Day 9 Wednesday July 5th Yokohama. This was one of the most memorable and favorite days of my trip. After my morning run, I saw a drunk man sleeping on the streets in front of my hotel. Later, I saw that he sat up and had a bottle of water with him as he dealt with a major hang over. All day, I was anticipating the Yokohama baseball game. The express train took me to Yokohama in about 30 minutes.
The Shin-Yokohama Raumen showed some of the history of ramen in the Japanese culture. The basement level is a retro town with noodle shops from several different companies. The top floor has a lab where visitors can customize their own bowls of instant ramen. I created two bowls for my parents and one bowl with a photo of me from Kyoto.
At the Yokohama Stadium, I visited the Baystars fan shop. I decided to buy the baseball caps later. I should have gotten them first since it was jam packed later by 4pm with passionate fans.
A short walk from the stadium is Chinatown, the largest one in Japan. I hadn't eaten all day, but I made the mistake of buying some poorly made egg tarts and a red bean with egg pastry. I finished them nonetheless. I was too eager to visit more place to find a place to eat that day.
Another 20 minute walk from Chinatown was the Gundam dock. The giant mech was spectacular, but the half-show that I saw was a bit underwhelming. I also didn't feel like waiting in line for the factory store. The plant's exhibit did feature a lot of cool models and posters explaining the history of Gundam.
Walking along the bay, I passed by the Red Brick Warehouse, which I only stopped by briefly on my return trip. It is full of shops that seemed very interesting.
The cup noodle museum has a modern design and provided a large space for visitors. It had a glass wall that served as a history time line for instant ramen. There was also a section with various ramen shops if visitors want to dine there.
I participated in the coloring of an instant ramen cup. The chefs were extremely friendly and welcoming as I took photos and videos of the process of putting together an instant ramen bowl. They also provided a neat packing bag to protect your custom souvenir.
I was eager to get back to the Baystars shop to buy some fan gear. I purchased two blue team hats and a green captain's hat along with some stickers. Then I dropped them off at a locker in the Yokohama train station. I returned to the stadium and entered, enjoying my view of the passionate fans and I navigate my way without knowing the Japanese language.
I was surprised by how awesome my seat was. It was just behind third base. The game itself was one of the most unique experiences I've had as a sports fan. I've been to Wimbledon in English, NBA/MLB/NFL/MLS/WNBA games, soccer matches, and have seen the peloton pass during the Tour de France, yet this baseball experience was special. The fans were passionate, there was zero booing. Even in the rain, the fans continued to sing individual players' and their team's songs. I also made friends with my neighbors Mako and Sonoda. They spoke excellent English and I was very grateful for their friendship for the evening. We enjoyed a wonderful game together. At the end, the Tokyo Swallows won 5-4 in the top of the 12th inning. The game ended around 10:30p. I was somewhat worried about not making my last train back to Tokyo. After a long day, I was ready to get back to my hotel for the night. The game was so fun that I considered returning the following day just to witness it again as the teams played each other again on Thursday night.
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