Chapter 203

Rebirth Begins in 2002 Chinese Entertainment, Chapter 199: Arrival in Japan

After months of coordination and preparation, Cheng Chen and his group finally arrived at the time to depart for Japan.

For this Japan trip, Tianhai Records and Xinghuo Entertainment joined forces.

Teams from both companies set off en masse for Japan.

Weibo also provided an exclusive, detailed photo and text live broadcast of Cheng Chen's journey.

Many domestic fans, upon learning of this, posted photos of their own trips to Japan on Weibo.

This sparked envy among countless domestic fans unable to travel to Japan.

The topic's volume kept accumulating, ranking first on the hot search list.

Related news rapidly swept the charts, with major news outlets all running reports on it.

It could be said that this was Cheng Chen's next major move since his previous promotional tour for Crazy Stone.

Japanese media also published numerous reports, including such headlines as:

"The Chinese Entertainment Heavenly King Has Arrived!"

"The Heavenly King Descends, Gods Make Way!"

"The Empire's Heavenly King, Eternal God!"

Such overly dramatic, otaku-style remarks could only come from Japanese media.

Meanwhile, the Japanese public showed tremendous enthusiasm for Cheng Chen's arrival.

There was no way around it—Cheng Chen's songs held immense influence among Japan's contemporary youth.

On the other hand, Zhou Xingchi's Kung Fu had also premiered in Japan in January.

After dominating the box office in China, Kung Fu officially opened in Japan.

It earned 110 million yen in just three days, becoming the number-one box office film.

Japan has always been a key Asian market where Hollywood films set box office records.

Yet Chinese films breaking into Japan's box office rankings were exceedingly rare.

But Zhou Xingchi's films were a successful exception.

In 2003, his Shaolin Soccer first captured the Japanese audience's attention.

It became one of the rare Chinese films in Japanese cinema history to achieve blockbuster success.

Riding the momentum generated by Shaolin Soccer's success in Japan's film market and Kung Fu's sensation at the Tokyo Film Festival,

Zhou Xingchi returned with Kung Fu sweeping through once again.

To see Zhou Xingchi and Kung Fu with their own eyes,

Many Japanese audiences began queuing at theaters three days in advance to buy tickets for the premiere.

On premiere day, nearly ten thousand people gathered to watch Kung Fu.

With the backing of Zhou Xingchi's close friend, Kung Fu actor, and someone with a massive fanbase in Japan—Cheng Chen—

His arrival was eagerly anticipated by countless Japanese citizens!

Even on the day Cheng Chen decided to depart, Japanese netizens fiercely debated his itinerary online!

Such as: Where has Jun Cheng arrived?

He just departed from Jingcheng, China!

Where is Jun Cheng now?

He's boarded the plane!

The mere four-hour journey from Jingcheng to Tokyo stirred the hearts of countless people.

"Jun Cheng has arrived at Haneda Airport! But Tokyo's weather is terrible—it's raining!"

"Finally arrived! We're waiting at Haneda Airport!"

"I'm at the airport too! So many media crews are here!"

"Those at the airport, please send more photos of Jun Cheng online!"

"Received!"

"Jun Cheng's out! Aaaahhh! He's so handsome! Even though it's raining, the fans are going wild!"

Cheng Chen arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport at noon.

Since his whereabouts were not being concealed, many fans gathered at the airport to meet him.

"Welcome, Jun Cheng, to Japan!"

"Jun Cheng, we've waited so long!"

"We finally got you! Jun Cheng is super handsome!"

As Cheng Chen stepped off the plane wearing sunglasses and walked into the terminal, a flood of fans surged toward him, surrounding him completely.

Many media outlets also filmed the scene with cameras.

Fortunately, Haneda Airport was accustomed to such scenes and had already prepared measures.

They immediately dispatched staff to maintain order on-site.

Thanks to the airport's management, Cheng Chen was able to board the vehicle he had arranged in advance.

"Phew, that scared me—I thought Japanese people were introverted and bad at expressing emotion, but that was incredibly intense!"

Wang Tianxiao, sitting in the front seat, sighed in relief.

This was the first stop of Cheng Chen's concert tour; as head of Tianhai Records, she had put aside much work to come along.

Hearing this, Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Japanese fans are deeply contradictory—they balance between calmness and frenzy.

Japan once had a TV show that invited a famous actor to take part in an interesting test.

Have him walk down the street without sunglasses or a mask, while the filming crew hides at a distance to record.

So we can observe the passersby's genuine reactions—can you guess what the final result was?

Wang Tianxiao said directly:

"What else? They'd obviously rush up asking for autographs and photos."

Su Qingya nodded and said:

"I agree with Manager Wang."

Cheng Chen, however, smiled faintly and shook his head:

"No, those passersby who recognized the artist simply watched quietly.

Very few approached to disturb him, so the crew interviewed fans who did not ask for photos.

The common reply was: 'We love him, so we don't want to disrupt his life.

Rather than swarm around him, let him enjoy a peaceful weekend.'"

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Wang Tianxiao and Su Qingya exchanged glances.

This outcome was far beyond their expectations.

In China, when passersby encounter a celebrity, they immediately swarm to demand autographs and collaborations.

If the artist refuses, netizens will accuse him of being arrogant.

Of course, this is still the mindset of some fans, but as Time Magazine has noted, most fans' conduct has generally improved.

"This must be the highest realm of being a fan,"

Wang Tianxiao sighed.

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Usually, when fans spend money, they expect to gain something from their idol.

But Japanese fans, despite having extremely high spending power, attend concerts and watch movies.

And when buying merchandise, they won't even blink.

Yet they won't steal even a minute of their idol's time on a rare weekend."

Su Qingya pondered and said:

"Indeed."

Then Cheng Chen changed the subject:

"They are calm, yet simultaneously fanatical and insane.

Japanese idol culture generates endless topics and creates astonishing annual revenue.

Fans will do anything to support their idols.

For example: to boost sales, many record companies now use 'buy an album to receive a handshake voucher' as a gimmick.

They make fans pay for CDs just for the chance to get close to their idol.

Some fanatics have made astonishing moves—spending 1.8 million yen to buy a thick stack of handshake vouchers.

So their idol can say 'I love you' to them for forty minutes straight."

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Su Qingya was stunned:

"Is that even allowed?"

"Why not? Japan has conducted statistics showing that fans' idol-related expenses—including concert tickets, long-distance travel, and more—

average about 100,000 yen per month (roughly RMB 5,300).

To save money, they usually take budget airlines and public buses.

Some fans, whose monthly income is around 200,000 yen, try to limit their living expenses to under 100,000 yen to save for idol spending.

Also, many fans who live with their parents use the rent they save as idol-funding.

Overall, idol fans mostly share one common trait: they are single.

So many fans agree that even with an annual salary of only 4 million yen (about RMB 210,000),

as long as you're single, you're basically a noble—idol spending is more than enough…"

Before coming to Japan, Cheng Chen had studied the Japanese entertainment industry in detail.

He didn't just know the famous actors and singers in Japan's current entertainment scene—he also understood the fans.

And he put considerable effort into researching this crucial group.

"To stay single just to save money for idol chasing… that's… truly insane!"

Su Qingya found it impossible to comprehend these fans' fanatic behavior.

"So, when you see fans in Japan doing anything, don't be surprised.

How to put it? It's a very… bizarre country."

Cheng Chen couldn't quite describe this phenomenon, so he settled on the word "bizarre."

"Why are you staring at me, Manager Wang?"

Since Cheng Chen began speaking, Wang Tianxiao had been staring at him.

"I'm thinking—what you just described about handshake vouchers is basically just our China's autograph sessions.

But their model clearly makes more money—if…"

"No 'if'!"

Wang Tianxiao's body language told Cheng Chen exactly what she was about to say.

This woman had gone mad for money.

He immediately said seriously:

"I will never engage in such money-grabbing behavior, no matter what others do."

It will indeed bring us profit, but it has severely damaged our image.

It's a tactic that harms the enemy a thousand but injures oneself eight hundred…

Perhaps feeling his words were too mild, Cheng Chen added:

"You tried to steal a chicken but lost your rice, lifted a rock only to smash your own foot—that's exactly what you're thinking!"

It's no wonder Cheng Chen took it seriously; in the future, a popular idol sold his personal album and made a fortune.

Four months after release, six songs still hadn't been delivered to fans, and he even resorted to pre-selling the entire album.

Actually, foreign singers do this too with album pre-sales.

But they charge for each single separately.

They release in batches and charge in batches; the seller never collects the full album fee upfront.

But this idol's album contained only a few, or even just one, single.

The other tracks had no fixed delivery date, so four months after sale, only five songs had been released.

This "cutting the green onions" behavior was truly despicable; while profiting from "on-credit songs,"

he consumed the fans' patience and anticipation built through long waits.

So when this incident broke, many netizens angrily condemned this illegal act as shameful.

Such as: "Why is even a one-minute clip being sold?"

This scheme to squeeze money, this loan-style music release,

nailed the idol to the wall of shame and turned him into a laughingstock for countless netizens…

"Pfft, boring. I was just making an analogy—you're overreacting, you old-fashioned guy."

Hearing Cheng Chen's old-fashioned remark, Wang Tianxiao rolled her eyes and said:

Though on the job Wang Tianxiao was decisive and a powerful businesswoman,

in private she loved bickering with Cheng Chen and had wildly imaginative thoughts.

Cheng Chen was used to her behavior; after speaking, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

…

After arriving in Japan, Wang Tianxiao led the team to negotiate with Tokyo officials.

Overseas concerts are generally handled by domestic companies negotiating with foreign promoters.

Mainly agreeing on price and number of shows, and authorizing the local party as agent.

For example, Rock Records Gang Sheng authorized XX Company to handle the North America tour.

Provide a list of personnel and cargo manifest.

The foreign company then finds local executors.

The general steps are like this; each stage requires dedicated personnel to monitor execution.

These procedural issues were handled by Wang Tianxiao's team.

Cheng Chen's job was simply to give his all in the concert three days later…

After checking into the hotel, Wang Tianxiao went out with her team to handle matters; Cheng Chen sat bored in the hotel.

"Qingya, shall we go out for a walk?"

"Yes, Manager Cheng."

This time, Cheng Chen took only Su Qingya with him.

He didn't even bring a translator; he believed his Japanese, which had convinced Yamaguchi Ichiro, would still work in Tokyo.

Online, it's long been said that Japanese streets are extremely clean.

Whether in tourist spots, malls, or alleyways,

not a single cigarette butt, mineral water bottle, or drink carton could be seen on the ground.

The entire road looked as if it had just been washed.

But this cleanliness was built upon past filth and strict legal enforcement.

Japan has specific laws punishing littering.

The strictest penalty is the "Illegal Disposal of Waste" offense.

In serious cases, offenders face up to five years in prison.

Fines can reach up to 10 million yen (equivalent to 660,000 RMB).

Only here in the world does littering carry such a high fine.

It was now March, the traditional Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan.

The festival runs annually from March 15 to April 15.

Cherry blossoms last only seven days from bloom to fall, hence the saying "seven days of cherry blossoms."

At this time, cherry blossoms bloom from south to north in Japan, and people hold lavish picnics under the trees.

Families gather together, or invite a few friends, drink heartily, and get thoroughly drunk.

So when Cheng Chen walked into the park, he often saw people having picnics under the cherry trees.

"Um… are you Mr. Cheng from China?"

Just as Cheng Chen and Su Qingya were strolling around,

a woman in a kimono suddenly approached and spoke in halting Chinese.

Cheng Chen was surprised she spoke Chinese and recognized him; he smiled and replied:

"Hello, I'm Cheng Chen."

"It really is you—I'm so sorry for interrupting your stroll, but I…

I'm so excited; if I don't seize this chance, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Our whole family really likes you. Could they come over too?"

Following the direction the woman was pointing, he saw four people in the park watching this side nervously.

"Of course."

Cheng Chen smiled and nodded.

"That's great! Please wait a moment."

Then the woman jogged over to her family and said something. Her family was clearly also very happy, bowing toward Cheng Chen's side…

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