About the
guide Baseball for the world

NPB Guide is an independent, English-language publication about Japanese professional baseball — written for fans everywhere.

A /

Our mission

Why we exist

Japanese baseball is one of the world's great sporting stories — 12 clubs, two leagues, a century of history — yet most of the best writing about it is only available in Japanese. We exist to change that.

What we believe

Baseball was invented in the United States, but Japan made it its own. The drums of the ōendan, the 7th-inning "Lucky 7", the walk-off drama of a サヨナラ — these are experiences that deserve a global audience. NPB Guide explains the game, the culture and the clubs in clear, honest English.

We believe a good guide should do three things: respect the culture it describes, check its facts, and put the reader first. Every article is written by our editorial team from scratch — no machine translation of press releases, no recycled copy.

What we cover

  • Club guides and rivalry histories for all 12 teams
  • Stadium food, cheering culture and game-day etiquette
  • Rules, playoffs and the road to the Japan Series
  • How to watch NPB from outside Japan
  • Season previews, reviews and features
B /

Editorial policy

How we work

Original content

Every article on this site is original work by the NPB Guide editorial team. We never republish press releases or other outlets' reporting. Facts — scores, records, standings, stadium names, historical results — are checked against official NPB, club and league sources before publication, and we correct errors when readers point them out.

Freshness

Japanese baseball changes fast: stadium names change with naming-rights deals, champions change every October, schedules shift. We review and update our guides each season — most recently for the 2026 season, with postseason details current as of October 9, 2026.

Independence

NPB Guide is an unofficial fan publication. We are not affiliated with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association, or any club. Team names, logos and stadium names are trademarks of their respective owners. When we earn advertising revenue (via Google AdSense), it never influences our editorial judgment.

Facts first, flavor always — baseball is serious, but enjoying it shouldn't be.
C /

The people

Who writes this

NPB Guide Editorial

A small, distributed team of baseball writers, translators and designers based in Japan and abroad. Some of us learned the game at Koshien; others discovered it through a YouTube highlight at 2 a.m. We all share the same obsession.

Want to join us or share a tip? We read every email — see the contact page.

FOUNDED

2026 — an independent passion project turned publication.

LANGUAGE

English, with Japanese terms explained in romaji.

AUDIENCE

International fans, travelers and the curious.

OUTPUT

Guides, features and season coverage — free to read.