大谷翔平の試合を観るためロサンゼルスへ④：遂にドジャースタジアムへ / Traveling to Los Angeles to Watch Shohei Ohtani④: Finally to the Dodger Stadium
From San Diego to Los Angeles—our hotel turned out to be a great find!
After spending five wonderful days in San Diego, we set off early in the morning and drove to Los Angeles. The journey was about 200 kilometers (125 miles) along the freeway and took around two and a half to three hours. On the way, we stopped in Laguna Beach for a short break and a light lunch. In a grassy area of a nearby residential neighborhood, we spotted rabbits hopping around.
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San DiegoからLos Angelesへ、ホテルがなかなかのアタリ！
5日間のサンディエゴ滞在を終えて、朝一番で車でロサンゼルスに向かう。フリーウェイで約200Km、2時間半～3時間の距離だ。途中ラグーナビーチで小休止と軽いランチ。住宅地の緑地にはウサギが跳ねていた。
ロサンゼルスの手前、トーランス（Torrance）は日本人と韓国人が多く住む地域。ここにはドジャーズの日本人プレイヤー3名（大谷翔平、山元由伸、佐々木朗希）の巨大な壁画がある。「Samurais of the Diamond」と名付けられたこの壁画の脇にQRコードがあり、コードを読み込むとスマホに３人の投球シーンが次々に現れるというAR的効果も備えている。
3時ころにはロスの中心部に入りホテルに向かう。ホテルの所在地は7th StreetとBroadwayの交差点で、周囲にマーケットやデリが並ぶ便利な界隈。ただ夜になると通りで叫びだす輩がひっきりなしに現れたりして、ロスはどこでもそうだけど夜中は出歩かない方が無難。
このホテルはなかなかの“アタリ”だった。2人で1泊23,000円程度だが、60㎡はありそうなスタジオタイプの部屋にフルキッチンと広々としたウォークインクローゼットがついている。地下にはコインランドリーも完備。興味があって調べたら、7月前後のバケーションシーズンには1泊20万円程度に料金が跳ね上がる。シーズンの狭間を狙ってみて良かった。
ドジャースタジアムは日曜のデーゲーム、対シカゴカブス：大谷は絶好調！
ロサンゼルスで数日を過ごした後に、旅の主目的だったドジャースの試合へ向かう。4月26日（日）、対シカゴカブス、カブスの先発は今永、大谷翔平は1番DHで出場という、わざわざ日本から来た甲斐のある試合になった。
ドジャーススタジアムは街外れの一つの丘の広大な敷地をそのまま球場と関連施設として建設したもの。駐車場も巨大だが（駐車料金は8,000円）、駐車場所によっては出口にたどり着くのに90分はかかるという話。なので、ホテルからはUberを使って球場に向かい、帰りはとてもUberは拾えそうにないのでUnion駅まで無料のシャトルバスを使うことにした。
広大な駐車場、まだ試合開始に2時間以上あるので空きスペースが目立つ。右は選手、関係者向けの駐車場、関係者向け入り口に直結している。テロ対策のためかスタジアムに持ち込めるバッグは透明なビニールのものに限られ、入り口で厳しくセキュリティチェックを受ける。これは事前に調べていった通り。
プレイボールの前に買ったビール2つとスタジアム名物のドジャースドッグ一つ、これだけで9,732円（含チップ）！価格体系もバグってるが驚いたのはスタンドで手渡すだけのビールやホットドッグにもチップを要求されること！こうしたフードワゴンスタイルのところでは通常チップは要求されないが、スタジアムの中で使われているカード払いのシステムでは「チップゼロ、もしくは任意」のオプションがなく、最低でも18％のチップを選ばざるを得ない。これにはけっこう驚いた。ちなみに右の「銀だこ」のたこ焼きは6個で2,800円。
13:10のプレイボールで始まった試合は、ほぼドジャースの一方的なゲームに。カブス先発の今永は5回1/3を投げて5失点、鈴木誠也はノーヒット。これに対して大谷翔平は四球を挟んで3打席すべてヒットで打率10割、最終打席では見事なホームランを放ち、それもあって最終的に試合は6対0とドジャーズファンにはたまらない結果に。今永とカブスファンには残念だったが、ドジャース打線が爆発して打球が飛び交うエキサイティングな試合。ただ大谷翔平はこれを最後に、長いスランプが翌日から続くことになったのは残念。
9回ゲームセットと同時に球場外に飛び出す。交通機関を一刻も早く捕まえるためだが、ユニオン駅行きのシャトルバスにはすでに数百人が並んでいる。仕方がないのでその後尾に並ぶが、あっという間に千人単位と思しき大行列となる。自分たちは80分程度の待ち時間でバスに乗れたが、最後尾の人はいつ乗れたんだろう。
ユニオン駅まで15分程度の乗車で、そこからウーバーをアプリで呼んでホテル手前のマーケットまで。ここでディナーのテイクアウトを頼んで部屋に持ち込む。ロスの外食は異常なレベルなので、このマーケットは滞在中にずいぶん世話になった。
https://youtu.be/EbWu4Ufc-3A
これはホテルの近くで見かけたロボットによる配送。そこら中で利用されている。Waymoによる自動運転タクシーも走り回ってるし、日本と比べると時代の違いを鮮明に感じる。
From San Diego to Los Angeles—our hotel turned out to be a great find!
After spending five wonderful days in San Diego, we set off early in the morning and drove to Los Angeles. The journey was about 200 kilometers (125 miles) along the freeway and took around two and a half to three hours. On the way, we stopped in Laguna Beach for a short break and a light lunch. In a grassy area of a nearby residential neighborhood, we spotted rabbits hopping around.
Just before reaching Los Angeles lies Torrance, a city with large Japanese and Korean communities. Here you can find a giant mural featuring the Dodgers’ three Japanese players—Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. Titled “Samurais of the Diamond,” the mural also offers an augmented reality (AR) experience. By scanning the QR code beside it with a smartphone, visitors can watch the three stars come to life as videos of their pitching performances appear one after another on the screen.
By around 3:00 p.m., we arrived in downtown Los Angeles and headed to our hotel. It was located at the intersection of 7th Street and Broadway, a convenient area with plenty of markets, delis, and restaurants nearby. After dark, however, people shouting in the streets were a common sight. Like many parts of Los Angeles, it’s best to avoid walking around late at night.
As for the hotel, it turned out to be a real gem. At about ¥23,000 (roughly US$150) per night for two people, we got a spacious studio of around 60 square meters, complete with a full kitchen and a large walk-in closet. There was even a self-service laundry room in the basement. Out of curiosity, I later checked the room rates and found that during the peak vacation season around July, the same room can cost as much as ¥200,000 (about US$1,300) per night. Choosing to travel between the busy seasons turned out to be a very good decision.
Dodger Stadium on a Sunday Afternoon: Dodgers vs. the Chicago Cubs — Shohei Ohtani at His Best!
After spending a few days in Los Angeles, it was finally time for the main purpose of our trip—a Dodgers game. On Sunday, April 26, the Dodgers faced the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs’ starting pitcher was Shota Imanaga, while Shohei Ohtani led off as the designated hitter for the Dodgers. It was exactly the kind of matchup that made the long journey from Japan completely worthwhile.
Dodger Stadium was built on a vast hilltop site on the outskirts of Los Angeles, with the entire area devoted to the ballpark and its surrounding facilities. The parking lots are enormous, but parking costs about ¥8,000 (around US$50), and depending on where you park, it can take as long as 90 minutes just to get out after the game.
To avoid the traffic, we took an Uber from our hotel to the stadium. Getting an Uber after the game, however, seemed almost impossible because of the huge crowds, so we decided to take the free Dodger Stadium Express shuttle bus to Union Station instead.
The parking lots were enormous. With more than two hours to go before the first pitch, there were still plenty of empty spaces. On the right was the players’ and staff parking area, which had direct access to the personnel entrance. Perhaps as part of the stadium’s security measures, only clear plastic bags were permitted inside. Every visitor had to go through a thorough security screening at the entrance. Fortunately, we had checked the rules in advance, so there were no surprises.
Before the first pitch, we bought two beers and one of the stadium’s famous Dodger Dogs. The total came to ¥9,732 (including the tip)—just for that! The prices alone were shocking, but what surprised me even more was that we were expected to leave a tip even for beer and hot dogs simply handed over at the concession stand.
Normally, tipping isn’t expected at this kind of food-counter service. However, the card payment system used throughout the stadium offered no “No Tip” or even a custom-tip option. The lowest preset choice was 18%, so unless you paid in cash, you were effectively required to leave at least that amount. That was something I found quite surprising.
For comparison, the Gindaco takoyaki sold in the stadium cost ¥2,800 for six pieces.
The game started at 1:10 p.m. and quickly turned into an almost one-sided victory for the Dodgers. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga pitched 5⅓ innings and gave up five runs, while Seiya Suzuki went hitless. On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani was simply outstanding. Including a walk, he reached base in all three of his plate appearances with three hits, giving him a perfect 1.000 batting average for the game. In his final at-bat, he launched a spectacular home run, helping the Dodgers secure a 6–0 victory—a dream result for the home crowd.
It was a disappointing day for Imanaga and Cubs fans, but for everyone else it was an exciting game, with the Dodgers’ powerful lineup exploding and hard-hit balls flying all over the field.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be the last game of Ohtani’s hot streak, as he entered a long slump beginning the following day.
As soon as the game ended in the ninth inning, we rushed out of the stadium to catch transportation as quickly as possible. However, there were already several hundred people lined up for the shuttle bus to Union Station. With no other option, we joined the end of the line, which quickly grew into a massive queue of what looked like thousands of people. We managed to board a bus after waiting about 80 minutes, but I wondered how long it must have taken for those at the very back of the line to finally get on.
The ride to Union Station took about 15 minutes. From there, we called an Uber using the app and headed to a market near our hotel. We ordered dinner for takeout there and brought it back to our room. Because eating out in Los Angeles is unbelievably expensive, this market became one of our most useful places during our stay.
https://youtu.be/EbWu4Ufc-3A
This was a delivery robot I spotted near our hotel. These robots are being used all over the city. On top of that, Waymo’s self-driving taxis are everywhere as well. Compared with Japan, the difference in technological progress was striking—it truly felt like we were looking at a different era.