A Journey through Japanese Baseball History: The Hanshin Koshien Stadium Museum

Hanshin Koshien Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Home to the Hanshin Tigers professional baseball team and the site of the summer and spring national high school baseball tournaments, the stadium has long been viewed as the symbol of Japanese baseball culture.

Next door is the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium, where visitors can relive the past century of the stadium's history and learn about the history and culture of both high school and professional Japanese baseball.

Right in front of Koshien Station

The station is located just outside of the West Exit of Koshien Station on the Hanshin Main Line - just a 15-minute train ride from Osaka-Umeda Station.

The museum's reception desk is on the second floor of Koshien Plus

Heading to the left from the stadium entrance, you will see the Koshien Plus building.

The Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium is divided into two areas: the "Plus Area," located in Koshien Plus, and the "Stadium Area," located in Hanshin Koshien Stadium. A walkway connects the two areas. The museum reception desk is in the Plus Area, so make sure to head up the stairs and to the left to enter the building on the second floor.

Buy your ticket at the reception desk

After purchasing an admission ticket at the reception desk, we recommend that you go through the Plus Area first, which is in the same building. Your ticket is required to enter the Stadium Area, so be sure to hold onto it!

Trace the history of the Hanshin Tigers

The Museum Gate serves as the entrance to the Plus Area. A large panoramic screen shows images of Hanshin Tigers and high school baseball players playing at Koshien Stadium.

The Plus Area mainly focuses on the Hanshin Tigers. The area includes the "Championships of Pennant Race" section, where visitors can learn about the Hanshin Tigers' championship years, and the "Great Players Series" section, which introduces some of the team's famous players and their accomplishments.

Become a pro at the Experience Corner

At the end of the Plus Area is the "Touch the Baseball" area, where several interactive activities are located. Visitors can take part in a simulated draft meeting or experience a 360-degree VR Koshien Stadium. Both activities are available in multiple languages, too!

Cross the walkway and head to the Stadium Area

Following the route through to the end will take you back to the reception desk. Head out of Koshien Plus and cross the walkway over to Koshien Stadium.

If you head straight across the connecting walkway toward the stadium, you will see the entrance to the museum's Stadium Area on your right. The Stadium Area is made up of the "High School Baseball Zone," which showcases Japanese high school baseball and its connection to Koshien, and the "Hanshin Koshien Stadium Zone," which covers the history of the stadium itself.

The fiery spirit of high school baseball condensed into one exhibit

The first section of the Stadium Area covers the beginnings of high school baseball. The first ball used in the first high school baseball game in 1915 is on display in a glass case, and a video plays in the background showing the history of the sport.

Other sections include the "Ball Wall," a glass-encased wall of 4,253 baseballs - the number of member high schools in the Japan High School Baseball Federation. Schools that have made it to the Koshien tournament get their name engraved on a ball.

The Stadium Area also includes displays featuring signed gloves, pictures, and videos of Japanese Major League Baseball players, such as Hideki Matsui, Daisuke Matsusaka, Yu Darvish, and Shohei Otani, from their Koshien days. These players were all passionate about Koshien, and the area highlights the important role that Koshien plays in Japanese baseball players' careers.

The history of the stadium

After journeying through the high school baseball zone of the Stadium Area, you will enter the Hanshin Koshien Stadium zone. Visitors are first greeted with the "KOSHIEN in Manga" area, which showcases various manga that use Koshien as the setting. Fans of anime and manga are sure to find something they've seen before!

Visitors will then walk through a hallway featuring handwritten scoreboard player name plates and Hall of Fame inductee plaques, eventually arriving at the Back Screen View, located directly below the stadium's scoreboard with a great view of the entire stadium. You'll have the rare opportunity to take a photo with the whole field as a backdrop!

The Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium offers an in-depth look at the Hanshin Tigers, high school baseball, and the stadium itself, making it the ideal spot for baseball fans and anyone looking to learn about Japanese baseball culture.

Koshien virtual batting center

If you find yourself wanting to take a few swings after going through the museum, stop by the Be-Stadium Koshien on the second floor of Koshien Plus, right next to the museum. The interactive game displays the ball you hit or throw on a large screen showing the stadium, making you feel as if you are really playing at Hanshin Koshien Stadium. Both batting and pitching setups are available.

Stop by the gift shop

Stand In Koshien, located on the first floor of Koshien Plus, is a baseball shop offering various baseball-related goods, baseball equipment, MLB goods, and more!

The Stadium Shop, located right outside Koshien Plus next to Gate 16 of the stadium, sells original museum merchandise and Hanshin Tigers goods that can only be bought there.

How to get there

Take an express or limited express train from Hanshin Osaka-Umeda Station to Koshien Station (12-15 minutes, 270 yen one way)