Before the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series, die-hard baseball fans flocked to a Los Angeles neighborhood, many of them because of one player. Come from all over the world.
People in the Los Angeles suburb of Little Tokyo call it the “Otani effect.”
Shohei Ohtani, a star player for the Dodgers, is prominently featured in this historic neighborhood, with his name appearing in a 150-foot (45 m) mural and on the jerseys worn by fans here. name.
Baseball is known as “America’s pastime,” but its biggest stars come from Japan. The player signed a record-breaking deal this season – worth up to $700m (£540m) over 10 years – and the hype surrounding him has only grown, attracting new fans in multicultural Los Angeles and new traditions.
Business is booming here. Visitors come from all over the world, including from the star’s home country.
“When Shohei hits, they know if he hits a home run, we’re going to start pouring sake,” said Don Tahara, owner of the Far Bar, where dozens of TVs show Dodgers games. . A home run equals free rice wine — often given to hundreds of fans.
That’s a lot of sake. Ohtani hit 54 home runs in the regular season but did not hit one in Wednesday’s World Series, when the Dodgers beat the Yankees 7-6 after trailing 5-0.
Before the series win, Mr. Tahara said of Shohei and his sake shot: “It’s good for the Dodgers, but probably not so good for my wallet. But it makes sense, and it’s heartwarming.” My heart.
The Far Bar was packed during the World Series.
Mr. Tahara handed out mochi (a Japanese rice cake emblazoned with the Dodgers logo) and free margaritas in honor of recently deceased Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela. The Mexican-born left-handed pitcher is also immortalized in a mural across the Little Tokyo River in Boyle Heights.
Muralist Robert Vargas, covered in paint, took a break from painting Valenzuela and headed to the Far Bar to watch one of the series Contest. It’s hard to imagine Mr. Vargas buying his own drinks at the Far Bar — he’s probably as beloved in Little Tokyo as Mr. Ohtani for his monumental portrait of the baseball star on the Miyako Hotel’s giant wall.
“I’ve been a Dodgers fan my whole life,” said Mr. Vargas, who said he painted Ohtani “in the spirit of performance.”
The mural has become a popular destination for Japanese tourists, who come by busloads to take photos with the artwork.
Takatani Kiuchi traveled from Japan to watch Game 2 of the series at Dodger Stadium in downtown Los Angeles and watched Game 3 with friends at the Far Bar. Kiuchi wore head-to-toe Dodgers gear and an Ohtani jersey and met with fans from Los Angeles and around the world.
“We’re new Dodgers fans. Coming from Tokyo. For us, it’s more the Yankees-Dodgers game — that means more than the World Series.
They were excited that Game 2 of the series featured another Japanese star, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched six innings and allowed just one hit to the Yankees.
Kiuchi, who last came to Los Angeles 50 years ago as a child, said he would definitely come back to watch a Dodgers game.
“That’s what we came here to see,” Kiuchi cheered as the crowd in the bar erupted in cheers when the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit a home run in Game 3.
The city’s tourism bureau also cheered. In 2023, there will be 230,000 Japanese tourists visiting Los Angeles, an increase of 91.7% from 2022.
Bill Karz, senior vice president of brand marketing for the Los Angeles Tourism Bureau, said the city expects to welcome 320,000 visitors by the end of the year. While still down from pre-pandemic levels, tourism officials are celebrating the uptick.
“The Big Valley effect is real,” Katz said. “It affects our entire economy.”
That’s led to increased hotel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks like Universal Studios and tours at Dodger Stadium, which in turn has increased the number of Japanese-language tours it hosts, he said.
Even some loyal Yankees fans have joined Ohtani’s bandwagon.
In a sea of Dodger blue, Vince Gonzalez wore the Japanese national team’s black and red “Ohtani” shirt.
“Shh, I’m a Yankees fan,” he whispered as he mingled with tourists from Japan at the bar. “But more importantly, I’m a fan of Ohtani because I’m passionate about Japanese baseball.”
When Game 3 ended with the Dodgers winning, the far bar erupted in cheers and “I Love Los Angeles” blasted from the sound system.
Muralist Robert Vargas couldn’t slip away. A Japanese woman ran out of a bar and begged him to take a photo in front of the mural. He obliged, and soon dozens of people were taking photos with him and chanting, “Let’s go, Dodgers!”
