EXCLUSIVE: The last guests arrive for the biggest birthday party of 2023 as the Japanese billionaire hires the entire Sicilian city for a four-day party to celebrate turning 73
The last guests have arrived for a birthday party dubbed the party of the year after a Japanese billionaire spent more than £300,000 to rent an Italian town.
Kaoru Nakajima has booked the best hotels in Palermo, on the island of Sicily, as well as two theaters for a gala concert and dinner on Sunday for the four-day event.
Excited guests flown by him business class from Japan posed excitedly for selfies as they boarded connecting flights to Palermo.
While posing with friends on the tarmac, guest Naohiko Takagi told MailOnline: ‘We have been looking forward to this event for days.
Japanese billionaire Kaoru Nakajima has flown more than 1,000 people in business class to Italy to attend his birthday celebration
Kaoru Nakajima, pictured, has booked the best hotels in Palermo, on the island of Sicily, as well as two theaters for a gala concert and dinner on Sunday for the four-day event
‘Mr Nakajima is a very generous boss and he arranged for more than 1,000 employees to come to Sicily to celebrate his 73rd birthday on Sunday.
‘I’ve never been here before and we hope to see a lot of the city and the surrounding area – we’re so excited.’
Others gave a thumbs-up as they stood near the stairs that took them to the plane and made video calls with friends in Japan.
Mr. Nakajima made his fortune after selling his stake in the multi-level marketing company AmWay and subsequently starting his own MLM companies.
AmWay (American Way) sells home and beauty products and convinces customers to become paid distributors of the products.
Mr. Nakajima was one of the company’s best sellers when he worked for them and in the 1990s he made AmWay history by doubling the sales of his group of 750,000 distributors.
At one point, he reportedly brought in 40% of the company’s business in Japan and 12% of the company’s global revenue.
The father of three has rented out Palermo’s oldest and most iconic landmarks, including opera houses, theaters and hotels.
The Rocco Forte Villa Igiea and the Grand Hotel et des Palmes, both on the sea, are fully booked – with rooms costing £600 to £3,000 a night for a sea-view suite.
Among the locations where he has appeared are the Teatro Massimo, Italy’s largest opera house, and the Politeama Theater.
Events will take place at both locations on Sunday and the highlight of the event will be a concert by Matteo, the son of opera star Andrea Bocelli.
Mr. Nakajima made his fortune after selling his stake in the multi-level marketing company AmWay and then starting his own MLM companies
On Friday, Mr Nakahimi, pictured, and his party toured Palermo and stopped for lunch at Osteria Ballaro.
Many arrivals took selfies as soon as they landed in Palermo before heading to the party
Mr Nakajima is said to have chosen Palermo as the location after being informed about it by Andrea, a friend of his and also a great favorite of the British royal family.
Hiring the Politeama would have earned him £32,000 and a similar sum would have been paid for the Teatro Massimo.
Excited restaurant owners and other local businesses are rubbing their hands at the prospect of hundreds of visitors spending money at what is usually a dead time of year.
The celebrations started on Thursday with a performance of Don Giovanni, with Mr Nakajima sitting in the royal box of the Teatro Massimo.
On Friday, he and his party toured Palermo and stopped for lunch at Osteria Ballaro.
Mr Nakajima, accompanied by his assistant Maso Katano, and other members of his entourage, was dressed in an Italian football team tracksuit.
Mr Nakajima is said to have chosen Palermo as the location after being informed about it by Andrea, a friend of his and also a great favorite of the British royal family.
On its Facebook page, restaurant Osteria Ballaro said: “We had the great honor of welcoming Kaoru Nakajima, who chose Palermo for an event that puts our city in the spotlight.”
On its Facebook page, the restaurant said: “We had the great honor to welcome Kaoru Nakajima, who chose Palermo for an event that puts our city in the spotlight.
‘He complimented us on our cooking and service and we gave him some local pastries and cakes from our chef.
‘A warm welcome to him and all his guests – Palermo is a hospitable city.’
So far, there has been no trace of his wife, opera singer Atsuko Kakioka – who also loves Italy and performed in theaters all over the country.