Japanese guitarist Miyavi excites fans from the stage in the centerfield plaza at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, as part of the team’s annual Japanese Heritage Night.this year’s event appeared to be a raving success, due in part to the special Japan-themed jersey that was included in a special ticket package. Sporting the colorful shirts are (from left) Tod and Darleen Kuwahara and Ryan and Kristine Ishihara.Yoshinobu Yamamoto meets with 110-year-old fan Yoshiko Miwa, who has 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.Shohei Ohtani watches his first-inning double that led to the Dodgers’ first run of the game. Later, Ohtani hit a two-run homer.Koshin Taiko led off the pre-game lineup of performances that included Nikkei pop singer Anna Aya (right).Anna AyaGeorge Takei (center) invites all to live long and prosper, with (from left) Mami Sone, Nisei Week Princesses Aiko Dzikowski and Kamalani Higashiyama, First Princess Sara Kubo, Queen Kaitlyn Chu, Miss Tomodachi Nancy Chin, Princesses Isabella Polizzotto and Kaili Inouye, and Japanese Consul General Kenko Sone.Yoshiko Miwa, 110, who is believed to be the oldest Japanese American in the U.S., was given special recognition at Tuesday’s Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium. She is joined by the 2023 Nisei Week Court (from left): Aiko Marie Dzikowski, Kamalani Higashiyama, First Princess Sara Kubo, Queen Kaitlyn Emiko Chu, Miss Tomodachi Nancy Chin, Isabella Rose Polizzotto and Kaili Mika Inouye.Shohei Ohtani gets high fives in the dugout after scoring in the first inning.Photos by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS and JUN NAGATA
The tone was set well before the first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, as Japanese Heritage Night drew a huge crowd of 52,931 for L.A.’s game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A pounding performance by Koshin Taiko was followed by a blazing set by Japanese guitarist Miyavi in the plaza behind centerfield, and the game itself continued the excitement. Shohei Ohtani’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning electrified the sellout crowd, and the Dodgers ended the evening with a thrilling, walk-off 6-5 victory in the ninth.
A host of special guests were introduced on the field before the game, including 110-year-old Dodger fan Yoshiko Miwa, who is believed to be the second-oldest person living in California, the oldest Japanese American in the country, and the oldest survivor of World War II incarceration camps.
Actor and activist George Takei joined the fun, throwing a ceremonial first pitch and taking the honor of announcing “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”
The Nisei Week Foundation’s president and royal court were also recognized, as well as Japanese Consul General Kenko Sone.
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