MJ Arrives

In his second trip to Japan in less than a year, Michael Jackson hosted two fan appreciation events.

Jackson arrived at Narita Airport March 4th, where he was met by a mob of screaming fans. On March 8th he attended a VIP party at Tokyo’s Studio Coast, where the public paid 400,000 yen each (about $3,500) for the chance to have their pictures taken with the former king of pop megastar.

At least one person flew all the way from the United States to buy a ticket. The following day there was a much less pricey fan appreciation day at the same venue.

Attendants paid 15,000 yen each ($130) to watch dancers perform to Jackson videos. The star was supposedly watching along with them from a special booth, but several media outlets reported that he didn’t actually show up until an hour or so before the six-hour event ended. He did go on stage at the end to make a short speech.

"Japan is one of my favorite places to visit in the world," he said. "I want to thank all of you for making me the biggest-selling artist in Japan."

During his week-long stay, Jackson also visited Tokyo Disneyland, shopped in the electronics mecca Akihabara, and toured a U.S. Army base south of Tokyo.