Billy Mania Hits Japan
by | December 28th, 2007 | Comments (4)
topic: News | No Tags
Club member Carissa poses with the Billy’s Bootcamp display at Japanese mall during her trip this summer. (Thanks for sharing this with us, Carissa)
Guess who has swept Japan by storm? Our own Billy Blanks! Introduced to the country in early 2007, Billy’s Bootcamp workout is so popular that screaming fans greeted Taicho (Commander) Billy at the airports during his visits. Polls show that 70% of Japanese know Billy’s name, and another poll determined that Billy was more popular than the iPhone!
“The Japanese people see there is no phoniness to my workout. They see my spirit. Yeah, I am giving them orders, but they see I care. They see my heart,” Billy told the Japanese media.
Billy mania also fueled the success of Billy’s number one hit rap single, “Boom Boom Wonderland” by Sony Music Japan and the success of the song’s animated video. Recently, Sony released a complete four-album set, which Billy wrote and composed along with his right hand mixer, Christopher Blake, and Pandora on backup vocals.
Billy loves traveling in Japan, and one of his favorite travel experiences was getting to hang out with traditional Sumo wrestlers and checking out how the wrestlers train.
In preparation for his next trip to Japan, Billy is studying Japanese. No word if he’s also studying Sumo wrestling moves…
I was in Japan this summer, and I can also attest to the popularity of “Billy’s Bootcamp” (the Japanese only recognize Tae Bo by this name). I couldn’t resist getting a picture taken of myself in front of a “Billy’s Bootcamp” display at the local Okazaki City mall!
HAPPY NEW YEAR MR.BLANKS AND FAMILY…
JUST WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPERTUNITY AND THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TRANSFORM MY BODY WITH THE HELP OF YOUR GREAT AND INSPIRING DVD’S AND THIS WEBSITE TOO.I AM 30YRS AND IN THE BEST SHAPE EVER AND WHEN EVERYONE ASKS ME I SAY ITS BECAUSE OF MY WILL AND DETERMINATION AND OFCOURSE BILLY BLANKS.I AM FROM INDIA AND HAVE BEEN HERE IN THE U.S FOR NEARLY 3 YRS NOW.I HAD NEVER WORKED OUT BEFORE BUT NOW ITS BEEN ALOMOST 2 YRS WORKING OUT WITH YOUR DVD’S AND I FEEL LIKE I WOULD NEVER SURVIVE WITHOUT IT.ITS LIKE AN ADDICTION(A GOOD ONE).
THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN..KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DOING…HAVE A BLESSED YEAR..RINZING
Very neat. I can remember an old black & white photo my Daddy took many years ago of a Japanese Santa Claus when he was stationed there, I thought it was so cool.
Japan is a wonderland… If Billy hit Japan, that speaks for the HUGE influence he has!!!!! We are proud of you, Billy!