The 12 Japan pro baseball teams opened their 2007 spring camps on Thursday. By rule, players are not allowed to work out in uniform until that date and, unlike major leaguers getting ready to go to Florida and Arizona, all the Central and Pacific League clubs break camp on the same day.

Everybody -- pitchers, catchers and fielders -- starts at the same time.

Daily sessions usually begin at 9:30 a.m. with players stretching, running a few laps around the field and playing catch.

After that, it's infield drills and fundamentals. Pitchers practice covering first base, infielders go through double play and rundown drills, outfielders work on throwing to second, third and home and hitting the cutoff man.

About noon, the guys break for lunch, usually a bowl of udon noodles and a couple of onigiri rice balls wrapped in seaweed.

After some tea and fruit, the players head back to the field, and the hitters take batting practice while the pitchers throw in the bullpen.

The workout may end some time between 2 and 4 p.m., after which some players head for the weight room.

Others may have a media interview scheduled, and the manager usually spends 30 minutes or so briefing newspaper reporters.

In later camp sessions, there are simulated games and the Japanese version of the intrasquad games, known here as kohaku-sen or red vs. white.

The camps I have attended did not seem as harsh as they have been cracked up to be, although I recall going to the 2004 Hiroshima Carp site and watching ace right-hander Hiroki Kokubo throw about 200 pitches in the pen, and I have seen infielders drop from exhaustion after being fungoed by a coach until they could go on no longer.

Fans in the rural towns have fun because most of the camps are held at small, cozy fields which can barely be called a stadium. So the observers can get up close and often mingle with players and ask for autographs or pose for photos.

If you will be in Okinawa, Kagoshima, Miyazaki or Kochi this month, be sure to visit one of the camps if you have time.

But, check the schedule, as the guys take a day off every four or five days.

What follows is a team-by-team rundown of where the teams are taking advantage of supposedly warmer weather in those places and Australia.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters -- The defending Japan Series champions are in Nago, Okinawa, through Feb. 27, and manager Trey Hillman's boys will rest on Feb. 5, 9, 14, 19 and 23.

Seibu Lions -- Nango Chuo Koen is the site of the Lions camp in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, in Kyushu. Seibu's players will be there until Feb. 23. Holidays are Feb. 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks -- Manager Sadaharu Oh will put his Hawks through workouts at Ivy Stadium near downtown Miyazaki. The final session of camp is on Feb. 25, and no practices will take place on Feb. 5, 9, 14 and 19. They will also practice in the morning only on Feb. 23.

Chiba Lotte Marines -- Skipper Bobby Valentine and his Marines are soaking up the sun at the Geelong Baseball Center on the coast of Australia. They will practice there until Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day!), except for Feb. 5 and 10, and resume training at Kamoike Stadium in Kagoshima, Kyushu, on Feb. 17. Camp ends there Feb. 26, and the 21st is a day off.

Orix Buffaloes -- A split-camp site is also in store for new manager Terry Collins and the Buffaloes who will practice through Feb. 18 on Miyakojima Island in Okinawa. Holidays are Feb. 5, 10 and 15. From Feb. 19-27, the Buffs will run their drills in the cooler climate of Kochi in Shikoku, with no days off scheduled.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles -- A remote island in Okinawa is also the camp ground for the Eagles, who tune up on Kumejima until Feb. 21, except for Feb. 7, 12 and 17.

Chunichi Dragons -- Chatan, Okinawa, is where the Dragons are sharpening their fundamental skills. Chunichi will be there through Feb. 27 and take time off on Feb. 7, 14 and 21.

Hanshin Tigers -- The Hanshin camp has two phases. The Tigers are in Ginoza, Okinawa, through Feb. 18, with no workouts on Feb. 5, 9 and 13. From Feb. 20 through March 1, the team will hit and throw at their former full-time site in Aki, Kochi Prefecture, on Shikoku Island, with a day off on the 26th.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows -- Urasoe Stadium in Okinawa is the place to find the Swallows practicing until March 2, with holidays on Feb. 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Yomiuri Giants -- The beautiful Sun Marine Stadium in Miyazaki is the Giants' spring training home and, if it rains, the players can move into the Kinohana Dome in what has to be one of Japan's best workout complexes. Camp will end for the Kyojin on Feb. 25, with time off on Feb. 5, 9, 14 and 19.

Hiroshima Carp -- Manager Marty Brown's boys will be getting in shape in Okinawa City through Feb. 12, with days off on Feb. 5 and 9. The team will then work out at its traditional site in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, from Feb. 14 to 27. Off days there are schedule for Feb. 19 and the afternoon on Feb. 23.

Yokohama BayStars -- Ginowan in Okinawa will host the BayStars until Feb. 26, but no sessions will be held on Feb. 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Exhibition games begin before some of the clubs conclude their camps. Five "open" games are scheduled to be played on Saturday, Feb. 24, with the following schedule:

Hanshin vs. Orix at Aki; Softbank vs. Seibu at Miyazaki; Lotte vs. Rakuten at Kagoshima; Nippon Ham vs. Yokohama at Nago; and Chunichi vs. Yakult at Chatan.

The Hiroshima Carp will play their first preseason game on Feb. 25, against the Lions at Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, and the Yomiuri Giants break exhibition game ice at Sapporo Dome against the Fighters on March 1.

Contact Wayne Graczyk at: [email protected]