Yakyuu/Japanese Baseball

Don’t let the title fool you. Trust me when I tell you that you absolutely do not need to be a sports fan to enjoy a Japanese baseball game! If you love food, unusual experiences, performative spectacles, and outdoor entertainment… I promise you’ll have fun. And if you are a baseball fan, it’s everything you could dream of plus more.

There’s something surreal about eating ramen, takoyaki, or gyoza while watching baseball. It’s a mix of something so American and nostalgic with foods from a whole other realm. The concessions have excellent and wide-ranging food options from burgers, ramen, udon, edamame, yakitori, gyoza, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, karaage (fried chicken), beef bowls, bento boxes, green tea ice cream, and of course, the ubiquitous beer girls walking around the stands with an ice-cold beer keg on their backs pouring draft beer right at your seat.

You will get to experience various things that American baseball doesn’t have. In Japanese baseball, the fans get involved by singing songs and sometimes doing performative dances (with clear umbrellas!).

You never know, you may get to see the next Ichiro or Shohei Ohtani before everyone else even knows how great they are. Conversely, you may see an MLB player trying to revive their career by playing in Japan for a few years. If most of this paragraph meant absolutely nothing to you, don’t worry. You’ll be so busy eating delicious foods outdoors and enjoying the exciting energy created by the fans, that you won’t care.

The regular season runs from the end of March to the beginning of October. The playoffs run through October and into the beginning of November. Here’s the official website for more details.

If you want to go deep on Japanese baseball, I recommend Robert Whitting’s book “You Gotta Have Wa.” It was published in 1989, so some things have changed, but it’s a great read nonetheless.

Kakigori/Japanese Shaved Ice

Kakigori/Japanese shaved ice is nothing like the stuff you’re used to seeing at fairs and carnivals in the US. It’s an extraordinary dessert and a Japanese specialty. The super delicate shavings melt in your mouth and the servings are gigantic. Kakigori comes in a multitude of flavors including all kinds of gourmet ones.

I love this hidden-away spot in Kichijoji, Kooriya Peace. It is well known among locals, so there is usually a line but it moves fast as it doesn’t take long to eat one of these. It’s entertaining to watch the block of ice get shaved into the thin ice pieces, and then witness the art of adding all the flavorings.

Vintage Clothes Shopping

Japan is a great place to shop for almost anything. Vintage and second-hand clothing is no different. If you like vintage clothes shopping, you will love vintage clothes shopping in Tokyo (and beyond). There’s a staggering selection of clothes in impeccable shape at every price point — from cool, affordable gems to insanely expensive, highly sought-after Americana and European styles from the 50s through the 90s, you can’t find elsewhere.

If you are on a quest for a specific year/style of Levi’s, Wrangler’s, Carhartt’s, any era of band t-shirts, military clothing from America or Europe, vintage kimonos, or more obscure brands, there’s a great chance of finding them in one of the numerous vintage clothing shops in Japan. You may even feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices available.

Most stores curate and organize their clothes (sorting by color and/or brand, decade, country of origin, etc…), so it’s easy to see what they offer. They even custom-tailor some of the clothes to elevate the fit before putting them on the racks!

There are boutique vintage clothing stores all around Tokyo, but Harajuku, Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, and Koenji have an especially high concentration of them. You could easily spend a day or two just exploring the shops in any of these areas of Tokyo.

Word of warning, Japanese people tend to be smaller than Westerners, so larger sizes of clothes and shoes are harder to find. You can still find them, but you may have to look around more. My girlfriend and her teen daughter are on the smaller side and found a crazy amount of cool, unique items while shopping.

Here are some great places to get you started:

Harajuku 

PITZZ

This store prides itself on an eclectic selection. The owner hand-selects pieces based on his taste. This is the perfect place to find a one-of-a-kind item.

Bananaboat

One of Tokyo’s oldest vintage shops. It opened in Harajuku in the early 80s. It’s famous for deadstock denim. Lots of denim, workwear, and western clothing. They also carry a variety of items at lower price points.

Pigsty Harajuku

Originally from Osaka, you’ll find trendy 80’s and 90’s clothes and other classic vintage items. The stock changes frequently. They also have a new store in Shimokitazawa.

Shibuya

BRACKETS

Primarily European military clothing (mostly British, German, and French). This is a great place to find 50’s and 60’s clothes you’ve never seen anywhere else. Check their Instagram (@brackets_shibuya) before going because their hours are irregular.

Shimokitazawa

hickory

Expect to find rock T-shirts and lots of outdoor clothing. They have very reasonable prices.

MONK

Lots of American East Coast preppy styles, military clothes from France, and a wide range of clothes that have been remade into other items. Pants turned into shorts, etc…

Koenji

Suntrap

Vintage workwear from the 50s to 70s. Also, Champion from the 80s. The owner speaks English and is very friendly and helpful.

If you’d like to see an in-depth special edition exclusively on vintage shopping in Japan please reply to this email and let me know.