Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

It was a dark and stormy night. Alright, so maybe it wasn’t really, but it was sure starting to look that way. The sun had long since set, and the dark clouds behind the center-field scoreboard at the historic Meiji Jingu baseball stadium were periodically glowing with orange flashes of lightning. Sora (our spectacular program assistant) and I quickly decided that this was probably just due to the heat and humidity, and we turned our attention back to the equally electric scenes on the field and in the stands. 

Despite the visiting Tokyo Yomiuri Giants bookending the game with a four-run first-inning ambush and a three-run home run to put the game on ice in the ninth, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows fans never wavered in their enthusiastic support. Every time a Swallows player came up to bat, thousands of voices broke out in song, supported by a cacophony of plastic noisemakers and a small but mighty band of drums and trumpets. This, to say the least, was nothing like American baseball culture. 

Wait, hold on. Let’s not get carried away just yet. There’s a huge part of me that would love nothing more than to submit a play-by-play of the whole baseball game for my blog post, but that’s not why we’re here. I promise we’ll go back to the baseball game before the end of this post, but I need to cover some other things first.

First of all, my name is Jeremy Green. I’m a rising fourth year environmental science major based on the Boston campus, but I’m from Washington, D.C. originally. I’m a huge foodie, so this trip is a dream come true. Also, as you have probably guessed, I am a big baseball fan. Before I dive back into my time at the ballpark, I would love to give you a more general rundown of what happened yesterday. Friday, July 5th was our first completely free day of the program. In addition to the baseball game, another group had made a plan to visit Tokyo Disney Sea. Even though many of us had been out late at karaoke the night before, five brave souls got up bright and early to make the trip down to the park. From what I’ve heard, they had a great time despite the oppressive heat and humidity. Disney Sea seems absolutely picturesque and also provided an opportunity to enjoy some interesting foods. Shoutout Jayden for the photos!

Others of us were more opportunistic with our free day mornings. Here are just a few examples (all photo credits to the people named)

Personally, I made my way over to the Ikebukuro station area to shop around some depato (department stores) in search of a messenger bag to use on non-class days. I was impressed by the variety of retailers crammed into a single building, but none of the designer outlets or all-purpose stores had what I was looking for. Then, in a moment of true serendipity, I found myself walking into a music store. I’m a drummer, and I was already planning to use the bag I bought to carry my sticks and music once I’m back in Boston, so this was perfect!. I made a beeline for the drums section and felt a sense of homecoming. I almost immediately found a perfect bag, but I took some time to walk around the store and enjoy the strange comfort that came from seeing so many familiar items on display. My one regret is that I was too nervous to ask the employees about sitting down to test one of the drumsets, but maybe I’ll go back. 

With mission one completed, and my new bag slung over my shoulder, it was time for the next phase of the day: lunch. I resisted the temptations of the depachika (department store basement food halls), because I had found a kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) spot in the neighborhood I really wanted to try. Alas, I found my way there only to find it was a very small establishment and completely full. So I wound my way back to our hotel by way of a konbini (convenience store) and made do with a lunch of tuna-and-mayo and ginger-pork-and-mayo onigiri (rice balls) plus a ham, egg, and potato salad sandwich and a pink grapefruit soda. The food was solid, and the drink reminded me so strongly of Fresca, which my dad loves to drink, that it made me a little homesick. Around 3 in the afternoon, Sora and I headed out to visit the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at the Tokyo Dome. For a student discount of only 400 yen (about $2.50), I got a first-rate glimpse into the past and present of Japanese baseball, from the different levels of the game here in Japan to the country’s place on the global baseball stage. This included Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Championship triumph (pictured below!) and the past and present exploits of beloved Japanese MLB stars like Ichiro Suzuki, Shohei Ohtani, and Boston Red Sox fan favorite Daisuke “Dice-K” Matsuzaka. 

Sora and I then met up with our fellow baseball fans: my classmates Andy and Mokkh, as well as Dr. Young and some of his family. We made a quick konbini pit stop for 2-liter water bottles and frozen drinks (much-needed in the 95-degree heat) and some snacks, and then we arrived at the stadium and split up to find our respective seats. Sora had kindly bought the tickets in advance, but the appeal of a Friday evening game between two Tokyo teams with tickets as cheap as around 3000 yen (15-20 dollars) meant we ended up in three groups of two scattered around the stadium. I picked up a pair of noisemakers and a Swallows jersey at the team store. Not only did I want to fit in with the fans around us, but I also knew that slugging third baseman Munetaka Murakami has a potential MLB future ahead of him, so it felt like a worthwhile investment and a good souvenir. 

Sora and I made our way to our seats, high up in the left field corner. The sun was directly in our eyes (possibly the reason these seats had been available), but I didn’t care one bit. This was the most magical baseball stadium I had ever seen. No fancy suites or elaborate outfield sculptures, no annoying pillars blocking your view, not even multiple decks of seating anywhere but behind home plate. Just a big, open bowl full of excited fans decked out in team colors, separated into their cheering sections, and ready to sing their lungs out. What’s step one after you reach your seats at a sports game on a Friday evening when it feels like 100 degrees? Obviously, you get a beer! I’ll point out that I am 21, so I’m of legal drinking age both here and at home. I had read online about the vendors that roam the stands with essentially kegs on their backs and a stack of plastic cups. I’m not sure this is actually a better system than the American model of guys with ice-filled crates on their heads, but it was certainly something to behold. Sora quickly flagged down a young woman dressed in neon colors, and we were delighted to discover it was half-price beer night. A beer cost only 400 yen. Again, that’s $2.50. I don’t think you can get a beer for that price just about anywhere in the U.S., let alone a major league baseball stadium. That pleasant surprise made the first sip of Sapporo taste all the more refreshing. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but I really enjoyed this one. Crisp, clean, and light, the golden elixir of happiness was just the thing to kick off a sweltering night at the ballgame. 

With that sorted, we settled in to watch some baseball. Unfortunately, the Giants jumped all over the poor Swallows pitcher and posted a crooked number right away. Over the next few innings, each team was able to scratch a run across, pushing the score to 5-1 at the end of the third inning, which is when Sora and I went in search of food. Despite a line that stretched all the way up a set of stairs, we decided that takoyaki (fried balls of octopus) was the way to go. The line moved fairly fast, which was a good thing since it was somehow hotter in the belly of the stadium than out in the direct sunlight. For only 1350 yen (around 8 dollars), I got a little tray of half takoyaki and half fried chicken, plus a melon kakigōri (shaved ice). 

Like any self-respecting child, I ate my dessert first. To be honest, I was just afraid of it melting. Sora, quite rightly, was not prepared to eat his takoyaki without another beer, so he spent a good 10 minutes flagging down a vendor. We ended up with Asahi rather than his preferred Sapporo this time. It was definitely not quite as clean and crisp of a beer, but it was very cold and that’s what really mattered. By the time we finally dug into our fried balls of goodness, the accompanying condiments were quite warm, which is certainly not my preferred temperature for eating mayonnaise.Despite all these hardships, the takoyaki and chicken were delicious. Soft rather than crispy, they were nonetheless warm, gooey, and packed full of flavor. The small pieces of octopus suspended in the takoyaki batter were delicious islands of satisfying chewiness and seafood flavor in a sea of warm richness. Haute cuisine this was not, but certainly a delicious ballpark dinner.

Not too much happened in the middle innings of the game, except for that unexpected light show, courtesy of mother nature. The Swallows briefly threatened to mount a comeback, but the Giants kept answering with insurance runs. By the time the last out of their 10-3 win was recorded, Sora and I were both deflated and exhausted, but absolutely satisfied with the experience. The evening had ticked pretty much every box on my personal checklist for a successful baseball game: multiple kinds of exciting plays, passionate but respectful fans, and delicious food and beverages. Even better, the whole thing cost less than half what I’d pay for a similar experience in the U.S.. Despite not knowing the language, the chants were easy to pick up and the game on the field was the same, so I felt right at home. Just about the only downside was the Swallows’ poor performance, and in particular the 0-for-4, 3-strikeout performance from my adopted hero Murakami. 

I won’t bore you with the details of our trip home. We navigated some serious crowds on the way from the stadium to the station (truly, a universal sports game experience), and I managed to muster enough reserves of energy to knock out some writing for class between taking a nice cool shower and falling asleep like a rock. I would consider my Free Day a resounding success. I found the bag I was looking for, and then the baseball game was everything I hoped for and more. From everything I’ve heard, everybody else really enjoyed their days as well. Today (Saturday) we got back to classes, which will be the routine for the next few days. Still, there is ample time in the schedule for fun adventures and of course plenty of delicious food. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post from my friend Andy to find out about the surreal afternoon we had today!