Last Updated: 2023.06.01
UNIQLO ICHIRO POST DAY to Be Held in Kobe on July 23 - By Submitting a Letter to Ichiro, One Lucky Young Person Invited to Throw the First Pitch of Nippon Professional Baseball League Game
UNIQLO CO., LTD.
to Japanese page
Global apparel retailer UNIQLO today announces UNIQLO ICHIRO POST DAY, will be held as a feature of the match between the ORIX Buffaloes and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on July 23, 2023. Held in cooperation with former Major League Baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki, the event aims to celebrate the UNIQLO ICHIRO POST project to encourage and motivate young people to realize their goals. As part of the event, 20 of the many young people who have posted a letter to Ichiro will be awarded free tickets to the game, with nine given the opportunity to greet players on field, and one selected to throw the first pitch. To enter, elementary and junior high school students can submit letters to ICHIRO POST by June 16 in response to the question, "What is it you enjoy, what challenges do you plan to take on?"
UNIQLO launched the UNIQLO ICHIRO POST together with baseball legend Ichiro in November 2022 as part of the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program, aiming to encourage as many ambitious young people as possible. This program connects children throughout Japan with Ichiro and UNIQLO through the ICHIRO POST boxes located in UNIQLO stores and online. UNIQLO embarked on this project with the belief that young people expressing their thoughts in their own words is a first step toward realizing their goals, and so far has received around 3,000 letters, which Ichiro has responded to on the special ICHIRO POST website, as well as meeting with some of the letter-writers in person.
Hotto Motto Field Kobe, where UNIQLO ICHIRO POST DAY will be held, was Ichiro's home ground from his professional debut in 1992 with Orix BlueWave until 2000, the year before he transferred to the Major League. On game day, an ICHIRO POST special booth and ICHIRO POST box will be erected at the stadium. Letter kits will be distributed to all visitors arriving for the game, so that kids can write letters and post them the same day. Elementary and junior high school students who post letters at the stadium will receive an original clear file folder as a gift.
Overview of the invitation to UNIQLO ICHIRO POST DAY
| Eligibility: | Elementary and junior high school students, living in Japan |
|---|---|
| Venue: | Hotto Motto Field Kobe |
| Schedule: | July 23, 2023 (Sunday), 16:00 |
| Match: | ORIX Buffaloes vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Sponsor: | UNIQLO |
| Participants: | Ceremonial first pitch: One elementary or junior high school student living in Japan Game ticket: Ten elementary or junior high school student living in Japan Starting member kids (Orix Buffaloes starters are greeted at each position at the start of the game): Nine elementary or junior high school students living in Japan |
| Contest entry fee: | Free* |
| Deadline: | June 16 (Fri.) 2023, 23:59 |
| Entry method: |
Post a letter through the ICHIRO POST in stores or online. See the special website (Japanese) for entry details, and stores with ICHIRO POST locations. |
| Announcement: | Winners will be notified directly by email or telephone by early July 2023. |
- *Young people who posted letters since November 2022 are also eligible for selection.
- *The sponsor UNIQLO will provide tickets to the game for the invitee and one guardian, along with accommodations and partial travel expenses to Kobe.
- *If the game is cancelled due to rain, etc., UNIQLO ICHIRO POST DAY will also be cancelled.
UNIQLO ICHIRO POST special website (Japanese)
https://www.uniqloichiropost.com/
ICHIRO POST DAY special website (Japanese)
https://www.uniqloichiropost.com/ichiropostday/
About the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program
The UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program, launched in November 2022, is a framework for a wide range of initiatives and programs aimed at young people, conducted in collaboration with UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors, top-ranked global athletes, and various sports-related and other organizations. Through interaction with leading athletes at the top of their fields, young people receive advice for living powerful, forward-looking lives, while participating in social programs that combine sports coaching with lessons on sustainability that will allow them to become leaders for a sustainable future.
