© Shimpei Asai 2016Fifty years ago this week, The Beatles paid their first and only visit to Japan, where they played five sold-out shows at Tokyo’s historic Nippon Budokan arena over the course of three days. To commemorate the anniversary, a new photo book featuring rare images of the Fab Four taken during their trip is being compiled for publication this fall.
Hello, Goodbye: The Beatles in Tokyo, 1966 features pictures snapped by Shimpei Asai, who was the only Japanese photographer given access to the band while they were in the city. The photos, which have never been published outside of Japan, capture the group’s members performing, chatting with the press, sightseeing, painting, playing traditional Japanese instruments and more.
The Beatles were the first rock band ever to perform at the Nippon Budokan, a venue that previously had been used solely to stage traditional Japanese cultural and sporting events such as sumo wrestling matches. The group’s performances led to protests by some conservative factions in the country. The Fab Four’s engagement at the Budokan ran from June 30 to July 2, 1966. Since The Beatles’ performances, the venue has become famous for hosting international music acts, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and, of course, Cheap Trick.
Hello, Goodbye: The Beatles in Tokyo, 1966 will be released by Genesis Publications as a high-quality, limited-edition volume in November. For more information, visit hello-goodbye-book.
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