Watching NPB/Pro Baseball in the Tokyo area

Last update: Jan 16th, 2025 - The full schedule for both the preseason and regular season games are now out.

Schedule for 2025 season is now out! Opening Day on March 28th (Friday)

The regular season schedule has been released. They can be viewed on the Japanese site of NPB.

https://npb.jp/games/2025/

(It usually takes time before any information is uploaded to the English page, so just use a translation device to view the Japanese version)

The home team appears on the left, the opponent on the right. Some games are held in a neutral site away from the usual home venue. For example, the Giants are playing their May 28th home game in the city of Kanazawa instead of the Tokyo Dome.

There is a short pause after the interleague competition finishes in late June (no games scheduled from June 23-26) and another pause for the All-Star break from July 22-25.

Any rainouts will be rescheduled to a later date, usually after September. If the word (予備日) appears, they are dates the league has set aside for any postponed games. For example, Sep 24 game in Jingu Stadium is a 予備日. If any of the prior Swallows-Dragons game is rained out, this date will be when it is rescheduled. If there are no rain outs, there will not be any game on this date.

Ticket sales will start around late January with each club having a different schedule. 

The preseason game schedule has also been released.

https://npb.jp/preseason/2025/schedule_detail.html

The 12 teams will have their spring training in Okinawa or Kyushu and preseason games will start on Feb 22nd.

The first game in the Tokyo area will be on the weekend of March 1st and 2nd when the Giants host the Swallows at the Tokyo Dome. 

The last game will be on March 23rd (Sunday). The teams then take a few days off before the regular season opening day.

Admission fees are charged for preseason games but 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.

Highlights from the 2024 Season

The 2024 season concluded with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars winning their first Japan Series title since 1998. 

The NPB set a new record with a total 26.6 million fans attending the regular season games, an average of over 31,000 per game.

For the two Tokyo teams- the Giants won the Central League pennant race but lost to the BayStars in the Central League playoff final stage. Meanwhile the Swallows struggled to a 5th place finish and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

The below was the timeline for the 2024 season.

Preseason games: From Feb 23 to March 24th.

Regular Season: Opening day was on March 29th (Friday) for both the Central and Pacific Leagues.  

The full schedule was released at the end of January.

The All Star Game was played at Hokkaido for Game 1 (July 23rd) and Tokyo's Jingu Stadium for Game 2 (July 24th).

Games rained out earlier in the season were added to late September and October.

Final regular season game was on Oct 6 for the Central League and Oct 9 for the Pacific League. 

Post Season: The First Stage of the playoffs (2nd place vs 3rd place) started on Oct 12, and then the Final Stage (winner vs. 1st place team) on the 17th.

Game 1 of the Japan Series was on Oct 26 with the Central League team (Yokohama) hosting games 1 and 2. Games 3 to 5 were in Fukuoka, the Pacific League team. For the 2025 Japan Series, it will be the other way around. 

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. 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 also recently opened an English ticketing option though it is poorly designed and not all the information is correctly translated.

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

Only a small number of tickets (Category FA and FB, infield seats on the third base side) are sold from this "English" platform.

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 Chiba Lotte Marines or Seibu Lions lack any English options, though it is rare for the tickets to sell out. 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 higher than the face value is now illegal in Japan. In theory one could claim that the ticket was given by a family or friend but some event organizers are 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.