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Yakyu -

In Japan, baseball is called yakyu (field ball). While the look and feel of the game are not so different, you’d think you were going to sit front-row at your favorite band’s concert!

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Tokyo Dome -

During the opening of the season at the Tokyo Dome, fans are ready for a show. The passion oozes from the crowd, unlike its American counterpart.

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American fans -

For the most part, baseball is casual viewing for American baseball fans. Usually consisting of drawn-out innings, you rarely see spectators on the edge of their seats.

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Popular elsewhere -

Although baseball is, traditionally, considered an American pastime, it’s a popular sport in Latin America and East Asia, too.

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Post-WWI introduction -

In Japan, the game was introduced during the post-World War II period, eventually becoming the country’s national sport.

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Horace Wilson -

The game was first introduced to Japan by an American English teacher, Horace Wilson, in 1872, who was living in Tokyo at the time.

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American teachers -

The trend of the game spreading through English teachers living in Japan continued for decades after.

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Shimbashi Athletic Club -

This influence led to the creation of the country’s first official baseball team, the Shimbashi Athletic Club, which was formed in 1878. Pictured are spectators at one of their games. 

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Masanori Murakami -

The first Japanese player to join America’s Major League Baseball was a pitcher by the name of Masanori Murakami (pictured right), who joined the league in 1964 with the San Francisco Giants.

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MLB has had more than 80 Japanese players -

Since Murakami joined the American league, more than 80 players from Japan have played for American teams. Pictured is Shohei Ohtani.

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Japanese fandom -

The game became increasingly popular in the country, leading to a fandom culture that is uniquely Japanese.

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Cultural approaches -

One of the most obvious differences between American and Japanese baseball is the nations’ cultural approaches.

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Team harmony -

While there are certainly stars in Japanese baseball, the game’s fans particularly value cohesion and harmony among the teams.

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Emphasis on individual -

In contrast, the American variety of the game places greater emphasis on individual performance and excellence.

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Collaborative work environments -

These cultural differences are reflected not only in the game, but also in everyday team activities, such as collaborative work environments.

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Preparation -

This is also reflected in how players prepare for games. Practice for teams is organized quite differently between Japanese and American leagues.

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Training -

Japanese teams train for much longer periods, sometimes amounting to more than 10 hours. This is a cultural shock for American players who spend time training with Japanese teams.

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No special treatment -

Regardless of an individual player’s performance, in Japan, no player gets any sort of special treatment when it comes to practice time.

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Team cohesion -

For the Japanese, this approach ensures cohesion between team members, which is evident in the way they relate to each other on the field.

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Loyalty -

This is also reflected in how infrequent players change teams in Japan. Loyalty is a central element in belonging to a team.

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Team managers -

There is also a strict hierarchy in how players relate to their team managers, who hold the highest authority, and therefore, receive the greatest respect. 

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Portion of salaries to the home team -

Even athletes who go on to play for the American league reflect their team loyalty, as part of their salaries goes to their home team as a fee intrinsic to the player’s salary. Pictured is Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

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Individual stars -

In the US, American players prioritize individual stars to carry a team’s performance. Superior performing players also hold a series of privileges. Pictured is baseball legend Alex Rodriguez.

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Traded players -

Players are often traded, playing for different teams depending on salary offerings and opportunities.

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Losing its place -

But for both the US and Japan, baseball is losing its place as the primary pastime, as other sports take center stage. 

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Soccer is surging in Japan -

In Japan, soccer is experiencing a huge surge. Although baseball is still the most popular sport, trends show that soccer may soon replace its rank.

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Younger generations -

This trend is especially evident among younger generations, who are increasingly turning to soccer to pursue their athleticism.

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Football -

In the US, football is already a much more popular sport than baseball. Televised football games outperform every other sport by far.

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Enduring sport -

Despite its projected downtick in terms of spectators, baseball remains an enduring sport in both nations.

Sources: (AP News) (University of Michigan) (Association for Asian Studies)

See also: Howzat! Can cricket compete with baseball?

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