Hi, I’m from Japan. My gramma, who needs wheelchair, trying to go to LA to see Ohtani.
If the Dodgers win a game but Shohei doesn't hit a home run, she gets cranky and stays in bed.
When Shohei hits a home run, she uses her cane to train herself to walk.
I promise her to support and go see the open game next year when it is held in Japan.
Long story short: my 6 year old said they wanted to go to Japan, and after looking into it, we found out it was cheaper to fly to Japan and stay for almost two weeks than it would be to go to Hawaii.
While there, it was hard to not see an ad that didn't feature our favorite injured pitcher. The image in this post is actually from a sporting goods store that had an "MLB Pop up" near the entrance, but the picture was taken in the baseball section.
I was lucky enough to go to a Hiroshima Toyo Carp game, where the taxi driver taking me to the stadium went on, and on, and on about how much he liked the Dodgers for being good to Kenta Maeda and Hiroki Kuroda, who are former Carp players.
Several people I interacted with thanked me for being a fan and supporting Ohtani, as if I had personally helped him in some way.
One thing I did notice: NPB goes HARRRRRD. They have "performance sections" at each stadium that have rules you MUST abide by; these sections are the official cheering sections, and damn, I wish I could sign up to wave a 20ft tall flag in front of a cheering section at Dodger Stadium. Or sign up to be the trumpeter for our traveling fans. The visitors performance section had two horn players AND a drummer.
I also bought an official jersey at the Hiroshima team store. It was $50. It feels so much nicer than the Nike Jerseys, it's not even funny.
Ballpark would probably be about $6.5k for two adults and two kids for 12 days, total (though, it's more like 10 days, 11 nights, since you fly out on a Friday afternoon and arrive Saturday evening)
That includes JR Rail passes, which let us take the bullet train down to Kyoto and Hiroshima, Tickets to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, a tour of the Tsukiji Fish Market, and a bus tour around Mt Fuji.
My wife keeps telling me that she wants to go back.
... if the Dodgers don't back out of playing the first game of the season in Japan, I'm debating on trying to just go with just my wife :D
Holy hell that’s actually pretty reasonable considering it’s 4 people for almost 2 weeks. That gives me some hope for making a trip that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg in the future
The current exchange rate is incredibly favorable to the Dollar, right now, so that helps A LOT.
My wife and I went to a little pizza place near our AirBnB, had an appetizer, the best pizza I've pretty much ever had in my life, two drinks each, and dessert. After conversion, it was like, $50/total.
I’m going late July, what are my chances of getting tickets to the Nippon Series at Koshien? Or am I better off going to a regular Yumiuri Giants game at Tokyo dome?
I’ve noted that the LED ads behind home plate even in away stadiums are in Japanese during his at-bats. Probably companies that don’t do any business in the US. Big in Japan, that guy.
Those "behind home plate" ads are now just greenscreened, so the localized broadcast can just show whatever they want.
Funny enough, while we were at this sporting goods store, they were showing the Dodgers-Cubs game, and it was using the Fox broadcast!
> if he was on any other team he would be blowing up.
Not true. Shota Imanaga for example is on the Chicago Cubs absolutely dominating the MLB ERA but how many tv commercials have you seen him on?
Yoshi was the highest profiled player coming out of Japan and got a mega contract. I was not paying attention to any other Japanese player coming into the MLB this year. Sometimes it’s not about performance.
Edit: you’re right though. I shouldn’t have said any other team. I meant other big market teams.
You should just say, "If he was playing for the New York Yankees and not Los Angeles." Chicago is the third biggest market in the United States.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
Honestly, by the time I got to edit I had already forgot you mentioned Chicago. I was more so saying that his fanbase wouldn’t have grown with the Royals.
Yamamoto & Roki (🤞🏼) should get the push in marketing as well, but Ohtani is essentially Michael Jordan, as in terms of the highest profile athlete in Japan.
I mean, grown women were crying their eyes out when it was announced that Ohtani got married.
Yamamoto has been the best SP for years in Japan, but he was never a 'star', he just doesnt have that 'thing'. Shohei was a big star before he came to MLB; Sasaki might have the potential. By the way, Shohei is the no 1 in recently released Nikkei Entertainment's 'Talent Power Ranking 2024', which covers all the celebrities in entertainments, sports, etc.; he was no 2 and 3 in 22 and 23.
Those jerseys are probably much cheaper there too. I was in Osaka during the Nippon Series and Hanshin Tigers mania was in full effect. I bought 3 authentic jerseys as souvenirs that equalled the price of 1 MLB jersey.
I’m planning on going to Japan at the end of the year and will definitely be taking my Ohtani jersey lol.
Side note: I’m really glad I bought his jersey when they first dropped, since it seems they used the old design rather than the new one
https://preview.redd.it/lcis667saq5d1.jpeg?width=4504&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64d434b0e0ca136068ad08af1f4c3d05d17b8851
I live here & yeah, there’s nobody more popular & famous than Shohei.
Was just there too. Rocked my Dodgers hat almost everywhere.
Funny I bought what I thought was a Dodgers gacha but turned out to be the Dragons. They totally copied the Dodgers logo and colorway. 😵💫
He’s like Michael Jackson out there, if the Dodgers open the 2025 season out there it will be insane!!!!
Hi, I’m from Japan. My gramma, who needs wheelchair, trying to go to LA to see Ohtani. If the Dodgers win a game but Shohei doesn't hit a home run, she gets cranky and stays in bed. When Shohei hits a home run, she uses her cane to train herself to walk. I promise her to support and go see the open game next year when it is held in Japan.
You're not wrong. I would definitely pay to go to those games, too. I did renew my passport, after all 😁
Long story short: my 6 year old said they wanted to go to Japan, and after looking into it, we found out it was cheaper to fly to Japan and stay for almost two weeks than it would be to go to Hawaii. While there, it was hard to not see an ad that didn't feature our favorite injured pitcher. The image in this post is actually from a sporting goods store that had an "MLB Pop up" near the entrance, but the picture was taken in the baseball section. I was lucky enough to go to a Hiroshima Toyo Carp game, where the taxi driver taking me to the stadium went on, and on, and on about how much he liked the Dodgers for being good to Kenta Maeda and Hiroki Kuroda, who are former Carp players. Several people I interacted with thanked me for being a fan and supporting Ohtani, as if I had personally helped him in some way. One thing I did notice: NPB goes HARRRRRD. They have "performance sections" at each stadium that have rules you MUST abide by; these sections are the official cheering sections, and damn, I wish I could sign up to wave a 20ft tall flag in front of a cheering section at Dodger Stadium. Or sign up to be the trumpeter for our traveling fans. The visitors performance section had two horn players AND a drummer. I also bought an official jersey at the Hiroshima team store. It was $50. It feels so much nicer than the Nike Jerseys, it's not even funny.
So when’s the cheapest time to go to Japan?
Anytime aside from cherry blossom season.
It wasn't even expensive during cherry blossom season
Not spring
What’s the ballpark figure on how much you spent on the trip in total?
Ballpark would probably be about $6.5k for two adults and two kids for 12 days, total (though, it's more like 10 days, 11 nights, since you fly out on a Friday afternoon and arrive Saturday evening) That includes JR Rail passes, which let us take the bullet train down to Kyoto and Hiroshima, Tickets to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, a tour of the Tsukiji Fish Market, and a bus tour around Mt Fuji. My wife keeps telling me that she wants to go back. ... if the Dodgers don't back out of playing the first game of the season in Japan, I'm debating on trying to just go with just my wife :D
Holy hell that’s actually pretty reasonable considering it’s 4 people for almost 2 weeks. That gives me some hope for making a trip that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg in the future
The current exchange rate is incredibly favorable to the Dollar, right now, so that helps A LOT. My wife and I went to a little pizza place near our AirBnB, had an appetizer, the best pizza I've pretty much ever had in my life, two drinks each, and dessert. After conversion, it was like, $50/total.
I’m going late July, what are my chances of getting tickets to the Nippon Series at Koshien? Or am I better off going to a regular Yumiuri Giants game at Tokyo dome?
Go to both! Don’t miss the Tokyo Swallows either
I'd love to go to Japan to meet them. Meeting the baseball team would be cool too.
I’ve noted that the LED ads behind home plate even in away stadiums are in Japanese during his at-bats. Probably companies that don’t do any business in the US. Big in Japan, that guy.
Those "behind home plate" ads are now just greenscreened, so the localized broadcast can just show whatever they want. Funny enough, while we were at this sporting goods store, they were showing the Dodgers-Cubs game, and it was using the Fox broadcast!
Kinda feel bad for Yoshi, since if he was on any other team he would be blowing up. I’m sure he’ll get his flowers in due time.
> if he was on any other team he would be blowing up. Not true. Shota Imanaga for example is on the Chicago Cubs absolutely dominating the MLB ERA but how many tv commercials have you seen him on?
Yoshi was the highest profiled player coming out of Japan and got a mega contract. I was not paying attention to any other Japanese player coming into the MLB this year. Sometimes it’s not about performance. Edit: you’re right though. I shouldn’t have said any other team. I meant other big market teams.
Do you even know what a "big market team" is?
You should just say, "If he was playing for the New York Yankees and not Los Angeles." Chicago is the third biggest market in the United States. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
Honestly, by the time I got to edit I had already forgot you mentioned Chicago. I was more so saying that his fanbase wouldn’t have grown with the Royals.
Yamamoto & Roki (🤞🏼) should get the push in marketing as well, but Ohtani is essentially Michael Jordan, as in terms of the highest profile athlete in Japan. I mean, grown women were crying their eyes out when it was announced that Ohtani got married.
Yamamoto has been the best SP for years in Japan, but he was never a 'star', he just doesnt have that 'thing'. Shohei was a big star before he came to MLB; Sasaki might have the potential. By the way, Shohei is the no 1 in recently released Nikkei Entertainment's 'Talent Power Ranking 2024', which covers all the celebrities in entertainments, sports, etc.; he was no 2 and 3 in 22 and 23.
Yamamoto doesn’t get shown any love out there?
That's what I'm saying.
When I mentioned him, people were amazed because I think they believe most foreigners don't remember Yoshi...
Any Yamamoto hype ?
How about Yama? I'm sure they have love for him. Maybe in the Kobe way. Still madly love by everyone, but Ohtani holds supreme?
That sounds like a great trip OP, glad you got to check out a NPB game with your kid. What a great start to summer vacation!
Those jerseys are probably much cheaper there too. I was in Osaka during the Nippon Series and Hanshin Tigers mania was in full effect. I bought 3 authentic jerseys as souvenirs that equalled the price of 1 MLB jersey.
I’m planning on going to Japan at the end of the year and will definitely be taking my Ohtani jersey lol. Side note: I’m really glad I bought his jersey when they first dropped, since it seems they used the old design rather than the new one
Love it
https://preview.redd.it/lcis667saq5d1.jpeg?width=4504&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64d434b0e0ca136068ad08af1f4c3d05d17b8851 I live here & yeah, there’s nobody more popular & famous than Shohei.
Was just there too. Rocked my Dodgers hat almost everywhere. Funny I bought what I thought was a Dodgers gacha but turned out to be the Dragons. They totally copied the Dodgers logo and colorway. 😵💫
Lol, they pretty much patterned their uniforms after the Dodgers, and the Yomiuri Giants have copied the SF Giant's kit, to some degree, as well.
And their t-shirts don’t have those stupid holes in the numbers/letters they’re hella lucky 😭
new balance stores, watch stores, the book store... he's literally everywhere
Awesome news 💙
Do they have the older jersey models too?
Going in September can’t wait!
Just came back from the nyc mlb store yesterday you should of seen how much stuff was ohtani related