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From LA to Tokyo: Dodger fans descend on Japan for season opener
A supporter of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits for the team to arrive at Tokyo's Haneda airport on March 13, 2025.
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Philip Fong
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AFP
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When the L.A. Dodgers announced their first-ever season opener in Tokyo, Christian Arana knew he would be there for the historic milestone.
Months later, he has manifested his wish. The Encino man is in Tokyo this weekend, counting down to Tuesday for the first in a two-game series between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
The series at the Tokyo Dome will be the regular-season opener for all of Major League Baseball. Arana says Dodger fever has gripped baseball fans across Japan, where two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani’s mug adorns ads for everything from sunscreen to 7-11.
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Listen: Josie Huang speaks to a lucky fan from Encino who's in Tokyo for the game.
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A crowd of Japanese fans followed a gleeful Kike Hernandez around Tokyo, as captured on video. Banners and posters celebrating the Dodgers are plastered across the city.
Christian Arana knew he would make it to the MLB season opener in Tokyo after hearing about it last summer.
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Courtesy Christian Arana
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And wherever there are baseball fans, Arana sees a sea of azure.
“Every single person is wearing a Dodgers hat, Dodgers jersey, a T-shirt, whether they're coming from America or they're from here locally,” Arana said.
The lineup
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch the first of two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Rookie hurler Roki Sasaki, who will showcase his famous splitter for game two. With global superstar Ohtani, Sasaki makes up the third in a powerhouse trifecta from Japan. Not to mention other superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Arana will be joined at the game by a college friend who’s part of a contingent of Cubs fans in Tokyo – just as excited by their own Japanese superstars, ace pitcher Shota Imanaga and outfielder Seiya Suzuki.
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But Arana says Dodger Nation has a much larger presence.
“Every single time I see a person wearing Dodgers hat, it turns out they're either from the San Fernando Valley or East Los Angeles — like literally all over Southern California,” Arana said.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (C), Teoscar Hernandez (L) and Roki Sasaki (R) watch during the exhibition baseball game Sunday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hanshin Tigers.
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Yuichi Yamazaki
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AFP via Getty Images
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Players pose after the exhibition baseball game Sunday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hanshin Tigers. The Dodgers take on the Chicago Cubs in the stadium on Tuesday.
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Yuichi Yamazaki
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AFP via Getty Images
)
Arana, who works on policy issues that affect Latinos, says many of the other fans in Tokyo don’t have tickets — including his own brother — but just want to be a part of the experience.
“It's just been heartwarming to see so many of our fans travel to foreign places to root for the team,” Arana said.
Tickets through-the-roof
On StubHub as of Sunday morning, tickets for the game at the Tokyo Dome were in the range of $4,000 to more than $9,000.
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So how much did Arana pay for his ticket?
Fifty dollars — which he noted cost less than parking and a hot dog and beer at Dodger Stadium.
Dodger fan Christian Arana is in Tokyo with his brother, Kevin in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo.
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Courtesy Christian Arana
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“When they went on sale, I had literally four different screens up,” Arana said. “The first one that came through with the option to buy tickets, I just went straight to that one.”
A life-long fan — he was born in 1988, the year the Dodgers beat the Oakland A’s to win the World Championship — Arana said the skill and talent of the current roster is exhilarating.
With the L.A. fires and other news, Arana said:
“Honestly, this is what the world needs right now. We need a lot of optimism and hope and the Dodgers have been that one source of hope for so many people in our city for generations.”
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