Hideki Matsui
“Whether it’s good or bad,
I always think about what I should do next.”
It was 2003 when Hideki Matsui left his home country to play for the New York Yankees. Since then, he has remained a key player for the team and has played in the All-Star Game twice. In the middle of the 2009 season, he took a moment to chat with Chopsticks NY.
When you moved to the United States and started playing major league baseball, you must have experienced some culture shock. Would you share one of those experiences that gave you a hard time?
Hard time? Hmmm, that might be English. Since I did not do any language preparation before joining the Yankees at all, it was all Greek to me at first. I was totally at a loss while I was shopping, or even looking at a menu in a restaurant. It was not so hard to adjust to the lifestyle and customs here, but I guess the language gave me the biggest trouble. Well, not trouble, but just difficulty.
So, there is no problem chatting with your teammates now?
It’s much better now.
Would you tell me the secret of this improvement?
Well, I kept questioning my interpreter in the stadium, like “What does that exactly mean?” or “What did he say in English?” I was not really satisfied with just listening to his translation, but rather I was inquisitive. Every time I came up with an expression that I didn’t understand, I asked him. This helped me to understand English little by little.
I guess you mastered jokes and slang first?
Yes, indeed. I think I got those kinds of expressions before learning formal English. [laughs]
What do you think you have learned from your team?
I don’t think this is what I’ve learned from the team, but the Yankees are a team that really cares about spirit, which I also think is important in playing baseball. The team always puts a higher priority on winning. All the members of the team aim to win and look at the goal of being a champion. Even though they sacrifice themselves, they play for the team. I myself think about how I can contribute to the victory of my team all the time, and I think that’s the most important thing. In this sense, my philosophy toward baseball and that of the Yankees perfectly matches. I am quite happy about this.
Many thoughts might circle in your head when you stand in the batter’s box, but which would you prioritize: the team’s victory or your individual record?
The individual record changes in proportion to the results of the team. So, I think it’s a matter of where you like to focus. For example, if I played focusing on the team’s victory and got good results, my record would naturally get better. I prefer to focus on playing for the team than playing for myself. That’s my style.
What’s the thing you think you are the best at among other MLB players?
Since I’ve played only for the New York Yankees, I can’t compare myself to other MLB players, but there is one thing I am proud that I’m the best at among my teammates, that is the way I maintain my baseball equipment well. The way other teammates treat their equipment is completely different from what I was taught since I was a child. For example, there is no player who polishes his gloves, and I often see gloves left alone. This makes me think, “Is it really okay?” Or when I saw a player spit his chewing gum on the field, I was going to say, “Hey, wait a minute. Do you know this is THE Yankee Stadium?” [laughs] I’m not sure how to explain it, but in Japan we’ve been told that courtesy and discipline are very important, like “Don’t spit on the field,” or “Don’t sulk.” Since I have been raised in such a way, with my Japanese viewpoint, I feel different compared to other teammates.
In your book Fudou-shin (Unwavering Mind) you mention, “Playing baseball is how to get along with failure.” Would you tell us how to get along with failure?
That’s easy. I just don’t look back. Whether it’s good or bad, I always think about what I should do next. Of course, it’s important to learn from failure and mistakes, and that’s what we must do, but I try to forget what happened. Including both good things and bad things, I forget the past and think about the future. It’s the continuation of these things, after all. We have a game every day, and many chances to hit even in a game. Keeping the mood going forward and looking at what’s to come—that’s what I do.
Well, it’s not as easy as you say for most people. If you have a hard time overcoming the feeling of failure, how do you burn off your negative energy––singing karaoke or something…?
No. Suppose I get a lot of stress from baseball. In this case, I think I would have to get over it through baseball. Otherwise, that does not really mean you are over it, in my opinion.
Aside from baseball, would you tell me about the Japanese food you cannot live without and the new food you found tasty after moving to the U.S.?
Hmmm, it’s gohan [Japanese sticky rice]. Since I am Japanese, I crave gohan. For example, curry rice or donburi dishes [an assortment of toppings over rice in a big bowl] like katsu-don [pork cutlets with eggs over rice]––they arouse my appetite sometimes.
What’s important for you is the gohan part…?
Something that goes very well with gohan––that’s what I feel like eating. It can be anything as long as it complements gohan. Also, there is nothing better than fresh, tasty sashimi. I was born and raised in an area with an abundance of high-quality, fresh fish, so I’m particular about sashimi. Sometimes I come across sashimi that looks suspicious even at a glance. Once I bite into it and find it has a rubber-like texture, I give up eating. [laughs] On the other hand, what I found tasty here is other kinds of Asian cuisines, such as Vietnamese and Thai food. I ate Chinese and Korean food while I was in Japan, but not food from Vietnam and Thailand. Thai curry, noodles, summer rolls, etc.—I had not had them in Japan, but I have started eating them regularly since I moved here. They are good fillers when I can’t eat Japanese food. [laughs]
Would you recommend a couple of destinations or activities to Chopsticks NY readers who are planning to visit Japan?
Temples and shrines might be good in terms of becoming absorbed in Japanese culture. Visit those places and, despite the religious barrier, you’ll feel something, I think. Also, onsen [hot springs] would be very nice. It might be shocking for you, though. [laughs]
Do you go to onsen when you come back to Japan?
Yes, I like them very much. There is no habit of soaking in a hot bathtub in this country, but I do recommend doing so while in Japan. It’s a good way of “feeling Japan.”
——- Interview by Noriko Komura
Hideki Matsui
Born in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, in 1974, Matsui’s talent as a baseball player was evident since he was a very little child. He set many records while playing in junior high and high school. His most well-known episode –– now it’s legendary –– was when the pitcher of the opposing team in the National High School Baseball Championships deliberately let him walk five consecutive times in one game due to his fear of Matsui’s reputation as a slugger. After graduating from high school, he joined the Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese professional baseball team. During his 10 years of playing for the team, he was selected as MVP in the league three times and won the Golden Glove Award three times. He joined the New York Yankees in 2003. His contract extends through the 2009 season.
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Hideki Matsui Trivia
— As of 2009, he records number one in the most home runs by Japanese-born Major Leaguers.
—In 2005, he became only the third player in Major League history to lead the league in games played in each of three consecutive seasons, joining Steve Garvey(1980-82) and Cal Ripken (1991-93). (Credit: Elias Sports Bureau)
—He donated 50 million yen ($481,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society for Asia’s tsunami victims and donated over $600,000 to aid victims and relief of earthquakes in Japan and surrounding areas, including the Hanshin Awaji earthquake in 1995, the Niigata Chuetsu earthquake in 2004, the Indonesia Sumatra earthquake in 2004, and Ishikawa/Noto earthquake in 2007.
—He acts as a foster parent for 10 kids in Vietnam.
Let's Get Into DONBURI
