MLB All-Stars arrive in Osaka: Home of Little America, giant aquariums and Wily Mo Pena
MLB All-Stars start Japan tour in Osaka
Hello and welcome to the first installment of "Better Know a Host City on the Japan All-Stars Tour."
Yasiel Puig and Co. will start off their tour in Osaka, the capital city of Japan's Osaka Prefecture. It's the third-largest city in the country and has been affectionately nicknamed the "nation's kitchen" for its role at the center of the rice trade back in the 17-19th centuries (The more ya know ...).
As far as baseball is concerned, Osaka is home to NPB's Orix Buffaloes -- a team born in 2005 when the Orix BlueWave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes merged for financial reasons. You might be familiar with one current Buffalo by the name of Wily Mo Pena. The former MLB star batted .255 and belted 32 homers during the 2014 season. Here's a small preview:
You're probably also very familiar with a prestigious BlueWave alumnus named Ichiro.
When he was 20, Ichiro hit .385 with 210 hits and 29 steals for the BlueWave. In his last season playing for Orix, he batted .387 with 73 RBIs.
Outside of baseball, Osaka is also known as an annual host for a professional Sumo tournament and the Osaka International Ladies Marathon. It's home to Universal Studios Japan and the world's second-largest aquarium tank.
There's also a Little America in Osaka. Amerikamura -- usually called "Ame-mura" -- is a retail and nightlife area in Osaka's Minami district that touts many of the Western brands American players will be familiar with.
It's got a small-scale version of the Statue of Liberty and food with American influence. Even King Kong is there. Also, there's a popular live music venue called Big Cat. The Ting Tings play there next month if that's your thing.
The MLB All-Stars will play the Hanshin Tigers/Yomiuri Giants at Osaka's Koshien Stadium at 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday. They'll play the Japan national team at the Kyocera Dome at 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday. MLB Network will broadcast all seven games of the Japan All-Star Series and MLB.TV subscribers will be able to watch every game as well.