Bumping into a celebrity is one of those fun little life surprises, and we bet many of you have a story or two to tell – definitely a memorable moment! But have you ever heard of something called a "celebrity-sat-on seat"?
A Japanese X (formerly Twitter) user recently shared their wild train ride experience, discovering a sticker on their seat proclaiming it was "Sho Sakurai's Seat"! The post blew up, with netizens scrambling to find out where this legendary train was.
The user posted about how they just casually sat down on a train, only to find themselves in a celebrity's former spot! And not just any celeb – it was Sho Sakurai from the iconic idol group Arashi, complete with the date of his visit. They couldn't believe the train company had such a clever idea, instantly transforming an ordinary seat into something special.
The user later clarified that they were just surprised to find a celebrity's seat by chance. They apologized if calling it an "extra special seat" seemed a bit over-the-top, as they were genuinely overwhelmed by the sheer number of responses. Turns out, this sticker is from the Kominato Railway train in Chiba Prefecture, and get this – besides Sho Sakurai, many other carriages also mark the seats of various celebrities!
Naturally, fans were green with envy. Sitting in the same spot as a star, even if it was just for a moment in time, feels pretty darn cool. Many loved the creative touch.
In fact, Kominato Railway trains are known for their celebrity seat tags. You might find spots graced by Yuna Shibata of Nogizaka46, former SMAP member Goro Inagaki, and even Yui Aragaki. It's practically a celebrity pilgrimage on rails!
But if you thought celebrity train seats were rare, think again! Some Japanese netizens shared that even a kushikatsu (fried skewer) restaurant has a special "Sho Sakurai's Seat" laid out. Seriously, they're everywhere! XD
There's even a railing at a scenic tourist spot marked "Sho Sakurai viewed the scenery here." What even is this, LOL!
It just goes to show how savvy Japanese marketers are. Marking places where celebrities have visited is a surefire way to grab public attention. These train seat markers are particularly amusing – who knows, maybe one day every seat will have a celebrity tag! XD
via： togetter