https://npbtourguide.com/ English-language guides to Nippon Professional Baseball — teams, game day, culture and history. en Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:14:33 GMT https://npbtourguide.com/blog/japan-wbc-2026-exit.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/japan-wbc-2026-exit.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z International 4–0 in Tokyo, then 8–5 to Venezuela in Miami — Japan's earliest World Baseball Classic exit ever, and what it says about the roster. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-climax-series-format.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-climax-series-format.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Rules A two-game advantage, a possible seventh game, and a rule that applies in the Pacific League this year but not the Central. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-postseason-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-postseason-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Practical Hanshin and SoftBank take the pennants. The Climax Series opens Oct 10 and the Japan Series opens at Koshien on Oct 24 — every date, matchup and ticket window. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-season-preview.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/2026-season-preview.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Basics What we predicted in January, and how it actually played out: Hanshin's back-to-back pennant, SoftBank's three-peat, and a postseason under a brand-new rule. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/japan-series-history.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/japan-series-history.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z History From the 1950s classics to SoftBank's 2025 comeback at Koshien — the games that built the legend of the Nippon Series. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/tigers-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/tigers-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams The Curse of the Colonel, the 2023 title and back-to-back 2025–26 pennants — Japan's most passionate fanbase, explained. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/hawks-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/hawks-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams Twelve Japan Series titles, three straight pennants (2024–26) and 91 wins in 2026 — NPB's modern powerhouse. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/yakult-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/yakult-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams Six Japan Series titles, the brightest lights in Tokyo and the 56-home-run season of Munetaka Murakami. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/chunichi-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/chunichi-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams A 53-year drought, a combined perfect game, and Nagoya's dome on the night it all ended. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/orix-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/orix-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams Ichiro's BlueWave, Yamamoto's three Triple Crowns, and five Japan Series titles in Osaka. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/seibu-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/seibu-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams Thirteen Japan Series titles — more than any other Pacific League club — and the dome in Tokorozawa. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/lotte-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/lotte-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams The most one-sided Japan Series ever, the first third-place champion, and ZOZO Marine Stadium. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/dena-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/dena-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Teams A third-place finish, four straight wins, and 29 scoreless innings against the Hawks. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-to-mlb.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-to-mlb.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z History From Murakami in 1954 to Ohtani today — the stars who made the jump to MLB. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/mascots-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/mascots-guide.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Culture All 12 NPB mascots — from Tsubakuro's comedy to Brisky the Bear's community work. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-records.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-records.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z History Sadaharu Oh's 868 home runs, Kinugasa's 2,215 straight games and more. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/baseball-anime.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/baseball-anime.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Culture From Major to Ace of Diamond, One Outs to Cross Game — what each one teaches you about NPB. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/sawamura-award.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/sawamura-award.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z History Older than the Cy Young, stricter than any pitching honor — and often simply unclaimed. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/history-japanese-baseball.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/history-japanese-baseball.html 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z History From Horace Wilson's classroom in 1872 to Shohei Ohtani — how baseball became Japan's game. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/women-baseball-japan.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/women-baseball-japan.html 2026-09-01T00:00:00Z Culture National teams, corporate leagues and a growing talent pipeline — why Japan is one of women's baseball's strongest homes. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/baseball-terms.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/baseball-terms.html 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z Culture From サヨナラ to 鉄人 — the words that unlock the culture, with romaji and real-match examples. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/wbc-npb.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/wbc-npb.html 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z International Every four years, Japan's two leagues take on the world. How the WBC changed NPB's global profile — and which stars shine brightest. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/watch-overseas.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/watch-overseas.html 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z Watching Official streaming, highlights and live scores — every legal way to follow the season from abroad, by time zone. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/dh-debate.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/dh-debate.html 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z Rules One league swings for the pitcher, the other doesn't. Inside NPB's last great rules divide — and the June interleague compromise. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/tickets-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/tickets-guide.html 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Practical Official sites, convenience-store machines, standing vs. seated areas — and what a night out really costs. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-vs-mlb.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/npb-vs-mlb.html 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Rules Ties, pitchers who bat, smaller parks, different balls — how Japan's game really differs from America's. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/stadium-food.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/stadium-food.html 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Food Takoyaki, yakitori, stadium curry and more — a ballpark food tour across six parks, with prices and local specialties. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/ouendan-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/ouendan-guide.html 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Culture Inside the organized fan clubs that turn every at-bat into a performance — and how you can join in. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/eagles-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/eagles-guide.html 2026-04-01T00:00:00Z Teams Founded in 2005, champions in 2013 — and with a marquee 2026 signing and a "strongest" new park, the Eagles mean business. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/koshien-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/koshien-guide.html 2026-04-01T00:00:00Z Stadiums The cathedral of Japanese baseball: how to get there, where to sit, what to eat and why the dirt itself is famous. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/climax-series-explained.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/climax-series-explained.html 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z Rules Why the pennant winner gets a head start, and how three teams per league fight for the Japan Series. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/fighters-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/fighters-guide.html 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z Teams From Tokyo to the frozen north — how a move to Sapporo and a futuristic new ballpark rewrote a club's identity. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/carp-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/carp-guide.html 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z Teams A symbol of recovery for a region, famous for loyalty, red flags and one of the game's great underdog stories. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/what-is-npb.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/what-is-npb.html 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Basics Two leagues, twelve clubs, 143 games and a century of history — everything a first-time fan needs to know about Japan's pro baseball. https://npbtourguide.com/blog/giants-guide.html https://npbtourguide.com/blog/giants-guide.html 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Teams The most titles, the loudest spotlight and the heaviest expectations — what it means to be a Kyojin fan.