Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1412/

Japanese Fans

Well, NHK televised each and every start that he made that first couple years and I was in the T.V. truck all the time and we could just hear – inside a T.V. truck you’re sort of basically in a different world but – you could hear the fans roar, even in the T.V. truck. And I believe it was American fans also that were cheering on, I know a lot of Japanese tourists came, one of their highlights was to see a Nomo game and I believe there were packages just for Nomo start games.

At NHK we had big screens around Shibuya station, which is one of the biggest stations in the world I want to say, but big screens were set up there, and also Shinjuku, a few other places and people would just stop and just watch. Because of the time difference, most of the games would start at eleven o’clock in the morning their time, so they were able to watch during their lunch hours, I believe a lot of housewives became very familiar with American baseball – because of Nomo-san – they became dedicated fans.

It was really cool to wear the sixteen, the…his number tee-shirt. It was really cool to wear that and also a stadium jacket, those were the two coolest things that you could wear the first couple years that he was with the Dodgers.


baseball broadcasting Hideo Nomo Japan Japan Broadcasting Corporation NHK (firm) Nihon Hoso Kyokai United States

Date: December 20, 2013

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Mark Langill

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Margaret Narumi, Producer at NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc., in Santa Monica, California, for two decades has produced broadcasts to Japan of Major League Baseball in the United States, featuring Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo, Hideki Matsui and Yu Darvish. Her interview for Discover Nikkei was conducted in both English and Japanese as part of a documentary on Hideo Nomo for the Japanese American National Museum exhibit, Dodgers—Brotherhood of the Game. (September 2014)

Yamano,Jane Aiko

Having patience in Japan, being both

(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.

Yamano,Jane Aiko

Preserving traditional Japanese culture

(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Working at the magazine

(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.

Yonamine,Wally Kaname

The privations of living in post-war Japan, 1952

(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.

Yamada,Luis

Proud to be a Japanese desecendant (Spanish)

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

Suto,Henry

School life in Japan (Japanese)

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

Suto,Henry

Identity (Japanese)

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

Amano,Miyoko

Yoshitaro Amano’s Business in Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1929) President of Amano Museum

Seki,Toshihiko

The Road to Success As a Sushi Chef (Japanese)

(n. 1962) Sushi Chef

Seki,Toshihiko

Making Sushi and Enjoying Life (Japanese)

(n. 1962) Sushi Chef

Seki,Toshihiko

Raising a Golden Egg (Japanese)

(n. 1962) Sushi Chef

Taoka,Isao

Views on Japanese Youth (Japanese)

(b. 1943) Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan

Ashimine Oshiro,Masakatsu Jaime

The Image of Japan: Expectations versus Reality (Spanish)

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

Onchi,Toshiko Elena

The importance of knowing the Japanese language (Spanish)

Japanese Peruvian in Japan

Horikiri,Edward Toru

My image of America as a child (Japanese)

(b. 1929) Kibei Nisei