And the mural has become a popular destination for tourists from Japan who come by the busload to pose for photos with the artwork.
Takatani Kiuchi travelled from Japan to attend game two of the series at Dodger Stadium in the heart of Los Angeles, and he watched game three from Far Bar with his friends. Dressed head-to-toe in Dodgers gear and Ohtani jerseys, Kiuchi met fans from around Los Angeles and the world.
“We are new Dodgers fans. From Tokyo. For us it’s more about the Yankees versus Dodgers – that means a lot more than the World Series.”
They were excited that the second game of the series also featured the other Japanese star on the team – Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching six innings, allowing just one hit by the Yankees.
Kiuchi last came to Los Angeles as a child 50 years ago and says he will definitely return to see the Dodgers play again.
“We came here to see this,” Kiuchi cheered as the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit a home run during game three and the bar’s crowd erupted into cheers.
The city’s tourism board is also cheering. In 2023, there were 230,000 visitors from Japan to Los Angeles, a 91.7 percent increase from 2022.
And by year-end, the city is projected to welcome 320,000 visitors, says Bill Karz, the senior vice-president of brand marketing at LA Tourism. It’s still a drop from pre-pandemic levels, but tourism officials are celebrating the rise.
“The Ohtani effect is real,” says Karz. “It impacts our entire economy.”
That, he says, results in boosted hotel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks like Universal Studios and tours of Dodger Stadium, which has, in turn, increased the number of Japanese language tours it runs.
Even some devoted Yankee fans have jumped on the Ohtani bandwagon.
In a sea of Dodger blue, Vince Gonzales sported a black and red “Ohtani” shirt from the Japanese national team.
“Shhh, I’m a Yankee fan,” he whispered at the bar while mingling with tourists from Japan. “But more importantly, I’m an Ohtani fan because I have a passion for Japanese baseball.”
Far Bar erupted into cheers and “I love LA” blasted from the sound system when game three ended in a Dodger victory.
Robert Vargas – the muralist – wasn’t able to sneak away. A woman from Japan ran out of the bar to beg him for photos in front of the mural. He obliged and soon, there were dozens of people posing with him for photos and chanting: “Lets Go, Dodgers!”
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