Shohei Ohtani honored in Japan with stamp, postcard collection

What’s included: The Shohei Ohtani Premium Stamp Set will include five stamps, photos with facsimile autographs and 44 postcards featuring each of Ohtani’s home runs in the 2023 season, according to The Asahi Shimbun. The set is priced at 7,260 yen ($51).

Orders first opened on Oct. 6 and will be available until Jan. 5, 2024, at post offices across Japan. Online orders last until Jan. 10.

Latest achievement: Aside from making history as the first Japanese home run champion, the 29-year-old MLB two-way superstar was also named the Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday, beating other big-name superstars in the sporting world such as Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic.

Ohtani, 29, received 20 out of the 87 total votes from a panel of sports media professionals, while Messi and Djokovic received 16 votes each, according to AP.

A new home: The former Los Angeles Angels three-time team MVP recently signed a historic deal with the Dodgers for $700 million over a 10-year contract. This is reportedly the biggest deal in team sports history.

Two murals of Ohtani were spotted in Los Angeles a few days after the deal was announced. One is located in Manhattan Beach, while the other can be seen by the Prociety, a hat store in Downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district.