For the first time in 121 years, the Waseda Baseball Team arrived in San Francisco as part of its US tour. The group received a warm welcome with a dinner party organized by the Waseda Alumni Association of San Francisco (SF Tomonkai). Held on February 23^rd at a restaurant in San Jose, the guests of honor included 25 players, as well as Manager Satoru Komiyama and Club President Airo Hino.

The evening started with warm greetings from former SF Tomonkai chair, Haruko DeArth and Waseda alumnus, Ryu Fukuyama. Next, Manager Komiyama – Waseda alumnus and former professional baseball player both in Japan and in the US, where he played for the New York Mets – gave a speech that captivated attendees. Next was a talk from former SF Tomonkai Chair, Takashi Nishimura, who brought laughs to the room with a reminder of the last time the team played against Stanford – 121 years ago! He then led a toast, after which the team sat down to an American-style dinner with SF Tomonkai and LA Tomonkai members, Keio University alumni association members, Waseda Friends and special guest, Consul Kotaro Otsuki of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.

During the meal, attendees heard talks from Consul Otsuki, and Team Captain Kazuki Kozai. Each team member then gave a brief self-introduction to proud applause. Special guest and film director, Yuriko Gamo Romer, played a trailer and talked about her new film, Diamond Diplomacy, described as a story about US Japan relations through a shared love of baseball.

Then everyone stood for the Waseda University school anthem and was treated to a special accompanying cheer from former member of the Waseda cheerleading squad, Yuka McCauley. The evening ended with closing remarks from Club President Hino and a group photo.

This trip marked the team’s 14^th tour to the US and was made possible with donations received through crowdfunding. Although they came to Los Angeles in 2023, this was only their second time to play in the SF Bay Area, since the very first US tour in 1905. From February 23^rd to March 6^th, the team held a whirlwind of practices and games against California universities, including Santa Clara University, Stanford, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Long Beach and the University of Southern California.