How to See a Hiroshima Carp Game: Tickets, Seats and How to Cheer Like a Local

Quick answer: Buy tickets on the official Carp site (English mode available) or at a convenience-store machine after you arrive. Weekday games are much easier to get. First time? Sit in Infield Reserved A (¥4,200) for a great view, or Carp Performance B (¥2,100) in right field if you want to stand and cheer. Walk 10 minutes from Hiroshima Station, wear red, and save your energy for the 7th-inning balloon release.

I’ve been to more than ten Carp games at Mazda Stadium, in the infield, in the unreserved seats and in the right-field cheering section. If you’re in Hiroshima between late March and September, a game is one of the best evenings you can have in the city — even if you don’t follow baseball.

Why a Carp game is special

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp are more than a baseball team here. The whole stadium wears red, every batter has his own cheer song, and the crowd does things you won’t see at a ballpark anywhere else. Mazda Stadium (officially Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima) is open and modern, with the trains of the JR line running right past the outfield.

When is the season?

• Regular season: late March to late September / early October. The 2027 season opens on 26 March 2027.
• Playoffs (Climax Series): October, if the Carp qualify.
• Most games are night games, usually starting at 18:00. Summer day games can be very hot.

How to get tickets

When they go on sale

In recent seasons, all home games went on sale at once around the start of March (fan-club lottery in late February, general online sale on 1 March, stadium window from early March). Weekend games and games against Hanshin and the Giants sell out fast. Weekday games often have seats left much later — in my experience, weekdays are far easier.

Where to buy

• Official Carp Online Ticket — you need a free Carp ID, and the site can switch to English. Tickets are e-tickets, so you can send them to friends by link.
• Convenience stores — the ticket machines at 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart sell Carp tickets until the game starts. This is the easy option if the online registration doesn’t accept your overseas card or phone number. I’ve used both the official site and convenience stores.
• Stadium ticket office — same-day tickets are sold only if the game isn’t sold out.
• Agents such as KLOOK resell tickets at a markup. They’re an option if everything else fails.

There’s no official resale. Reselling tickets without the club’s consent is against the ticket terms, so be careful with unofficial resale sites.

Which seat? (2026 prices, adult)

There are also group seats for 5–8 people, such as lie-down terraces and kotatsu-style boxes, plus party decks. Prices are the same for every opponent and every day. Check the 2027 prices when they’re announced.

My advice: if it’s your only game, sit in the infield to watch the game, and walk over and look at the right-field stand so you can see what the fans are doing. If you want to join in, book Carp Performance B.

How to cheer

Wear red

Carp fans wear red: replica jerseys, towels, caps. Buying a Carp towel or uniform at the stadium’s official shop is half the fun, and you’ll feel part of the crowd straight away.

Cheer songs and the squat

In the right-field stand, fans sing a different song for each Carp batter, with drums and trumpets. From the second time through a player’s song, fans start the squat cheer (sukuwatto ōen): standing up and sitting down in rhythm, again and again. There’s no fixed pattern — just follow the people around you. Your legs will feel it the next day. I’ve done it many times, and it’s one of the best parts of a game.

The 7th-inning jet balloons

Before the Carp bat in the 7th inning, the whole stadium sings “Soreike Carp” and releases long red balloons into the sky at the same moment.

• Balloons came back in 2023 after a break during COVID.
• You can’t blow them up by mouth — you need a pump. Buy the official balloon and pump at the stadium.
• Start inflating once the visitors reach two outs in the top of the 7th.

This is the moment everyone remembers. Don’t miss it.

Getting to Mazda Stadium

• On foot: about 10 minutes from JR Hiroshima Station. Take the south exit, head east and follow Carp Road, lined with player photos and Carp monuments. This is the easiest way, and what I usually do.
• By car: there’s no general parking at the stadium. A limited number of advance parking tickets are sold for some games. Otherwise, use a nearby coin-operated car park — but note many switch to higher event rates on game days, and they fill up.
• By taxi or bus: buses run to stops near the stadium, and taxis are easy from the station.
• From the airport: the airport bus to Hiroshima Station takes about 50 minutes, but the last bus back to the airport leaves before a night game ends. Stay the night.

Food and drink

• Draft beer from the vendors who walk the aisles with kegs on their backs. Raise your hand and they come to you. This is what I always have.
• The stadium has hundreds of food items, including okonomiyaki, rice balls, Carp Udon (with a carp-shaped fish cake on top) and Hiroshima beef bowls.
• You can bring your own food into regular seats. I often buy food outside first.

Carry-in rules

• Cans, bottles and plastic bottles can’t go into the stands. At the gate, staff pour your drinks into paper cups.
• No umbrellas in the seats — bring a rain poncho.
• No pets.

After the game

When the game ends, tens of thousands of people head for Hiroshima Station at the same time. The station gets very crowded. Wait a little: stay in your seat for the hero interview, look around the shop, or get a drink nearby, then walk back. You’ll have a much easier trip.

FAQ

Do I need to understand baseball?
No. Just watch the crowd and join in.

Can I buy tickets on the day?
Only if the game isn’t sold out. For weekends, buy in advance.

Is it OK to cheer for the other team?
Yes, but sit in the visitor sections, not the Carp cheering section.

What if it rains?
Games can be cancelled for rain. Tickets for cancelled games are refunded — how depends on where you bought them.

Kaz

Tokushima local with family roots in Hiroshima

I live in Tokushima and my family is from Hiroshima, where I also used to live. I still go back several times a year. The guides here come from places I have actually been. Where I haven't tried something myself, I say so.