Ako, Hyogo Pref. ¨C 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 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 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.
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