Hot Food and Hotter Baseball at Hiroshima Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium

This is the third post in the VAoJ Hiroshima Research Trip Arc. The day's main event (7/8/25): the baseball game between the host Hiroshima Carp and the visiting Hanshin Tigers (bias alert!). The fieldwork involved two continuing projects: 1) anthropological research of the Hanshin Tigers, and 2) the gourmet boom expanding to Japanese Professional Baseball (see "Food Terrorism and Japanese Baseball: A Hanshin Tigers Case Study.")

Welcome to Hiroshima Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium, JR Station Entrance.

Advertisement for Aoyama Clothing modeled after Hiroshima Toyo Carp players featuring infielder Kozono Kaito (小園 海斗).

Warming up before the game begins.

Some of the stadium vibe. It was so hot. The cooling mist was refreshing.

The same area from a different angle. Note that there is a sports gym above the stands so that you can multitask exercising with your baseball habit.

Inside the stadium where you can find THE FOOD!

A wide variety of "gourmet": snacks in the fan merchandise shop, bento, caramel corn, strawberry floats and a whole variety of food court shops.

Even organic produce from Tottori Prefecture...

I opted for the C-Dogs...

which were not bad... But let's get to THE GAME!

The view form my seat in left center.

The closest Hanshin player was center-fielder Chikamoto.

The Hanshin Tigers fan club section; no empty seats here...

Several years ago, the Hanshin Togers started the release of the jetto fusen balloons in the lucky 7th inning. Many teams followed suit at their home stadiums. The ritual was discontinued during the COVID years. Some teams have brought it back (Hanshin has not... yet...). But here a couple of Hanshin fans hijacked Hiroshima balloons and released them before the Tigers went up to bat in the 7th inning.

Here are the Carp balloons. You might also notice many empty seats in the Carp fan club section.

The beer girls kept busy in the hot stadium...

And by the end of the game...

Hanshin Tigers VICTORY!

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/tigersdreamlink/posts/%E5%BA%83%E5%B3%B6-1-6-%E9%98%AA%E7%A5%9E%E5%8B%9D-%E6%89%8D%E6%9C%A87%E5%8B%9D4%E6%95%970shttpscorehanshintigersjpgamescoretabletable20250708html%E9%98%AA%E7%A5%9E%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC/1285855606226644/

Hanshin Tigers supporters stay for the Hero Interview (Sato Teruaki) and to cheer some more... Hanshin fans until the end... Go Tigers!

Game details:

Hanshin Tigers Official website: https://score.hanshintigers.jp/game/score/table/table20250708.html

Yahoo Sports Navi: https://baseball.yahoo.co.jp/npb/game/2021029520/text

Yahoo Sports Navi: https://baseball.yahoo.co.jp/npb/game/2021029520/top

The next post of the VAoJ Hiroshima Research Trip Arc will feature the sake breweries of Saijō-chō in Higashihiroshima.