OSAKA —

South Korean heartthrob actor Bae Yong Joon arrived to a huge reception at Kansai international airport on Friday afternoon, with some 3,000 fans—mostly older women—crowding the terminal to greet him. The 35-year-old star — still the most popular foreign celebrity in Japan — will attend an event for the NHK drama “Taioshijinki,” in which he stars, at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Sunday.

Police said more than 3,000 screaming women besieged the arrival lobby as Bae emerged. Some women said they had flown to Seoul in the morning so they could take the return flight with Bae in the afternoon. Meanwhile, hundreds of fans had camped in the terminal from 6 a.m. to get the best possible vantage spot. Other women came from as far away as Tokyo on chartered buses. Around 400 police, including anti-riot squad members, were mobilized to control fans. 

Yon-sama, as Bae is fondly called in Japan due to his starring role in “Winter Sonata,” was last in Japan in September 2006. At that time, more than 5,000 fans turned up at Narita to greet him.

13 Comments

• 

  raymech1 at 11:11 AM JST - 31st May

  I'm guessing alot of lonely housewives were part of that mob..

• 

  rjd_jr at 11:12 AM JST - 31st May

  I think many entertainment stars from the world over just love to go to Japan, because they know they'll be met with a screaming mass of loving fans. A great way to stroke your ego!

• 

  blvtzpk at 12:35 PM JST - 31st May

  with some 3,000 fans—mostly older women—crowding the terminal to greet him.

  was last in Japan in September 2006...that time, more than 5,000 fans turned up at Narita to greet him.

  So, his star is fading? ;)

• 

  mtt at 03:38 PM JST - 31st May

  I can't think anything dumber to do, even for bored old housewives.

  Japan should seriously question why so many Japanese women waste their lives on silly stuff like this..low self esteem? I get a feeling this kind of behavior is somehow related to Japan's high suicide rate. Many seem totally lost or don't have a grip on what's important in life.

• 

  Everton2 at 06:02 PM JST - 31st May

  Give me a break, there were some good sorts there too at the airport. We in the West tend to forget so easily the stupidity that inflicted a generation with the birth of Beatlemania. We are talking about four guys that were not even good looking by any standard, could hardly sing and played a few simple cords on a guitar. The Beatles at the time was the embodiment of the "the great white hope", at a time when a lot of black musicians were being more creative and doing a lot more to change the music but were not getting the recognition.

• 

  blvtzpk at 09:40 PM JST - 31st May

  Japan should seriously question why so many Japanese women waste their lives on silly stuff like this..

  mtt, it's a day out of the house for some of them. Give them that. And from what we found out from another JT article today ("For Japanese men, dysfunction starts in the cradle"), a trip away from home like this means one less day that they can spend messing up their sons brains, so look at it as a boon.

• 

  Sarge at 10:56 PM JST - 31st May

  These Korean guys I know say Yon-sama isn't nearly as popular with Korean women as he is with Japanese women.

• 

  Skywards at 07:01 AM JST - 1st June

  A blogger that is a BYJ fan said 5000 fans were in the airport, with another 1000 outside of the airport.
  I'd like to know what female celebrity visiting Japan can draw that many males out to greet her at the airport?

• 

  thepro at 09:23 AM JST - 2nd June

  Yes, people who wait around to see celebrities are morons

• 

  zurcronium at 12:21 PM JST - 4th June

  I was on the flight. There was no one seeing him off in Korea but the moment we arrived in Japan then the circus breaks out. 3000 sounds about right for the woman waiting to see him. There were just a few outside the airport that I saw. We rode in the same train to customs, he was surrounded my his crew and other security folks.

  Quite a sight to see.

• 

  greensatindress at 12:32 PM JST - 4th June

  Why do obasans and hausefrau like these girlie-man types? I saw a commericial recently with teh Bae guy and I thought it was a woman at first. He's pretty alright.

• 

  greensatindress at 12:33 PM JST - 4th June

  sorry for the typo...guess I should preview first.

• 

  jody63 at 09:56 PM JST - 19th June

  i really envy these japanese women. they are often visited by bae yong joon. when will he visits us here in the philippines? he also have many fans here

Register or login to add a comment!