What a treat! Tokyo Series for Ohtani, Beatles, Justin Bieber, Michael Jordan and more
Mar 18, 2025
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Since the Los Angeles Dodgers arrived in Tokyo on the 13th (Korean time) for the opening two consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs, the Japanese media has been focusing on Ohtani's every move.
In particular, the news that Ohtani invited his Dodgers teammates to a meal with a large tuna is a hot topic. According to Japanese media, Ohtani called top chefs to the team's banquet hall after the warm-up match against the Hanshin Tigers on the 16th to provide Japanese dishes such as tuna sashimi and sushi to his colleagues.
It is said that all the Dodgers players, including Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki Rocky, gathered.
Sankei Sports reported that Otani introduced high-end Japanese food by recruiting high-end tuna companies, high-end sushi restaurants run by Michelin three-star chefs, and chefs who specialize in Japanese chicken skewers, which are said to be the most difficult to make reservations in Japan.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in an interview shortly after arriving in Japan that `There are a lot of players who are new to Tokyo, and I hope they enjoy Japanese food to the fullest"After the company dinner, Ohtani ordered "I want to leave this series as a good memory. I hope my colleagues can experience Japanese culture as well as the game" he said.
The Tokyo Dome supplies shop and exhibition hall, where the game will be held, are full of items engraved with Ohtani's face and his number 17.
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On Sunday, the 16th, amid the rain, thousands of fans were said to have waited for more than an hour in line to enter the store.
Reporter MLB.com Sonya Chen, who went to Tokyo Series coverage, announced the local atmosphere on the 17th with an article titled 「The popularity of Shohei that is realized everywhere in Japan」.
Reporter Chen says 'Otani is everywhere we see it on this high street: He makes spaghetti fancy, juggles a soccer ball skillfully, bends his wrists to show off his high-end watch, pensive in the tea field, and stares into the distance. Of course, there is also a scene of him swinging the bat.
It is said that downtown Tokyo is noisy with advertisements with Ohtani on them. Dodgers players are putting their tongue in this atmosphere.
Clayton Kershaw compared the Japanese fans' interest in Ohtani to the Beatles, while Tyler Glasnow described it as 10 times Justin Bieber. Reliever Anthony Banda said "I heard Shohei Ohtani everywhere you go, just think of what Michael Jordan was like in the United States. It's the same."
Ohtani is at least more popular and influential in Japan than the legendary band embroidered in the 20th century, the 21st century's 'pop icon', and 'basketball emperor'.
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Roberts said, `I've already experienced this atmosphere last year. Whether it was Dodger Stadium or away stadium, his popularity was great"But this is the country where he was born and raised, and it's completely different."
Reporter Chen said, `The Dodgers players who have seen those scenes in person finally understand what Ohtani is like in Japan. Ohtani enjoys popularity beyond baseball, and has become more than a popular culture in Japan. 'In the early days of spring training, fans who wanted to see Ohtani gathered like clouds at Camelback Ranch, and more than 10,000 fans filled the stands to see him at Tokyo Dome last weekend. The Dodgers came to Japan expecting to see Ohtani everywhere, but they don't believe it even when they see such a scene.
Ohtani showed off his power heating for the first time in front of Japanese fans by hitting a superior two-run home run in the third inning against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on the 15th. Tickets for the opening two consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs on the 18th and 19th were sold out. Ticket prices are said to have soared to 13,500 dollars (about 1.95 million won) in the resale market.
Bloomberg said in a column titled 'Superstar Shohei Ohtani as Prime Minister' on the 17th that 'We've ever elevated him to national director? The post of prime minister may become vacant at a time when Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his political scandal are taking place.' In other words, he is a national hero enough to put Ohtani, who is absolutely loved by the Japanese people, as prime minister.
Right now, Tokyo is all about Otani.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
