Shohei Ohtani Dodgers fans are taking over Los Angeles

While die-hard baseball fans flock to watch the two largest U.S. cities compete for the World Series title, many from around the world come to this Los Angeles area for a single player.

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

Shohei Ohtani – the star player for the Los Angeles Dodgers – towers over the historic district, embodied in a 150-foot (45 m) mural and his name is emblazoned on the jerseys worn by fans here.

While baseball is considered “America’s pastime,” its biggest star comes from Japan. The player signed a record deal this season – a whopping $700m (£540m) over ten years – and the hype surrounding him has only grown, attracting new fans and new traditions to multicultural Los Angeles.

Business is booming here. Tourists come from everywhere – including the star's home country.

“When Shohei comes to bat, they know we're pouring sake shots when he hits the home run,” said Don Tahara, the owner of Far Bar, where dozens of televisions show Dodgers games. Home runs mean free rice wine – often for hundreds of fans.

That's a lot of sake. Ohtani has hit 54 home runs this regular season – though 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.”

During the World Series, the Far Bar was packed.

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

Paint-spattered muralist Robert Vargas took a break from painting in Valenzuela to watch the game at Far Bar. It's hard to imagine Mr. Vargas buying his own drink at Far Bar – he may be as popular in Little Tokyo as Ohtani, having immortalized 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 arrive on buses to pose for 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 with his friends from the Far Bar. Dressed head to toe in Dodgers gear and Ohtani jerseys, Kiuchi met fans from across Los Angeles and around the world.

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

They were thrilled that the second game of the series included the team's other Japanese star – Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched six innings and allowed just one hit for the Yankees.

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

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

The city's tourism association is also celebrating. In 2023, 230,000 visitors from Japan came to Los Angeles, a 91.7 percent increase from 2022.

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

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

That, he said, has led to higher hotel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks like Universal Studios and tours of Dodger Stadium, which in turn has increased the number of Japanese-language tours offered.

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

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

“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’m passionate about 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 – couldn’t sneak away. A woman from Japan ran out of the bar to beg him for photos in front of the mural. He obeyed, and soon dozens of people were posing for photos with him and chanting, “Let's go, Dodgers!”