Could Seiya Suzuki be brandishing a new bat in the Cubs’ trip to Tokyo?

The Cubs recently shared a video of the outfielder/designated hitter sporting a katana as his new bat for a batting practice session in spring training:

As you can see, he is slicing and dicing every one of those baseballs thrown his way.

Now, obviously Suzuki won’t be utilizing the katana in a real game, but it is a fun video to showcase a little piece of Japanese culture and the anticipation building around the Cubs arriving in Japan earlier this week.

Suzuki and Shota Imanaga will be headlining the Cubs’ games in Japan as some of the biggest stars in international baseball.

[Analyzing Cubs’ 31-man roster for Japan trip]

Both Cubs Japanese stars are excited to showcase the culture and home country they grew up in to their teammates, coaches and fans.

Imanaga stated, “I’m really excited for everyone to experience the country the Seiya and I came from.” 

Indeed it will be exciting for teammates and fans alike to experience not just the Japanese stars of the Cubs but several of the other biggest names in the sport: Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and, of course, Shohei Ohtani.

The festivities have already begun as the Cubs landed Wednesday and were introduced to Japanese customs immediately.

Check out the Marquee Sports Network app for a full behind-the-scenes video of the Cubs’ journey to Japan and how they were received in Tokyo.

Imanaga took a drink of sake with Cubs manager Craig Counsell and performed a Kagami biraki, a ceremonial opening of a traditional sake barrel at a welcoming party held for the Cubs early on Wednesday morning (in Japan).

The Cubs will face the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants before they kick off the MLB regular season against the Dodgers in the Tokyo Dome.