Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani fans take over Los Angeles

While die-hard baseball fans flock to watch America’s two biggest cities battle it out for a World Series title, many from around the globe come to this Los Angeles neighborhood because of one player.

People here in the Little Tokyo suburb of LA call it the “Ohtani Effect”.

Shohei Ohtani — the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star player — looms large over the historic neighborhood, personified in a 150-foot (45 m) mural and his name emblazoned across jerseys worn by fans here.

Baseball may be known as “America’s pastime,” but its biggest star is from Japan. The player signed a record contract to play this season – a whopping $700 million. (£540m) over 10 years – and the hype surrounding him has only grown, luring new fans and new traditions to multicultural Los Angeles.

Business has boomed here. Tourists come from all over the world – including from the star’s home country.

“When Shohei comes to bat — they know if he hits a home run, we’re going to start pouring sake shots,” says Don Tahara, the owner of Far Bar, where dozens of TVs show Dodgers games. Home just drives free rice wine – often to hundreds of fans.

It’s a lot of business. Ohtani has hit 54 home runs during this regular season — none so far in the World Series against the New York Yankees.

“It’s good for the Dodgers — maybe not so good for my wallet. But it’s meaningful, it warms my heart.”

Father Bar has been packed during the World Series.

Mr. Tahara walked out of mochi, a Japanese rice cake, decorated with the Dodgers logo and free margarita shots to honor Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers legend who died recently. The Mexico-born, left-handed pitcher is also being immortalized in a mural — across the river from Little Tokyo in Boyle Heights.

Splattered in paint, muralist Robert Vargas took a break from painting Valenzuela to watch the fight at Far Bar. It’s hard to imagine Mr. Vargas buying his own drink at Far Bar—in Little Tokyo, he may be as beloved as Ohtani for immortalizing the baseball star on the Miyako Hotel’s massive wall.

“I’ve been a Dodger fan my whole life,” says Mr. Vargas, who says he painted Ohtani “in the spirit of representation.”

And the mural has become a popular destination for tourists from Japan who stop by the bus to take photos with the artwork.

Takatani Kiuchi traveled from Japan to attend Game 2 of the series at Dodger Stadium in the heart of Los Angeles, and he watched Game 3 from Far Bar with his friends. Dressed head to toe in Dodgers gear and Ohtani jerseys, Kiuchi met fans from all over Los Angeles and the world.

“We’re new Dodgers fans. From Tokyo. For us, it’s more about the Yankees versus the Dodgers — it means a lot more than the World Series.”

They were thrilled that the second game of the series also featured the other Japanese star on the team – Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched six innings, allowing just one hit by the Yankees.

Kiuchi last came to Los Angeles as a child 50 years ago and says he will definitely return to see the Dodgers play again.

“We came here to see this,” Kiuchi cheered as the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit a home run during Game 3, and the bar’s crowd erupted in cheers.

The city’s tourist board is also cheering. In 2023, there were 230,000 visitors from Japan to Los Angeles, an increase of 91.7 percent from 2022.

And by the end of the year, the city is expected to welcome 320,000 visitors, says Bill Karz, senior vice president of brand marketing at LA Tourism. It’s still down from pre-pandemic levels, but tourism authorities are celebrating the increase.

“The Ohtani effect is real,” Karz says. “It affects our entire economy.”

That, he says, results in increased hotel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks such as Universal Studios and tours of Dodger Stadium, which in turn has increased the number of Japanese-language tours it conducts.

Even some devoted Yankee fans have jumped on the Ohtani bandwagon.

In a sea of ​​Dodger blue, Vince Gonzales wore a black and red “Ohtani” jersey from the Japanese national team.

“Shhh, I’m a Yankee fan,” he whispered at the bar as he mingled with tourists from Japan. “But more importantly, I’m an Ohtani fan because I have a passion for Japanese baseball.”

Far Bar erupted in cheers and “I love LA” blared from the sound system as Game Three ended in a Dodger victory.

Robert Vargas – the muralist – was unable to sneak away. A woman from Japan ran out of the bar to ask him for pictures in front of the mural. He obliged, and soon there were dozens of people posing with him for photos and chanting, “Let us go, Dodgers!”