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FIBI Q&A: Japanese player craving wings

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Wataru Ito
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Wataru Ito

Wataru Ito is making his maiden trip abroad to the United States and is competing in his first Freeport International Baseball Invitational.

Ito, 20, a native of Tokyo, just finished his second season playing for International Christian University, where he played left field.

Ito finished the season with a .185 batting average through the university's 10-game season, where his team finished 5-5.

What was your first impression of Freeport?

There's a lot of rain here in Freeport, nice fields here and less crowded compared to Tokyo.

What was your first impression of the Freeport International?

I heard that Tri-Con is all about playing for fun. They welcome us, so that's why I came here.

What do you want to see and do most while you're here?

I was looking forward to meeting my host family (and seeing) lightning bugs. We don't have those back home in Japan.

What food do you want to try the most while you're here?

I heard that there's Buffalo wings here. I want to try them.

What is your favorite sport?

Baseball.

What is your favorite baseball team and player?

My favorite player is Ichiro Suzuki of Japan, and the Yankees.

How much MLB baseball do you get to watch in Japan?

It's on TV, but we have a time difference. It's late night.

Do you pull off an all-nighter for the World Series?

Oh yeah, but just for the World Series.

What is your favorite movie?

I just watched the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

What is your favorite TV show?

“Prison Break.” I love it.

Which do you prefer, PlayStation4, Nintendo or Xbox?

Xbox.

Who is your favorite musical artist?

Maroon 5, I love it.

What is your favorite ballpark food?

Hot dog.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

The power to fly.

Pepsi or Coke?

Coke.

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter.

Instagram or SnapChat?

Instagram.

Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla.

Comedy or action movies?

Action movies.

Netflix or Hulu?

I only know Netflix, and I like it.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.