The Kumagaya Sakura Undo Koen Baseball Stadium, located in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, hosts games by the Saitama Musashi Heat Bears, the Eastern League of professional baseball, and the Saitama Prefectural Qualifying Round of the high school baseball tournament.
Getting to the Stadium
There are buses from Kumagaya Station and Kagohara Station, but they are few in number, so access by car is the basic way to get to the stadium.
For games hosted by the Musashi Heat Bears, you can park for free in the park's parking lot.
About Stadium
Only the back of the infield back net has seats, the rest is lawn seating.
The seating capacity is over 20,000, but more than 20,000 people will be seated in this grass area.
Location: 157-1 Kojima, Kumagaya City, Saitama, 360-0832, Japan
Capacity: 24,500
About the seats
There are seats only behind the back nets in the infield, the rest are unreserved seats on the grass.
The capacity is over 20,000 people, but more than 20,000 will be in this grass area.
The area behind the home plate
Behind the back net is a single board bench seat.
If you are trying to take pictures, the net will be quite an obstacle.
If you're going to take pictures, the grass zone in the infield is likely to be a better place to take pictures since the fence is lower.
Lawn seating in the infield
You might want to bring a rug or something.
There are mosquitoes in the summer, so please bring insect repellent.
Outfield Zone
The outfield zone is imagined as entering from the entrance of the infield grass zone and walking directly to the outfield.
You can walk around the entire stadium except for the seating area behind the back net.
About the bullpen
The bullpens are located behind the bases on the first and third base sides.
The Musashi Heat Bears will basically be on the first base side, so if you want to watch the Heat Bears pitchers practice, you should be on the first base side.
Basic Information
What to bring
Compared to other countries such as the U.S., Japanese events allow people to bring their own belongings, and there are few venues that do not allow backpacks.
However, please note that some events do not allow you to bring in beverages in cans or bottles.
Gate Open
The gate opening time may vary depending on the event, so please check the website of the event you will be attending. The gates will open about an hour before the game starts.
Basically, all seats are unreserved.
Re-entry
Many events in Japan allow re-entry, but it depends on the event. In the case of this stadium, re-entry is basically allowed.
Fan Service
During Eastern League games, practice is held on the field near the ballpark, so there is a chance to get autographs.
Explore Saitama
Travel Tips & Information
Here is the basic information about Saitama as a reference for planning your trip.
1. "Getting there & Around" Kumagaya, Fukaya, Honjo
This is the northern area of Saitama Prefecture.
For access by train, the "Kagohara Station" on the Takasaki Line is a key point. This Kagohara becomes the first station of the Takasaki Line to Tokyo or an additional station of the train.
Therefore, it makes Kagohara a border and the convenience to Tokyo changes extremely.
In the Fukaya station and the Honjo station from Gunma than Kagohara, the number of the Takasaki Line is few, and the waiting time becomes long by the separation work.
Kumagaya is a station where the Shinkansen stops, and there is also a connection to the JR conventional line, but be aware that Honjo-Waseda station is about 2 km away from Honjo station, and there are no other options other than the Shinkansen.
Basically, in the northern part of the prefecture, you need a car.
Therefore, it is better to take the train to Kumagaya and rent a car to get around the area.
2. "Where to Stay" in Kumagaya, Fukaya, Honjo
It's not an area where you can stay and do things.
There are a few business hotels in front of the station.
In the case of Fukaya Station, there is the Grand Hotel near the station, which is a little higher in rank than a business hotel, but basically the last train to Tokyo goes until about 11pm, so please consider the merits of staying there before making a reservation.
3. "What to Do & See" in Kumagaya, Fukaya, Honjo
The memorial hall of Shibusawa Eiichi, the man whose name was printed on the 10,000 yen bill, is located in Fukaya City.
However, it is about 10 kilometers away from Fukaya Station, which is a bit far.
The indoor pool, Patio, is one of the largest indoor pools in the northern Kanto area.
In Kumagaya, there is a famous temple in Menuma, Menuma Shotenzan.
However, Menuma is in Saitama, which is more like Gunma, so getting there from the station can be a challenge.
The nationally famous Gali Gali Kun(ice cream)used to have a factory in Fukaya, but now they have built a new factory in Honjo City, which seems to be the main factory.
For factory tours, etc., visit the Honjo Senbon Sakura "5S" Factory in Honjo City.
4. "What / Where to Eat" in Kumagaya, Fukaya, Honjo
Fukaya is famous for its niboto.
Of course, there are stores that serve niboutou in the city, but most Fukaya residents eat niboutou at home by simmering udon noodles and vegetables, and probably do not go out to eat it. For this reason, even if you were to ask for a famous restaurant that serves nibbou, most citizens would probably not be able to find it right away.
You can buy a pack of Shinkichi at a supermarket (Belk, Yaoko, Ario) and try making it at home, or you can refer to the Fukaya City website for restaurants where you can eat it.
Kumagaya is "fry", I guess.
Fry is a kind of grilled food like okonomiyaki.
It is different from the jelly fries of Gyoda.
