Japanese superfans turn dental clinic into Ohtani mini-museum

KOSHIGAYA, Japan — In an online auction four years ago, Japanese dentist Yusuke Kamimura’s father purchased his first piece of Shohei Ohtani memorabilia: a rosin bag, the soft pouch containing powder that pitchers use to improve their grip on a baseball.

Some 100 million yen ($675,000) later, spent on 300-odd collectibles, renovations and security, the pair are the proud owners of a mini-museum dedicated to the Japanese baseball player inside Kamimura’s dental clinic near Tokyo.

“As the number of items grew, we thought that instead of enjoying them on our own, it would be nice to share them with patients,” Kamimura said at his clinic in Koshigaya city where his father is also a dentist and director.

Lining the walls of the waiting room at the Kamimura Dental Orthodontic Clinic are glass-encased displays of gloves, helmets, autographed balls and jerseys, countless bobblehead dolls and much more.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest two-way players in baseball history, Ohtani will lead the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs at the opening games of the 2025 Major League Baseball season in the Japanese capital next Tuesday.

Kamimura, 31, said he has been a fan since Ohtani got his professional start more than a decade ago for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The items that have passed through Ohtani’s hands give him a sense of proximity to the Dodgers star’s raw talent, he said.

A broken bat from the time Ohtani, playing for the Los Angeles Angels, hit a foul ball transports Kamimura to that April 2021 game against the Texas Rangers.

“When I watch the video, I think to myself, ‘Wow, it’s the actual bat from this scene,’ and I felt something when I held it in my hands. It’s an exciting feeling, looking at the bat.”

Among his most prized items is a blue helmet Ohtani wore at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

“There are no words to describe just how amazing Ohtani is,” Kamimura said.

“I don’t think there are many people, in any field, who can achieve such greatness and still keep pushing themselves even further.

“He’s the kind of person who inspires me to dream that if I earnestly pursue what I want to do, I can achieve something like him.”