I'm sure many Japanese came to Seattle for this. I'm feeling quite lucky to be here. For those who could not make the trans-Pacific trip, there was no need to despair. Mariners fans awash in the setting sun add some Far East flavor to the Safeco Field atmosphere. The historic sports event was televised live in Japan, where people are taking time off from work to celebrate Golden Week, a holiday stretch that includes Constitution Day.
Baseball is, of course, just a game.
Yet, yesterday's occasion offered a footnote for the history books, marking a continuation of ties between Japan and the Pacific Northwest that touches on four centuries. In 1791, Lady Washington, a rigged sailing vessel carrying sea-otter pelts from the Northwest, became the first American vessel to make landfall in Japan. In 1834, three Japanese sailors made a historic arrival in the region, near Cape Flattery. In 1880, the U.S. Census recorded the first Japanese resident in Washington. Five years later, the Japanese Consulate set up shop in Tacoma before relocating to Seattle.