Orix Buffaloes will hold their farm team regular season against Hanshin Tigers (at Hagiyama Stadium) in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture on July 11th and 12th as a "bookstore promotion project" in cooperation with the city and local bookstores.

The event, titled "Pro Sports x Bookstores: Buy a Book and Go to ball park!", was initiated when Katsuaki Miyai, who was in charge of Orix Buffaloes 's minor league games at the city's Tourism and City Sales Division, was seconded to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Commerce and Service Group, Cultural Creation Industries Division. The Ministry is working with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and others to formulate a "Bookstore Revitalization Plan" to curb the decline of bookstores, and Miyai came up with the idea of collaborating with Orix Buffaloes minor league games.

Five bookstores are participating in the event. With the exception of the two books selected by all bookstores—*The Classroom with Aliens* (written by Makiko Sato, illustrated by Katsushi Katsukawa, published by Kinnosho-sha), recommended by Yuma Mune and infielder, and *A Book to Enjoy Orix Buffaloes and The Buffaloes * (written by Kyō Hanshin Tigers, published by El Magazine-sha)—each bookstore has narrowed down its selection based on its own theme.Customers who make a purchase by July 11 will receive an original team sticker and a raffle ticket for a chance to win autographed cards from players on game day.

According to the revitalization plan, the total number of bookstores decreased from 14,658 to 10,417 between 2014 and 2024 (according to the Japan Publishing Infrastructure center fielder), and the number of new bookstore openings is also on the decline. In order to promote bookstores by revitalizing reading and print culture, the most important thing is to get people to visit local bookstores. For this reason, bookstores are focusing on specific themes to attract baseball fans.

Kinokuniya Bookstore Takatsuki Hankyu Square branch, under the theme of "The world of baseball adults and children alike will become engrossed in the more they learn about it!", selected titles such as "Doraemon Science World: The Science of Sports" by Fujiko F. Fujio/Fujiko Pro (Shogakukan) and "A Guide to Professional baseball Managers Through Management Techniques" (Kobunsha Shinsho). Miraiya Bookstore Takatsuki branch, which featured "baseball-themed novels", displayed titles such as "A Message to the Heroes: The Path We Once Traveled" by Minoru Masuyama (Kadokawa Haruki Office) and "One More Slow Curve" by Junji Yamagiwa (KADOKAWA).

So, who recommended "The Classroom with Aliens," first encountered the book when he was in the third grade of elementary school, after moving from Hirano Ward in Osaka City to Tokyo. "At the time, I was living in Jinbocho, and I really loved going to used bookstores, so I found it there and my mother bought it for me," he says. The book is about bullying. In a classroom where bullies find differences in people and target not just the transfer student but also the next student, the story helps readers understand the importance of not turning a blind eye and breaking free from that cycle, through the protagonist's thoughts and actions. "I myself didn't have many friends (after transferring schools) and felt lonely, but I'm not the type to be so pessimistic, and I persevered, so I didn't have that kind of experience," he says, and reflects, "It was simply an interesting story."

The "reunion" was a year or two ago. "I suddenly remembered it, wondering what that book was called," she says, suggesting it was a memorable read. "When I became an adult, I encountered this book again, bought it, and read it again. It's a book I really love. I think it's a book filled with various emotions that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, so I hope everyone will read it," she says.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano