Ricky had been in London for less than six hours when his wallet was stolen outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. One of his best friends, also newly arrived from Japan, suffered the same misfortune, both men victims of the light-fingered professional thieves who prey daily upon unsuspecting tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles.
One might imagine that this double blow would have rather dampened the pair's holiday spirit, but visiting England for the first time to pay homage to The Beatles, the band that changed their lives, they refuse to let their bad luck kill their excitement. In fact, the world's most gracious crime victims will admit to a grudging respect for the sleight-of-hand deployed by the artful dodgers who relieved them of their credits cards and a not-insignificant chunk of their holiday spending money.
"I was shocked, but I felt like I had witnessed an incredible magic trick," Ricky says, displaying a generosity of spirit that very, very few of us could hope to emulate under similar circumstances.
As he shares the story, Kumamoto resident Ricky, along with his friends Masa, Moomin and Tora, is standing outside Abbey Road studios in St. John's Wood, on the group's second day in the English capital. When not taking shelter from the rain inside the world famous recording facility, or its gift shop at least, the four men - in common, one imagines, with 99% of visitors to this part of north west London - are attempting to recreate the iconic image, shot by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan, which graces the cover of the quartet's 1969 album Abbey Road.
Displaying an admirable commitment and attention to detail, each of the four men is dressed as a specific Beatle, complete with suits, wigs and fake facial hair, where appropriate: for added authenticity, Ricky, aka 'Paul', will walk across the rain-drenched zebra crossing in his bare feet... and Paul McCartney isn't even his favourite Beatle.
"John was decided, and George was decided," he reveals. "I regret not switching roles..."
Ricky first heard The Beatles in 1973, during his second year at junior high school, when his older sister brought home the band's 'early years' compilation The Beatles 1962–1966, aka the 'Red Album'.
"Until then, I had only listened to folk and pop songs," he says, "and I clearly remember being very shocked. After that, I listened to The Beatles all the time... and it was The Beatles that inspired me to start a band with friends. I still remember the joy of buying my guitar after the summer break of my first year in high school, and our first practice song was Ticket to Ride.
"The Beatles were my gateway into British rock music," he says, "which led to me learning songs from Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc. I still have a good relationship with those friends from that time."
One of those friends is Masa, Ricky's high school classmate and former bandmate, resplendent in double denim today as 'George Harrison'.
"We performed at the high school festival and even rented a local movie theater for a concert on graduation day," he recalls of the band the pair formed with four other school pals. "The Beatles were my youth. They are the gods of rock!"
The Beatles are a one-of-a-kind band who transcend eras, cultures, and borders and continue to influence artists
Moomin
As with so many of the world's best ideas, the quartet's plan to visit the UK to celebrate their shared love of The Beatles was hatched under the influence of alcohol.
"It all started at a celebratory classmates gathering when I said to Ricky, While we still can, we should make a pilgrimage to the sites of The Beatles in London and Liverpool," reveals Moomin, aka 'Ringo Starr'. "But shortly after, the pandemic hit, and we had to pause our plans. Once it was over, we started having meetings - basically drinking parties - to prepare.
"I wanted to come here at least once in my life," he continues. "The Beatles are a one-of-a-kind band who transcend eras, cultures, and borders. They elevated rock music into art."
Moomin, who discovered The Beatles in the early '70s after first falling under the spell of Wings, says that he and his friends selected their Fab Fake character a month ago during a karaoke session. Ricky is Paul because "maybe they looked alike when he was young", he suggests, Masa is George because he asked to be George "and they have similar body shapes", and Tora is 'John Lennon', apparently, "because he wears a white coat at work." Moomim, therefore, is Ringo "out of necessity."
"I don't remember clearly because everyone was drunk," he admits.
"I thought I might be Ringo," Tora chips in, "but I ended up as a slightly chubby John since my profession is a dentist and I happened to have the white pants and jacket that John wore."
"I wish we had talked about it more," Moomin adds. "It was difficult to get outfits and beards and wigs, but it was worth the effort."
While today is a special day for the four friends, it's an extra special day for Moomin, who's celebrating his 64th birthday, the significance of which is easily understood by all Beatles lovers.
"The Beatles have a charming song by Paul called When I’m Sixty-Four," he explains with a smile, delighted with the cosmic synchronicity as much as by the gifts he's received.
The four men, and their partners, have a busy day of sight-seeing ahead of them, including a visit to 3 Savile Row in Mayfair, formerly Apple Corps headquarters, and famously the site of the band's final live performance in January 1969. Then it's off to Liverpool, to visit The Beatles' childhood homes, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and the Cavern Club on Mathew Street, the home of the 'Merseybeat' sound, where the quartet made close to 300 performances. "Just thinking that The Beatles sang on that brick stage underground gave me chills," Tora later tells us.
"Everything I saw was exciting," says Ricky when we catch up over email, "but walking in the same place as The Beatles at Abbey Road and visiting the Cavern Club were the highlights. When I was in the Cavern Club, I was thinking, This is where it all started, while drinking whiskey and mingling with people from various countries, all dancing and singing along to The Beatles' songs. Great memories!
"Although I suffered financial loss, touching the history of The Beatles has become a lifelong treasure."
