The Palaceside Building New Year gathering was held on January 19 at Josui Kaikan next door. About 100 people—tenants, partner companies, and business counterparts—deepened their ties. The event had two parts, a lecture and a reception. In the first, Sports Nippon Newspapers editor-in-chief Yoichi Amari and reporter Naoyuki Yanagihara of the Mainichi Newspapers group spoke on “The Real Shohei Ohtani as Seen by a Beat Reporter: Behind Back-to-Back World Series Titles.”
Yanagihara has covered Ohtani since his days with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and now follows the Dodgers star; the talk was a conversation in which he answered Amari’s questions. On Ohtani’s character he said, “He’s just as he appears on television—an ordinary 31-year-old young man. A bit contrary, though.” For the 2026 season he said the chances were high that Ohtani would win the home-run crown and MVP, and that the Dodgers could three-peat in the World Series.
At the reception that followed, Hidehiko Morimoto, president of Mainichi Building Co., noted that the Palaceside Building marks its 60th anniversary this October and thanked those present for their long-standing support. In a relaxed atmosphere, guests raised glasses and renewed friendships.