As the regular season quickly approaches (Opening Day is March 26!), we have been made aware of a few opportunities you have to get involved in.
First and most appealing (to me) is a film viewing and panel discussion being sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). As a non-member (which I assume you all to be), it will cost you ¥1,800 to join, but this is what you get:
- 3-day access to stream the highly-acclaimed documentary, Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams (March 26-28)
- Admittance into a panel discussion with the film’s producer, Canadian Academy (Kobe) alum Ema Ryan Yamazaki and renowned author Robert Whiting (March 30)
Click on the picture for access to the registration site. You must register by March 25 at 17:00 (Japan time) to gain access codes/links.
Check out a preview of the documentary below.
Next, you can get any of your Tigers merchandise signed by the legendary Randy Bass for as little as $15 per piece! Details can be obtained by emailing Neal Tucker at mntucker@kc.rr.com. If you want to show some love to JapanBall, tell Neal that you were sent his way by them! Here are some sample items that could be sent off for autographing:
Finally, Hanshin needs your help to make the start of the season a special one for the players and other fans. There are two things you can do to get yourself into the mix.
Want to get into the next edition of Monthly Tigers Magazine? Then send them a picture (3 MB or smaller) of yourself decked out in Tigers gear, and include the following information: 1) Your favorite player; 2) A message to the team (40 words or less); 3) Your name/nickname; 4) Your address (prefecture only will be in the mag); 5) Your age. Ten lucky entrants will receive an autographed colored paper! Email it to: tigers@toyo-s.co.jp no later than March 16 (Japan time). If you need help with Japanese translation for the message, I can help! They probably will not accept just English – but you never know.
Want to be on the scoreboard at Koshien during pregame warm-ups on April 2? Send a 10-second video (horizontal, not vertical!) of yourself decked out in Tigers gear and giving a shout-out to the team! End your message with the words, “Cho-cho-cho : Idomu, Koeru, Itadaki e” which is the team slogan this year. Send the video to fantomotto@hanshintigers.co.jp or post it to your social media (Twitter/Instagram) with the #ファンともっとプロジェクト hashtag. If by email, make sure the subject line says ファンともっと！プロジェクト！応援メッセージ and include the following information: your name, address, phone number. Thirty lucky entrants will also receive autographed color-paper. The deadline for this is also March 16 (Japan time). Check the sample video below:
The season is going to be upon us soon! Let’s make it one to remember forever, Tigers fans! Enjoy your final few weeks without Hanshin baseball!!!