Toreba no Toraba: What is Kansai Culture?

From the Daily Sports Online column / デイリースポーツオンラインの連載コラムから

April was a rather wet month. Somehow, the 29th was the first time our Hanshin Tigers missed a game due to a rain-out. That said, they did play a few games in sub-optimal conditions, and no fewer than two games ended prematurely (1-1 tie against the Giants 4/16, 3-0 win against the Dragons 4/21) due to inclement weather.

It wasn’t a fear of rain that drove me to Kyocera Dome last Wednesday to watch the Orix Buffaloes host the Saitama Seibu Lions (though it was a rainy day, and the Tigers endured more precipitation in a thrilling 5-3 win in Yokohama). I had actually won tickets to games at every Pacific League stadium through an online contest. With Kyocera being the only one close enough for me to cash in on, I was able to peacefully take in a low-stakes game with my new co-worker, Kyle. Well it was peaceful until the 9th inning – Yoshihisa Hirano was a hot mess and blew his team’s 3-run lead. Anyhow. Kyle is just starting to get into the Japanese baseball scene, and I will naturally try to steer him towards the Hanshin Tigers, but some things are out of my control…

Watching what was for me a less familiar team in the “other league” at a ballpark I do not know so well with someone who still doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of NPB allowed me to observe some interesting differences between Orix and Hanshin fan culture.

The most obvious one is how much they fill their respective stadiums. Koshien has been basically sold out for every one of the Tigers’ home games so far this year. This is definitely not the case for the Buffaloes at Kyocera. Granted, it was a Wednesday evening game against the rather unpopular Lions, so this should be taken with a grain of salt, but the generously announced attendance was around two-thirds of the ballpark’s 36,220 capacity. Much of the 3B side of the park, plus nearly the entire upper bowl, was barren. Said my colleague: “You’d think after their recent success, the Buffaloes would be a hot item in Osaka, no?” No, Kyle. Most fans do not sway from their current favorite team. If you’re not one of the few Orix diehards out there, you’re either a Tigers fan, a fan of another team, or you don’t much care for baseball. A few championships will not result in a huge shifting in the camps people have already sat down at.

Now, numbers are one thing. Crowd attire is another. Koshien brings out all the freaks and geeks. People dressed in full Tigers attire, face paint, wigs, tails, scooters, the whole nine yards. I have never seen any such thing at any of the Buffaloes games I have attended. People wear uniforms and caps, and some girls might wear Buffalo Bell ears, but that is probably the extent of it. So visually speaking, the Buffaloes don’t “bring the noise.”

The same can be said of the actual decibel level at the park. OK, there were times of rowdiness during the Buffaloes’ game. Most notably, when Marwin Gonzalez hit a big home run early, and after Kotaro Kurebayashi walked the game off in the bottom of the tenth. But more surprising was the nature of the noise, especially when fumbling bumbling Hirano gave up a lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, followed by a triple, a double, and one out later, the game-tying single. He blew a three-run lead in five ugly minutes of action. I heard no jeers or groans from the crowd. In fact, when the count reached three balls on one batter, a smattering of polite applause resonated throughout the Dome. Kyle turned to me and asked, “What’s going on? Why’s everyone clapping?” Buffaloes culture, Kyle. When the pitcher gets into a bind, they believe their applause will stir him up and help him get the game back under control.

So it made me think: I always believed the Hanshin Tigers were a microcosm of Kansai culture: boisterous, voluminous, outspoken, self-deprecating, and downright hilarious at times. That’s the Kansai I live in! This Orix crowd must be outsiders who do not know Osaka. But wait a second: is there not such a thing as cultural diversity? Is everyone to be painted with the same brush? I think not! The Buffaloes are every bit a part of this baseball league, this culture, this nation, as the Tigers! Their fans represent a demographic that is separate and unique from that of the Tigers, and that’s OK! Who am I to deny them their right to politely root for their team in smaller numbers, in conservative clothing, and with more orthodox Japanese manners? They are Kansai, too!

Just as long as Kyle comes with me to a Tigers game, sees the difference, and joins me as a member of the Tigers Nation – the greatest fans on earth. Then again, some things are out of my control.