
And take 20+ photos of Japanese actress and model Suzu Hirose.
Today is the day for customers to finally get their hands on the long-awaited and much-hyped iPhone 11. People lined up around the world to be amongst the first to own the new phone, and here in Tokyo it was no different, with even our own iPhone-loving reporter Mr. Sato setting up camp outside the SoftBank store in Ginza.
After years of mingling with celebrities on previous iPhone release days, Mr. Sato made a triumphant return to the front of the line three days ahead of the iPhone 11 release this year, only to be moved along by police on the night before September 20.
▼ Mr Sato and his mate Butch put in a valiant effort but their plans were thwarted by the cops.
With Mr Sato’s dreams of being the first person in Tokyo to own the new iPhone shattered in pieces on the sidewalk, our reporter Seiji Nakazawa decided to step in and attend the opening ceremony at Ginza’s SoftBank store when it officially opened this morning. After all, if Mr Sato wasn’t going to be photographed on stage as the first customer of the day, Seiji was determined to find out who would be.
▼ Turns out Seiji (in the blue shirt) wasn’t the only person interested in the event.
At the front of the room, ceremoniously presenting today’s new products to the public, were two figures which Seiji couldn’t quite make out, as all he had on hand to take photos with was the iPhoneXR.
Zooming in, he could see that on the left was SoftBank Representative Director & COO Jun Shimba, and standing next to him was the beautiful Japanese actress and model Suzu Hirose.
▼ However, Seiji’s pictures were grainy, and not doing justice to Hirose’s beauty at all.
▼ That was the moment Seiji wished he had the telephoto lens of the new iPhone 11…
Seiji was determined to not give up on capturing Hirose’s beauty so he kept snapping away, somehow hoping that each photo would be better than the one he took before…
▼ Oooph, things looked even worse with the flash from other people’s cameras.
At this point, Seiji felt like he was taking these pictures for Mr Sato, who’d missed out on everything that day. Not only had Mr Sato been told to move away from the SoftBank store by the cops, he’d also missed out on being the first person to buy the iPhone 11, and he’d missed out on being in the room with this beauty as well.
▼ “That should be Mr Sato up there smiling broadly with Hirose and his new iPhone…“
Seiji then realised that zooming out a bit improved the picture quality. However, that meant Hirose’s face looked further away.
There was nothing left to do but elbow his way a little closer to the stage, and as he slid his iPhoneXR in his pocket, he suddenly remembered he had the Google Pixel 3 camera with him as well.
▼ “Now that’s more like it!” Seiji thought, as he finally got to take some good photos of the duo and their phones.
Seiji’s persistence paid off, as he finally felt the sweet taste of triumph in a day that had been less-than-triumphant all morning.
▼ That was when he noticed what appeared to be a slight tinge of longing in Hirose’s eye.
▼ It was as if she had hoped Mr Sato would be joining her on stage that day.
▼ Perhaps she could feel Mr Sato’s loss as she felt that same sense of loss too.
Could it be that she was hoping to see Mr Sato jump out from the crowd in his Pikachu costume?
After snapping dozens of photos of Hirose, Seiji finally got the photos he’d hoped for. And now all he could do was hope that Mr Sato would like them too. It’s never easy trying to cheer Mr Sato up when he’s down and out in a funk, but hopefully these pictures of Hirose longing for her Mr Sato would do the trick.
Either way, anything is better than getting left cold and alone outside a locked door on the release of the iPhone X.
Photos © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]


























Mr. Sato returns to the line, waits three nights for an iPhone 11
The cops kick Mr. Sato off the street during his attempt to wait on sidewalk for the new iPhone
The last of the Mohican-hairstyle-wearing people still lining up for iPhones
Mr. Sato retires from being the first person in Japan to buy iPhones, watches this guy instead
Requiem for a smartphone buyer: Mr. Sato gets no iPhone X but has a new lease on life
East Japan Railway announces plans to abolish magnetic-strip tickets
New Square Enix Cafe reveals Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Nier, and Fullmetal Alchemist menu items
Shakey’s Japan creates matcha mochi, Kyoto fish, and Kansai Chili Con Carne pizzas
7-Eleven Japan reinvents convenience store fruit sandwiches with new salty pink sakura peach variety
Starbucks adds new Fruit Gummy sweets to stores in Japan
Family Mart commits “reverse fraud” in new Giant All-Star Festival, and we couldn’t be happier
Trigun Legacy Cafe coming to two Japanese cities this summer to salute series’ original form
Burger King Japan offering all-you-can-eat quad-burgers, whoever eats the most gets more in December
Starbucks Japan releases new “torori” drinks exclusive to 7-Eleven convenience stores
Gun found in Japanese convenience store restroom, traced to forgetful on-duty cop
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Ghibli’s No Face continues to demonstrate his generous character growth by dispensing soy sauce
Japanese rice cooker recipe gives us a tasty new way to enjoy vegetables and wieners
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
New Tokyo sweets shop offers 648 different mochi ice cream dumpling combinations
Colour Hunting: The hot new street photography trend changing how we see Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Mr. Sato comes out of retirement to wait for the iPhone X three days in advance
Eating a 6,000-yen (US$55) sandwich on the Tokyo sidewalk: The best way to wait for a new iPhone
“Don’t we have photos of Mr. Sato with a new iPhone?” “No, he spent two days at the wrong store.”
Japan belongs to Apple: iPhone claims top 10 spots in total smartphone sales in November
Mr. Sato does not buy an iPhone7, calls this year’s Docomo release ceremony “f***ing s**t!”
Can you unlock your new iPhone 6 Plus with your nipple? We can! 【Video】
Here’s an easy way to check if the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will fit in your pocket
Our reporter Mr. Sato becomes first Japanese buyer of a Docomo iPhone5S!
Mr. Sato shows up in costume, is the first to purchase an iPhone 6 Plus, meets Ken Watanabe AGAIN
iPhone 6 launch keeps Chinese customs officials busy as they seize hundreds of smuggled units
Why is the iPhone the smartphone of choice for young Japanese women?
Hamster steals iPhone’s mini futon
We put iPhone X’s facial recognition feature to the test, learned new ways to scare people【Pics】
Edible iPhone 5 Case Made From Rice Cracker Protects Your Life but not Your iPhone
We road test the new Digital Image Stabilization on the iPhone 6 Plus – with a vibrator
Multifunctional iPhone Powered Smart Stuffed Domo-kun to be Released