Ako, Hyogo Pref. –The town of Ako is known for two things: salt and samurai, specifically the 47 Ronin celebrated for avenging the death of their lord in the early 18th <a href="https://comicvibe.com/survivor-named-one-of-the-most-groundbreaking-show-of-the-21st-century/” title=”Survivor named one of the most groundbreaking show of the 21st century”>century. Besides samurai memorials everywhere, visitors will notice posters advertising a museum dedicated to a subject that would seem unlikely in southwest Hyogo Prefecture: the Beatles.
Set in an old house a stone’s throw from the Zen temple dedicated to the 47 Ronin, the Beatles Art & Culture Museum is the brainchild of a man who calls himself Japan’s No. 1 Beatles fan. Sonau Okamoto has been passionate about the Fab Four for more than 60 years and has built a shrine to them with thousands of memorabilia. There are Beatles recordings, videos, posters, cutouts, photos, newspaper clippings, magazines, books, mugs, pins, banknotes, cartoons and a giant “Yellow Submarine” display.
One of Okamoto’s most prized artifacts, however, sits behind several layers of glass: his ticket to a Beatles concert held 60 years ago this month. It was the evening of Saturday, July 2, 1966, at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena. The price was ¥2,100. That was a premium seat; the cheaper ones were ¥1,800 and ¥1,500.
