Ian Happ explains why Cubs Tokyo travel is ‘way better’ than London trip
The Cubs are once again taking part in international play when they head to Japan for a set of two exhibition games and two regular season games against the Los Angeles Dodgers next month.
The last time the Cubs played overseas was in 2023 where they split a two-game series against the Cardinals in London, spending only five days there from June 22-26.
“That was the hardest part about London. We got to the hotel around noon on our off day,” Ian Happ said on The Compound podcast Thursday. “The next day, we had a workout. I was an absolute zombie at the workout. Full zombie. Then we played two games and then we went home. So you were never adjusted.
“You were never sleeping right, and that was the hardest part about London. Then adjusting on the way back because we had one off day on the way back. We got in in the morning, and then we were playing regular season games again.”
This stretch in 2025 goes from March 11-18, giving the team eight days in Tokyo. While this series overseas means an earlier report date for Spring Training on Feb. 9, the extra time in Japan allows for body adjustments because of the time change and long travel.
“For me, this schedule is way better,” Happ said. “The nice part is [these games after Japan] are Spring Training games, so they’re early. It’s not night games. Some of the times when you come back, you’re waking up naturally around 5 to 6 a.m. That’s kind of normal for Spring Training so it shouldn’t mess you up too bad, but how quickly do you want to get back into it and not risk any injury?”
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