TOKYO 每 Derrek Lee can still recite some of the chants that fans created to cheer on his dad during his days playing baseball in Japan. He remembers heading to the amusement park outside Korakuen Stadium 每 where the Tokyo Dome now sits 每 before heading in to watch games with his mom.
For much of Lee＊s early childhood years, he would leave home in California and head overseas for summers in Japan. His dad, Leon Lee, played professionally in Japan for Lotte, Taiyo and Yakult before also coaching and managing in the country. That meant Derrek was along for the ride for much of his youth.
※This is where I fell in love with baseball,§ Lee said. ※I remember one summer, I lived here by myself to just hang out with my dad and be at the field every day. And then I had to go back home for, like, Little League All-Stars. A lot of good memories here.§
Tokyo Series 2025: Dodgers vs. Cubs
? Ohtani rises to occasion, electrifies Tokyo Dome with 1st HR
? All the top moments from Tokyo Series Game 2
? Sasaki makes highly anticipated MLB debut
? Cubs hope Tokyo's 'playoff environment' a sign of things to come
? Sadaharu Oh has never seen this 'level of excitement'
? Ohtani ignites Dodgers past Cubs in Tokyo Series opener
? Top moments from Tokyo Series Game 1
? Imanaga bests Ohtani in 'made for TV' Tokyo matchup
? 'I'll remember everything': Shaw makes much-anticipated debut
? Pok谷mon front and center as Tokyo Series celebrates Japanese icons
? Tokyo school visit all about Japan's baseball future
On Wednesday morning, both Lee and Kosuke Fukudome headed to Ky身d身 Elementary School 每 with Clark the Cub tagging along for the visit 每 in Tokyo to visit with a group of young students. The room cheered as the former Cubs players headed into a gym and then grew in volume when the mascot ran around the room offering high-fives.
The 49-year-old Lee was also around their age when he was spending his formidable years in Japan. While his trips to see his dad and uncle, Leron Lee, play baseball in the late 1970s and ＆80s were typically in the summer months, there was a period in which his stay included going to school in Japan.
That made it a special morning to then step onstage in a school and speak with these kids with the help of interpreter Edwin Stanberry. A few different baseball jerseys and shirts could be spotted in the audience, but by the end of the visit, all the kids were wearing Cubs hats and waving small ※W§ flags.
※Visiting a school in Tokyo. That＊s not something you get to do every day,§ Lee said. ※It was cool. And I thought it was fun to share that I went to school here. It was a very cool experience.§
Lee and Fukudome 每 the first Japanese player in Cubs history 每 were reunited in Japan this week for the Tokyo Series between Chicago and the Dodgers to open the 2025 season. Fukudome threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Opening Day and said he enjoyed adding the visit to the elementary school to his itinerary on behalf of the Cubs.
Fukudome also appreciated being there alongside Lee, who was a teammate of his when the Japanese star joined the Cubs in 2008. As he acclimated to the United States and Major League Baseball, the 47-year-old Fukudome said it helped to have Lee and Alfonso Soriano (who began his own career in Japan) in the same clubhouse.
They understood Japan＊s culture and also the rich history of baseball in the region.
※It＊s a significant impact,§ Fukudome said via Stanberry. ※Having somebody who understands where you came from, the culture you came from ＃ I think that helps a lot. He enjoys Japanese culture.§
Prior to the Tokyo Series, Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga and outfielder Seiya Suzuki both mentioned the importance of this week-long celebration for the kids watching in Japan due to a decline in participation numbers for baseball. They each expressed a hope that they 每 along with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers 每 can help inspire the next generation.
Fukudome agreed and felt the visit to the elementary school was just another step in that process.
※The kids here in Japan, they＊re going to be the next ones. They＊re up next,§ Fukudome said. ※This event as well as the Tokyo Series, the fact that the kids can see MLB players live, there＊s obviously a big difference from watching it on TV and how you feel versus watching them live. I think [a] series like this, it＊s great for the game and I think it＊s big for kids in Japan.§
Lee saw firsthand as a kid how big baseball is in the country, and this week has put that on display again for the world to see.
※It was a great experience,§ Lee said of living in Japan when he was young. ※And then to make it to the big leagues myself and play with guys like Fukudome, it＊s kind of full circle. And then to be back here for Cubs Opening Day, it＊s just been a really cool week.§