Mai Fukuo buys gifts for a friend. Hideki Chiba in the same sports store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, looking for anything for his father-in-law.
They all picked up pieces in blue: Los Angeles Dodgers Blue, of course. That reflects the color revolution that’s been happening in Tokyo over the past few months since Shohei Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels (base color, red) to point to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
Angels caps are still missing in Tokyo. A Dodgers cap is a fashion item, much like products with designer logos.
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“Ohtani just replaced the stores,” said Takuto Yamashita, a part-time worker at a store called Selection, which offers Japan’s most diverse MLB gadgets for all 30 teams, as well as Japan’s 12 professional teams.
But there’s one team that’s more themed than the others in Japan. And only one player, which is why the Dodgers invested so much in Ohtani; not only because of his pitching and hitting, but also because of his celebrity prestige that allowed the Dodgers to promote themselves as a Japanese team.
“The situation is different. It went from red to blue,” Yamashita added. “If it wasn’t for Ohtani in the last few months, sales at this store would have been very different. “
Fukuo looked down at a classic white T-shirt with “Dodgers” written on the front. He lifted it off the stand (a comforter with Dodgers and Ohtani clothes) and admired it for its looks, length and texture.
“I’m thinking of buying this jersey for my colleague because Ohtani is very well known, of course in Japan, and also all over the world,” he explained. “He loves baseball and Ohtani, so I’m thinking about it. “
In the shopping aisle, Chiba dropped a classic Dodgers cap into his carry-on.
“He (Ohtani) is like a hero to us, at least to me as a baseball fan,” Chiba said. “Everyone knows him, even if they’re not a baseball fan. To me, it’s a Japanese icon. I think other people expected him to be a smart player, but it’s more than expected. “
A Los Angeles Dodgers jacket is on display as a visitor looks at Dodgers baseball caps at SELECTION, an item shop in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Store manager Hayato Daido estimated that 60 percent of sales came from Dodgers items or jerseys, jerseys, keychains, etc. The store’s assistant manager, Takato Suzuki, suggested the figure could be as high as 70 percent. 10% of sales were similar to those of local groups such as the Tokyo Giants.
Daido said Ohtani-like sales were “four or five times” higher than they were before the Dodgers announced in December that they had hired him. He said the device hasn’t arrived yet for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who joined the Dodgers on a 12-year contract. , a $325 million contract, which would be the longest in terms of cash and length for any pitcher.
“There’s no doubt that there will be demand,” Daido said. We’re waiting. “
Surprisingly, what sells are Ohtani’s caps and jerseys from his six years with the Angels.
“This is because they are no longer manufactured and are collector’s items,” said Suzuki, the deputy director.
The shop looks like a museum dedicated to Ohtani, with posters, memorabilia and “Sho-time” adorned with a variety of items. A few Ichiro Suzuki T-shirts are on sale, reminiscent of a Hall of Famer in the first round.
Shirts with Ohtani’s dog are an item: Dekopin in Japanese, but known as Decoy in English. The next big merchant might have something to do with your wonderful wedding.
Being a fan of Ohtani comes at a price, and it can be high. The regular Dodgers cap, like other MLB caps, sells for around 6,300 yen, or about $42.
However, the express elements for Ohtani are much higher. A classic blue Dodgers cap with the LA interlocking on the front, which also features the number 17 on it and a reproduction of Ohtani’s signature costs 22,400 yen, or about $150.
If you need a baseball that Ohtani threw in a game on April 27, 2023, be prepared. The value is 3. 3 million yen, or about $22,000. A glove worn by Ohtani sells for about 2 million yen, or $13,400.
Torben Lin, Taiwan, presented a contrary view. While shopping for groceries in the city, he became interested in buying a jersey of Masataka Yoshida, the Japanese outfielder who wears the Boston Red Sox’s No. 7. He bypassed Ohtani’s apparatus, intentionally.
“Ohtani is a smart player. It’s actually smart,” Lin said. “He’s got two or three skills. But to be honest, I don’t think it’s perfect. You know, it’s not like we all have to buy their stuff. “. Their memories. Their T-shirts. I think we love the other players. “
That prospect didn’t deter Hina Kishi. She works as a waitress at a Japanese restaurant, admired a blue Dodgers jersey on the shelf and said she intended to buy it. Even after, worth 77,000 yen, or about $510.
“Much dear,” he said, muttering about how he would handle his expenses with his salary. She said she worked dressed in a kimono, a wrap garment and the classic Japanese dress. He said the shirt would offer a “different look. “
“I saw baseball in use for the first time at the World Baseball Classic last year at the Tokyo Dome,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for Ohtani because he’s the most productive user and also very smart. “
She said she was so in love that she flew to Los Angeles a short time later to see Ohtani play for the Angels.
Fans seem willing to pay so that, like Ohtani, they will be supplied with dizzying demand and profits to share. A store worker said a blue Dodgers cap with a “D” written on the visor, worn in spring training, was nearly sold out within days.
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“Every day they talk about Ohtani on the Japanese news,” said Suzuki, the deputy director. “We can’t believe what business would be like without it. “
The same goes for MLB and the Dodgers.