 Shūhei shares the same hometown as team-mate Shinnosuke Ogasawara and the two attended the same elementary school and played at the same junior baseball side Shonan Boys.They played together in a local park as boys and their homes are said to be separated by about 10 minutes walk.When Shuhei turned professional with the Dragons, it was the then middle-school student Ogasawara that presented him with a celebratory bouquet.