Postcard from Tokyo

Memories of the Dodgers’ Tokyo Series sweep and touring Japan.

The Dodgers left Tokyo Wednesday night after being sweeping the Chicago Cubs. Accordingly, just about everyone who I have been bantering with has left. For lack of a better analogy, it feels like I’m the last one at the summer camp, an anti-Holdovers, if you will.

I had one last bit of Tokyo Series business to take care of before leaving Sunday afternoon.

As we previously covered, MLB set up watch parties at Tokyo Skytree, which went off without a hitch, and a far cry from the watch parties that Pantone 294 put on (most notably the first night).

The Dodgers set up an exhibition at Tokyo Node that runs through the end of the month. The main draw of the exhibition was a VR simulation that featured Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

This pass was sold out on the day I went, and rather than pay extra to wait in line to take photos with the 2024 World Series, I breezed through the mementos brought over from Dodger Stadium.

Admittedly, if you were unable to attend the Tokyo Series or hang out at a watch party or nearby, the exhibition is a marginal substitute. But for fans who do not regularly visit Dodger Stadium, the exhibition is an excellent opportunity to experience a figurative taste of Dodger Stadium without the trek to the United States.

Remains of the Day

The Tokyo Series was a financial and ratings gold mine. Fanatics announced that the company made a record $40 million in sales of merchandise directly related to series.

25 million viewers in Japan watched Game 1 of the series. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times pointed out that the last time there were 25 million U.S. viewers for a game was Game 7 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the trash can-powered, “guessing is harder than knowing” Houston Astros.

What was it like being there in person both games? Well…

I am glad that I was there for both games at a cost of an amount that I’m not willing to talk about yet.

After studying Roki Sasaki for two years, it feels extremely appropriate that I was present for his Dodgers’ major league debut.

He was wild but showed flashes of brilliance that should play well in MLB. Sasaki admitted to nerves, playing in front of about 45,000 fans in his home country.

On reflection, I can’t help but feel as if I was missing something.

The games were fine. The food was delicious and thankfully, I avoided the mishaps of Mark Potts of the Los Angeles Times. He posted a professed self-deprecating video that managed to come off as insensitive.

Soba noodles and chicken skewers at a baseball game? Sign. Me. Up. Those eats were quite tasty.

The thing that immediately jumps to mind when I think about those two games is the pervasive, eerie silence filling the egg, otherwise known as the Tokyo Dome.

The Silence of the Egg

The silence needs to be seen and felt to be believed.

I was expecting a rowdy, NPB-like atmosphere with bands, chanting, singing, and general tomfoolery over two days.

Instead, I got two nights at The Masters.

The observation is not a criticism but a realization that I had an imperfect understanding of Japanese baseball fans. If you wanted to experience what NPB is known for in the Tokyo Series, your best bet would have been to watch the exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers or Yomiuri Giants.

In my observation, the local fans were far more invested in the returning players, most notably Shohei Ohtani. They would react when any of the five returning Japanese stars were in the game or in a pinch. The rest of the time? Not so much.

In fact, the most animated I saw the crowd get during the series was when the Cubs intentionally walked Ohtani. While it was the right baseball move, the fans did not like it one bit.

It would be more accurate to say that nationalism trumps team preference.

So no fight songs and the like…

The Dodgers are becoming a presence in Japan, but if the presence of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki were to abruptly end, the interest might wane. I wouldn’t expect that situation to come pass for the rest of the decade so this discussion might be academic at worst, especially if the Dodgers keep winning. Also, I would be absolutely shocked if the Dodgers did not keep scouting NPB for more players in the future.

Discussions about the merit of contracts like Sasaki’s, where the cream of Japanese baseball is being acquired at literal pennies on the dollar is ultimately detrimental to all parties involved is one for another day.

If my two weeks in Tokyo taught me anything is that there is only one Shohei Ohtani.

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With this postcard, we wrap up coverage of Tokyo. We’ll see you in Arlington next month.