The Feud Begins

American talk show host Conan O'Brien made good on his promise to visit the town of Hokuei in Tottori Prefecture, yesterday, as the highlight of his remote segment in Japan. As fans of the manga Case Closed (Detective Conan) surely know, Hokuei also goes by the name Conan Town since it's the birthplace of the manga's creator Gosho Aoyama. In August, the American comedian aired his "grievances" against the fictional sleuth who he considered to be a manga copy of him, pointing to such similarities as being "a man trapped in a child's body," and requesting the manga's rights holders pay him three trillion yen in compensation.

Being a good sport, mayor Matsumoto of Hokuei responded in a video that he was willing to comply with his demands, adding on a request for 15,000 American hamburgers to feed the residents of his town. The feud escalating, O'Brien then announced he was going to visit Hokuei in person to receive his money and deliver the burgers, adding that he also expected a Laundromat to be named after him and to receive the keys to the town.

As O'Brien enjoyed Harajuku kawaii culture and kaiseki cuisine in Tokyo earlier this week, Hokuei town prepared for the comedian's arrival, with U.S. ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty, volunteering to step in to "negotiate a peaceful resolution" and arrange the logistics of the burgers.

Conan Comes to Conan Town

Despite a snafu in which Team Coco arrived at the wrong airport, Conan O'Brien showed up in Hokuei, as promised, wearing an Irish green jacket. Getting out of his cab, he was immediately greeted by fans, members of the press and even a man cosplaying as "The Criminal" from Detective Conan.

Then, O'Brien headed for city hall where he met with Mayor Matsumoto, who gave him a giant replica of a check for three trillion yen and a sash with the words "mayor for a day" written in bold letters. NHK posted a video from their Tottori Branch which can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, a sizable crowd of both Japanese and foreign residents had gathered in front of Conan Station (Yura Station). They weren't waiting for long before O'Brien and the mayor appeared. After some introductions from Mr. Matsumoto, O'Brien then delivered a short speech which began with a few greetings in Japanese.

Burgers For All

Making good on his promise, O'Brien was on hand to serve free burgers to the residents of Hokuei. Although the mayor had initially mentioned 15,000 to feed the entire population of his town (give or take a hundred or two, since, according to Hokuei's website, the population was 15,166 as of September 1, 2018), the mayor settled on 1,000 burgers. Thanks to the mediation of Ambassador Hagerty, an Australian importer graciously provided Aussie beef and employees of Carl Jr. Tokyo helped cook it just right. O'Brien joined in, spatula in hand, behind the grill. Later, he stepped out into the crowd, making sure to show off his best burger-biting pose for the press wherever he went. He even posed in front of the Detective Conan statue with the mayor.

O'Brien seemed happy to mingle with the crowd, and welcomed fans' requests for pictures.

Mel Ok, a Tottori resident who translates on a freelance basis (and who kindly provided our pictures and video for this report), had this to say about Conan's visit:

"Conan’s visit to Conan Town gives Hokuei significant exposure to the world, which is all we can hope for here in Tottori. Despite having beautiful landscape, amazing food, and interesting spots to see, Tottori is not very well known to other Japanese people, much less the world. Although his stay was only a few hours, the impact he had on the people and the town was astronomical. He was very friendly to everyone who came to see him. I hope he finds the time to stay a night next time to really take in the sights and enjoy all Hokuei and Tottori has to offer!"

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It would seem that Conan O'Brien made a good impression on this small town in Tottori and perhaps even picked up a few extra Japanese fans along the way.