"Kuriyama fever" is taking place at Kochi's Haruno General Athletic Park ball park, where Seibu Lions 's second and third teams are holding their spring training camp.

Seibu Lions After 25 years of dedicated service, Takumi Kuriyama outfielder (42) announced his retirement at the end of this season at the time of his contract renewal last December. This spring, as he prepares for the culmination of his career, he started his training camp in Haruno, Kochi. Fans from all over Japan came to the stadium to catch a glimpse of Kuriyama. According to the Kochi Prefecture Tourism and Convention Association, the number of visitors on February 1, the first day of camp, was about 500, about three times as many as last year.

In the hallway leading into the stadium, the team has set up a piece of cloth on which fans can write messages along with Kuriyama's career so far. Many fans are writing their thoughts every day.

On the 7th, at Kuriyama's own suggestion, he held an impromptu autograph session after practice before boarding the bus home. Fans called out to him with messages like "Do your best," "We love you," and "We'll support you until the very end," and some even handed over autographed cards while trembling. Kuriyama smiled and said "Thank you" to each fan as he wrote for about 30 minutes.

About 300 people lined up for the autograph session, and the event was so successful that the team staff had to extra inning the bus departure time by 10 minutes to accommodate everyone. As they left, the fans echoed behind them, shouting "Do your best!"