Starting April 2, the Lotte Marines baseball club announced that local fisherman and stadium food vendor Taichi Sone, 87, would start providing wind and weather forecasts prior to night games.

Strong winds are the most prominent characteristic of the team’s home stadium, QVC Marine Field, located in the Makuhari district of Chiba. Sone, who was born in Makuhari, has fished the nearby waters and operated a beachside shop there for most of his life since returning from a Siberian detention camp at the end of the Pacific War. He will appear on the stadium’s Jumbotron before the start of games to give his predictions.

In 1989 he began selling a now famous simmering entrails broth at the stadium. He changes the volume of ingredients to be purchased based on the weather and is amazing accurate with his predictions.

“I can tell (the weather) by the smell of the wind. Whether or not people believe me is up to them. Otani (a pitcher for the Marines) should probably make use of my forecasts,” said Sone, laughing with confidence.

Good luck in your new role of official club weatherman, Sone!

Source: Sponichi