Hundreds of Japanese fans waited in vain for a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as the baseball superstar and his Los Angeles Dodgers team-mates arrived in Tokyo on Thursday.
The World Series champion Dodgers, led by Japanese slugger Ohtani, will open the new Major League Baseball season with two games against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome next week.
Ohtani is an icon in Japan and excitement is reaching fever pitch for his first games for the Dodgers in his home country since joining the club at the end of 2023.
