The Fukuoka Hawks won the Japan Series title!
Here’s a pic of the Hawks mascot.
He’s ok, I guess. For a chicken.
Baseball is a really big part of Japanese culture. Schools we passed often had a diamond, and the distinctive sound of ball and bat connecting was a sweet pop pop in the warm, still afternoon air.
So I got all hyped up for a cute baseball cap.
I wasn’t bothered about which team was in the lead or the most popular, I just wanted the most adorable character front and centre on my head, because that’s what we all expect from Japan, right? Cute mascots!
I even would have accepted the Hiroshima Carp guy
He’s not even a carp! He’s just a boring guy! Rearrange carp!
Reconciled to the lame mascots I was still bent on getting a cap. Since Japan is the kind of place where brand synergies mutate and breed at levels not known in the west (L’Occitane Cafe, anyone?) we expected that team wear for the national sport would be freely available everywhere. But no, a giant thwarty piano handmade in Thwartistan landed on my head. Boy, I sure was denied. Department stores, sport stores, the internet…all led to the concept of bare-headed failure.
One of the places we did find sold merch was the Tokyo Dome stadium. But since there weren’t any games on that fitted with our itinerary there was really no point trekking all the way out there just on the off chance that the shop was open.
So if you go to Japan and you really want some baseball gear, keep your eyes peeled at weird places like train stations or try visiting the team stadiums.