Carolyn S. Stevens, The Beatles in Japan : Media, Culture and Social Change in Asia

When the Beatles rose to worldwide fame in the mid-1960s, they completed a series of international tours that would take them not only to the United States but also to venues in Europe and Asia.Their first tour to Japan in 1966 created a tight bond between the band and the Japanese public that survives to this day.During my many visits to Japan in the early 2000s, I frequented a large nightclub in Tokyo that featured a Japanese band that played Beatles songs before packed audiences, night after night.Several Beatles songs such as "Yesterday" still resonate at virtually every karaoke event where English songs are sung.Carolyn S. Stevens opens her study with a detailed analysis of the Beatles' brief yet chaotic visit to Tokyo in late June 1966.She contrasts the Tokyo visit with the next stops for the Beatles 1966 tour in Manila and later in Memphis.Later chapters include a detailed portrayal of the intense relationship between Yoko Ono and John Lennon, as well as Paul McCartney's and George Harrison's later Japanese tours featuring the warm reception that the ex-Beatles and their musical legacy have received over the years.Stevens contends that the Beatles' 1966 visit to Japan played a key role in the country's dramatic rise in notoriety on the world scene.This was the time when Japan sought to open itself to the world as its increased prosperity and "economic miracle" were becoming evident.Two events gained world attention: the hugely successful 1964 Olympics and the 1966 Beatles tour.Stevens states that "The Beatles' concerts in Tokyo contributed to the construction of a new Japanese national identity and introduced Japan as a potential market to UK and US music producers, broadening the country's transnational cultural links" (ii).The 1966 tour created a frenzy in Tokyo.The Beatles' arrival brought huge crowds to the airport and hotel where they stayed.It was a security nightmare involving thousands of police and officials who sought to control the crowds.The concerts at the Budokan emerged as a screaming fest for young women who drowned out the music.Mishima Yukio, who attended one of the concerts, later wrote: