National High School Baseball Championship-Japan

Summer Koshien – as the National High School Baseball Championships of Japan are known – is organized by the Japanese High School Baseball Federation and the beer company Asahi Shimbun.

Koshien culminates in a two-week final tournament stage that takes place in mid-August every year and promises more earnest baseball than you can shake a fist at.

Hanshin Koshien Stadium is the setting. Modeled after the Polo Grounds, the stage is an inspiration for the players as well as the fans, who take their baseball very seriously.

With that seriousness comes a healthy dose of pomp and circumstance – with a society consumed by formality and tradition, baseball in Japan is no exception. This championship signifies the beginning of a professional baseball career for some, but it means the end of baseball for many, many more. Though the theme song at Koshien is titled, “Let the Laurels of Victory Shine on You,” though for third-year students, a loss signifies the end of their career.