I love baseball and played it until I entered high school. My daughter also plays baseball with boys at high school, and she will participate in the international women’s baseball tournament held in Japan this Summer. Because of these experiences, I have been hooked with Major League Baseball here in the US.

Japanese players have started to make a big impact in the US as well. Recently retired Ichiro and top players like Shohei Ohtani of the Angels have gained popularity, and Japan won the World Baseball Classic in the spring. Since then, Japanese baseball has been attracting attention here in the US.

As a fellow Japanese, I am also concerned about the diet of Japanese players in America as a health coach. Even as an ordinary Japanese person, I had a hard time finding food that suited my taste after coming to this country. I wonder what Ohtani and Ichiro, who are top athletes, eat.

So I did some research.

Shohei Ohtani

It seems that Ohtani approaches his meals not so much as something to enjoy, but rather as an integral part of baseball. It appears to be his daily routine to meticulously plan his meals based on the following:

– Consumes 3500-4500 calories per day.

– Takes in 60 grams of protein daily.

– Regularly undergoes blood tests to design his meal plans based on the results.

– Generally avoids alcohol.

– Eats a meal 3 hours before starting as a pitcher or 2 hours before on non-starting days (timing of meals).

– Primarily cooks his own meals.

As an athlete, particularly a pitcher, Ohtani seems to pay extra attention to protein intake for muscle recovery and development after exertion.

Ohtani’s favorite foods include omurice (rice omelette), steak, and sushi. He apparently has a dish called “Ohtani Don” delivered to his home from a sushi restaurant near the Angels’ residence. Aside from that, he mostly plans his own menus, cooks his meals, and adjusts his conditioning.

Overall, it gives a strong impression that his meals are mostly focused on his body and his own performance.

Ichiro Suzuki

In contrast to Ohtani’s performance-focused approach to meals, Ichiro Suzuki’s approach to food is completely the opposite and quite amusing.

Ichiro never seemed to care about the things that Ohtani is concerned about. In one interview, Ichiro said the following:

“I feel really sorry for those who are working hard and studying in that field, but I have almost no consciousness of that. I have no knowledge of nutrition or studied it. Taking supplements is bothersome… (omitted) If people who enjoy eating are restricted, it will bring different stresses and they might end up with different illnesses.”

Ichiro is famous for valuing routines. His unique stretches before stepping into the batter’s box and his stance of extending his arm towards the pitcher with the bat have been etched in our minds throughout his career.

It seems that his meals were also part of his “routine.” There were rumors that Ichiro ate curry every day, and it turns out that Ichiro eating the same thing every day wasn’t entirely untrue.

“My staple now is shokupan (Japanese white bread). The shokupan I had in Arizona was incredibly delicious, so I have it sent to Seattle. I toast the bread and eat it with butter, and lately, I’ve been drizzling honey on it.”

Though Ohtani was once avoiding gluten due to its causing inflammation, Ichiro simply ate what he found tasty. Eating the same thing continuously may not have pleased him, but he didn’t want to disturb his mental state (before games) by consuming something he didn’t enjoy.

These two great Japanese Major Leaguers not only had different personalities but also had completely different perspectives on food. However, both of them pursued their own unique hitting and pitching styles to the fullest, just as they understood their own ways of eating to the fullest.