In Los Angeles, home of the Major League Baseball Dodgers, construction is underway on a huge mural of player Shohei Ohtani in preparation for the opening game at Dodger Stadium, home of the Dodgers, which will be held in one week.
The mural is painted on the exterior of a hotel in Little Tokyo, a historic Japanese neighborhood in the heart of Los Angeles.
The mural spans from the third floor to the top 11th floor of the hotel, and as of the 21st, Otani can be seen swinging a bat.
The person behind the project was Robert Vargas, an artist from Los Angeles, who proposed to the hotel, ``I wanted to paint a mural that would become a symbol of the city, with Otani as the subject,'' and with Otani's permission, it was made possible. That means I did it.
Mr. Vargas uses a method of drawing directly on the wall without making a draft, allowing people to see the process of making his work, and people passing by could even see him taking pictures.
Regarding Otani, news broke that Ippei Mizuhara, who had been working as a personal interpreter, had been fired from the team, but Vargas said, ``A person close to Otani made a wrong decision, and Otani was also affected.'' It would be a shame if I were to receive such an award, but that's why I feel more than ever that I have to keep painting.I want to complete the mural and show that the people of Los Angeles support Otani 100%.'' I was talking.
The mural will be unveiled on the 27th, the day before the season opener in Los Angeles.