Osaka is in full swing for the first time in two years with the Hanshin victory parade! Governor Yoshimura and Mayor Yokoyama laugh at Kurafan’s question

Osaka was thrilled by the victory parade

On November 22, 2013, the Hanshin Tigers’ Central League championship parade was held along Midosuji Street, which connects the north and south sides of Osaka City. The parade route started from Yodoyabashi near Umeda and ended near Shinsaibashi, a distance of less than 2 km.

At 10:00 a.m., before the parade began, a photo session of the Hanshin Tigers players began. At 10:50 a.m., the opening ceremony began, with remarks by Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, Osaka City Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama, and Kansai Economic Federation Chairman Masayoshi Matsumoto.

Toward the end of the speech, Chairman Matsumoto mistakenly said “Hankyu Tigers. The press and audience members were heard to say, “Didn’t he just say Hankyu?” but the event ended without any loud yelling.

Governor Yoshimura then said, “This year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo was really exciting. Also, the two Nobel Prize winners in Japan were from Kansai. And with the Hanshin Tigers winning the championship, I think Osaka and Kansai really had a wonderful year this year. The fastest winning team in the league is truly a great achievement. I hope that next year they will do their best to win the championship in Japan,” he said with a smile.

Manager Kudo Fujikawa also spoke with a smile, saying, “First of all, I think it took a lot of preparation to organize a parade like this. I would like to thank you for that. For some of the players, today’s parade is the first time in two years. For me, it has been 20 years since 2005. At the time, I thought that we would probably see this view again next year. Next year will be the 91st year (since the founding of the team). We will definitely win the championship again. Please give us your support,” he said in his speech, which was followed by loud cheers from the crowd along the route.

Afterwards, Governor Yoshimura presented a bouquet of flowers to Fujikawa and other team members. After the ceremony, the players boarded the double-decker buses prepared for the parade.

The buses consisted of three vehicles, with Fujikawa, Murakami, and Oikawa in the first vehicle; Fujimoto, Otake, and Sato in the second vehicle; and Wada and Yuasa in the third vehicle, with many people waving to them.

As in the previous year, fans along the route sang along with the athletes to the Rokko Ororoshi (Rokko Oroshi) song played over the speakers, and waved to the athletes. The crowd along the route was filled with people of all ages.

Governor Yoshimura and Mayor Yokoyama smiled bitterly…

After the parade departed, Governor Yoshimura and Mayor Yokoyama were interviewed in an informal setting.

When asked about the fact that the crowdfunding did not reach its first goal of 50 million yen and was still at 35 million yen at around 10:30 today, Governor Yoshimura said, “If you are happy with your participation in the parade today, I hope you will participate in the parade, which will be held until November 30. I would also like to thank the 4,400 people who donated 35 million yen in Kurafan funds, and I would like to thank all the corporate sponsors.

Mayor Yokoyama, who has long had a plan to install a swimming pool on the Dotonbori River, said, “If you are going to jump into the river, it is prohibited because it is dangerous, but I have an idea that it would be fun to jump in if you take the trouble. I would like to explore the feasibility of making the most of the river, not only Dotonbori, although there are some physical difficulties. We may win every year from now on.

When asked about a parade in the event of next year’s victory, Governor Yoshimura replied, “If I tell you about next year, the devil will laugh, so first of all, let’s cheer for the victory . At that time, I will consult with the mayor and think about it.

He then asked the reporters , “Did any of you participate in the Krafan?” But when no one raised their hands, he asked the reporters, “Wait a minute, what’s going on?　He then asked the reporters, “What do you think of this?” and when no one raised his hand, he said, “Well, I haven’t achieved any Krafan, but what do you think? …… None of you …… are looking to the side, but I’m sorry. …… I hope we win next year. As Director Fujikawa said today, our goal is to win the championship again, and we will support you as well.

Mayor Yokoyama smiled and said, “No, I’m sure they did. Didn’t you do that? 　 I didn’t. ……,” he followed up.

Finally, Governor Yoshimura ended the press conference by saying with a smile, “I will report to Prime Minister Takaichi that we have done the victory parade,” and “We didn’t talk about the parade beforehand, but since he is participating in the G20, it is physically impossible, but I will tell him to come next year when we become the best in Japan.

An Osaka City official who was handling the victory parade replied with a wry smile, “I am an Orix fan, so I was happy to be able to handle the parade two years ago, but this time I will not get carried away and go about my duties with solemnity.

A Hanshin fan living in the city said, “I have been a fan of Fujikawa for many years, and I am very grateful that he became a manager and won the league championship. I saw Fujikawa’s eyes and waved to him so much,” she said excitedly.

According to the organizer’s announcement, about 200,000 people gathered for the parade and were intoxicated by the Hanshin Tigers’ league championship. We hope that next year, as manager Fujikawa said, the Tigers will win back-to-back championships and become the number one team in Japan.