At Little Tokyo's Far Bar, every Ohtani home run is cause for celebration

Published Sep 28, 2024 5:00 AM

Don Tahara, owner of Far Bar, sits at one of Far Bar's tables and does work. A blue Dodgers banner is draped directly above him.

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Shohei Ohtani mania continues to sweep Los Angeles as the Dodgers newcomer raises the bar on the diamond.

You’ve probably heard by now, the Japanese sensation is the founding member of Major League Baseball’s 50-50 club — that's 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Over in Little Tokyo, the Far Bar has been celebrating Ohtani’s feats and giving patrons free sake shots every time the man knocks one out of the park.

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Every time Shohei Ohtani homers, this Little Tokyo bar gives away free sake shots

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Shohei, sake, shots!

Far Bar owner Don Tahara is a lifelong Angeleno and Dodgers fan. He grew up in South L.A. and remembers seeing the Dodgers play as a kid right after they’d moved from Brooklyn in the late 1950s. He told LAist he was thrilled that the Dodgers signed Ohtani, who he considers to be a once-in-a-generation player.

The Robert Vargas mural on the side of the Miyako Hotel of two Shohei Ohtani's one pitching, a larger one hitting taken from across the street in front of the "Far Bar"

Tahara said the idea to give away sake shots came to him a little after Ohtani joined the Dodgers in March 2024. That was after that large mural of the player went up at the Miyako Hotel — right across the street from the Far Bar — by local artist and regular bar patron Robert Vargas.

Tahara said the mural convinced him he needed to do something to honor Ohtani as well.

“It was an opportunity to showcase Ohtani at the same time — do something unusual, celebrate all of his home runs with a Shohei Sake Shot,” Tahara said.

The sake Tahara uses for the special is Sho Chiku Bai ‘Kyoto’ Junmai. He orders them in bulk — six in a box, 1.8L in volume. Tahara said his suppliers know about the campaign, and his regulars are hankering for the taste of it on most Dodger nights.

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“Every time we bring that gold bottle out, it means that he hit a home run, but…actually they're already chanting for sake by that time,” he said.

Don Tahara holds a bottle of the iconic 1.8 Liter Golden and orange bottle he pours Shohei Ohtani Sake shots with everytime Ohtani hits a home run.

Tahara said he doesn’t have plans to stop anytime soon. In fact, he‘s starting to consider the Shohei Sake Shot part of the bar’s identity.

“In my mind, I think that's why he's hitting home runs. So my customers can have sake,” he said.

He’s hoping the campaign will continue at least through the World Series. The free shots are worth the costs.

“I don’t mind spending money on all this sake, because the fact that I'm buying so much stock, it means that Shohei is doing well, and the Dodgers are doing well," he said.

With an assured spot in the playoffs, the Dodgers’ success is undeniable so far, and it’s in no small part due to Ohtani’s work on the field.

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“A real sense of pride”

An Ohtani jersey, signed Robert Vargas jersey, and blue Dodgers flag are situated side by side above part of the interior of the"Far Bar".

While much of Southern California is under the spell of Shohei fever, perhaps no other neighborhood has been as electrified as Little Tokyo.

The 1.8L gold and orange bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Kyoto Junmai sake is seen next to two sake glasses.

Tourists from Japan have been pouring in to visit Dodger Stadium, or to see the Vargas mural in person.

“That's brought thousands of tourists into Little Tokyo. People are always standing in front of my restaurant and taking pictures of it," Tahara said.

Japanese visitors to Los Angeles could eclipse the amount in years past, according to the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. More than 400,000 visitors from the country are projected to visit, which would make Japan one of L.A.’s top four international tourist markets.

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Tahara said Ohtani has become important not just to Japan, Little Tokyo, and Los Angeles, but nationally and internationally, too.

He said Ohtani’s impact has fueled a sense of pride for him and for his community.

“I'm not Japanese, I'm Japanese American, but… when was the last time I was able to really root for a Japanese person who was at the peak of his sport”? he asked.

For Tahara and for many others, the time to relish a living legend is now.