September 4, 2010, Japan-U.S. High School Baseball Tournament, first day of competition.
Led by supervisors and coaches, the players departed from the hotel early and went to the stadium for pre-game warm-ups and field practice. About an hour before the match was set to begin, the players from the United States arrived late—their main contingent had just stepped into the stadium, and the eyes of the players on the Japan side were instantly drawn to them.
Unlike the generally average build of the Japan National Team, Team USA was composed of tall, muscular white and black players—the two tallest players in Japan, Lin Guanglai and Ichiyotai Shintaro, both over 185 cm tall, were just average compared to the opposing team.
Before the match began, the organizers held a small opening ceremony, and both teams lined up for a big group photo in front of the cameras responsible for filming, followed by the pre-game salutation ceremony.
