The undisputed king: Why baseball is Japan’s national religion

The world’s most popular sport is soccer, but I believe it’s still baseball in Japan, as I’ve mentioned before. Need definite proof? The average annual salary of professional baseball players in Japan (about $280,000 USD) is significantly higher than that of soccer players (about $200,000 USD). (Shohei Ohtani, at $30 million in 2023, is, admittedly, an exceptional exception.) Every summer, the entire nation tunes in for the seasonal pilgrimage: the National High School Baseball Championship—a gladiatorial tournament that has captivated the country for over 100 years.

The Bōzu fetish: Shaved heads as a symbol of non-sense

This historic championship is finally undergoing a major shift—it’s about hairstyles.

The shaved head, or Bōzu, was once the absolute, unquestioned standard for high school baseball players. Yes, even the legendary Shohei Ohtani had to shave his head when he was in high school. While many schools have recently abolished this outdated rule, the practice persists in many parts of Japan, rooted in a culture of Guts (Konnjō) and Spartan discipline.

Advocates for the shaved head often make two claims. First, they insist the hairstyle makes the kids look “clean and tidy.” But if cleanliness is the point, why aren’t all other athletes—soccer players, swimmers, etc.—forced to shave their heads? I find this claim utterly nonsensical.

The second common argument is about “a sense of unity.” I agree with this to some degree. When I briefly joined the Japan Self-Defense Force, the very first thing we did was get a shocking, sheep-like “GI cut.” I can honestly admit that it did instantly strengthen our camaraderie.

My challenge to the advocates: Shave the Hokkaido Fighters!

But here is my critique, framed from my rational, northern Hokkaido perspective: While a sense of unity may be built, that’s not the end goal. The only point that matters is this: Does that forced unity actually make the team stronger?

If the advocates truly believe their own claims, I invite them to come here to Hokkaido and advise our local professional team, the Hokkaido Fighters, to shave their heads. Our Fighters are currently at the bottom of the league, despite being strong when Ohtani played here. The fact is, in Japan, just like in the MLB, no professional baseball team has such a ridiculous, arbitrary hairstyle code. That is more than enough proof that forced shaving has nothing to do with genuine strength—it is purely a relic of non-sense discipline.

From Hokkaido’s homerun to the baseball capital of Mexico

Speaking of baseball and international powerhouses, I have an announcement! Beyond the US, there are many baseball powerhouses, including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico.

Next month, I am going to Monterrey, Mexico for the first time because our Mexican dealer is starting to sell our furniture there. Do you know why I started this entire article with baseball? Because Monterrey is considered the baseball capital of Mexico!

It’s a huge logical leap from the rigid, irrational custom of high school baseball in Japan to selling furniture in a vibrant, international baseball city like Monterrey, but that is precisely why I find life—with all its sudden, illogical turns—so endlessly interesting. I hope that one day, our furniture will be used somewhere important—perhaps in the VIP rooms at Estadio Monterrey, the largest baseball stadium in Mexico—a world away from the shaved-head dogma of Japanese high school baseball.

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Shungo Ijima

He is travelling around the world. His passion is to explain Japan to the world, from the unique viewpoint accumulated through his career: overseas posting, MBA holder, former official of the Ministry of Finance.

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