How Japanese baseball cheering works

What you hear from the first pitch

A Japanese professional game is not a quiet one. Fans in the outfield stands are led by organised cheering squads, called ōendan, who use drums, horns, flags and megaphones. Their cheers are tied to individual players, and the songs can change with the batter or the opponent. Fans also invent cheers that the squads later adopt. Tokyo Dome's beginner guide calls the outfield seats the most exciting area in the Dome, where people sing the team's fight songs together and watch with a sense of unity.

Home and visiting sections

Tokyo Dome puts the home section on the right-field side, where first base is, and the visiting section on the left-field side, where third base is. Its seat list names an area for each: right-field outfield seats, left-field Giants cheering seats, left-field visiting-team cheering seats, the Orange seats, and visiting-team cheering seats in the infield. There are standing-room outfield areas for both sides too, sold in limited numbers. In the visiting areas, Giants gear is not allowed. In the home areas, visiting-team gear and cheering for the visitors are not allowed.

Read next: Which side to sit on, and what each zone is like

Towels, megaphones and cheering goods

Many fans wear or carry cheering goods. Tokyo Dome lists towels, scarves, megaphones and uniforms as the classics, and says every team has its own signature cheers, towel waving among them. The Giants describe waves of orange towels rippling through the stands. If you want to join in, buy before the game: the Giants Store Ballpark Tokyo is next to Gate 23, and on game days a visitor merchandise booth in front of the gate sells the opposing team's goods.

Joining in without the words

You do not need to know any chants to enjoy the game. Watch the section around you, clap and wave when they do, and let the squad lead. The songs are tied to players, so they change through the batting order, and nobody learns them all in one night. Sing a little, clap along, or just listen. If you want the words and the background explained, a guide helps: on the baseball tour on GetYourGuide, a local fan-guide teaches the cheers before you go in and cheering goods can be borrowed for some games.

Outfield seats: what to expect

The outfield is the loud part of the stadium, and the Dome is frank about it. Reserved outfield seats have no backrests, and you can stand and cheer, so your view may be blocked. The Dome warns that right-field seats near the speakers used for drums and songs can be very loud. Separate standing-room areas exist for home and visiting fans, in limited numbers. There, watching the game while seated, or from outside the area, is not allowed. Do not hold a spot with mats, chairs or bags.

Infield seats: cheering from your seat

The infield is where a relatively large number of people watch at leisure, drinking beer and eating. Tokyo Dome recommends infield seats for first-time spectators, couples and families with children, and says the seats have comfortable backrests. You can enjoy the game without taking part in the organised cheering, and nobody is expected to stand for the whole evening. Some infield seats are on the visiting side. They are sold as visiting-team cheering seats, and Giants colours are not allowed in them.

Food, drink and the entertainment between plays

The Giants say the entertainment does not stop between plays: cheerleaders, mascots, beer vendors weaving through the stands and a wide variety of stadium food. Tokyo Dome City's own guide also suggests takeout food from the LaQua area for eating while you watch a game. The Dome describes itself as cashless, so bring a card. Our guide to tickets and gates covers payments, children and what you can bring in.

Outside the gates

The atmosphere starts before you go in. In front of Gate 22 stands Visitor Park, which opens only when the Giants are playing, and a visitor merchandise booth sits by the gate. On either side of Gate 22 are the Nagashima Gate and the Oh Gate, each with a large relief of a Giants legend: Shigeo Nagashima on the third-base side and Sadaharu Oh on the first-base side. Arriving early gives you time to walk the stadium wall, buy a towel and find your entrance before the squads start up.

A guided outing, or on your own?

You can enjoy a Giants game without help. The sections are labelled by side, the cheering is easy to follow, and the Dome and the Giants both publish English guidance. A guided outing earns its place if the language, the seat choice or the trip to the Dome worries you, or if you want the chants explained as they happen. The baseball tour on GetYourGuide is one of these: a small group with a live English-speaking guide and the game ticket included. If you already know your seat and the route, buying a seat direct is simpler.

Read next: Tokyo Dome baseball tickets, compared

Rules worth knowing

Tickets for Giants games come with the Game Attendance Contract Terms, and the Dome's ticket page says the Giants' Special Cheering Permit Regulations apply too. The Giants link the viewing terms from their seat-type page. The rules you notice first are the colour rules: no visiting-team gear in home areas, no Giants gear in visiting areas, and no cheering for the other side in a section built for your own. Tokyo Dome also lists items that may not come in, including dangerous goods and items for reserving seats. When in doubt, ask the staff at your gate.

Who this isn't for

If you want a quiet evening following the score, skip the outfield. If you are sensitive to loud noise, avoid the right-field seats near the speakers. If you need a clear view of every pitch, remember that outfield fans stand. If you want to cheer for the visiting team, sit in a visiting-team cheering seat rather than a home area. And if the cheering is the main point, an outfield seat or a guided outing built around it will suit you better than a quiet infield seat.