Photo/Illutration Masayuki Sato works on the field at Sakigake Yabase Baseball Stadium in Akita Prefecture. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Drums and other musical instruments are not permitted, nor is loud cheering.

And there will be no big day at Koshien Stadium, even if your team wins the regional championship.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, these are some of the conditions under which independently held regional high school baseball tournaments are taking place around Japan this summer.

I decided to go to see a game at the Sakigake Yabase Baseball Stadium in Akita.

Aside from team members, the only people admitted to the stands were the players' parents or guardians. And everybody had their temperature taken.

The batters' shouts sounded really loud. And contrary to my preconceived images of high school baseball in summer with players of the defeated team bawling their eyes out, I was surprised that none of the third- and final-year players of the losing team looked particularly bitter or disappointed.

In fact, they all flashed satisfied smiles as they left the stadium.

"I'm happy that I was able to play," one said.

"I needed a sense of closure, and I got it," another noted.

"I can totally relate to their feelings," said Masayuki Sato, 53, an employee of the city of Akita. "Your last summer (of playing high school baseball) is unforgettable. Compared to the disappointment of not playing a game, it's infinitely more gratifying--even if you get creamed."

Sato, a former high school ballplayer himself, has been a groundskeeper for 30 years.

He pitched at this stadium for Kakunodate High School. His team was eliminated in the second round, but he never even hoped to go to Koshien in his wildest dreams anyway. But he fully relished his experience of taking the mound, as the stadium back then was sometimes the official venue of pro baseball games.

"It's seen better days, but back in my day, this was Akita's Koshien," Sato beamed.

After each game, Sato lovingly maintains the ground, together with the teenage ballplayers.

Watching them perform the task, I thought of the great majority of boys who never make it to Koshien, as well as those who devote themselves to extracurricular activities other than baseball.

Reveling in the grand occasion of your young life and giving all you've got must be exactly how you want to "graduate" from any high school club activity.

The rainy season was taking a break and the sun was shining when I was at the Sakigake Yabase Baseball Stadium. The chirping of a lone cicada resonated with surprising clarity.

Watching from the stands where everything looked unfamiliar, I thought I glimpsed the essence of high school club activity.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 15

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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