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Hanshin Tigers and Baseball in Osaka

As part of our list of resources for visitors to Osaka City, we provide details about the Hanshin Tigers, the baseball team in Osaka, Japan.

Hanshin Tigers Baseball Team in Japan

The Osaka Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース, Hanshin Taigasu) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. Japan’s Hanshin Tigers are known for having some of the most passionate baseball fans in the country. Even though the Tigers are thought of as an Osaka team, most practice and games are based in Nishinomiya City (in Hyogo prefecture, about 30 minutes from Osaka City).

The name “Hanshin” refers to the company that owns the team, the Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd – part of a larger Japanese company which operates one of the major train lines in Osaka prefecture, a popular department store in Osaka, and more.

The Hanshin Tigers are One of Two Baseball Teams in Osaka, Japan

The Hanshin Tigers play in Japan’s Central Baseball League, representing both Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. The Osaka Tigers are the most popular baseball team in the region.

There is another professional baseball team in Osaka City, called the the Orix Buffaloes (Orix is the name of the financial services company that owns the Buffaloes). The Buffaloes play in the Pacific League, and are less popular than the Hanshin Tigers. The Osaka Orix Buffaloes play most games at their home stadium – the Kyocera Dome, in Osaka City.

In this article, we are going to focus on Osaka Hanshin Tigers, which is widely considered the most popular baseball team in Osaka or the Kansai region.

Hanshin Tigers Baseball Season

The local baseball season in Osaka runs from the end of March to the end of September. For more information, there is a schedule of the Hanshin’s baseball games on their website.

Osaka Tigers Koshien Baseball Stadium in Nishinomiya City

Address: 1-82 Koshiencho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo
Website: https://hanshintigers.jp

The Hanshin Tigers play their home games at Koshien Stadium, in Nishinomiya City, which is in Hyogo Prefecture (not in Osaka City). Nishinomiya City is located between Osaka and Kobe City. The Osaka Hanshin Tigers also play some home games in Osaka City at Kyocera Dome in Nishi-ku, Osaka (especially when Koshien Stadium is used for high school baseball tournaments).

The Hanshin Koshien Stadium was originally built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on August 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.

How Much Does it Cost to Go to a Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game?

The most expensive seat is 18,000 JPY, with more affordable seats for 2,600 – 11,500 JPY. There are also discount tickets (on weekdays and at night) for kids, college students, and seniors over 60 years old.

Tickets for Hanshin Tigers’ Baseball Game

The official website to buy tickets for a Osaka Hanshin Tigers baseball game is:

https://ib.eplus.jp/hanshin_tigers

Hanshin Tigers’ Main Mascot

To Lucky (トラッキー, Torakkii) is a main mascot character of the Hanshin Tigers. With his girlfriend Lucky, he entertains spectators at team games. His uniform number is 1985, because his first appearance was in 1985. His name is a combination of two separate Japanese words, Tora (トラ), meaning tiger and Rakkii (ラッキー) meaning lucky. His name therefore means “lucky tiger” in Japanese.

There are two more mascot charactor of Hanshin Tigers: Keeta and Korakki. Keeta is a Lucky’s little brother and his uniform number is 2011, because he was introduced to the Tigers in 2011 and the most recent addition, Korakki is a Torakki’s younger brother appeared in 2025.

For more information:

https://hanshintigers.jp/entertainment/mascot/

Hanshin Tigers’ Girls

Tigers’ Girls are the cheerleaders for the Tigers. The Tigers’ Girls cheer dance team of the Hanshin Tigers formed in 2014.

https://m.hanshintigers.jp/entertainment/girls/