Shohei Ohtani: Hometown Hero Inspires Local Pride

Hironobu Kanno, representative of a private fan club of Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, speaks near a Nambu cast iron wind chime, one of famed local products, at his beauty salon in Oshu, no

OSHU CITY, Japan (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's hometown in northern Japan, Oshu City, is a rural area known for its Maesawa beef, traditional ironware craftsmanship, and picturesque green hills and mountains. Referred to as “inaka” in Japanese, meaning the countryside, Oshu City is located 300 miles (500 kilometers) from Tokyo, offering a serene and tranquil environment.

Oshu City takes immense pride in Shohei Ohtani, who began his baseball journey in the local Little League with the Mizusawa Pirates and later played for Hanamaki Higashi High School before making his mark in the World Series. As Ohtani's Los Angeles Dodgers compete for the championship, fans in Oshu City eagerly follow his games.