The talk show host immerses himself in a world of kawaii with some of Harajuku’s most colourful fashionistas.
Ever since American late night talk show host Conan O’Brien announced he would be coming to Japan to visit Conan Town, we’ve been counting down the days to his arrival, eager to see what type of shenanigans he would get up to during his stay.
As it turns out, we didn’t have to wait long as Conan wasted no time in heading out to meet the locals on his first day in Japan, and his first port of call was Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku district, where he made friends with the locals and filmed this short clip for his 28.5 million followers on Twitter.
Konnichiwa! I’ve arrived in #Japan to film a new episode of #ConanWithoutBorders. Already making new friends. #ConanJapan pic.twitter.com/1y3CGQDyFm
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 3, 2018
Not long after posting this message to his fans, and to his friends in Tottori Prefecture’s Conan Town, who are bracing themselves for the approaching typhoon, the talk show host suddenly appeared in a more colourful outfit.
Day 1. #ConanJapan pic.twitter.com/zUEnt2Dyp4
— Aaron Bleyaert (@AaronBleyaert) September 3, 2018
Aaron Bleyaert, known for playing video games on TV with Conan during the show’s “Clueless Gamer” segment, also films Facebook Live videos when Conan travels abroad. Today he was back with a new video showing Conan and his team navigating Harajuku’s notoriously crowded Takeshita Street.
As well as rubbing shoulders with Japanese locals, Conan bumped into some fans from around the world during his stroll through the district.
Video too!!! pic.twitter.com/Et1puWCNsR
— Thomas Villainous (@TommyVillain) September 3, 2018
After stopping to take photos with fans, Conan then met up with some of Harajuku’s most colourful fashionistas, who took him to the Kawaii Monster Cafe nearby.
▼ Pictured below, from left to right: Miochin, Conan, Sebastian Masuda, and Kanata.
Just before I left, my daughter said “Dad, don’t embarrass me in Japan.”#ConanJapan pic.twitter.com/YhZhy5jgV5
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 3, 2018
Miochin is an artist and “Harajuku talent and creator” who loves colour and knows her way around the area’s best second-hand clothing stores.
Our album drops never. #conanjapan pic.twitter.com/vmJEBtUPCB
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 3, 2018
▼ Miochin models an outfit sourced from thrift stores.
Kanata is a fashionista from 6%DOKIDOKI, a “sensational kawaii store” which has been in business since 1995.
Sebastian Masuda is the owner of 6%DOKIDOKI, and a legendary figure in Japan’s kawaii scene. Often credited with starting the trend in the 90s, Masuda is an artist and designer who travels the world to spread his special brand of kawaii to other countries.
Masuda is also the designer of Kawaii Monster Cafe, a themed restaurant that’s more like an explosion of crazy, colour, and cute. This was the next stop for Conan and his team, who made their way to the cafe at the 12:30 mark in the video below.
While Conan was keen to immerse himself in Harajuku’s kawaii culture, this is just the start of many adventures for him and his team, who are due to visit the Mayor of Hokue to collect their three trillion dollars later this week. Let’s just hope the approaching typhoon doesn’t get in their way.
Source: Facebook/@teamcoco
Featured image: Twitter/@ConanOBrien

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