Waseda/Keio Baseball game 10/29/2006

Waseda and Keio are kind of like the Yale and Harvard of Japan, and they have a similar rivalry.

A bunch of people in our dorm (mostly, but not all American) headed out to the game Sunday afternoon. One insisted we stop for a "genki-burger" from a small shop near our dorm. "Genki" is Japanese for strong or energetic and we had never heard of this place. It turns out this was a good thing, because if I had heard of it I never would have lost the thirty pounds that I have so far.

For Y500 you get a very large burger.















The small shop sells about 30 different kinds. The Genki-burger is loaded with cheese, mustard, ketchup and pickles and the patty is probably half a pound. It was worth every yen and is easily the best burger I've had since I left the U.S. and probably qualifies as one of the better ones I've ever had. And somehow I've managed not to go back for another one. Patience makes the heart grow fonder.

Thus fortified, we made our way down to the other end of Shinjuku for the game.

The annual baseball games are a very big deal here and Jingu Stadium in Tokyo was divided into two sections. Keio was from home plate up the left field line and Waseda was up the right field line.

We sat in the right field bleachers right in front of a set of risers. They were there so that the cheerleaders could lead the crowd in the various songs and chants that support Waseda. We didn't know any of the songs, but we did our best.















For some reason the cheerleaders wore a range of different uniforms. I still haven't figured our why this is the case.

The game was somewhat boring except towards the end. With Waseda (the home team) down one run in the bottom of the ninth their clean-up hitter hit a home run to tie the game, which sent our side of the stadium into a frenzy. Three innings later in the bottom of the twelfth inning a different player hit a two run, walk off home run to win the game. This set off more loud cheering and celebrating which ended almost as soon as the hitter reach home plate.

Both teams then lined up parallel to each other and deeply bowed. Both groups of fans then sang their team songs and saluted the other school.

In Japan, winning the game is very important and cause for celebration. However, it is perhaps more important that everyone played hard and well and fought to the end. This too, is cause for celebration.

Honestly, it is probably a much more healthy way of looking at athletic competition than the seeming "win at all costs" mentality that drives a lot of people in the States. You don't hear about coaches paying kids to bean the bad players on their own teams or coaches assaulting youth league officials, or parents assaulting coaches because their kids aren't getting enough playing time.

Of course one of the post game chants was disturbingly similar to a Nazi pep rally. As you sang the song you thrust our your right arm and chanted "Waseda!"



























Some other shots from the game....

This guy is out!















This guy in the middle is doing windmills, karate chops, anything he can to inspire his team to victory. A shorter way to describe it would be "crazy."















The high-rent Waseda section....















The sun sets on a fun day of baseball and Japanese culture.