The Fourth-Generation Owner and Professional Baseball (Both 90 Years Old!)
Long ago, the baseball-loving fourth-generation owner played amateur baseball and is said to have formed a Yahata Sushi baseball team that played games against other teams.
In those days, there were many young staff members, so apparently they were able to form a team made up entirely of Yahata Sushi employees.
They even played at the now-defunct Abe Baseball Stadium, so it was quite a serious undertaking.
The fifth-generation owner also loves baseball. As an elementary school child, he played every day after school, and during his student years, he was practically kidnapped by a die-hard Hanshin Tigers fan friend and taken all the way to Koshien Stadium to watch Hanshin play the Giants.
As students, we had little money, so we would line up from early in the morning to watch from the cheering section.
No matter which team you support, the excitement and energy of watching a game at the ballpark are unforgettable.
The other day, a guest gave us tickets to the Giants–Hanshin professional baseball game, so I invited the fourth-generation owner and we went to Tokyo Dome.
It had been a long time since our last visit to Tokyo Dome.
And since it was this classic rivalry, the stadium was packed to capacity.
Our seats were season tickets behind home plate, with the players just a stone’s throw away.
We were also delighted that our own Shinnosuke Shigenobu was on the bench.
After the ceremonial first pitch by kabuki actor Koshiro Matsumoto, it was play ball!
And so the exciting game began.
Whenever the team got a hit or scored a run, the fourth-generation owner waved an orange towel in delight.
Seeing him enjoy it so much made bringing him along well worthwhile.
This year marks 90 years since the Yomiuri Giants were founded in 1934.
And, as everyone knows, the fourth-generation owner of Yahata Sushi is also 90 years old.
Ninety years is nearly a century, so to the fifth-generation owner’s working-age generation and younger people, it is a very long time ago indeed.
The fourth-generation owner’s connection with the Giants also goes back a long way. He says that Goro Taniguchi, who distinguished himself in prewar university baseball and later served as a Giants coach, taught him tips for good pitching.
Hearing stories from those days as well made for a very enjoyable and meaningful game.
We left the stadium hoping for the continued prosperity of the Yomiuri Giants and Japanese baseball as a whole, as well as for the fourth-generation owner’s good health.
