How Shohei Ohtani has brought a new wave of Japanese tourists to LA

Los Angeles CNN —

Her nails are painted blue and white. There’s a Dodgers logo on one nail, the number 17 on another. Takayo Hizume had gone to a nail salon at home in Japan to get them done, then flew about 10 hours to Los Angeles, spending a great deal — considering the weak yen — to stay several days in California.

The effort is all for one person: Shohei Ohtani.

The six-foot-four star hitter and pitcher has been drawing fans from across the Pacific for years. But with his historic Dodgers contract, the influx of Japanese tourists has reached a fever pitch in Los Angeles for Ohtani’s first season with the team.

And he’s not even pitching yet.

Ohtani, who is recovering from elbow surgery, is hitting this season but not expected to start pitching for the Dodgers until 2025.

Still, a major Japanese travel agency told CNN it’s now booking up to 200 clients from Japan at every Dodgers home game.

And with 12 new Japanese sponsors, Japanese-language stadium tours and new Japanese menu items, the Dodgers are making the most of the Ohtani effect.

A mural showing Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani is painted on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles.

Japan’s ‘son’

When asked why she traveled halfway across the world to see a baseball game, Hizume said Ohtani feels like her own son.

Hizume spoke in Japanese, while the general manager of the Miyako Hotel – where she was staying in Los Angeles – stood next to her and translated.

Hizume explained that she felt a connection because her son played baseball, and she feels Ohtani is like Japan’s son.

Akira Yuhara, the general manager, said that this is a common sentiment among those in Japan, feeling as if Ohtani is representative of the