We woke up to beautiful blue skies and crisp temperatures. Or I did. The rest of the crew was up before dawn to go to the tuna auction which they enjoyed. Lots of huge frozen tuna being dragged around and sold (as explained to me).

For our morning outing, we took the train to the Imperial Gardens and walked around this massive area. Tokyo is still experiencing colder weather so there was not a lot in bloom, but you can tell it would be beautiful when it is. Still, we saw some early cherry blossoms and enjoyed the Japanese Gardens. The girls headed out for more adventures, but Jim and I returned to the hotel for a nap. I mean the baseball game would not begin until 7pm so we were doing our best to prepare to stay awake for the whole thing!!

The girls made it back in time to head to the Tokyo Dome (by train). After some family squabbling over direction to the correct train station [Lets get a driver!!], we found the line and enjoyed a not-crowded trip to Tokyo Dome.

More squabbling ensued over how to find the correct gate once we arrived, but we found it. As an aside, we are visiting each major league ballpark and have “passports” that are stamped at each venue. For non-MLB sites, like Tokyo Dome, there is a “guy” who provides stamps and a Facebook page that organizes the “Stampeders.” Long story short, many people wanted stamps for Tokyo, but the “guy” was not going to be here so he sent the ink pad and stamps to Jim. Jim let people know where he would be in the stadium to stamp their books (a set place for hour before the game), identifiable by his beard and green Cubs hat. Before we even entered, he had people approaching him to get a stamp!

Back to gate entry- no problem. The Japanese are not hung up on bags or bag size (must fit under your seat) or contents. There was a cursory check and people moved through the check-point quickly.

So we had a lot of time to explore Tokyo Done before the game. Sort of reminiscent of Tropicana in St Pete. Not terrible, but not impressive. Large – 55,000 capacity. Very little merchandise for the Series which was a surprising missed opportunity. And lots of food not reminiscent of American baseball. They did have hotdogs, but we opted for gyoza, French fries, crispy chicken sandwiches and a noodle bowl.

The Cubs lost, but Shota Imanaga did hold the Dodgers hitless for the 4 innings he pitched. We have seen this game before- the relievers come in and the game slips away. The opening ceremony was nice with flags, banners and both National Anthems. Along with Pikachu.

The Cubs’ former pitcher, Fukadome threw out the first pitch and S Oh, Japan’s leading HR hitter, was in attendance.