Visit the Chiayi Baseball Stadium and the Sun-Shooting Tower to relive the passionate era of sweat and glory from "KANO"

▲ The plot of the Taiwanese film "KANO," where players strive for their dreams, also gets audiences fired up with enthusiasm!(Image / fromFruit Film’s official fan page)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

“Don’t think about winning. Dreams can’t lose.” The Taiwanese film "KANO," which topped 100 million in box office revenue within just three weeks of release, captures the moving spirit of baseball that stirs the hearts of audiences — even those who never lived through that era. Scenes from the film — such as the Chiayi Municipal Baseball Stadium, the iconic Sun-Shooting Tower in Chiayi Park (formerly the Chiayi Shrine), and the Hinoki Forest Village — have drawn fans to this birthplace of baseball to follow in the footsteps of "KANO."

“Imagine this is the pitcher’s mound, throw the ball to home plate!” The former training ground of the Chiayi Agricultural School Baseball Team, where players once practiced, is now the Chiayi Municipal Baseball Stadium. It was once known as the best park baseball field in Taiwan. Although the site looks quite different today, standing on the grass, you can almost hear the sounds of players sweating through their practice sessions.

%The phrase “Imagine this is the pitcher’s mound” became iconic here (Image / from Wikipedia)

The “Chiayi Shrine,” where the iron-willed coach Kondo Heizaemon first met his students,was destroyed by fire in 1994 and later rebuilt as the Sun-Shooting Tower, now an iconic landmark in Chiayi Park.。The nearby “Chiayi High Commercial School” is the former site of the Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry School, where the players practiced hard and sweated out their youth.。

An actual filming location featured in the movie — the Hinoki Forest Village — is the largest complex of Japanese-style architecture in Taiwan. It opened to the public for the first time in January this year after restoration, and with the boost from the film, it has seen an even greater influx of tourists.The old Chiayi landmark — the Central Fountain, which players ran past every day while shouting the slogan “Koshien” — now also features a statue of pitcher Wu Ming-Chieh. Erected after the film’s release, it commemorates that passionate youth-filled history and has become a new popular photo spot.。

▲%The largest Japanese architectural complex in Taiwan (top image) was an actual filming location for "KANO"; the Central Fountain in Chiayi’s roundabout, where player Wu Ming-Chieh’s statue now stands tall, preserves the memory of those glorious days of KANO. (Images / all from the Chiayi City Government official website)

Regrettably, the temporary film set built in Liucuo specifically for "KANO" — constructed with materials like plywood that were not structurally sound — suffered severe damage from a typhoon and heavy rain last year. Due to safety concerns, it could not be preserved. However, fans can still visit other real filming locations from the movie to relive its moving moments.