Japanese Baseball during COVID-19: The Movie

Watch our exclusive, in-depth coverage of the new fan experience of Japanese Baseball during COVID-19 as crowds attended an NPB game at Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium for the first time in 2020.   

Fans were greeted by a simple message when they arrived at Jingu Stadium on Friday: “Welcome back to Sweet Home”.

Baseball fans are back in NPB stadiums to watch Pro-Baseball for the first time in 2020… and if you couldn’t make it or are curious about what Japanese Baseball during COVID-19 is like, we have you covered in the latest video on the Maction Planet YouTube channel!

Join Mac, loyal Swallows fan, and experience the excitement of the first game back at Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium on Friday 24 July 2020 as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows took on the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League.

Japanese baseball was forced to begin the 2020 season behind closed doors on 19 June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on Friday 10 July Nippon Professional Baseball went ahead with plans to allow teams to admit restricted crowds.

The attendance was limited to 5000 people. Safety measures in place included temperature checks and alcohol hand sanitiser at the entrance. Masks were compulsory and fans were sat spaced apart.

Entrance to merchandise stores was staggered, and ticket machines and concession stands had social distancing markers.

No beer girls wandering the stands, no cheering sections, no singing, no towel swinging and no high fives.

It’s Japanese Baseball Jim, but not as we know it!

The game was all the more bittersweet as 24 July would have marked the first full day of competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the New National Stadium built next door to Jingu Stadium.

Enjoy, and we continue…

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