Photo/Illutration Naoto Otani hold bags of “Ohtani rice” in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on Oct. 25. He grows rice and soybeans on about 6 hectares of farmland. (Masahiro Iwata)

NOSHIRO, Akita Prefecture--Farmer Naoto Otani is knocking it out of the park with his product that shares a similar name to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani, who is currently playing in the World Series.

Inspired by remarkable coincidences―the area’s name, residents’ names and even the postal code all connect to Ohtani―he launched a product called “Otani rice.”

“I’m excited to see (the Dodgers) facing a strong team―the New York Yankees,” said Otani, 52, a rice and soybean farmer in Noshiro’s Kuriyama district at the foot of the Shirakami Mountains.

Noshiro city officials estimate that around 90 percent of households in the Kuriyama district share the surname “Otani.”

Shohei Ohtani’s great-grandfather is said to have come from the district.

The district, along with three nearby towns in the Yamamoto district, is known as the Noshiro-Yamamoto region.

The names “Kuriyama,” “Otani” and “Yamamoto” bring to mind three prominent figures from Japan’s national team that won the 2023 World Baseball Classic: manager Hideki Kuriyama, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani.

The coincidences don’t end there.

The Kuriyama district’s postal code, 016-0017, matches both Ohtani’s jersey numbers: 16 for Japan’s national team and 17 for the Dodgers.

“This coincidence is amazing,” said Otani, his acquaintances and locals as they talked about it.

Inspired by these coincidences, Otani decided to brand his homegrown Akita Komachi rice as Otani rice.

Despite the rice being priced at a premium 1,950 yen ($13) for 1,800 grams, it sold well at a local “michi-no-eki” (roadside station) in summer last year.

Otani created postcard-size promotional tags reading, “This rice is grown by Otani-san in Kuriyama.”

When Ohtani reached the milestone of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in September, the farmer launched a “50-50” set of polished and unpolished rice, which quickly became a hit.

Early in the summer, Otani sent a letter to manager Kuriyama introducing Otani rice, not expecting much in return.

To his surprise, he received a reply: “Please continue to express the spirit of Japan through agriculture.”

The words left Otani feeling a renewed sense of purpose.

He sometimes felt discouraged by online criticism calling his efforts “opportunistic,” but he was driven by a strong sense of urgency: “If nothing is done, local farming will decline.”

“Just like Ohtani, I love taking on challenges,” Otani said. “I want to give back to my hometown by revitalizing the Kuriyama district, and then Noshiro city and Akita Prefecture.”

Otani is even planning a special promotion if the Dodgers win the World Series.

“Someday, I’d like to deliver this rice to Shohei Ohtani and have him try it,” he said.

Ohtani Rice is available for purchase online at https://radio5.base.shop/

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