In Japanese tradition, it is important to be with the remains of the deceased on the first year anniversary, so Tokyo Tower is offering fans the chance for $1,000.
- May 22, 2010
AceShowbiz - Michael Jackson fans have been offered the chance to spend a night with the King of Pop's possessions in an exhibition in Japan. Promoters of the Neverland Collection at the Tokyo Tower, the world's only official Jackson exhibition, are to mark the first anniversary of the superstar's death by holding a sleepover in the shrine.
Hiroyuki Takamura, of the Tokyo Tower, tells Reuters, "The idea may sound a bit odd to Western cultures, but in Japan the tradition of being with the remains and possessions of passed loved ones on the anniversary of their passing is an important ritual."
Fans will be selected at random to stay overnight on June 25 in the museum, which has been visited by more than 300,000 fans since it opened in the Japanese capital on May 1. They will pay $1,000 to sleep on the floor next to Jackson's things. Matt Taylor, the exhibition's producer, adds, "Michael Jackson fans religiously visited daily, and many stay inside the venue for six hours or more."
"Many Japanese fans become overwhelmed with emotion when in the presence of so many things precious to Michael and iconic to the rest of the world. People stand fixed in front of artifacts with tears streaming down their face, still trying to come to grips with losing Michael."
The "Thriller" star died from a cardiac arrest last summer.
