The exhibition Power Series between teams from Taiwan and Japan’s professional baseball leagues will return to Ishigaki Island, one of Japan’s southernmost islands, on February 11 and 12.

The two-game Power Series, the highest profile interleague baseball series between Taiwan and Japan in recent years, has been held annually since 2016 and pits the Rakuten Monkeys (known as the L’Amigo Monkeys from 2016-2019) against the Chiba Lotte Marines.

It was not held in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monkeys said in a statement.

The two teams will use the two exhibition games to help them get ready for their upcoming seasons after both had disappointing finishes to the 2022 season.

The Monkeys made it to Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League Taiwan Series before being swept in four games while the Marines finished fifth in Japan’s Pacific League and missed the playoffs.

Neither team has announced its roster for the series, but the Monkeys said their popular Rakuten Girls cheerleaders will be in Ishigaki City to cheer for the team.

Hoping to capitalize on the event, a local travel agency has teamed up with Tigerair Taiwan and the Monkeys to roll out a package tour planned around the series.

According to a press release by Ezfly International Travel Agent Co., the tour will take fans to Ishigaki Island for the series on Tigerair flights, offer access to a Rakuten Monkeys signing event, and give them the chance to interact and take photos with the Rakuten Girls.

After Taiwan canceled restrictions on outbound tour groups in October 2022, the number of people visiting Japan nearly tripled from about 36,000 in October to about 102,000 in November, making Japan the top destination for outbound Taiwanese travelers, Ezfly said.

The tour was the first introduced by the company to feature a sporting event and reflected its attempts to differentiate its brand in a tightly contested travel market, Ezfly said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel