Former Japanese baseball star Kazutomo Miyamoto now a Guam tourism ambassador

No doubt the ongoing tensions with North Korea have impacted travel for our visitors, especially from Japan. Now, Guam has a tourism ambassador in former Japanese baseball star Kazutomo Miyamoto.

Actually the 13-year veteran calls Guam his second home, as he owns a house here.  Speaking through an interpreter, the retired Yomiuri Giant and current sports media personality says he's traveled here for years to train for baseball. "He's been coming here since then, and as a former player, he used to also come to do his personal training and since then he was always coming to Guam for personal and also for their practice," said an interpreter.

As a GVB Ambassador Miyamoto urges his fans in Japan to visit here, just as he's done for many years, both as a player and now as a part-time resident. "The close proximity is one of the positive things as well as the warm weather that we have all year. But for the families that have younger kids he feels that Guam is such a great destination because of the distance and the short flight time," he said.

The Japanese sports celebrity was also on Guam last month to promote the United Guam Marathon for tie-in cable TV programs in Japan.