Dive, dive, police officer!” Rejoicing at the first thing in 18 years! Osaka Minami “Big Excitement Photo” filled with excitement!

The word “that” is a common word among Hanshin fans, meaning a victory. The expression “that thing” has been used on a dare because of the lesson learned from the last time a fan carelessly said the word “championship” and missed it.

At around 3:00 p.m. on September 14, buses of Osaka Prefectural Police riot police arrived in Minami one after another. A one-kilometer-long lane from Shinsaibashi to Namba was covered with police vehicles, and on the Dotonbori Bridge, a black sheet was set up on the Ebisu Bridge side where the Glico signboard is located. Measures were taken to control the traffic on the bridge.

Around 19:00, when it became certain that the “thing” was over, riot police and others disembarked from the buses one after another, and began full-fledged security measures to guard the crowds. The riot police went to the waiting area with their bags containing helmets and other protective gear, in addition to large shields, in case the crowd turned into a riot.

Restaurants in the Ebisubashi Bridge area began preparing to close early, and those with terrace seating facing the river were also hurriedly cleaning up. When we spoke to the owner, he said, “I don’t want to have chairs and tables thrown into the river, so I’m closing as soon as possible. You never know what might happen,” he said as he worked quickly and efficiently.

At 8:49 p.m., the Hanshin Tigers finally won the Central League championship for the first time in 18 years.

At the moment of the victory, the streets of Minami were filled with great excitement and enthusiasm. From this point on, there were festivities everywhere. The customary dive from Ebisu Bridge was made impossible by the large number of police officers deployed on the bridge. The Ebisu Bridge was replaced by the current one in 2007, so its structure is very different from that of 18 years ago.

However, there is a promenade facing the river below Ebisu Bridge, and people began to jump in from there. The reason was that there were only a minimal number of police officers stationed here. The people gathered around said, “You’re the best today! You did it! The police officers were also giving warnings.

The crowd also cheered for the policemen who had been giving constant warnings to the crowd. but the police officer calmly moved away from the scene immediately.

A crowd was also gathered on the Ebisu Bridge, and they sang Rokko Oroshi (Rokko Oroshi) in a group. The bridge was temporarily closed to traffic due to the large gathering. The streets of Minami were also filled with a strange feverish atmosphere, with a large chorus of Rokko Orotsu in front of Kani Doraku and other restaurants.

When we interviewed 30-year-old men who enjoyed the public viewing at a nearby restaurant, they smiled and said, “We were in elementary school 18 years ago, so we are very happy to have experienced the victory as adults.

The Hanshin Tigers will be striving to win “Sole” (Japan’s No. 1) next. The streets of Minami are likely to be filled with even more excitement than on this day.