TAYLOR Swift’s ears are pierced by the excited roar of her wildly devoted fanbase every time she steps out onto stage.
All across the globe, Swifties pay homage. Yet the warmth, generosity, and pure fan dedication shown at the very start of her latest world tour in Japan will surely take some beating.
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From $4,000 bottles of sake given by a father to say thanks for making his daughter’s night, to a woman who used a slice of her parent’s heritage to attend all four shows at the 55,000 capacity Tokyo Superdome, the Far East fans have taken their adoration to another level.
The Cruel Summer star has kicked off a ridiculously busy looking 2024 schedule with sell-out shows in the Japanese capital which will end with a 5,530-mile dash to Las Vegas at the end of her final performance to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
She heads to Australia after taking in the Kansas City Chiefs‘ attempt to win a second successive Vince Lombardi trophy, where the attention will continue to be off the charts.
The Aussies, however, will do well to match the dedication in Asia – thousands of fans from China also made the pilgrimage – which in turn has also boosted the Chiefs, taking them to places they’ve never been before.
Such is Taylor’s popularity, Kansas merchandise figures have “exploded” since she arrived in Tokyo, according to an NFL insider who claims over “50,000” items have been ordered, and that the number of international sales are “off the roof.”
To put that into context, for a franchise such as Kansas, which isn’t one of the United States’ major sporting markets, they are the kind of numbers a team who wins the Super Bowl would bring in.
“It’s as if the Chiefs played two Super Bowls in a week,” the source told The U.S. Sun.
Taylor has every reason to toast a successful start to the 82-date tour, and thanks to a generous dad sitting in the VIP section, she can celebrate with some of Japan’s finest sake.
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On successive nights, a wealthy man, who’s taking his daughter to all the shows, wanted to say thank you by delivering some super-expensive sake.
A box of four $4,000 bottles of Tatenokawa Komyo Yamadanishiki Junmai Daijinjo Sake has been delivered to the 34-year-old global icon.
“The guy wanted to say thank you for coming to Japan, and to thank her for giving so much joy to my little girl for all those nights,” revealed a source at the shows in Japan.
He also told The U.S. Sun about multiple examples of fans going above and beyond to see their idol.
Multiple fans showered her with “tons” of $500 cherry blossom bouquets, a sign of love in Japan, while others sent hydrangeas, one of the 34-year-old’s singers favorite flowers.
One 30-year-old woman from Osaka, who regards herself as the ultimate Japanese Swifty, asked for money from her “slice” of the heritage from her parents in advance to pay for all four nights of concert and a hotel.
She got into arguments with her family and fell out with everyone. Her parents even stopped talking to her, but nothing could take her eyes off the prize.
Between the tickets, transportation, hotels, food, and merchandising she is expected to spend over than $40,000.
“She hasn’t slept since she got to Tokyo on Monday,” said the source.
An English teacher from Nagoya, meanwhile, sold her car, some clothes and even asked her boyfriend to get a second job so she wouldn’t miss a second of any of the four shows.
The woman, who claims to spend $2,000 on Swift merchandise including items for her pupils, had a budget of $25,000 to help realize a “lifelong dream.”
Ana, a mega fan from South Korea, asked her dad to get her tickets – instead of him paying for a wedding. He ended up spending $25,000 for the shows in Japan, before also purchasing seats in Singapore and Australia.
“We heard he has spent over $150,000,” said the source. “Now she wants him to take her for the European leg too.”
“The Japanese fans are very, very passionate and they show their love in many different ways, but always with respect and smiles and positivity,” added the insider.
“Taylor and Japan is a passionate love story.”
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