A Hanshin Tigers Game at Koshien Stadium

 Originally built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, Koshien Stadium opened in 1924, making it one of the oldest in the nation.

 Now, of course, it's the home of the Hanshin Tigers, one of the oldest teams in Japanese baseball. They have called Koshien their home since 1936, and high school tournaments and the championships are still played here. In fact, the high school games have scheduling priority over the Tigers games, so tournaments can cause rescheduling of Hanshin games.

 There are several plaques on the outside wall near the plaza area on the first base side. Here's one for the Tigers winning a championship of some kind. I didn't see any information about it but those who know more about NPB history can probably date this. I'm guessing its from the 1985 Japan Series.

 This one is of the stadium itself, prior to repairs completed in the past decade or so. The Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 (known as the Kobe Earthquake) did some damage to the stadium, and it took about a decade before good plans were created; the improvements and repairs were completed in 2010. The ivy was preserved, the infield is still dirt, and the grass is still natural. But they changed the roof and reduced seating capacity, in addition to repairing the damage from the earthquake.

Also outside are several plaques honoring retired Tigers:

 Out in the plaza, not attached to the stadium, are two larger plaques. One of them commemorates Babe Ruth's appearance at the stadium in 1934, during one of the MLB tours of Japan.

There's a Koshien Stadium Museum, which is certainly worth checking out. Unfortunately, I didn't. That makes at least two museums I've missed, including the Sadaharu Oh Museum in Fukuoka.

 The stadium is beautiful, though, especially following an afternoon rainshower.

 Afternoon rainshowers also bring rainbows!

 Another shot. Koshien is the golden stadium, I suppose. The end of the rainbow is almost at home plate.

 This gives you a view of the scoreboard and outfield seating. The seats are wider since the renovation, but there are no backs here. I spent almost all of the game in the seats, enjoying the game itself. I didn't really get out and explore, though I'm not sure how much is possible. The renovations might have made the stadium more accessible, but Japan has proven to be quite strict when it comes to moving around inside many of the ballparks.

I must have gone on an off-day. Yes, the stadium was packed, and the fans were quite into the game. But it wasn't as crazy and violent as others have said, and the cheering at other stadiums on busy days has been just as exciting. In fact, the Carp fans were more into the game in Hiroshima than the Tigers fans on my visit to Koshien, believe it or not. And last year's Golden Eagles game had a really great crowd.

Access is quite simple; take a Hanshin Main Line train to Koshien Station. Coming from Umeda Station (essentially Osaka's main station) express trains take only 12 minutes and local trains take 22 minutes. From there, it's a couple minute walk south; the stadium is literally just past the expressway overpass, which runs within meters of the stadium. Be sure to buy your return train ticket before leaving the station, because lines will be long on the way home. Or use a Suica or other pre-paid train fare card. Tickets should be bought well before the game, especially for weekend and holiday games, but same-day tickets are usually available on weekdays. Remember that you can buy tickets at convenience stores all over Japan, though you'll probably need assistance from a Japanese speaker. Employees have been willing to help when they aren't busy.