The Jacksons 2004

[updated in 2009 with added chapters]
 
 
28. The Trip to Japan


  Each member of our family already many times was in Japan. Japanese love the American music, and first of all they love Jacksons.

   We have a lot of Japanese-friends, and we like this country. When in December 1987 Michael was there on tour for the promotion of his album "Bad", me and Katherine have flown there to see look some of his concerts. By this moment Michael's single from this album, " I just can`t Stop loving you ", already was a hit in the USA.

   Originally Michael has planned 9 concerts but when organizers have established, that each performance being sold out in an hour, they have added 5 more concerts, and soon tickets for these additional concerts also were not available.

   Japanese definitely were mad about Michael. Wherever he appeared, he was followed by crowds of photographers. I and Katherine have constantly come across attributes of Michaelmania. Thousands of people put on t-shirts with Michael's image on his concerts, and all the shops had merchandise from Michael Jackson. All this has not surprised me. He had fans in Japan already 15 years ago when Jackson 5 had performed there. And I on my own experience was convinced, that our fans save their loyalty to us for a long time.

   When I was young and heard a message on the American radio about an attack of Japanese to Pearl Harbour, I could not even dream that someday I will go to Japan and will know this country so well. But then we went there frequently enough and have understood, that Japanese are great people.

   When we were with Motown, we knew, that boys are popular in Japan because fans even wrote letters to our home. Besides in Japan they constantly informed about us in press.

   Our first tour has taken place in May, 1973. In the airport there was so much shouting fans that we could squeeze through the crowd only with the help of security service.

   Our first stop was in Tokyo. Our remarkable organizer, Watanabe, arranged for us excursions and walks, also we went by the fastest at that time train, so-called " Bullet train ". I was afraid, that during the trip there can be an earthquake, but fortunately nothing happened.

   In hotel fans swarmed. Japanese are very polite and constantly bow, so I repeated after them and tried to answer their politeness.

   In the evening before the concert we gave press conference, and in the end there was a dinner given in our honour. Certainly, there was a lot of rice and when we were given to sticks, we had some difficulties with bringing the food to the mouth. I never before did eat with sticks and at first did not even know how to hold them. But I assiduously trained and eventually it turned out pretty well. It was pleasant to Japanese that we adapt to customs of their country and they were extremely friendly to us.

   Performance of boys has received a big response, but on none of the concerts the viewers did not try, as in other countries, to storm the stage. You should consider, that it was the beginning 70? years, and we were one of the first groups which performed there. Now Japan too became very western, and today Japanese behave at concerts the same as also fans in other countries.

   After performance in Tokyo in front of 10 or 15 thousand fans many people came to us and gave gifts. The following concerts have passed in Osaka. It is the same big city as Tokyo, but it certainly not so is overflown as capital.

   After that we had concerts in Hiroshima where I with boys have visited a museum. I have thought of how in days of my youth heard in news in bombardment of Hiroshima, and I was captured with a strange feeling when we passed through these halls.

   Pictures, showing the city after dump of a nuclear bomb in 1945, deeply amazed, and I had a frost has passed on my skin when I have imagined the scale of these horrifying destructions. My sons too have been suppressed, and all of us hope that such thing will never happen again.

   Yes, I love Japan. Japanese friendly and polite and I like the country, though there are really high prices. And our local fans till now like Jackson 5. Janet also did a tour across Japan and had a big success. She is loved the same, as Michael and his brothers. Jacksons always will be welcomed guests in Japan.