Billy Blanks’ life in Japan
FTV news recently aired this special report on American fitness guru Billy Blanks, who has permanently settled in Osaka after marrying a Japanese woman.
Part 1
The report starts with scenes of Billy attending a festival in Osaka, where is he swarmed by people who recognize him from his popular Billy’s Bootcamp fitness DVD’s. Billy has been invited to lead a crowd of festival-goers in a mini-workout. Such promotional events are not rare anymore, since Billy now lives in Japan.
The next scene introduces his home base in Japan, the Billy Blanks International Studio in Osaka. The reporter is greeted by Billy and his wife Tomoko, who tell the story of how they met. Apparently she visited an exercise studio in the U.S. so she could get her picture taken with Blanks, and he asked her to teach him some Japanese because he was preparing to do some promotional work for his exercise videos in Japan. She began to work as his interpreter, and their relationship soon became romantic. Nine months ago, their daughter Angelica was born.
The studio isn’t just for bootcamp lessons. Billy also teaches classes in kickboxing, karate, and yoga. Since Billy hasn’t quite learned enough Japanese to teach the lessons by himself, his wife backs him up and translates everything he says into Japanese.
The slightly chubby reporter joins Billy and Tomoko in a bootcamp routine. Billy’s stepdaughter, Marika (who is an aspiring model), was also participating in the workout.
Later that night they go out to a yakitori restaurant. Billy loves going out for yakitori, and at this particular restaurant the chef has learned that Billy likes his tebasaki cooked longer than usual.
Marika, who grew up without the presence of a father in the house, says that her stepdad is a very nice guy. Even though he is a world famous celebrity, he is very down to earth and loves his family.
Part 2
In the second clip, we are shown Billy’s house, which is pretty big by Japanese standards. The grand tour includes a tatami mat room and a music room in which Billy practices his keyboard (he creates the soundtracks for his exercise videos).
Billy says that he always wanted to live in Japan, so when Tomoko asked him to settle in Osaka with her, he accepted.
In the two months since their studio opened in Osaka, Billy and his wife had apparently not taken any days off. When they finally take a break, they are joined by FTV news cameras. The Blanks family goes to Costco and stocks up on all kinds of food, which Billy uses to cook an American-style meal in celebration of his 54th birthday.
As a birthday present, he received a pair of Evisu jeans with “Osaka” written in Kanji on one of its legs. Tomoko also presents him with a love letter, and Marika tells him she is happy to have him as her father. The touching scene brings tears to Billy’s eyes.
A few days later, Tomoko and Marika are shown at an Brazilian festival in Tokyo, promoting new Malasada King Hawaiian doughnut produced and sold under the Billy Blanks name. However, few people are trying to doughnuts because Billy isn’t there to attract their attention. He had business in America and his flight was delayed. When he finally appears, a big crowd forms and the doughnuts start selling well. Japanese, Brazilian, British, and Senegalese visitors to the event all recognize Billy, proof of his international fame.
The event was a big success, and Billy should be exhausted. However, he’s quite full of energy and ready to give his wife a massage before going to bed. The narrator closes the report by noting that Billy loves his family and loves Japan, and they’ll be working together to teach Japanese children karate (and presumably other forms of exercise).
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
