Every two months, Hayama Chōji, the director in charge of events at the Da Nang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and an event organizer and baseball promotion activist, will deliver a report on the events held in Da Nang.
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Japan-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Festival!
Hello everyone! It’s only just ended, and I’m still gasping for breath (laughs), but the Danan annual event called the “Japan Festival,” the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Festival, was held from July 9 to 12.
This event features various events every year. In addition to the business programs such as "Meat Japan" and "Tourism Symposium" aimed at promoting investment in Danang City, there are also music stages by numerous Japanese-Vietnamese artists. I also participated in performances by the idol group "C-STYLE" from Kichijuku City, who I helped out a little bit, and "Shinkyo Frellamao" who performs worldwide. Because Japanese idol culture is unique, I think I was able to make Vietnamese people enjoy it.
Also, at the opening ceremony and welcome reception on the first day, awards were presented to each performer. Ms. Roko Akko, a guest of the Baseball 5 (hereinafter B5) event that I am involved in planning and organizing, including "C-STYLE" and "Shinkansen Freemono," was also invited to the event and received a commendation from the city of Da Nang.
Furthermore, at the welcome reception, I had the opportunity to interact with the distinguished guests, including Ambassador Ito of the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, Consul-General Mori of the Consulate-General of Japan in Danang, Mayor of Da Nang City, Director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of Da Nang City, and members of the board of directors of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Danang. This was a valuable opportunity to promote B5, and I took full advantage of it!
Holding the first event in Vietnam!
We held the B5 event over two days during the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Festival. This is the first time it has been held in Vietnam, but anything that is “first-hand” is the best.
Some of you might be wondering what "B5" is. But this is a new type of baseball invented by the World Baseball Softball Federation (WBSC). It's a game that can be played anywhere with just one ball. To put it simply for people in their 40s and older, it's "hand-cranked baseball"!
Guest player Shuko Rokuhara was the first Japanese woman to be selected as the WBSC’s 2010 Women’s Baseball MVP. Since then, she has continued to lead the Japanese women’s baseball team and was the only Japanese woman to be selected as a WBSC-certified instructor for the “B5” category. She is also dedicated to spreading the word about the “B5” category in places like Cuba and Malaysia. Simply put, she is “the best female baseball player in the world!” And she is also a wonderful person. She is the best, isn’t she?
The event was held in a format of B5 explanation → demo game → batting first base run experience. There was also a generous plan to give event T-shirts to the participants!
We were pleased to have many people experience and watch the event, and to have once again felt the potential of baseball. We were able to bring smiles to those who experienced the event from countries around the world, including Vietnamese and Japanese people, as well as Taiwan, South Korea, Romania, and Russia. The event ended to great acclaim.
We brought the world's highest peak to Danang
I also gave the female athletes courage.
