Cross Country
During a ceremony that featured Japanese street performers, Masaru Sakato, Japan's consul general in New Orleans, said: "It is art, among other things, missed and needed by children in devastated areas who have sustained deep psychological wounds."
And a Gyroball for Beantown
The city of Boston could also be on the receiving end of some Japanese largess, in the form of Daisuke Matsuzaka, a star pitcher from the Seibu Lions.
Matsuzaka, nicknamed Dice-K, came to the Boston Red Sox in the off-season for $102 million and makes his debut as the season opens this week. That's a lot of money for a pitcher, even if he does deal a one-of-a-kind pitch called a gyroball.
Adding Dice-K to the team will pump an estimated $14 million into the city's economy, officials say; some 10,000 additional Japanese tourists are expected. Wait staff and tour guides in Boston are learning Japanese phrases, vendors are stocking up on Dice-K jerseys, and T-shirts are being printed that say "Red Sox" in Japanese. The Ritz-Carlton Boston Common is selling a Dice-K-Tini-3 parts vodka, 1 part sake, and 1 part passion fruit puree.
Is he worth all the passion? Skeptics and supporters got a preview during a recent preseason game. Matsuzaka pitched five shutout innings and didn't allow a single hit.
With Bret Schulte, Alison Go, Will Sullivan, Liz Halloran, Alex Kingsbury and Associated Press
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