TOKYO — With the amount of travel and the inevitable exhaustion that comes with it, the Chicago Cubs could easily complain about how their season is starting. As nice as a trip to Japan sounds, this team has a lot of pressure to return to the postseason for the first time (in a full season) since 2018.
But this group isn’t whining about jet lag or the challenges it might face by traveling over 10,000 miles round trip to open its season. Instead, the Cubs are embracing this opportunity and trying to use it as a galvanizing moment.
“This is just an amazing life experience,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s hard to find a reason to be in any way negative about this. We get to do this. I think that’s the easiest way to (put it). That puts you in a place of gratitude. We are grateful for whatever this experience brings us. We’re lucky.”
Wednesday night, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki hosted an event at the Kanda Myojin Shrine.
“You can just see how proud they are of showcasing their country and where they’re from,” veteran Justin Turner said of Imanaga and Suzuki. “They put on quite a show. It was great food, music and traditional stuff we’d never seen before.”
A time was had, Cubs fans! pic.twitter.com/xi6lyom9e4
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 15, 2025
There, dressed in traditional Japanese garb, the Cubs, many with their significant others, went through a purification ceremony, cut tuna together with large knives and shared moments that many in the group believe will help bring them closer together.
This was the beginning of a process Counsell believes will put the Cubs in a position to succeed over a long season.
“As much as anything, this is the word: kizuna,” Counsell said, “which is a Japanese word for bond. That started for our team (Wednesday) night with a great party, being able to be together. This is the start of a journey for our team.”
Kizuna translates to “the enduring bonds between people — close relationships forged through mutual trust and support.” Along with this, the purification ceremony and the “Shishimai” — a traditional Japanese lion dance where the lion (comprised of multiple people) “bites” the head of people to ward off evil and bring good luck — that Counsell participated in, the Cubs are leaning into every bit of their trip.
Ultimately, talent wins games, but these moments hold meaning. It might not be what gets them to October, but these experiences can bring teammates together and allow them to push through the hardest moments of the season.
Turner has been a part of winning groups, including a Los Angeles Dodgers team that won a World Series in 2020 in a COVID-shortened season that saw many oddities. He understands the difference between being friendly with your teammates and being able to say whatever is needed at the right moments.
“I’ve been on teams where everyone is cool and nice, but it didn’t really translate to winning,” Turner said. “It’s about getting to know each other, trusting everyone in that room and knowing that there’s one goal in mind every single night, and that’s to win baseball games. Trips like this can kick-start that.”
The world’s game. 💙 pic.twitter.com/VQJaeaToPe
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 15, 2025
The Cubs are starting the season under the microscope, with all eyes on them and the Dodgers as they take on the defending World Series winners in a marquee event for MLB. They won’t come in with the expectations of the Dodgers or the hype of other teams. But the pressure begins from Game 1 and will continue through the summer.
There’s pressure on Imanaga to try to match a brilliant rookie season. On rookie Matt Shaw to try to live up to the hype, as he took the third-base job over the spring. On Kyle Tucker as he enters his platform season and looks to prove he should be the next player to earn a contract worth over $400 million. Perhaps the most pressure is on the front office, led by team president Jed Hoyer in the last year of his deal as he tries to make the playoffs for the first time in his current role.
Wednesday was a bonding moment for a group that hopes to jell quickly. The weekend featured a pair of exhibition games, and the real games begin with two against the most loaded team in baseball. The Cubs will be tested from the get-go and have an intensely difficult schedule to start the season.
To shake the funk this organization has been in for nearly a half-decade, they can’t let these moments overwhelm them. They have to use them as positive forces to catapult them through a strong summer and into October.
“It’s two games that count,” Counsell said of Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s featured matchups. “We get the opportunity to play the world champions, which means it’s a great challenge and a great way to start our test to a championship.”
(Photo of the Chicago Cubs and Hanshin Tigers: Masterpress / Getty Images)
