Ricky had been in London for less than six hours when his wallet was stolen outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. One of his best friends, also newly arrived from Japan, suffered the same misfortune, both men victims of the light-fingered professional thieves who prey daily upon unsuspecting tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles.
One might imagine that this double blow would have rather dampened the pair's holiday spirit, but visiting England for the first time to pay homage to The Beatles, the band that changed their lives, they refuse to let their bad luck kill their excitement. In fact, the world's most gracious crime victims will admit to a grudging respect for the sleight-of-hand deployed by the artful dodgers who relieved them of their credits cards and a not-insignificant chunk of their holiday spending money.
"I was shocked, but I felt like I had witnessed an incredible magic trick," Ricky says, displaying a generosity of spirit that very, very few of us could hope to emulate under similar circumstances.
As he shares the story, Kumamoto resident Ricky, along with his friends Masa, Moomin and Tora, is standing outside Abbey Road studios in St. John's Wood, on the group's second day in the English capital. When not taking shelter from the rain inside the world famous recording facility, or its gift shop at least, the four men - in common, one imagines, with 99% of visitors to this part of north west London - are attempting to recreate the iconic image, shot by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan, which graces the cover of the quartet's 1969 album Abbey Road.
Displaying an admirable commitment and attention to detail, each of the four men is dressed as a specific Beatle, complete with suits, wigs and fake facial hair, where appropriate: for added authenticity, Ricky, aka 'Paul', will walk across the rain-drenched zebra crossing in his bare feet... and Paul McCartney isn't even his favourite Beatle.
