What do you think?
Rate this book
In the Japanese Ballpark: Behind the Scenes of Nippon Professional Baseball
From a true insider’s perspective, In the Japanese Ballpark explores the differences between the Japanese and American game through interviews with the people who play, oversee, promote, and watch the game, providing insight and revealing what makes Japanese baseball special.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 23, 2025
A fascinating look behind the scenes of Japanese Baseball (and culture). I learned quite a bit about the history and how the game has evolved (and devolved- more like a business now, just like us Americans, yuck). He interviewed from all walks of the sport from the commissioner to the beer girl. You can definitely see the Japanese culture in many of the interviews, they seem to say the same things when you read between the lines. A bit disheartening to see that they have also now embraced the western world turning the sport into “infotainment”. Still, I’d love to visit and take in a couple games.
October 31, 2025
I am a pretty big baseball and baseball analytics fan, so I was intrigued to read this book about Japanese baseball. This book has really great vignettes into NPB, which makes it easy to pick up and read an essay, and then come back later. I didn't anticipate it to have one, but if you are looking for a weaving narrative through this book I really didn't get that. They are a compilation of essays about one person's narrative and baseball experience.
I liked that we got so many different views from super fans to the beer sellers, to players, analysts and more. It gives such a well rounded view to the sport.
One of my favorites was about the Oendan, people who give up their ability to watch the game to support the team. I think that it was such an interesting process, and I am sure that fuels some of the "post season energy" that is often mentioned in the essays. Fans seem very dedicated to the sport and in many cases their particular team.
More to come soon!
I liked that we got so many different views from super fans to the beer sellers, to players, analysts and more. It gives such a well rounded view to the sport.
One of my favorites was about the Oendan, people who give up their ability to watch the game to support the team. I think that it was such an interesting process, and I am sure that fuels some of the "post season energy" that is often mentioned in the essays. Fans seem very dedicated to the sport and in many cases their particular team.
More to come soon!
December 23, 2025
A DNF for me, which is a shame, because I usually love to read books by this author on Japanese baseball. But this one, a collection of stories from people with various jobs in the sports, just didn’t resonate with me.
October 19, 2025
This is an excellent look at NPB and Japanese baseball by a long-time expert on the topic.
The format of the book is a series of interviews with a wide variety of people involved in the game. The interviews read as if you are there hearing the person speak. It was a real page turner and the only reason I did not finish it in a day was a lack of time.
I had the opportunity to attend some games in Japan about 15 years ago and the book brought back some fond memories. There are also good tips to follow the game from the US or Canada and useful tips if you want to attend games in Japan.
The format of the book is a series of interviews with a wide variety of people involved in the game. The interviews read as if you are there hearing the person speak. It was a real page turner and the only reason I did not finish it in a day was a lack of time.
I had the opportunity to attend some games in Japan about 15 years ago and the book brought back some fond memories. There are also good tips to follow the game from the US or Canada and useful tips if you want to attend games in Japan.
November 19, 2025
Before we begin, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the University of Nebraska Press for providing an advance copy of this book for my review.
I love baseball and I love traveling, and if I can combine a trip with a baseball game, so much the better! A few years ago, my wife and I got the chance to travel through Japan, and as it happened, we were in Hiroshima while the home team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp was playing in the Japan World Series, so we got to look out the window of our hotel and see a little of the ruckus from the Carp home stadium. Alas, we didn’t get to attend a game, but even watching it on TV was enough to get us hooked on Japanese baseball. I have to admit that while there are a lot of similarities between baseball in the US and in Japan, there are a lot of differences, too, and some things about Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB, the equivalent of our MLB) I don’t fully understand. Because of that, I was glad to find Robert Fitts’ “In The Japanese Ballpark” to help me learn more about Japanese baseball!
Baseball was introduced to Japan in the 1870s by an American who had come to set up high schools based on a Western model. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that professional baseball began being played in Japan, and it really took off in the 1950s, and it had been portrayed as a poorer cousin to its American counterpart for years, until players and coaches started making the jump to and from MLB and NPB in the 1908s and 1990s. With stars like Shohei Ohtani playing in MLB and the Japanese national teams winning the World Baseball Classic, it feels like Japanese baseball may be on the verge of getting some well-deserved attention in the US, so Robert may be just in time to get American sports fans a chance to get up to speed!
Robert interviews more than 20 people with various connections to Japanese baseball to get their perspective on what makes the sport unique and differences between baseball in Japan and in America. He interviews folks you’d expect, like players, managers, team and league executives and agents, but he also talks to folks with less obvious connections, like cheering section leaders, handlers of the team mascots, the “beer girls” who serve drinks while wearing a dispenser on their backs, trading card specialists, and more. They help to explain not only how the game on the field is different from what we see in the MLB stadiums, but also how the business of Japanese baseball is different, and how teams’ and fans’ perspectives lead to a different dynamic. Along the way, Robert’s interviewees acquaint us with the past and present of NPB, and introduce us to how the American game has affected Japanese baseball, and vice versa. The book even provides information on where you can go online to watch Japanese games, keep up to date on what’s happening in the Japanese leagues, and how to get tickets to see a game on a future visit to Japan.
“In The Japanese Ballpark provides baseball fans the opportunity to learn more about a sport that can be both very familiar and very different from what we’re used to in the US. This book isn’t a primer about NPB; it assumes that the reader has some knowledge about the game of baseball and who wants to learn more and experience more about the game. The interviews are concise but very educational. It’s an interesting read. Recommended for the baseball fan on your holiday shopping list!
I love baseball and I love traveling, and if I can combine a trip with a baseball game, so much the better! A few years ago, my wife and I got the chance to travel through Japan, and as it happened, we were in Hiroshima while the home team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp was playing in the Japan World Series, so we got to look out the window of our hotel and see a little of the ruckus from the Carp home stadium. Alas, we didn’t get to attend a game, but even watching it on TV was enough to get us hooked on Japanese baseball. I have to admit that while there are a lot of similarities between baseball in the US and in Japan, there are a lot of differences, too, and some things about Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB, the equivalent of our MLB) I don’t fully understand. Because of that, I was glad to find Robert Fitts’ “In The Japanese Ballpark” to help me learn more about Japanese baseball!
Baseball was introduced to Japan in the 1870s by an American who had come to set up high schools based on a Western model. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that professional baseball began being played in Japan, and it really took off in the 1950s, and it had been portrayed as a poorer cousin to its American counterpart for years, until players and coaches started making the jump to and from MLB and NPB in the 1908s and 1990s. With stars like Shohei Ohtani playing in MLB and the Japanese national teams winning the World Baseball Classic, it feels like Japanese baseball may be on the verge of getting some well-deserved attention in the US, so Robert may be just in time to get American sports fans a chance to get up to speed!
Robert interviews more than 20 people with various connections to Japanese baseball to get their perspective on what makes the sport unique and differences between baseball in Japan and in America. He interviews folks you’d expect, like players, managers, team and league executives and agents, but he also talks to folks with less obvious connections, like cheering section leaders, handlers of the team mascots, the “beer girls” who serve drinks while wearing a dispenser on their backs, trading card specialists, and more. They help to explain not only how the game on the field is different from what we see in the MLB stadiums, but also how the business of Japanese baseball is different, and how teams’ and fans’ perspectives lead to a different dynamic. Along the way, Robert’s interviewees acquaint us with the past and present of NPB, and introduce us to how the American game has affected Japanese baseball, and vice versa. The book even provides information on where you can go online to watch Japanese games, keep up to date on what’s happening in the Japanese leagues, and how to get tickets to see a game on a future visit to Japan.
“In The Japanese Ballpark provides baseball fans the opportunity to learn more about a sport that can be both very familiar and very different from what we’re used to in the US. This book isn’t a primer about NPB; it assumes that the reader has some knowledge about the game of baseball and who wants to learn more and experience more about the game. The interviews are concise but very educational. It’s an interesting read. Recommended for the baseball fan on your holiday shopping list!
December 17, 2025
Robert K. Fitts requested my interpreting services as he conducted interviews for this book. He talked to different people in various realms of Japanese professional baseball about their jobs, experiences, and viewpoints on what makes Japanese baseball unique. The idea for this book came while he was taking in a Hiroshima Carp game at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. The beer girl caught his eye, and he became curious as to the ins and outs of her job. But why stop there? After all, the professional baseball experience is so much more than hits, strikeouts, and beer.
So Rob found 26 willing individuals, interviewed them, and transcribed their answers, which were then rearranged to form a clear narrative. Roughly half of the interviewees were native English speakers, and of the other half, seven preferred to be interviewed in Japanese. And so, in order to speak with former Hanshin Tigers pitcher Shungo Fukunaga, ex-umpire Natsuo Yamazaki, oendan leader Yasuro Karibe, cheerleader Saori Ogure, beer girl (uriko) Keiko Suzuki, marketing director Shigeo Araki, and marketing and merchandising executive Naomichi Yokota, he relayed his questions to them through me on Zoom calls. As such, I had the privilege of hearing the “first draft” of these seven chapters well before the publication date. I left each interview feeling as though I had new windows opened in my brain, each letting in a draft of fresh air and a whole lot of radiant sunlight.
After reading the book earlier this month, I can say that all 26 chapters read as though the person is sitting down at a bar counter next to you, telling their story. It is such an easy but enlightening read, which can be completed over the course of a few hours… but I recommend you read a few chapters a day and let your enjoyment of the book stretch out for a week or so. Imagine yourself having a beer (or beverage of your choice) with each of the interviewees, and really engage with the new discoveries you make. (Doing so with that image in mind will keep you from “drinking” too much too fast!)
Finally, I am left with the satisfaction of having contributed to a book that I believe all NPB fans should have on their shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the chapters, many of which feature famous figures in the NPB world: author Robert Whiting, journalist Jim Allen, former managers Bobby Valentine and Trey Hillman, my friends Matt Murton and Tosh Nagata, the late great Marty Kuehnert, and more. The subjects of all 26 deserve applause and appreciation for what they do to make the Japanese ballpark a better place for us fans. And of course, Rob Fitts is also worthy of our extolment for compiling this great work.
In short, reading this book makes it a greater joy to be “In the Japanese Ballpark”!
So Rob found 26 willing individuals, interviewed them, and transcribed their answers, which were then rearranged to form a clear narrative. Roughly half of the interviewees were native English speakers, and of the other half, seven preferred to be interviewed in Japanese. And so, in order to speak with former Hanshin Tigers pitcher Shungo Fukunaga, ex-umpire Natsuo Yamazaki, oendan leader Yasuro Karibe, cheerleader Saori Ogure, beer girl (uriko) Keiko Suzuki, marketing director Shigeo Araki, and marketing and merchandising executive Naomichi Yokota, he relayed his questions to them through me on Zoom calls. As such, I had the privilege of hearing the “first draft” of these seven chapters well before the publication date. I left each interview feeling as though I had new windows opened in my brain, each letting in a draft of fresh air and a whole lot of radiant sunlight.
After reading the book earlier this month, I can say that all 26 chapters read as though the person is sitting down at a bar counter next to you, telling their story. It is such an easy but enlightening read, which can be completed over the course of a few hours… but I recommend you read a few chapters a day and let your enjoyment of the book stretch out for a week or so. Imagine yourself having a beer (or beverage of your choice) with each of the interviewees, and really engage with the new discoveries you make. (Doing so with that image in mind will keep you from “drinking” too much too fast!)
Finally, I am left with the satisfaction of having contributed to a book that I believe all NPB fans should have on their shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the chapters, many of which feature famous figures in the NPB world: author Robert Whiting, journalist Jim Allen, former managers Bobby Valentine and Trey Hillman, my friends Matt Murton and Tosh Nagata, the late great Marty Kuehnert, and more. The subjects of all 26 deserve applause and appreciation for what they do to make the Japanese ballpark a better place for us fans. And of course, Rob Fitts is also worthy of our extolment for compiling this great work.
In short, reading this book makes it a greater joy to be “In the Japanese Ballpark”!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews