Let’s NPB: A Relational Guide to Choosing Your Team

Welcome to the NPB potential fan! You have chosen to step into a new yet likely familiar world of baseball in Japan. The NPB has been around for almost 100 years, so there's a lot of history, culture and fandom to parse through if you really want to get into it. Congratulations on taking the first jump.

One of the hardest things that I have noticed for new fans to the NPB is following a team. Now, there are plenty that try to look for teams that align with their previous fandoms from the MLB for example. I am here to tell you that this is close to impossible. MLB and NPB teams change. Shock. The comparisons are of course, going to be superficial, and you're likely going to end up with a false equivalency. I suggest a relational approach to finding your new team and I'd like to set it up here in a kind of flow chart way. Here are a few questions I would ask myself to help choose a team and this is what I went through when choosing an MLB team.

1. Have you ever lived in Japan? Do you have friends/family who have?

This is how I chose my team. I lived in Gifu. Gifu is within the catchment of the Chunichi Dragons, and where I was living was less than an hour away from Nagoya Dome. To me, it always made sense to follow the Dragons. Most of you, however, I don't think have ever lived in Japan, but what about friends and family? Do you have a friend who lived in Hiroshima? Do you have an Uncle that was stationed in Iwakuni? This is another way you could draw a connection to a place in Japan and narrow down your search. 

2. Has your MLB team ever signed a Japanese player? Do you have old friends that play/have played in Japan?

With Shinnosuke Ogasawara signing for the Nationals last off-season, each MLB team has now signed at least one Japanese player in their history. Why not support one of the teams that the player played for? If you follow the Mets, maybe you follow the Hawks because of Kodai Senga. Maybe you follow the Tigers or Fighters because of Shinjo. Are you a Chicago Cubs fan? You could feasibly follow the Baystars (Imanaga), the Carp (Suzuki) or even the Dragons (Fukudome). Even if you're a Pirates fan, you could follow the Giants (Kuwata). There are several options. Optionally, you could follow a team where an old friend has ended up. Many former MLB players come over to Japan; maybe you could follow them. There's a helpful list of Japanese players in the MLB here to help.

3. Do you plan to travel to Japan? Do you want to watch games live? 

Some more practical advice. Luckily, Japan is in just one time zone, so there's no need to worry about that. However, if you plan to travel to Japan (or regularly travel there), you might want to consider what is logistically simple for you. If you are most likely to fly into Haneda or Narita and stay in the area, you might want to support a team from the Kanto region like the Marines, Swallows, Giants, Lions or Baystars. If you're more likely to travel to Osaka, then of course, the Buffaloes and Tigers become more realistic. The Carp, Hawks, Eagles and Fighters involve a little more travel from the traditional centres, so might be worth taking into account. 

Similarly, you may want to take into account viewing options. Pacific League TV remains one of the best services for fans outside Japan to reliably watch games. As the Central League's media deal is much more of a mish-mash, there is not one service for those teams. DAZN Japan has the rights to all of the NPB teams, but they have a reputation for being very strict with VPN use, so be cautious. There are, of course, Japanese IPTV options available online, but you will need to know your team's broadcast schedule to know where and when to tune in. Check out the /r/NPB search tab or wiki on Reddit if you need help with viewing options.

4. What's your favourite colour? 

Honestly, this could be one of the simple ways of choosing a team. I grew up in Australia and didn't really follow the AFL. But I chose the North Melbourne Kangaroos as my team because they were blue. The uniforms and teams are varied across the league and you might just "vibe" with a particularly aesthetic. That's okay too! Google the teams, and you'll find the colour schemes.

5. What kind of stadium do you like?

Japan has twelve wonderful stadiums but there are indoor and outdoor parks. I am a Dragons fan, but to be honest, I'd much prefer to play in an open-air stadium than the Vantelin Dome. Just a rough guide:

• Open Air: Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Yokohama DeNA Baystars, Yakult Swallows, Chiba Lotte Marines, Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima Toyo Carp

• Dome/Indoor: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Saitama Seibu Lions, Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, Chunichi Dragons, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

I personally most often go to Meiji Jingu Stadium, the Swallows' home base, because it's close to where I spend most of my time in Japan, and the Tokyo Dome does not excite me.

6. Team Vibe

This is a bit harder to nail down, but I will try to give some keywords for each team's "vibe" and the city they represent. This could help you make a decision. 

Pacific League

• Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (Sapporo); Modern, sleek, fun, frontier north

Baseball, but make it Shinjo-core.

• Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Sendai); Resilient, regional, underdog, recovery, community

We have a plan. Probably. It changes weekly.

• Saitama Seibu Lions (Tokorozawa); Suburban, nostalgic, talent-factory, quiet, fading

Why doesn't anyone ever want to stay here? I'm not talking to you Takeya.

• Chiba Lotte Marines (Chiba); Chaotic, passionate, niche, coastal, outsider

Does anyone remember we're a pretty consistent playoff team? Anyone?

• Orix Buffaloes (Osaka); Fragmented, overlooked, efficient, Kansai, revival

Yamamoto helped sempai notice us!

• Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Fukuoka); Corporate, dominant, polished, Kyushu-pride, modern-dynasty

(Imperial March plays)

Central League

• Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo); Traditional, powerful, national, conservative, spotlight

(Slightly faded recording of Imperial March plays)

• Hanshin Tigers (Koshien/Hyogo/Osaka); Passionate, chaotic, historic, blue-collar, emotional

We're everyone's favourite, fun team...really..everyone chooses us. Stop it.

• Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya); Stoic, insular, defensive, traditional, stubborn

We don't take kindly to your kind around here...oh, you hit homers? Oh...okay.

• Yokohama DeNA BayStars (Yokohama); Rebranded, youthful, offensive, coastal, entertainment

You want homers?! You have a homer! And YOU have a homer! (Defense sold separately.)

• Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Hiroshima); Grassroots, loyal, red, local, sentimental

The town is literally in love with us. Pick up your Carp-branded chilli powder at the station!

• Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Tokyo); Quirky, explosive, scrappy, underdog, unpredictable

You know that pennant-winning year you had? Wouldn't it be unfortunate if....we finished bottom of the table the following year? 

7. Further Vibe Checks

Watch some fucking games, dude. Just find what you can, turn it on and see how you feel. You don't have to attach yourself to anyone to start off with. You can just sit with the ambiguity and see who you gravitate towards. 

8. When all else fails....

At some point, you just have to pick someone and see where it takes you.

SPIN. THE. WHEEEEELLLLL!!!!