Sumo may be the traditional sport of Japan, but it is baseball that claims the top spectator sport of the nation. The youngest team in the Japanese major league, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, continue to make significant advancements in facilities and services to enhance the fan experience since their start in 2005.
The 2016 season running from March to October opened with nearly 2,000 more spectator seats for a maximum capacity crowd of 30,508. There is also a second large LED video screen next to the main scoreboard. At the same time, the astroturf field has been replaced with real grass.
More families and tourists seem to be enjoying the ball game these days. For a small fee, children can play around in the new "Smile Glico Park". The centerpiece of the park is a large Ferris wheel, the first to be built at a baseball stadium in Japan. The 6 minute ride gives up to 4 passengers at a time a perfect and unique view of the ball game.
Rakuten is the e-commerce and internet company owner of the team. Its focus on English lead to the development of its English website (still a rarity among Japan baseball teams). This year also brings an additional junior mascot named Switch, with a backstory of the male yellow eagle being from California and not yet familiar with Japanese culture or language. Most popular for oversea baseball fans is the continuing live play-by-play English radio broadcast which can be listened to during game times on TuneIn Radio.
The stadium is easily accessed via shuttle on game day, subway, or a 20 minute walk from JR Sendai Station.
More information on the Official English team website.
