Bright future for Japan’s Obama impersonator

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    Nocchi

    A couple days ago, I posted about Japanese Obama impersonator Nozomu Sato (Nocchi) and linked to an article about him in the Chicago Tribune. His long-awaited meeting with the real Obama was aired on Japanese TV Wednesday night, so here it is [via Black Tokyo]:

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    Part 1

    Nocchi accepts the TV program’s challenge and travels to Chicago. He first attempts to visit Obama’s house, but is turned away by police.

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    Part 2:

    Nocchi then attempts to visit an Obama offices in Chicago. Since he has no appointment, he is turned away.

    His next target is a neighborhood Obama is said to frequent, where Nocchi gets a haircut from Obama’s barber. The friendliness of the people gives Nocchi an optimistic feeling, so he tries to visit another Obama office. This time, security allows him inside the building, but Obama is not there. Staff tell Nocchi that they will notify higher ups about his visit. Nocchi also receives Obama’s business card.

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    Part 3

    Word spreads about Nocchi, and the Chicago Tribune comes to interview him.　After the interview, the crew gets word from campaign sources that Obama will appear in New York City that night. Nocchi waits in the street for hours, successfully spotting the Obama motorcade and waving to Obama. Nocchi believes that he has fulfilled his contract, but the TV crew informs him that he needs better proof of Obama acknowledging his existence.

    Later that night, they get word of an Obama rally being held the next day in St. Louis. It is the last day of their trip to America, and it will be Nocchi’s last chance to meet Obama.

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    Part 4

    Nocchi inches his way to the front of a huge crowd and listens to Obama’s speech. When the speech ends, Obama comes down to shake hands with people in the crowd. Nocchi grabs Obama’s hand and gets a handshake. Obama seems to acknowledge Nocchi’s existence, so the contract is fulfilled!

    Upon hearing of comedian Nocchi’s encounter with the real Barack Obama, the Asahi Shimbun has declared that the Japanese Obama impersonator has a “bright future” ahead of him. We’ll certainly be seeing a lot more of his Obama act on TV for the next 4 to 8 years, but that may not necessarily be a great thing for Nocchi. According to a survey translated at What Japan Thinks, a majority of Japanese TV viewers feel that Obama’s victory will not positively effect Nocchi’s career.

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