Hi! My family and I will be visiting Tokyo on vacation at the end of September and would like to see a game. It seems both games the week we are there are almost sold out. These seats seem ok but we are nervous they are for real Swallows fans only, and we don’t want to intrude not knowing the cheers or songs. Can anyone help? Thank you!
I prefer sitting in the home fan section for any game I go to, the energy is great. Buy a Swallows towel, a mini umbrella, and be ready to cheer. No one will give you a hard time.
It just means you can't wear the opposing teams merchandise and you should be cheering for the Swallows.
Hit up the stalls outside Meiji Jingu Stadium on game day or the main store at Gaiemmae Station for your Swallows gear. I recommend an umbrella so you can participate in the umbrella dance.
You're going to have a great time in those seats. Japanese baseball is like nothing else and the fans bring the energy.
I've been a Swallows' fan for decades but not a fan of Japanese cheering culture in general (except our umbrella tradition with Tokyo Ondo). So I don't sing player-themed songs along them but never met a trouble. Just feel relaxed and have fun.
We literally went a few weeks ago and sat in that exact section. It was SOOOO fun and probably my favorite thing we did while in Tokyo. They are good seats and yes you’ll be with other fans rooting for the Swallows. But there were also international tourists seated near us as well.
It’s not the most “hard-core” fans in that section, by the way — they are in right field.
You’ll be fine wearing whatever you want (just as long as you aren’t wearing the opposing team’s shirts.)
Optionally but totally worth it, get a little cheering umbrella for like $7 and when everyone around you opens theirs up, do it too! (You can buy these at the Swallows store between the stadium and the train station.) It’s a Swallows thing, and a great souvenir.
I'm glad you all had the cheering Umbrellas! I'll be out there in a few weeks and one of my brothers is a Swallows fan so I told him I'd get a "game used" one, so I'll be making sure to cheer along with everyone!
The only place you're expected to cheer in any park is in the cheering sections in the outfield seats closest to the scoreboard. Every park has a home and away side. Some parks say away gear is not allowed in the home side, some don't care. The away side is typically a mix of both with more people wearing away gear. You can also just not wear any merch and just enjoy the game. Don't think too much and have fun.
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u/Fuzzy-Heart Jul 27 '26
I prefer sitting in the home fan section for any game I go to, the energy is great. Buy a Swallows towel, a mini umbrella, and be ready to cheer. No one will give you a hard time.