In September 1987, Michael Jackson landed in Japan to kick off something he’d never done before. It was his first world tour on his own, without his brothers.
Japan went wild for him. One American newspaper called it “Typhoon Michael.” Fans crowded the streets wherever his car went, and every little thing he did seemed to make the evening news. Tokyo Disneyland was even reported to have stayed open after closing time just for him.
He opened with three big stadium nights in Tokyo. Then the tour headed west, toward Osaka.
Before his first show near Osaka, Michael had an appointment that had nothing to do with music. The mayor wanted to welcome him at City Hall and hand him the key to the city.
City Hall was ready for a polite, formal visit, with officials in dark suits and cups of green tea set out on a long wooden table. Michael walked in wearing a bright red shirt and his dark sunglasses, smiling at everyone in the room.
But he hadn’t come alone.
He’d brought a guest of his own, someone who went almost everywhere with him back then. Osaka’s City Hall had seen plenty of important visitors over the years. It had never let in one like this.
MTV News had a camera in the room that day, so watch closely to see who sits down next to Michael when the tea comes out.
Michael’s 1987 visit to Japan, as MTV News saw it
Not exactly who the officials were expecting, right?
That was Bubbles, Michael’s young chimpanzee, and he’d shown up in red to match Michael. According to newspaper reports from that week, Bubbles sat quietly beside Michael through the visit and sipped green tea right along with everyone else.
Bubbles was only about four years old, and he and Michael were hardly ever apart. Before the tour, Rolling Stone reported that the two of them would share a two-bedroom hotel suite in Tokyo.
The mayor was reportedly caught off guard. He said he was “surprised to see the chimpanzee,” but understood he was Michael’s good friend.
Then he added the line that made newspapers in America. “This is the first time an animal ever entered City Hall,” he reportedly said.
If you’d like a longer and clearer look at that table, this tape stays in the room much longer. Keep an eye on Bubbles whenever Michael reaches for his own cup.
A longer look at the tea table
Bubbles was lucky to make the Japan trip at all. When the tour reached England and Sweden the next year, strict rules for animals coming into those countries meant he had to stay home.
In Japan, though, he stayed right by Michael’s side, and he even got his own cup at the mayor’s table.