Makoto Chogahara, 48, is making it possible for former high school baseball players to once again chase their dream of playing in Koshien Stadium, home of the national tournament.
Chogahara, an associate professor at Kobe University's Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, founded the Masters Baseball tournament in Koshien in 2004. It has since grown into a major event that brings together as many as 20,000 participants from 33 prefectures.
"Even though we have gotten to be old men, we still have the blood and passion to compete with one another and feel the sting (when losing a game)," Chogahara said.