On January 26, 2026, 12 rookie players from the professional baseball team Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles visited Minamisanriku Town, an area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, marking the 15th anniversary of the disaster, and visited the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial.
This visit has been held for 13 consecutive years as an annual event before spring training.
They keep the memories and lessons of the earthquake in their hearts and cherish their stance as part of the Tohoku region, and this visit was part of that.
The athletes toured the museum's exhibits and learned about the situation at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the path to recovery that the affected areas have taken.
Additionally, around the Disaster Prevention Headquarters, people were seen quietly joining their hands in prayer, remembering the many lives lost in the earthquake.
Through the exhibits and on-site explanations, the participants listened attentively to the importance of taking action to protect lives and the significance of passing on the memory of the earthquake disaster to future generations.
We hope that this visit will be an opportunity for the players to reconsider the meaning of playing in Tohoku and that it will lead to further success in the future.
The Minamisanriku 311 Memorial will continue to meet with many people and pass on the memories and lessons of the earthquake disaster to future generations.
