Hello, everyone." Kohlen. Renamed soy sauce soy sauce. @RoadToBudokan". It's been a while. (The reason for the name change will come up again later. Daretok information?) Again, more than a year has passed since my last post ( 26/10/2014 ). (Sorry, editor-in-chief, I'm really sorry...)

Recently, I have not been active as a Negiwotaku (chasing Niigata's top idol Negicco), and this summer, I was chasing a white ball with a black tan while cheering for my son's (now in the fourth year of primary school) schoolchildren's baseball game. The short summer is over in the blink of an eye and it is now late November. The baseball season is now in its off-season and the cold winter in Niigata is about to begin.

This is not a Negicco story, but a report on a wonderful event at the biggest baseball stadium in Niigata.

Ecosta batting centre opened!

On Thursday 19 November 2015, I had a weekday off for the first time in a while, so I went to Ecosta with my Batting Centre goods (bat only). Ecosta is the abbreviation for Niigata Prefectural Toriyano Lagoon Park Baseball Stadium (HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata), a dedicated baseball stadium with a capacity of 30,000 that was created in 2009 and is not only the home of Niigata Albirex BC of the Route Inn BC League, but also hosts the summer high school baseball final games, It is also a sacred ground for Niigata's ballplayers, having hosted the professional all-star baseball game in 2010.

In addition to baseball, summer festivals have also been held in recent years, with Negicco performing at this summer's Music and Beards 2015, which is still fresh in our minds.

Hard Off ECO Stadium Niigata.

http://www.hardoff-eco-stadium.jp/

It's a weekday, so the quirky parking lot is deserted. Today, instead of watching the game in the stands, I enter through the main entrance as a slugger. Let's go for it!"

The digital signage at the front of the building showed a commercial for the event earlier in the day.

A number of memorabilia, including autographs and balls, are on display in the entrance hall. I wonder if Maeken's autograph is there too.

There was also a timeline of Niigata's high school baseball championship history on display. 1993 was the year I went to Koshien Stadium to cheer for the team.

There was also a miniature model of the stadium, and I was deeply impressed by the fact that such a beautiful stadium was built in Niigata Prefecture.

After a few moments of emotional reflection, it's time to get on the ground.

If you go through this long corridor, you will find,

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Ecosta is really big!

At the end of a long corridor. That was Ecosta. Finally, we entered the ground. It's wide. Really spacious. As expected, the ground area: 14, 300 m², both wings: 100 m, middle: 122 m.

Ooh, I'm doing it, I'm doing it. The thought of being able to be in that batting line-up myself is just that much more exciting.

Before going to bat, first get ready. The equipment is not in the locker room, but on the bench. The benches are very clean, even though they have been completed for six years. Keep your valuables under strict control.

Tickets were sold by the benches.

24 balls (2 dozen) at a time for 500 yen. To allow as many people as possible to play, each person buys one ticket. If there is room afterwards, the next ticket can be purchased.

Receive a reception slip and wait for your turn.

While you are waiting for your turn, you should warm up (preparatory exercise). You can freely use the equipment for toss batting. The ballpark is also widely available, so we warmed up carefully in the outfield.

This is the pitching machine (manufactured by Mizuno) that the other party is using today. It is spring-loaded, so the speed is not easily adjustable.

This is a common sight at professional baseball practices.

Finally, to bat!

Finally, it's time to take a turn. The aim is a home run!

Pitcher, I threw the first pitch!

KITTER! The perfect pitch ---!

Boom! Struck out! Yeah, 110 kilometres, yeah.

Yo, next time I'm going to hit it into the left stand!

Pitcher 2nd pitch, thrown -.

Boom! Struck out in vain.

Unfortunately, I couldn't hit a home run, but the exhilaration of hitting the core of the bat was humbling. I strongly vowed to hone my arm more and more (through daily swinging) and aim for a stand-in someday.

Ecosta Batting Centre, next scheduled event.

The Ecosta Batting Centre, due to its popularity, will be held again in December. What a surprise, the next event will be held on a Saturday. Baseball boys and girls, meet at Ecosta! As this is the first time it will be held on a Saturday and it is expected to be crowded, the next event (5 December) will be 'advance booking only'.

When I phoned the venue they were taking bookings every 30 minutes; as of Monday 23 November, they are dilly-dallying. Baseball in Niigata is hot in the off-season, too!

■ 5 Dec (Sat) Holding of the Ecosta Batting Centre

http://www.hardoff-eco-stadium.jp/information/detail.php?back=list&id=613

• [Date] Saturday, 5 December 2015.
• Times] 10:00-13:00.
• Venue] HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata Ground (570 Nagata, Chuo-ku, Niigata City)
• Softball] Softball A, 24 balls per session (2 dozen).
• Ball speed] around 110 km (only one softball machine dedicated to straight balls)
• Participation fee] 500 yen/trip
• Advance booking required *Participation on the day is possible, but priority will be given to those who have applied in advance.
• Conditions of participation: open to all.
• Bring] Bat, batting gloves and helmet (available on loan).
• For enquiries and applications, contact HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata TEL: 025-287-8900

HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata official website

【facebook】https://www.facebook.com/eco.stadium

【twitter】https://twitter.com/eco_stadium