@Aeolus
Thanks for your comment! I'm sorry for replying to you individually due to some circumstances on my end.
As for Buddhism, I think those who practice it or work at temples would know more, but personally, I’m not very well-versed in it. Sorry!
In Japan, talking about religion—not just Buddhism—tends to be seen as a bit of a taboo. Unless you actively research it yourself, information doesn't really reach you in daily life. That said, we do use many words and phrases that actually originate from Buddhism.
Baseball is definitely one of the most popular sports in Japan! High school baseball tournaments in the summer and professional leagues have been popular for a long time and are regularly televised. Since Ichiro and, more recently, Shohei Ohtani have been so successful in the MLB, we see news about them all the time.
While I'm not a die-hard baseball fan and don't follow specific teams closely, I do love the story about Ichiro’s number 51 being retired. I was touched to hear that Randy Johnson, who wore the number before him, gave his blessing for it.
May 05 · 2 days ago