On my last weekend in Japan, I wanted to add one more B.League venue to my list. I had three choices, with the best option in Tachikawa where defending champion Alvark Tokyo were hosting Ryukyu in a battle of 8-2 teams, but Saturday's game was sold out. Unlike in America where tickets are always available on the secondary market, that is often not the case in Japan, particularly for these smaller sports. It wasn't worth the hour train ride to get shut out, so I looked in the opposite direction, choosing to visit the Funabashi Arena for the defending runner-up Chiba Jets rather than Yokohama for the B-Corsairs.
Funabashi is a large town in Chiba Prefecture that serves as host of the Jets. The team used to be in the bj League and I saw a game in Yachiyo back in 2012, but they seemed to have settled in Funabashi Arena since then, and the fans have responded with strong attendance. Note that the arena is nowhere near Funabashi station; instead it lies close to the Kita-Narashino station on the Toyo Rapid Railway, which joins with the Tozai Line, making it easy to reach from central Tokyo. Take Exit 5 and look behind you to see a statue of two youths playing basketball, a sign that you are in the right place. Note the Jets banner just behind as well; there are plenty of them all around Funabashi.
The arena is about a 15-minute walk from here through residential areas. As you get closer, you will notice fellow fans and you can follow them the rest of the way. The arena is quite large from the outside, and seems to contain more than just the basketball court. Like many B.League venues, it is used mostly as a public gym, with the basketball team an occasional tenant.
There are banners of the players along the bridge to the main entrance. As you can see, red is the dominant colour here, and in the B.League, home teams wear dark, so it adds to the theme. That's Gavin Edwards in the foreground below.
Inside, more pictures of the players...
...as well as the logo with that pink elephant and another mascot, Ora, which has something in its eye.
As this is a public facility, there are no fixed concession stands, instead a number of pop-up shops are set up for the weekend's games and called the Food Lounge. Typical Japanese fare can be found here, along with western foods like pizza and French fries. Drinks can be purchased from vending machines, and all prices are the same as outside.
The arena itself is quite large and seats 4,368 along 4 sides. Standing room tickets are also sold and on this day, attendance was 4,831 indicating almost 500 had purchased that option. The visiting fans sit behind their team's bench; today's visitors were the Sun Rockers of Shibuya, whose yellow-clad fans can be seen on the left below. There are also banners celebrating past championships as well as a retired number 0 for Hiroki Sato, who is now the team's general manager.
There is a walkway above the seating area along both sidelines, and you can stand there without issue. This is certainly better than the assigned standing room area, which is behind the nets at both ends. With the separation between the court and the end zone seats, there is no reason to stay here if you choose to stand. As I was attending with a friend and his family, we purchased seats for 2,500 yen each that were in the corner, from where the above picture was taken.
When I arrived, there was a family occupying those seats, so I moved to the center to stand while waiting for my friend. At this time, the pregame show took place, and it was extremely impressive for this league. With the stadium completely dark except for some fans holding shining tubes, the floor was lit up with a countdown starting from 10 (below). This was followed by at least two minutes of video and laser to get fans pumped, and finished with the introduction of the Jets. Very exciting, but they left the introduction of the visitors to after, which is a bit unusual.
Overall, I really enjoyed this visit to Funabashi Arena, which was loud from start to finish, so much so that it was difficult to talk to my friend. I have to say that the B.League is well on its way to becoming Japan's third most popular circuit behind NPB and J.League. The merger is exactly what they needed to establish the sport across the country, and as the league enters its third season, it seems stronger than ever. Their next step will be an English language website to try to attract more foreigners to the games. If you are visiting Japan during the season and don't speak the language, have a friend help you out and try to attend a game near you. It will be an experience you won't forget.
The Game
With Shibuya coming in at 2-8 to Chiba's 8-2, a blowout was expected, but the teams played a close first half, with the Sun Rockers taking a 43-39 advantage into the break. Midway through the third quarter, Shibuya went on a 12-3 run to make it 60-48, leading my friend to believe that Chiba was the worse team. I told him not to worry, and on cue, the Jets responded with a 17-2 streak that lasted into the final frame to make it 65-62 with 7 minutes to go. The rest of the quarter saw the teams trade the lead, with neither able to establish dominance. Shibuya had a 5-point advantage with a minute to go, but a trey from Aki Chambers (a Japanese national, #10 shooting below) was followed by a pair of free throws from Josh Duncan and the game was tied. Shibuya held for the final shot, but Ryan Kelly was stripped by Michael Parker (a 36-year old who took Japanese nationality so he does not count as a foreign player) who looked to take it in for the win, but he was fouled by Robert Sacre. Still, Parker just needed to make one of two foul shots to clinch the game, but amazingly he missed both, and we had overtime.
Both teams had the lead in the extra period, but again neither could put the game away. Tied at 83 late, Chiba had the ball with no time on the shot clock. With half a second to go, Duncan was fouled by a disbelieving Kelly and this time, both shots were made. Shibuya had one play to tie and it was an interesting one as the ball was lobbed over the defense to bounce in front of the basket, where a running Morihisa Yamauchi picked it up for a layup. Sadly for Shibuya, he missed and the game was over with Chiba prevailing 85-83.
A very exciting game that was ultimately decided by fouls, with Chiba only being whistled 13 times compared to 23 from Shibuya. The Sun Rockers made all 15 of their shots from the charity stripe, while the Jets were only 17 of 26, but those extra two makes were the difference.
Notes
Chiba completed the sweep on Sunday afternoon with a 78-70 win that had similar foul numbers suggesting that the Jets are a bit better on defense.
Last year's title game saw Alvark Tokyo beat Chiba 85-60 in front of 12,005 in Yokohama. Those aren't NPB numbers, but I think within a few years, the league could hold the title game in a much bigger venue. Definitely worth following for Japanese sports fans.
Best,
Sean
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