The images of a video of the only tour of The Beatles in Japan in 1966 came to light after a long legal battle in the country. The film, without audio and in black and white, lasts 35 minutes and is currently in free access on YouTube. It was then done by the Japanese police for security reasons.
In the cutscene, the four musicians can be seen teleporting out of the plane, dressed in kimono, and then performing in front of an uproar crowd at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan hall.
These files, however, have a curious detail: apart from the faces of the Beatles, the faces of other people filmed are blurred, for reasons of respect for privacy.
the legal battle
For years, the question of the image rights of these registered persons were an obstacle among Japanese Beatles fans and supporters of the right to know and local police.
Fans have taken to the Supreme Court of Japan to try to authorize an uncensored version.claiming that it was a “historical document” that it was absurd to want to blur the faces recorded more than 50 years ago, almost impossible to identify today, according to them.
But the court rejected these arguments in 2018 and finally the police proposal to make the document public with blurred faces prevailed.
Towards Tokyo, step by step
According to the excellent and detailed book The Beatles, day after dayby Fab Four specialist Barry MIles (Robinbook editions), the experience went like this:
June 27, 1966: After playing the day before in Hamburg (Germany), the Beatles returned to Heathrow airport and then embarked for Tokyo, headed for their first presentation in Japan. But a typhoon warning caused an emergency flight landing in Anchorage, Alaskawhere they spent the night at the Westwood Hotel.
To qualify the surprising scale, at night they went to The Top of the World, the nightclub located on the top floor of the hotel. The next day, they continued the flight to Tokyo.
-June 30th: Finally, they arrived at Haneda airport, in Tokyo, at 3:40 am (they lost a day crossing the meridian). The Beatles stayed at the Hilton Hotel, where they had an entire floor blocked for the group.
On the same day, the Beatles performed at the Nippon Budokan Hall with its 10,000 seats are sold out.
registered strong right-wing opposition – including death threats – for the Beatles to play at the Budokan – originally a martial arts hall – as the place was considered a sacred tomb for those who had fallen in war. For a rock band to perform there was a crime.
Due to the threats, the Japanese took sides 30,000 agents between the airport and the hotel. In time, the Budokan would perhaps become the stage for Tokyo’s most important musical performances.
-1 July: Japanese television filmed the first of the two programs.
-2nd of July: Last day of concerts. The fan hysteria was so great, and the army surveillance so strict, that the Beatles couldn’t leave the hotel. To buy souvenirs, they brought some local merchants to the suite. The Beatles ended up buying a wide variety of kimonos, bowls and other products, at adequately … inflated prices. “
Ringo, with Covid
At the same time, for these hours, the Beatles are back in the limelight, but in this case bet on Ringo Starr today.
Positive result for the covid, the drummer had to cancel a series of showss – six dates in total -; the first news, it spoke of a condition in his voice.
Initially, the 82-year-old musician had postponed two dates of that tour but it was stated that he did not have Covid. However, what is speculated is that Starr showed symptoms before he tested positive, and then the problems in his voice despite not being detected as positive.
CJL
Source: Clarin
