I was looking at some youtube videos and on the online store (specifically for the giants and Beystars) and damn the quality seems very cheap for what they cost. Were they always like this?

Baystars fan since 2019 here. Got quite a bunch of Yokohama uniforms in the last five years, but since I like most of the teams' uniforms, I had the goal of getting at least one shirt for each of the twelve teams composing the NPB during 2024. My rules were : official shirts only, no free giveaways, sewn or sublimated graphics/names/numbers only (no printed stuff), my size only, and team name shown somewhere on the shirt. Players can be a bit random but hey, still got Ohtani as a Fighter. So here is the picture of the whole series.

I'm based in the USA and have had a Baystars free fan club account for years, I use it to buy tickets and attend 3-5 games a year.

I used a dummy local address and phone number and never had any problems.

I now see that they have changed the dan club format and all BaystarsIDs need to be changed over to a new DeNA account. And the second prompt is to input a Japanese phone number where they can send an SMA for confirmation.

Is there any work around for this or any service that provides one time SMS confirmation for Japanese phone numbers?

My Dad brought this home to me after visiting Japan when I was a child. Can anyone tell me who signed this ball please!? Is this a legend player? :). Thanks for any help you can offer.

https://preview.redd.it/xmztwgr4j0ce1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c652b9807c575665b07c7754f99cb3f8e87e6375

https://preview.redd.it/25ghrnq4j0ce1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e2a87f278f4b84be46e495a987eeb50070d9143

Hi, I am coming back to Tokyo at the end of this month and I am hoping to pick up some 2025 season gear. Will the new merchandise be released by then, or will I be too early?

I'm really interested in any of the Tokyo area teams, CLM, Baystars, Giants, Swallows, hopefully I didn't miss one. If any of those fans know when things typically get released, I'd love to know.

Also, are there any good shops selling secondhand merchandise?

Hi all. I’m hoping to go to a Baseball game whilst I’m in Japan (2nd March to 13th March). I can see that there’ll be some exhibition matches during that time and have my eye on either of the Tigers matches at Koshien vs Baystars/Giants on 8th/9th March. I can’t see any place to buy exhibition tickets, can anyone point me in the right direction and are tickets for these matches difficult to get hold of? Thank you!

I have seen this Carp hat for sale in several places. I love the logo, but I cant find any info about it. Searching previous posts, people say American Needle made a mistake, and simply used the wrong logo. I am not that sure about that. I have looked a little bit into this, and I have found Carp baseball cards from the early 50s that show this logo on the card.

Does anyone know anything about this design? Or at least a place I can go and find out more?

https://americanneedle.com/collections/hiroshima-carp/products/ballpark-hiroshima-carp

Always wanted one that just says Nippon Ham on the chest. Ideally one like they wore in the 80s but those are few and far between so this is a pretty good runner up. Going to make it into an Ohtani one day

Big Fighters fan here and was wondering if anyone had a list of the performances that occurred at Es Con Field last year? There was one indie band that was really good that for the life of me I can’t place the name.

I'm attempting to find when the game times are for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows for games in late april and early may, but I can't tell if they've been released yet, and if not, when they will be released. Does anyone know how that will work?

Hello everyone! We are keen to see a baseball game when we are in Tokyo in September. I believe I can purchase tickets from each team's website, once available, but I have a particular game I wish to attend and I believe it will be a popular one and don't want to miss out - we would also like good seats. Is there any legitimate agents tor third party sites, that will purchase for foreigners?

Not upset in the slightest. Just thought it was funny. Looks like I need to learn about another league now.

I've been fascinated by this guy and his backstory, but I want to know more about him. I was wondering if any NPB fans know more than the average MLB fan. He seems like an enigma, which I like. A lot of these Japanese players have this mystique about them, but with Roki Sasaki it feels even more opaque.

What's the deal with the Japanese Media being rough on him? Can anyone really give more insight on that? Like, what is really the problem here? Are they just mad because he's leaving early? Do you think Sasaki can handle a big market?

What's really bothering me is that everyone says he's going to sign with the Dodgers. And that might be true, but it's not really based on anything. Nobody knows what this guy is thinking. Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers because he was a Dodger fan and the Dodgers could just give him a huge contract. This is a different situation. Did Sasaki grow up a fan of any team?

Another thing about Sasaki is that the average MLB fan does not realize how raw this young arm is. I've watched a ton of film and he's nowhere near a finished product. So, any team that gets him their fanbase has to understand that you can't really manage him like an "ace" because he's not fully formed into that. He needs to learn another pitch, probably a cutter.

Reading about his free agent process he seems like he's taking this very seriously. He's met with mostly big market teams and apparently he gave each team a homework assignment. Really interesting. And he requested that no current players attend any of the meetings.

If anyone has anymore insight on Roki Sasaki I'd appreciate it. Not only pitching, but personaility and career arc wise. And if you'd had to predict, where do you think he will sign? I'm assuming all you will say Dodgers or another west coast team as San Diego or San Francisco.

When is it likely we will get announcements for new jerseys and kits, if we indeed get any new ones? I’m not sure how often new styles come out.

I'm sure this has been asked. Where are places to buy NPB merchandise? I'm looking mostly for hats because I know shirts and goodies will be hard to come by for me (I'm currently USA 3XL). I also know shipping will be outrageous if I do try to buy from Japan. Thanks for the help!

I can’t wait any longer and it’s 2025 already so I figured let’s get the games going. Happy New Year everyone!

I wouldn’t mind teaming up with another tourist for any of those games if it’s manageable.

Apologies if this gets asked often, couldn’t find an answer through search personally.

Going to Japan next year. Would it be difficult to find a Nippon Ham Fighters Ohtani jersey in Tokyo/Osaka? Thanks in advance.

I'd gone to a Giants vs Baystars game at the dome in April and was fairly shocked at how terrible the Baystars jerseys felt to the touch. Essentially similar to a particularly low quality counterfeit soccer jersey, with questionable quality fabric, and everything subliminated rather than sewn.

I was then shocked when I went to a bookoff and found what I believe to be a 2023 Grab the Flag retro jersey, and the quality difference is so pronounced. The retro is a very solid heavyweight mesh with everything sewn on, very cleanly to boot. I'm just really confused as to who is at the team store and choosing to buy the new jerseys over the retros 🤷‍♂️