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2023 regular season: Has the number of fans increased or decreased?
As the impact of the COVID-19 has decreases, the number of people attending stadiums for sports games seems to have increased. Let's see how the number of fans in Japan's professional baseball (NPB) has changed compared to 2022 with actual data. Why not consider watching sports as one of your travel...
People watching sports at the stadium
In 2023, when the impact of the COVID-19 became smaller, the number of people who enjoy watching sports at stadiums in Japan is visibly recovering.
Above is the photo Hanshin Koshien Stadium at the end of August 2023. On that day, more than 40,000 fans were enjoying the baseball game with great enthusiasm. I think you can feel that from the photos as well.
How is the number of fans in Japan professional baseball?
Now, how many is the number of professional baseball fans in 2023, and does that increase or decrease compared to 2022?
Let's take a look at the actual data analysis (2023 data as of September 1, 2023)
Let's start with the Central League.
From the data it is quite clear that:
・Average attendance numbers increased compared to 2022 for all teams (A vs B)
・Each stadium is over 80% full on average (C/A)
Now let's look at the Pacific League.
You can see that the Pacific League has a similar trend to the Central League (although the Rakuten Golden Eagles have decreased slightly).
By the way, we are doing a similar analysis at the end of July.
*Click here for data as of the end of July:
Watch a baseball game in a Japanese stadium
In addition to the level and enthusiasm of the games, Japanese professional baseball is also characterized by the cheering and food at the stadium, and is gradually becoming more popular among tourists from overseas.
As the above analysis shows, the number of spectators from Japan is increasing, and it is becoming difficult to get tickets.
*For example, as of now, all home tickets for the Hanshin Tigers 2023 season are already sold out!
However, after this, there will be a post-season, and it is expected that the battle for the championship will be even more exciting.
Check out the upcoming Japanese professional baseball schedule here.
Once you have decided on a your date, be sure to make reservations and purchases in advance, to avoid being unable to enter because the tickets are sold out.
After COVID, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has increased very much. Also it became more common to see them at sports stadiums. What we heard from them is the difficulty of purchasing tickets. Match information, ticket information, how to buy, procedures for getting tickets (language, payment, Japanese address and phone number required)...etc People often gave up halfway through because of the difficulty of the process. "Japan Sports Ticket" supports the tourists to visit the Japanese local sports games, hope the tourist enjoy a unique and unforgettable Japan trip!!
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