Celebrity Sighting at Narita Airport

Moving onto other more light-hearted subjects. I have an interesting story from when I flew back to the US this past Friday. We were at Narita Airport unexpectedly early, thanks to the Narita Express (more on that in an upcoming post), and after checking in our bags at the counter, we decided to have one last meal together with the family. Narita Airport has a nice “mall” area with lots of restaurants, but we found one toward the back-left area that had some good Japanese food we wouldn’t enjoy in the US. So, as the six of us (wife, daughter, self, parents plus older sister), filed in, I was stumbling a bit to get to my seat in the packed restaurant when my wife looks at me with this huge grin on her face and she mouths the words silently “Okamura-kun”. I realized then that seated right behind me was none other than famous comedian Okamura Takashi.

For those not familiar, he is a big comedian celebrity here in Japan. Just about everyone knows who he is. My wife and I, along with her family, are big fans of “Okamura-kun”, as he is affectionately called. We’ve watched the TV show Gochi for years, and enjoyed Mecha-iké even though we are unable to watch now anyway due to the little one. That show is a bit too adult for our 4 year old. Anyway, Okamura is great for his dead-pan and very silly humor, and I certainly never expected to see him in person like that, let alone to be unexpectedly close enough to reach out and grab his arm.

The problem was that although we were seated right next to him, my wife and I were sitting with our back to him so we couldn’t really get a good look. I really wanted to turn around and look, but I couldn’t. And since he was with a group of friends and co-workers, we couldn’t just interrupt to say ‘hi’ either. I really, really, really wanted to tell him I was a fan, and that I enjoy his shows, but we wanted to respect his privacy too, so we didn’t bother him. I did manage to steal a few glances to make sure it was really him, but we also heard him chatting a bit with another famous comedian, so I definitely recognized the voice. Anyway, it was then I realized that everyone else in the restaurant was likewise very quiet and staring avidly, but trying not to bother him too much either. The waitress who served him (and us) was cool and professional the whole time, but I bet she was nervous. She did great.

The funny part is that when I first came in, I didn’t see him, and with the huge backpack I was wearing, I probably came close to hitting him across the head with it. Anyway, halfway through our own lunch, the group got up and left for their flight. My wife mentioned they’re filming a new TV show where Okamura and the other comedian travel to various places, and this probably was one such trip. I hope they had a safe flight.

As for me, it was nice to at least see him. It’s not unlike the time I met Henry Winkler in Ireland of all places: I get so stupid and nervous when I meet famous people. Celebrities have enough pressure and get a million people who want to talk to them daily, so it’s not a bad idea to just respect their privacy and let them enjoy their lunch though.

But Mr. Okamura if you’re reading this:

岡村さんを応援しています！アメリカ人の大ファンです。