The contract expires on November 1, 2024.
4512 MAIN STREET, VANCOUVER, BC, V5V3R5
I've been so busy signing my first tenant contract that I haven't been able to write a column.
What else should I do? I'll leave that for now and move on to the main topic of glove manufacturing in Nigeria.
Let's talk about the preparations to make this happen.
I was excited to make gloves in Nigeria and save as many children as possible from baseball who have to give up baseball for economic reasons all over Africa and the world. But, I have never made a glove in my life.
I don't even have any experience playing baseball (laughs).
A total novice with no connections to glove manufacturers or factories, I simply searched the internet and made inquiries to about 40 companies, both large and small!!
Well, the answer I get is,
"Africa?! Huh?! I don't really get it."
"I'm not happy about technology going overseas..."
"Is this an OEM? The minimum order quantity is 10,000 pieces. Is that okay?"
Uuuuuuhh... They won't listen to me, and if they did, the lot size would be huge... Moreover, I don't want to do OEM work, I want to set up a glove manufacturing base in Nigeria and manufacture in Nigeria.
So, I want to find someone who will take on an apprentice, but
Well, you'll be turned away at the door.
Behind the scenes, Amir and his then-employer had already come to an agreement.
We had agreed that if we could find a glove-making master, we would work together! But... we couldn't find a master...
There seems to be a bad image of Africans, that they are scary, likely to cause accidents, smelly...I've encountered so many prejudices that it makes me sad just writing this.
The illusion that there is no discrimination in Japan is a lie. It definitely exists.
Discrimination exists all over the world.
However, I can't give up now, so I'm taking the first step I promised the kids at Makoko. Even if I stumble or fall, I won't die. I just have to get up, persevere, and attack!!
In the midst of all this, we received a call from a workshop in Sakai, Osaka, which had been in business for nearly 50 years.
"I'm already 70 years old. In the past, I made and provided gloves to players like Yutaka Enatsu, and even now I provide gloves to Makoto Aduwa of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Would you like to try it as my last apprentice?"
? ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ? ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ? ! ? ! ! ! ? ?
It's hereeeeeeeeeeee ( *´艸｀)
It was worth the perseverance and crawling!!
Mr. Ikuno, the representative of Ikuno Studio, agreed to this request!!
Quick, contact Amir!!
By this time, I had already set up a Canadian branch and was living in Vancouver.
While communicating with Japan online, Ikuno asked a question.
"Will Amir be the only one to be accepted? I haven't met him yet, so I don't know... but glove manufacturing requires a lot of strength and delicacy. Looking at the photo alone, he seems to have more power than the Japanese physique. His physique is suited to making catcher's mitts, but not to making pitcher's gloves, which are the most delicate. I feel like it would be better to have someone else, a Japanese or Asian person, just to be sure."
and.
Power and delicacy.
These two elements are necessary for glove manufacturing.
Hmmmm, should we send someone from the Japanese headquarters? Is there anyone who would be willing to be stationed in Nigeria in the first place? lol
In the first place, the Japanese headquarters is also full of tasks, and no one is in an environment where they can be seconded.
I thought about training myself, but that's not realistic.
We have our headquarters in Japan, and we've just launched in Canada, so it's just the right timing...
One step forward, half a step back... ( ﾟДﾟ)
Hmmm... Conveniently, someone with lots of baseball experience, preferably Japanese, who can speak English, and who can be stationed in Nigeria...
It's not easy to find such a person, so while browsing social media and looking at friends,
I started looking for someone who would undergo training and be stationed in Nigeria.
Then, all of a sudden, Messenger appeared!!
His partner was a senior colleague who had been involved in the baseball world for many years and had also worked as a manufacturer, providing equipment to professional baseball players.
"Long time no see! How are you? Where in Canada are you living now? Vancouver?"
I replied that I live in Vancouver,
"Hey, I have a former Koshien baseball player who's in Vancouver on a working holiday visa. He might be lonely, so could you keep an eye on him?"
Basically, she enjoys taking care of people, so I asked her to create a group on Messenger, we started chatting, and she immediately invited me to a home party over the weekend.
He lives in an area about an hour's drive from my house, and since he's on a working holiday visa, I figured he wouldn't have much financial leeway, so I headed to the meeting place with him.
Nice to meet you! Then he took me to my house in his car.
The more I hear about it, the more I realize what a glorious baseball achievement he has had!!! ⚾❤
He won the national championship in junior high school, and at Sapporo Daiichi High School, where he was a regular from his first year in the spring,
Participated in the Koshien Tournament twice and the Jingu Tournament twice!!
That's amazing!! He's at a level where he could become a professional baseball player, lol.
However, due to the harsh environment, coaching, and burnout, he quit baseball after high school.
He switched to American football in college, but tore his ligaments twice...He started looking for a job, but with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, there were no vacancies in the position he wanted, so he came to Canada on a working holiday visa.
I casually asked him, "You still love baseball, don't you?"
"No... I felt like I had given up on baseball in high school, so now, if anything, I don't like it and I really want to distance myself from it."
and.
Well, the 23-year-old was searching for his next dream and chose to do a working holiday to improve his language skills and gain work experience abroad for his personal growth.
He is a good young man with a strong core. He grew up in an athletic environment, so he is very polite and knows how to greet people. He has a lot of experience playing baseball, and is currently studying English.
To be honest, I had secretly, and truly secretly, harboured the sweet thought that it would be great if he could train and be stationed in Nigeria, but now that he hates baseball and wants to get away from it, I decided that it wasn't the right thing to talk about, so I zip my mouth.
We talked about trivial things, and as the sun started to set, I couldn't see him off because I was at a home party, so I asked him to stay at my house (lol).
Yes, the person introduced to me by my senior was "Manato"❤⚾❤
He later became the youngest director of the Nigerian branch and was in charge of Nigerian glove manufacturing together with Amir.
Next time, I would like to write about the change in Manato's feelings, who had said that he hated baseball and honestly wanted to leave!
Stay tuned!!!
⚾WE ARE ONE TEAM⚾
