We set off tonight to hit a recommended tempura restaurant via the park so I could take some night shots of the eternal flame and the dome. Imagine our surprise to see the lights on at the baseball stadium. Now baseball, or basu-baru, is the most popular sport in Japan, it’s on TV all the time all the time, so we decided to take it in.

We got in to the stadium midway through the 5th of 9 innings. We knew one team must be Hiroshima, but not what the other one was, nor which was which. After an innings I spotted an ex-pat, so went to ask him. The red team were the Hiroshima Toyo Carps. The blues team were the Chunichi Dragons. Oh and we were in the visitors enclosure. Actually it was hard to tell. Obviously they do not have crowd trouble here as both sets of cheer leading fans were in the same section.

It was rather good fun, though the Carps lost. From our untrained eyes they always looked second best. We might attend the second game (of 3) tomorrow night.

Oh by the time it was finished the restaurant, like most others was effectively closed. (The Japanese eat early).