Michael Jackson and a Japanese fan

Fans got the chance to meet Michael Jackson in Tokyo on Thursday -- but only those who could afford to pay 400,000 yen (1,770 pounds) for the privilege.

Fans of the "King of Pop" screamed as he arrived by van at the venue in the Japanese capital for the event, at which he had promised to chat and take pictures with up to 300 guests, but not to sing or dance.

They were not put off by the price.

"I would pay 10 times that amount any time anywhere," said Carlo Riley, a Jackson fan with long black hair and a black surgical mask, who danced as he waited in line.

Riley said he flew from the United States especially to meet Jackson face-to-face. "If they do it again, I'll pay it again -- easily," he added.

Since being acquitted of child molestation charges at a trial that ended in June 2005, Jackson has mostly kept a low profile, spending time in Bahrain and Ireland.

He last visited Japan, where he has a huge fan base, in May to accept a music award. Since arriving at the weekend, he has been mobbed by fans during a shopping trip and a visit to Disneyland.

In November, Jackson sang at an awards ceremony in London, his first public performance since the trial.

上周四，歌迷们终于有了一个在东京与“偶像”迈克尔·杰克逊面对面的机会，但若要享受此“特权”，得先掏40万日元（1770英镑）。

当这位“流行天王”乘车抵达东京的活动现场时，在场的歌迷一阵尖叫。杰克逊此前承诺将在此次见面会上与300位歌迷聊天、拍照，但不打算献歌或献舞。

虽然此次见面会的门票价格不菲，但歌迷们没有因此而“退缩”。

留着黑色长发、戴着黑色口罩的歌迷卡洛·莱利说：“无论什么时候、在什么地方，就算价格再高10倍，我也愿意出。”莱利在排队等候时，还跳起了舞。

他说，他专程从美国赶到东京来参加与偶像杰克逊的见面会。“如果以后还有这样的机会，我还会毫不犹豫的买票参加。”

杰克逊自2005年6月被宣判“猥亵儿童案”无罪以来，一直比较低调，并一直居住在巴林和爱尔兰两地。

杰克逊在日本拥有十分庞大的歌迷基础。他上一次亮相日本是去年5月，参加在那举行的一个音乐颁奖典礼。由于当时是周末，所以杰克逊在购物途中以及在迪斯尼乐园都遭到了歌迷们的“围堵”。

去年11月，杰克逊在伦敦的一个颁奖典礼上亮相并献歌，这是他自猥亵儿童案结束后首次公开亮相。

 

 

 

Vocabulary:           

child molestation: 猥亵儿童

mob:  to crowd around（围住）