MLB and AAR

A few weeks ago, I went with Andy and Tiffany to watch my first Japanese MLB game!

It was pretty similar to games in the states, with a few exceptions. There was plenty of cheering and noise making, but when the opposing team was at bat there was respectful silence.

This is one of a group of guys throughout the stadium who organized cheers, chants, and applause. We couldn't understand what they were saying, but joined the clapping.

Rather than vendors walking the aisles with hotdogs and peanuts, they sold box lunches er, dinners. I went for chicken and it was pretty tasty. The brown ball is some sort of meat ball type thing - I don't like meatballs and this was no exception. Everything else was really good though. Pair it with a Chuhi or beer and you're set!

I've posted before about the unusual mascots here in Japan so I wasn't surprised to see one at the game...but EIGHT mascots?! I understood the baseball (though I'm not sure what the antenna looking thing is sticking off it's head, or why it has such an unusually large tongue!) Couldn't say what the black thing is though...

And these guys? any guesses? It doesn't end here....

The two yellow ones are stars - the hometeam is the Yokohama Baystars, so I understand them. What about the alien bird and the mouse looking thing in dark blue?! I find them very amusing!!

Completely unrelated, but also amusing - the All American Rejects gave a free concert at Yokosuka! I have to say it was pretty fun and I knew a lot more of their songs than I expected. I think they were going thru a type of culture shock on stage that had nothing to do with being in Japan though. I would guess that at least 30% of the audience was children under 12...not exactly their usual crowd! It was a pretty good turn out considering a lot of the ships were gone, but when they had to stop the concert because of a lost little kid at the stage, I couldn't stop laughing! (Not at the kid, but at the lead singer's reaction). I'm curious to see what it will be like when Flo Rida comes in a few weeks since the concerts are suppose to be "family friendly"...