Kyocera Dome, which is conveniently located in the middle of Osaka. More on that later. The Buffaloes also play a handful of games out of Hotto-Motto Field in Kobe and you can catch them on the road too.

Notable players from these teams would be recognized by serious baseball fans, but let me just drop one name here—Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro started his career in 1992 with the Orix Blue Wave and there is a mini shrine to him inside the Dome.

Here’s his signed jersey…

and cleats from his first 200 hit season.

The Buffaloes are represented by two mascots, a bright pink Buffalo Bell and the navy blue Buffalo Bull who slightly resemble bobble-head figures with horns. They kick off the game with appearances on the field pre-game and can be seen waving to fans during breaks. Also look for the BsGirls cheerleading squad. Fans are rallied by the team song Sky by Mega Stoppe. Unless you are a serious student of Japanese, just hit the “Ah Orix Buffaloes” chorus and you can join in the fun during the Seventh Inning.

■ The Japan Series

And so with the two leagues, there follows that there is a championship game between the two—the Japan Series aka Nippon Series (日本シリーズ). The Central League and Pacific League champs duke it out in a 7 game series in early fall. 

And although the Buffaloes don’t have as strong of a fan base as the Tigers, they have been proving themselves as a team to be reckoned with! In 2021 they faced off against the Yakult Swallows from Tokyo after winning the Pacific League Pennant for the first time in 25 years. Sadly, they came up short 4–2, but it was still a huge win for Buffaloes fans to see their team in the Japan Series.

Again, in 2022, as I write this, the Buffaloes are busy giving everything they’ve got to fend off the Swallows. In an interesting turn of events, Game 2 was settled in a tie after 12 innings. And there is a new rule regarding ties, written specifically for the 2022 series. Theoretically, if no teams has bested the other with 4 wins, the 7-game series could be extended to an 8-games. According to the new rule, if there is a final Game 8, it will be played until either team wins. There is no cap on the number of innings. That’s wild!

If the Buffaloes manage to eke out a win, this will be the first time they’ve won since 1996 and the fifth time in history. Go Buffs!

■ The Dome

Kyocera Dome is conveniently located in the heart of Osaka. It’s accessible from 4 different Stations on 4 different trainlines. The closest stations are Dome-mae on the Hanshin Railway and Dome-mae Chiyozaki on the Osaka Metro. The Dome is also a short walk from Taishō Station on the JR, and is even walkable from Osaka Metro’s Kujō Station.

The cheapest seats you can get are in the outfield and these also happened to be the only seats I could get for the Japan Series. They weren’t easy to get, and seeing as how I was seated 3 rows from the very top of the stadium, I’d say they were some of the very last few available.

But, look, I can see the whole field and even Buff Bull out on the field with the Bs Girls!

There’s something about watching a game in the dome that makes it easier to see. The lighting is good and it never rains in here!

The other thing about being in the outfield is that you’re near the biggest fan sections. In left field you have the visitors section. Buffaloes uniforms and other fan gear is prohibited here. You’re not allowed to cheer the home team from those seats either. It is literally prohibitted.

Both teams have cheering sections in the outfield, that play drums, lead cheers, and hoist these huge flags waving them over the roaring crowds.

■ General Japanese Baseball Fun

Get your miniature bats ready! It’s time to cheer!


Back in pre-Covid times, Buffaloes fans would release screaming balloons into the air during the 7th inning. But after the wave of awareness about airborn pathogens, I don’t think this tradition is coming back anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean their aren’t other ways to cheer. Fans have been clapping out rythms and banging plastic bats to cheer whichever team is up to the plate.

It’s an amazing experience to be in the dome, completely full of fans, and hear the massive crowd clapping or banging out the same rythm. You can feel how deeply the fans are behind their team. And of course they are—this is the Japan Series!

Today, I skipped the drinks, but I usually get a draught beer from one of the vendors fitted with beer backpacks. There’s nothing like a cold beer served at your seat while watching the game! 

And what is a ballgame without food and snacks? Japanese baseball favorites include bento, yakisoba, and Osaka’s famous takoyaki. You can even get a baseball helmet full of karaage (fried chicken). Choose your favorite team!

Plus Kyocera Dome sells the famed Itemae Dog. Essentially, this is Kyocera Dome’s version of the footlong, but it is actually two dogs, sandwiched in a hearty bun. There are variations based on Buffaloes players. So that adds a little extra fun to the menu.

Today, I ended up at Mosburger and could not resist the okonomiyaki-style katsu burger. Since you can only get this burger at Kyocera Dome, I had to try it. And it did not disappoint. It was just as good as the regular katsu burger, but with the addition of eggs, shredded cabbage, and a classic okonomiyaki flavor. When in Osaka, you must eat okonomiyaki. So that’s what I’m doing here.

I had a great time between the cheering, the exciting plays, and the ballpark food. Even if you can’t make the series, get tickets to a regular game. It’s a great night out!

Oh! And one more thing! The Buffaloes fans have yet to throw a KFC statue in the river, so the Colonel Sanders curse doesn’t apply. Whatever happens this year, you can look forward to seeing the Orix Buffaloes in the post-season again!

▼Read more
Take me out to the ballpark!
How to get to Koshien Stadium by train