In Japan, baseball is not a pastime — it's a national obsession. And for many of the country's youth, the sport has become a rite of passage, epitomized by the national high school baseball tournament known simply as "Koshien." Four thousand teams enter, but only 49 are chosen to compete in the championship that grips the nation for two weeks every August. | Read the synopsis »

INTERVIEW: BOBBY VALENTINE

The former manager of the New York Mets led the team to the World Series in 2000. Now he manages the Chiba Lotte Marines, who won the Japan Series under his tutelage. He explains what's different between American and Japanese baseball and the international competition he'd really like to see.  » 

"THE GREATEST GLORY"

What's it like to play in Koshien stadium? Why do all the players cry whether they win or lose? Watch video interviews with Hideki Matsui, Robert Whiting and other baseball experts to find out more about Koshien and high school baseball in Japan.  »