"Saito Yuki Co., Ltd.," led by former Nippon-Ham pitcher anchor and entrepreneur Yuki Saito (38), is launching the "baseball Archipelago Project" to bring the baseball experience to children across Japan who have not yet visited baseball.

The project started with the desire to "create a place where children with no baseball experience can play to their heart's content." It is an experiential event that will tour all 47 prefectures of Japan, providing children who have never held a glove or bat with their first successful experience of "throwing, hitting, running, and catching."

The project's nationwide caravan will officially begin on November 28, 2014, at the Yamaguchi Mazda Saikyo Kizuna Stadium in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Prior to that, an opening event will be held on September 5 at Harappa Stadium (Naganuma Town, Hokkaido) ball park exclusively for boys and girls that was designed by Mr. Saito.

Mr. Saito's message is as follows:

~To those of you who haven't yet discovered baseball ~

I started playing baseball because I was surrounded by my older brother playing baseball. Throwing the ball, hitting it, running—everything was new and exciting, and it was an experience I could get completely absorbed in.

That "first step" completely changed my life.

Right now, there are many children across Japan who have never even touched baseball. For them, baseball is an "unfamiliar sport," and without the opportunity to experience it, they cannot come to like it or even try it.

What we want to create with this project is not about winning or losing, but simply a place where people can have a primal experience and think, "baseball is fun!"

Throwing, hitting, running, catching—if children can feel like they've accomplished even one of these things, their eyes will surely light up.

Across Japan, there are many children who haven't yet had the opportunity to experience baseball.

This project aims to provide children, no matter where they live, with the fundamental experience of realizing that "baseball is fun."

While environments and cultures differ from region to region, the moments when the joy of sports and the desire to take on challenges are born are the same everywhere.

We want to work together with people all over the country to create opportunities for children to develop a love for sports.

Finally, to those of you who haven't yet discovered baseball: It's okay if you're not good at it. It all starts with simply touching the ball. That small step will surely broaden your world. So, let's go and discover the joy of baseball!