#13: Major League Baseball in Tokyo: March 2025
As any Bucket Lister can surely attest, the need to be opportunistic when considering events is vitally important. It was in this vein that we bid sayonara to Osaka and Kon’nichiwa to Tokyo, where Major League Baseball would open its 2025 season with the L.A. Dodgers facing the Chicago Cubs in a two game series.
After taking the bullet train from Osaka, and in order to be right in the middle of the action, we chose to stay at the Tokyo Dome Hotel, which is located within the entertainment district that also includes the Tokyo Dome Stadium. Our hunch that it would prove to be ground zero in terms of global baseball on an unprecedented scale proved spot on, especially when considering the cultural significance of the games.
The unparalleled combination of witnessing a true celebration of the sport while featuring its biggest star, Japan’s own Shohei Ohtani, was truly something to behold. Ohtani, the Dodgers $700 million dollar two-way superstar was coming of an incredible season in which he won his third MVP award while leading the team to its first World Series championship since 1988.
As impressive as John, Paul, George and Ringo’s return to London was in 1964, it had nothing on Shohei’s return to Tokyo. Of course, having pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in tow certainly didn’t hurt.
This incredible star power, and the expense it carried, led the Wall Street Journal to lead with the headline, “The $392 Million Superteam That Won’t Stop Spending Money.” It also resulted in Fanatics and MLB opening a bustling 31,000 square foot merchandise store at the stadium and was further reflected in what appeared to be the entire city cloaked in Ohtani merchandise. In the end, Fanatics sold $40 million worth of fan merchandise and trading cards off the series, which made it the company’s best-selling special event ever.
Because both games were held in the evening, we had ample time during the day to explore — and that we did by working our way to the Tokyo Node, which curated a Dodgers-specific fan experience. The exhibition space showcased Ohtani memorabilia, along with a display focusing on the history of the Dodgers and the team’s connection to Japan, as well as the team’s 2024 World Series trophy, among other impressive sights.
Fun Fact #1: As part of this private experience, we were able to have our picture taken wearing 2024 World Series champion rings while standing with the trophy.
But let’s not forget the spectacle that the games themselves provided.
The greater Tokyo area has a population of 37 million while the entire state of California has but two million more. This context is important when considering the overall interest in the games, particularly relating to the demand for tickets given the venue’s 43,500 seat capacity. Those fortunate to land tickets to one of the games could not help but be struck by the pageantry and extraordinary fan engagement. And this began with the playing of both national anthems, during which one could hear a pin drop given the Japanese culture of respect and deference to both nations.
This respect and deference extended to the games themselves, as knowledgeable fans did not merely focus on Ohtani, or the other Japanese stars for that matter, but also on the entirety of the game, from the strategy involved to the appreciation for the athleticism. These elements were complemented by enthusiastic cheerleaders performing along the baselines, as well as atop the dugouts while young, festively dressed and energetic vendors canvassed the stands looking for patrons in need of beer and whiskey.
By the time all the action on the field and in the stands came to an end, the Dodgers had prevailed in the opener 4-1, with Ohtani going 2-5 on the evening.
Fun Fact #2: An added element that contributed to our fantastic experience was the fact that we were able to watch a close friend’s son, Eli Morgan, pitch in relief for the Cubs.
To everyone’s surprise the following day it snowed for many hours leading up to the game. This added to the surreal intersection of sports and culture heading into the game, one eventually won by the Dodgers.
The Dodgers completed this sweep with a 6-3 victory with Ohtani hitting his first home run of the year and going 1-3 in the process. His two game performance led the Associated Press to proclaim, “Shohei Ohtani came home as a national hero, and he didn’t let Japan down at the Tokyo Series.”
Fun Fact #3: George “caught” a line drive foul ball hit by the Cubs’ Ian Happ. More precisely, he merely knocked it down and I picked it up as it rolled past. Keenly aware of my duties as a Global Ambassador, I quickly identified the ideal child to give the ball to; without fanfare a giddy George gladly accepted the memento being offered.
Realizing the need to relive the previous evening’s heroics, and because it was our final evening in Tokyo, we decided to visit a few of Shinjuku City’s bars and restaurants. And not just visit them but do so with a two-time bucket list trip veteran leading the way where we discussed, among other things, just how remarkable and welcoming the Japanese were at every turn during our stay.
Having accomplished the Japanese “Double” we immediately took a very self-satisfying, if not self-serving, Yumi and began shifting our focus toward Milan, the host city for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Final Score: Bucket List 13, Dodgers 2, Foul Balls 1
