When we started planning our Asia trip, one of the first things we decided to do was to see a baseball game in Japan. So we bought some tickets and worked out the rest of our schedule from there. That's how we ended up in Osaka to attend the opening day game of Japan's Central League, where Osaka's Hanshin Tigers faced (and slaughtered) Tokyo's Yakult Swallows. Perhaps I should have been rooting for the Swallows, as they are sponsored by a yogurt-drink manufacturer, but the Tigers fans were just infectiously enthusiastic, and by the end of the game we were singing their fight song as loudly as anyone.

After seeing some baseball-themed ads in the subway for piled-high chili dogs, we were looking forward to finding some really exciting dogs at the game, but there were none in sight. What was actually available were rows and rows of bento boxes, onokomiyaki, takoyaki, and a few limp-looking fries. The one processed pork product was this cold and chewy corndog, a sorry representative of American cuisine. Citi Field this is not.

The bento box I had was pretty good, however, with a nice balance of seafood, egg, pickle, and rice, even if none of it was spectacularly fresh or flavorful. Greg's mediocre okonomiyaki was more of a disappointment, especially considering Osaka is okonomiyaki territory.

For comparison, below are some okonomiyaki and takoyaki we had in Tokyo. Okonomiyaki consists of cabbage, a pancake-like batter, and a variety of toppings, cooked together on a griddle and formed into a patty topped with egg, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and brown sauce. Takoyaki is a similar concoction based on octopus and cooked in ball form. Since they are naturally street food, usually cooked in front of you or even by you, the lukewarm, precooked pancake at the stadium seemed a needless shame.

The best snacks at the game turned out to be a dried squid, peanut and rice cracker trio. I have to admit, I had never really appreciated dried squid as a snack. I remember a moment in high school when an enthusiastic young teacher received a gift of dried squid from a well-meaning student, and did his very best at making a gracious acceptance. His words at that moment reflect exactly my long-held attitude towards the stuff, which was something like "wow, cool... but do I just eat it, like, by itself?" The answer to his question and mine, is, in fact, no: you eat it with beer! Peanuts and rice crackers make a nice combination as well, for a salty, squiddy foil to the cans of light malty beer or sweet shochu cocktail you brought from home. Of course, if you forgot to carry in your own beverages, there are plenty of girls toting keg-backpacks, who don't even disappear during the 7th inning.