What to do in Tokyo: Learn to Bat

After watching a baseball game, there's no better way to end your day other than learning how to bat yourself. At the back of Tokyo Dome, where baseball games are usually held in Tokyo, you can find a 5-story sports center where you can try your hands on a real baseball bat.

Batting area

For only Y400 for 20 balls, you can practice batting and know what it feels like to hit a ball with a speed of 80km/h. This is the slowest among the speed of the machines. If you want to challenge yourself, you can try faster machines. You can try something as fast as 130km/h. It's also exciting that you can see Japanese baseball players pitching for you on the screen right in front of you. 

If you get tired batting, you can also try bouldering, golf and bowling in the same building. 

Where to get your coins to play

You can purchase your tokens from this machine. You will put insert the token in a small machine inside the batting booth and you can choose the height of the balls - whether you want them pitched high or low. You can get a discounted rate for 3 games for only Y1000.

I mist say, this is not only a fun activity for baseball fans but it is also a great way to relieve stress and release after a kong day at work. 

Places to Visit in Tokyo: The Official Giants Store

          I chanced upon the Official Giants Store when I went to the Tokyo Sky Tree, and oh boy, I totally went crazy upon seeing it! The fangirl in me literally went nuts at the sight of the words, "Official Giants Store." Who would have thought that this fiery orange store is actually a shop selling all kinds of merchandise related to one of Japan's strongest baseball teams, the Yomiuri Giants. At first glance, this shops looks like a toy store to me, or maybe a franchise of some hyaku yen store. Good thing, my senses were good enough to immediately process what it really is.

 

     

          At the entrance of the store is this large board with information and news about some of the members of the team. The board is even designed with these cute hearts as Valentine's Day lurks around the corner. 

          Also on display are some of the trophies won by the Giants in the recent years. A few autographed baseball bats are also on sale but I did not bother to check how much they cost because they might cause me my whole fortune!

          There are a lot of different merchandise in the store ranging from the more popular ones like the Giants uniform and gym bag to the smallest ones like key chains. There are also uchiwas, stuffed toys, pencils, bookmarks, post-its, name it, they have it. I honestly cannot remember all of them. There are so many cute stuff I honestly don't know what to buy! I just decided to bring home a plastic folder for souvenir, which cost me only Y315 yen. Of course, it features my favorite Giant, Sakamoto Hayato # 6!