The appeal of baseball is not just the plays during the game.The fervor of the stadium, the interaction between supporters, delicious beer and snacks...There are several points of interest.Those are things that you can only experience by actually going to the stadium.We had a conversation with Sayaka Imai, a member of the Rakuten Girls, who also works as a beer vendor at Chiba Marine Stadium. She discussed the differences and charms of Japanese and Taiwanese Baseball.

“What kind of image comes to mind when you hear the word ‘support’ in Baseball?In Japan, you would hold a megaphone in the outfield seats and cheer for your favorite baseball team, wouldn’t you?In Taiwan, the norm is for cheerleaders to dance on the bench stands to each player’s cheer song, which livens up the stadium.Japan and Taiwan are geographically close, but their cheering cultures are completely different.I want to convey not only such plays, but also the joy of watching baseball.

Originally, I was not particularly interested in Baseball, but after I started working as a beer salesgirl, I witnessed the passion of the fans who sincerely supported the players and the enjoyment of the fans at the stadium. This made me realize that “Baseball is interesting” and sparked my interest.In the beginning, I didn’t even understand the rules of baseball or what constituted good or bad play. However, as I watched various games, I became more and more engrossed, and started to go watch games all over Japan.The trigger for falling in love is truly unpredictable, isn’t it? (laughs).

I began to want to watch foreign games as well, so I watched the exchange match between the Lamigo Monkeys (now Rakuten Monkeys) and the Chiba Lotte Marines at the Taoyuan Baseball Stadium. That’s when I first encountered the Rakuten Girls.The cheerleaders were livening up the stadium together with the spectators, it was a type of cheerleading completely different from Japan.I started visiting there frequently and, by chance, ended up joining.I’m not always in Taiwan, so it’s challenging to find opportunities to synchronize dances with my Rakuten Girls teammates. However, I ensure to learn the songs and choreography whenever I find free time.I am able to keep going because there are fans who are expecting a lot from me.

The style of cheering differs between Japan and Taiwan, therefore the atmosphere in the stadiums is also different.In Japan, the charm lies in the powerful cheerleading where supporters in the outfield seats raise their voices together. In Taiwan, however, cheerleaders dance in the infield seats, and the fans also dance along with them, which creates a sense of unity that is distinctive.I think the entire stadium is so excited that it’s probably giving the players a boost.When the theme of “Chance” starts playing, the atmosphere becomes incredibly heated, doesn’t it?Dancing is tough, but it’s more enjoyable than anything else, and there’s no helping it. The thought of being a part of creating that atmosphere makes me happy.This heat is quite hard to convey through photos alone, so I would like everyone in Japan to visit a Taiwanese baseball stadium at least once.I believe you will surely be captivated.

As far as I’m concerned, I hope to engage in activities that can serve as a bridge between Japan and Taiwan, so that more and more people can come to watch Taiwanese Baseball.Watching a game alone at a baseball stadium in Japan is not particularly challenging. However, when it comes to watching baseball overseas, even though Japan and Taiwan are geographically close, it somehow feels like a greater hurdle.I want to eliminate that gap.We have even organized a viewing tour for Japanese people called the “Sayaka Imai Tour,” and I hope to eventually bring Japan’s beer-selling culture to Taiwan.”It’s my secret ambition, you know (laughs).”

INTERVIEW: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS) TEXT: Kodai Wada