It’s taken me forever to write this, but since we’re in the middle of summer and baseball season, I guess it’s timely?

If you’re looking for something to do while you’re in Hokkaido and Sapporo, hop a train over to Kitahiroshima to visit EsCon Field. I’ve only been here a couple of times but I highly recommend it if you love baseball and are fan of going to the games. Me, personally, I’m just a casual fan but I always try support the local professional teams. That doesn’t mean that I always enjoy it, though.

If you’ve flown into Chitose Airport and have taken the JR Train to your hotel in Sapporo, you’ve definitely seen it along the way, right between Kitahiroshima and ShinSapporo Stations. It’s kinda hard to miss, it sticks out so much.

Normally, I’d do a nice write-up on EsCon Field, blah blah blah, but that’s boring so I’ll let others do a better job of selling the stadium to you. Here’s one describing the facility in detail and how it came about. This one is longer because it delves into more technical and historical details (read: possibly boring to you and could use some paragraph breaks) but to borrow the youngins’ language, the glaze is for the stadium is genuine. I was too lazy to do the actual research so I’m just going to share both articles because I found them enjoyable.

Full disclosure, I’m only half-ass recommending the area because I’d prefer that people don’t actually come here. I don’t like it when it gets too crowded and people get in the way, especially when I’m in a rush. Yep, I’m that local resident who complains about the parking mess that happens when there are home games, particularly during weekends. Most people follow the rules and park in the designated areas, but there are always those few assholes who make it such a problem when they park their cars on a random street and block traffic. I’m the one cursing you out and calling you a mofo, fantasizing about sticking a knife into your tires, and glaring at your car, hoping you get a flat tire on your way home—all with a polite smile on my face, of course 😬

I know, I know. Road rage. Comes with the territory when you grew up in New Jersey.

Don’t even get me started on the mess when the games are done! The area around the stadium is a pain in the ass to drive through—hence why I avoid going out during these times. I usually stay home or leave Kitahiroshima when I know there’s a home game.

But don’t let my gripes prevent you from coming to see the beautiful building. I just feel as if you get a better experience when it’s not so crowded (game days) and you actually have space to breathe and move around. The last and only time I’ve gone to EsCon during a game, it was mostly waiting in line to get food and then being stuck in my seat for three hours. But hey, the beer was worth it.

I much prefer going in the fall and winter. I went with a friend in the middle of winter and there was nobody there. That massive parking space was closed off and we could only park in one area. My friend was not a sports fan so I did the duty and gave her a quick tour of the seats, the food stands, the obligatory souvenir shop, and the overpriced sports shop housed at the annex you had to access out of the stadium.

We spent hours chatting and looking out into the open field. It was nice and we were able to just chill without the staff kicking us out for overstaying. There was no game, but I didn’t need to be entertained by sports to have a good time. I had coffee and fantasized about having an alcoholic drink on that same counter maybe during an evening sometime in the future…which I have yet to do.

It’s a bit far to walk. It’s 20-30 minutes from the JR station on a nice day, but winter adds an extra 10 minutes because you want to be careful when you’re walking. Unfortunately, I’m not the kind of human who can speed walk without slipping on the ice or sinking into inches of deep snow. But it’s summer, so let’s focus on that. If you can stomach walking in the broiling heat, being drenched in sweat, and being burned to a crisp like being outdoors, the walk isn’t too bad. The footpath is nice and just join the rest of the fans on their way to catch a game of the NipponHam Fighters, or NichiHam for short.

But! For me, the most compelling reason I’d go to EsCon Field is the fact that this team created the megastar two-way player Shohei Ohtani. As an Ohtani fan, this is probably the number one draw for me. I just love that wall at Tower 11.

Oh, and I guess I’m grateful that the stadium has kinda breathed life into this really sleepy suburb. Thanks to all the visitors who’ve come to spend their money at our local businesses, just don’t park illegally.