I visited two places to watch Japan’s NPB in 2024.

The first place was Hokkaido’s ESCON FIELD. I remember being very impressed by the stadium’s grandeur and the professionalism and pride of the event staff. It offered an excellent environment and new technologies — clearly some of the best infrastructure in the world. What stood out most was that not only the inside of the stadium but the entire outside park served as a playground for every visitor to ESCON FIELD. The outer park had cafes, a lake, play facilities, and restaurants, and it was used not only for watching baseball but also for dates, family outings, and light exercise for seniors. ESCON FIELD felt less like a baseball stadium and more like a large park that happens to include a baseball stadium.

After that I moved on to Osaka and went to Hanshin Tigers’ stadium where Koshien is held. This place was the complete opposite of ESCON FIELD. An old stadium, dark infield dirt, and aging facilities — when I asked why they didn’t change it, the answer was “for the sake of authenticity.” That answer made sense after I visited the Koshien museum inside the stadium. Koshien is the oldest baseball stadium in Asia and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024; it is a historic ballpark that clearly inspires great pride.

All the records and memorabilia related to the Koshien high school baseball tournaments, which are the lifeblood of Japanese professional baseball, were on display, and it gave me a precise sense of the tradition and authenticity of Japanese pro baseball.

I also felt how incredible the Japanese public’s passion for baseball is — even a weekday game was sold out — and as a sports marketer I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.