Cubs infielder Nicky Lopez is no stranger to the Tokyo Dome and the Japanese culture of respect.

“They’re energetic, they’re yelling the whole game, singing songs, doing chants,” Lopez said of Japanese fans. 

Lopez interacted with fans in Japan for the first time in 2023 as a member of the Italian National Baseball team in the World Baseball Classic. During the quarterfinals, Team Italy faced off with Team Japan at the Tokyo Dome, where Nicky Lopez experienced Japanese culture and respect in more than one way.

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“Ohtani went 3-0 on a batter, and the fans got up and started cheering for him, giving him a little encouragement,” Lopez said, “But then they’re silent when he’s pitching. They’re just silent, watching him, which is really cool.”

Nicky Lopez even received a standing ovation as an opposing player from the fans in the Tokyo Dome for a nice defensive play.

“I made a pretty good play off of one of their players, and they gave me a standing ovation just because it was a good play,” said Lopez, “The respect there is unbelievable. They really, truly like good baseball and they respect one another there. So it’s a special place to play at.”

Japanese baseball fans are some of the most passionate in the sport. Many compare the fandom and passion of baseball fans in Japan to that of the English Premier League and other international football/soccer fandoms. Think pep bands, cheerleaders, tons of mascots and even specialized crowd conductors.

That’s quite the contrast compared to MLB ballparks in the U.S.

Earlier in spring training, Shota Imanaga discussed Japanese Baseball culture at games, specifically mentioning the “cheer songs” that Japanese fans do at games for each player. 

“For the home team, home fans when they’re hitting, they have ‘cheer songs’ for each individual player,” Shota Imanaga said through his interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “It’s so the team and player can be one and be together.”

When asked if fans might sing ‘Go Cubs Go’ when they are in Tokyo, Imanaga said, “I think the core fans who know who I am, I think they would know.”

The Cubs head to Tokyo next week as part of the Japan International Series, where they will play 2 exhibition games against Japanese opponents before opening regular season play on March 18th and 19th versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.