GLENDALE, Ariz. — Before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts visited Japan in December, he got a text from Shohei Ohtani telling him to have a good time but also warning him that he was going to see Ohtani’s face a lot.
No athlete or actor, politician or musician, Instagram influencer or online celebrity is more popular in Japan than Ohtani, who towers over all as the subject of national pride and obsession. The Dodgers star’s face is indeed ubiquitous there, featured in ads and commercials for everything from New Balance and Beats by Dre to green tea, sunscreen and ‘FamilyMart’ convenience stores
“Everywhere, everywhere,” Roberts said this spring of where he saw Ohtani during that visit. “Too much Shohei.”
Japanese fans can’t get enough Shohei and the Dodgers are about to find out first hand. Visiting Tokyo to play two exhibition games against Japanese teams and two regular-season games against the Chicago Cubs, team president Stan Kasten said, the Dodgers are expecting every day to have the excitement level of the World Series championship parade in L.A. last fall.
Adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki has made the Dodgers the most popular team in Japan. The two are expected to start the two regular-season games against the Cubs – who have their own Japanese stars in Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki – dialing up the excitement even more.
“I think it’s gonna be 10 times whatever Korea was,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said, referring to last year’s season-opening two-game series in Seoul. “I think it’s going to be more than we expect. It’s going to be exciting.
“I think we have an idea, but I think it’s going to blow the idea out of the water of what we think it’s going to be like. … I mean, it was pretty crazy when we got off the plane in Korea and walked through (the airport). I just can’t even imagine what that’s going to be like when we land (in Tokyo).”
Indeed, the Dodgers struggled to explain the excitement level they expect in Japan when asked about the trip this spring.
“I’m not even sure if that’s the correct word (excitement). It’s going to be awesome,” relief pitcher Alex Vesia said. “You see things like the World Baseball Classic, the atmosphere and then you go … we have three Japanese players that are icons over there. I think it’s going to be an amazing experience.”
“I don’t even know what to expect with the kind of Japanese talent we’re going back with, back where they’re from,” outfielder Michael Conforto said. “What would you even compare that to? I don’t know if there’s something that’s happened we can go back and look at. We’re playing real major-league games in Japan with some of the biggest Japanese stars – on both teams really.”
“I don’t think that we can appreciate how excited the Japanese fans are going to be when we come to the airport and we show up at the Tokyo Dome,” Roberts said.
“I think we all assume how much of a figure Shohei is,” pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. “People say he’s like The Beatles. People say he’s like Taylor Swift.”
Infielder Miguel Rojas went with “superhero” for his comparison, saying “the world is going to stop” for Ohtani wherever he goes.
“The expectations of going there with him change from going there without him,” Rojas said. “It’s going to be a crazy experience and it’s going to be better than we can ever expect. I’m trying not to put expectations on it. I just want to go there and live it.”
Pitcher Tyler Glasnow is anticipating a “wild” atmosphere in Tokyo – at the stadium and everywhere else.
“Shohei Ohtani is like Justin Bieber times 10 over there,” Glasnow said, reaching for the celebrity of his choice for comparison. “So it’s probably going to be insane. There were a lot of people last year (in Seoul). There was a lot of people going through the hotel and every day kind of walking around. So I’m expecting it to probably be crazy.”
The Seoul Series games last year were played at Gocheok Sky Dome with a capacity of about 16,000. This year’s games in Tokyo will be played at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome – and every seat is expected to be filled. Tickets for the first game against the Cubs are going for as much as $11,000 on StubHub and nearly $20,000 on some secondary markets. Even tickets for the exhibition games are going for more than $4,000 on secondary ticket sites.
For those who can’t afford tickets to get into the Tokyo Dome, the games will also be shown at more than 150 movie theaters around Japan, and more than 20 major sponsors have signed on to get access to all of those rapt viewers.
The anticipation is so great that Kershaw decided he has to see it first hand.
The veteran left-hander did not go to Korea with the team last year while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. This year, he is rehabbing from foot and knee surgeries and is not expected to pitch until well into the 2025 season. But he is going to Japan for the Tokyo games with his wife and four children even though he has to travel separately from the team.
“There’s not many times you get to go to Japan with Shohei. I think it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Kershaw said.
“It’s going to be amazing. I’ve played with enough Japanese guys to know baseball is a big part of their culture. So I’m excited to go. … I’m excited to be a fly on the wall.”
The experience has already started for fans in Tokyo. A special exhibit of Dodgers-related memorabilia and artifacts opened last week there – with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring former Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito. The “Dodgers Experience” at Toranomon Hills Station Tower (not far from the Tokyo Dome) will run through March 30, featuring items related to Jackie Robinson, Hideo Nomo and Ohtani’s 50/50 season. The 2024 World Series trophy will be available for photo ops and fans who buy special passes can have their photo taken with the trophy – or try hitting pitches from Ohtani and Yamamoto in a virtual-reality experience.
All of this comes as Japanese fans prepare for the Hall of Fame induction of Ichiro Suzuki this summer.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Japanese fans receive the Dodgers, Shohei, Yoshinobu, Roki,” Roberts said, calling it the most anticipated Opening Day of his life as a player, coach and manager. “I think it’s going to be the trip of a lifetime. I think it’s going to be one of the best memories that we’re going to have, to see this. I don’t think we’re gonna be able to travel much and get out much, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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