baseball

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::: introduced to curious onlookers in 1872, baseball is hit among japanese of all ages...with ten free tickets to an exhibition game between the orix B's (ichiro suzuki's pre-MLB team) and the nippon ham (the reigning champs), we enjoyed a well-played 3-3 tie on a sunny afternoon...today also marking yoon's final sunday with us, what a fitting way to say farewell to a diehard fan...

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...people filing to the exits (foreground) offered strange looks to our group's postgame rally pose...

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...for claire, more important than the game itself is this: what kind of things can you eat while watching it...in lieu of peanuts, hot dogs or cracker jacks, you'll find decent curry rice, udon, fried noodles, and japanese box lunches...

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...in the picture above, can you see claire?...sporting a green cap, she's looking at this:

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...whether ordering an udon at the stadium or bringing your own riceballs from home, fans like us love to cheer and chomp simultaneously...

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...a rough translation of this sign: don't let your head get in the way of a very fast-moving projectile...

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...a view from the home team bullpen...i'm sure all these guys want to be the next big thing from japan...

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...okay, so our first baseball game in japan didn't quite match the level of a dodgers-giants game in chavez ravine, but hey, with japanese friends, food and fastballs on a lazy afternoon, what more can you ask for?

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:::