2019年（令和元年）7月6日（土）THE

週刊NY生活SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU

JAPAN VOICECOOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ Viewpoints[English Edition］ (22)The Heart of Wagashi
Wagashi Tsukasa Izumiya
owner Junichi Mihoridemonstrates Japanese sweets
On the evening of June 10, Asia
Society held an event showcasing
Japanese sweets. Junichi Mihori, theowner of the confectionery store
Wagashi Tsukasa Izumiya, located in
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, gave a demonstration on the process of creating
Japanese sweets. Mr. Mihori hassought to develop the making ofJapanese sweets as a form of art.
Motivated to have people recognize
the spirit behind Japanese sweets, hehas worked overseas in places such as

https://www.yomiuri-info.jp/daily_yomiuri/nys/

Shikoku Island League Plus Director Michitaro Nakamura shakes hands with Hideki Matsui
at Consul General's house in New YorkKeep Going!
Former New York Yankee, Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui,encourages all-star team from Shikoku Island League Plus;
Shikoku Island League Plus tours North America
The all-star team from Shikoku
Island League Plus, an independent
professional baseball league from theisland of Shikoku, Japan, are touring
North America for the third time since2016. Since June, they have played 20
games in New York, New Jersey andQuebec in Canada against six teams in
the American independent baseballleague.
On June 17, a talk was held featuring Hiroaki Sakaguchi, director ofShikoku Island League Plus, and former New York Yankee, Hideki“Godzilla” Matsui, at the Consulate
General of Japan in New York. Allstar team members were also in attendance.

Matsui said “There is nothing you cando if you strike out due to a skillful pitcher, however, if you miss a chance to hit
the ball, that’s your responsibility. Youcannot control game delays due to weather conditions, but you can control yourself before you get into the batter’s box.
You have to try hard to produce goodresults. I’m expected to make a hit or ahome run for my team, so I practice myswings as much as I can to make that
happen. We cannot produce good results
all the time, but we can try harder eachtime.”“I don’t like the word ‘slump’.
You just do what you normally do,
and do the same thing on the field. If
you get distracted by others, you cannot produce good results. If somegood baseball players, like O orIchiro, cannot produce good results,then people will say they're in aslump. But, if it were you, that means
you don’t have enough skills and are
not mentally strong enough. There
has to be something more you can do.

Sydney, Australia, receiving highpraise from many. Mr. Kanji
Yamanouchi, Consul General ofJapan in New York, gave his congratulations to Mr. Mihori. He stated thatJapanese sweets represent “hospitalityand a sense of calmness,” which hesaid relates to the meaning behind thename of Japan’s new Reiwa era:
beautiful harmony.
During the demonstration, theaudience's eyes were glued at thesight of Mr. Mihori carefully adding
patterns to his sweets, with his handiwork projected onto a large screen.
After the demonstration, Mr. Mihori
held a Q&A session, and was asked
why he continues to introduce
Japanese sweets to countries outsideof Japan. He answered, “Right now,the children of Japan are eating morechocolates, cakes and other western
sweets instead of Japanese sweets. By
developing the culture of Japanese
sweets and having it gain popularity
in the west, I intend to, eventually,
I don’t do anything special for my bodymaintenance; I feel ready when I go tothe stadium and put my uniform onbecause I practice for myself when I’m
not wearing my uniform.”“I’m originally from Ishikawa prefecture, where professional baseballteams came only once a year, so that

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convey the beauty of Japan back toJapanese children.”Currently, Mr. Mihori is using six different social media accounts to convey
the beauty of Japanese sweets. Regarding
this, he commented “I believe the captions of my posts are more important
than my actual creations. My captions area philosophy that cannot be replicated bytechnology. One day, 3D printers will beable to replicate anything, and make hundreds of that same thing in a very shortamount of time. However, what’s important is the ‘heart’ that goes into my creations. I truly desire to create deliciousness that is unique to me, and cannot be
replicated by an AI,” he concluded, inciting loud applause from the audience.
After the demonstration, there was a
reception held in the main hall, where tea
and freshly made mizu yokan wereserved. Here, the guests were greeted byKimono House employees, who all wore
beautiful kimono and gave out flowers tothem.
(Article by Ryoichi Miura / Translated by
Yudai Kaneda)
was a big event for kids. Kids pay attention to the players, and remember thosespecial moments forever, so I always
think about my fans. I try to be on mybest behavior and to not be rude. Now, I
want to say to you: Please do not forget
what you felt when you started thiscareer. Think by yourself, and take selfmotivated actions which will lead you togain confidence. Do what you can do,and keep going!”(Article by Ryoichi Miura / Translated
by Chikako Iwasaki)

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