Meeting the (rich?) and the famous!

Saturday morning, I slept in a bit, had a lazy morning, and took a little extra time to get ready, just for me! There was no particular reason to, just because I decided to feel great for the day. Turned out it was a good thing I put a little extra time in...

My mission for the day was to get Sumo Tickets (which, in and of itself, turned out to be a mess!) I had a vague map, but once I walked out of Namba station, I had no idea where to go! I was in the middle of asking a lady for help, which wasn't going to well, when someone behind me said, "Can I help you?" - in English! When I turned around, there were two 20-something guys, with their entourage of a lady, a cameraman, and a mic-man. I was a little thrown off, but showed them my map. When they realized where I was going, they said they would take me there! We started walking.

They spoke decent English, and asked where I was from, etc. I found out that they were comedians, and when I asked what all the equipment was for, they said it was their TV show! I noticed that as we walked (with their entourage running backwards in front of us), people stopped and pointed and were pretty enthusiastic about seeing them. One of them said, "Oh...we're famous." in an offhand way...

When they asked what I did and I told them I was interning as an Engineering Student, they reacted the same way everyone else seems to - a "eugghh??!!" and a little jump backwards. They asked about my favorite Japanese foods, and if I liked Japan. We talked a bit about Sumo and why I wanted to go. One of them told me that I had a beautiful face - I had been thinking to myself, "well, its a good thing I put a little extra effort into getting ready this morning, especially if this actually does end up on TV!" They also wanted to know if I had a boyfriend, and when I said that I didn't, one of them said, "Me - I will be your boyfriend!" I laughed, and then they said, "Which one?" - and both struck a pose. I struck a thinking pose, and then told them I would like to have two boyfriends...they figured that would work just fine. :)

When we got to the gymnasium and the box office, the ticket girl seemed pretty flattered that they were talking to me, confirming their fame. Unfortunately, the tickets I wanted were sold out, so I told them I wouldn't buy any until I talked to my friends. They thanked me for letting them help me, asked where I was going next, and gave me directions. I asked for a picture with them - I figured I couldn't walk away from my 15 seconds of fame or my chance encounter with the rich & famous without something to prove it happened!

The rest of the day was consumed with figuring out what tickets to get, etc, and a bit of thrift store shopping. The thrift store shopping was very disappointing. For the most part, the malls in Japan are very expensive - mostly high end stores. I went to America Mura to find some thrift stores...it's known for being a thrift store area, and more Americanized. I'm not sure if I found the right area, but I did find thrift stores! Unfortunately, everything was still $90-$485!! Needless to say, I didn't buy anything.

I showed my friends from work the picture I had with the comedians, and they were duly impressed by my experience, and the fact that I got to hang out with them. I found out that their name is 'Rozan'. It made for a fun day, and something I can throw into my Japan memories!

I'm having trouble getting photos off my phone, but when I do, I'll post the picture!