Lotte's Toshiya Sato catcher (27) is adapting to the "Showa" era for this spring. 21, he opened his voluntary training in Kamogawa, Chiba. He worked out with Lotte's Tatsuhiro Tamura, Konoshin Tomiyama, Taiga Hirasawa (Seibu Lions), Kei Mizukami (Rakuten Eagles) and others, doing base running and weight training.

This marks the third year of the voluntary training in the city. This year, the training kicked off on the 7th, with participants living together. This is an important preparation period for the spring training camp under new manager Saburo, which is expected to be as tough as last fall's "Showa Camp." Despite the tough training, the team also spends meaningful time off ground. When asked about the appeal of Kamogawa, Sato said, "There are many opportunities to interact with nature. I feel like I'm back in elementary and middle school. (Nowadays) I don't watch TV all the time. I go to bed as soon as I get tired, and if I have time, I go fishing or golf. I've been able to live a life separate from the modern world. I don't look at my phone as much anymore, and when I'm with everyone, I talk. It's really great. They're doing a Showa Camp, so I'm living a Showa-era life." He looked pleased.

Sato only played in 68 games last season, hitting four Home Run, 18 RBI, and finishing with a batting average of .270. During the off-season, he underwent surgery to remove a painful triangular bone in his left foot, and stated, "I decided to put myself in a position where I couldn't make any excuses this year, so I want to make this a season where I can really give it my all." Ogi no Kaname, who was named to the Best Nine in 2012, calmly looked ahead to the start of the season, saying reassuringly, "I'm swinging the bat like never before and running a lot. defense is solid, and my body is getting ready quickly. Rather than hitting my maximum at the start of camp, I want to make adjustments towards the start of the season."