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The following page scans have been reproduced here with permission from Mami Shimomura. They come from her excellent book "Catching Leonardo DiCaprio in Thailand", published in Japan during June 1999. These pictures cannot be used on the internet without the permission of the publishers first. It is suggested that in order to avoid copyright infringements, webmasters (and people posting pictures on message boards) should link direct to this page rather than to the images:

We are indebted to Mami for letting us produce these pages devoted to her book and to her friend Yuko for translating extracts from the book.

(p.90-93) Two more members dropped out from the project. There were 9 members of OKKAKE-TAI at that time. Out of nine, we had six great members who were real experts at OKKAKE. Some of them made a success in taking Leonardo's pictures and being given his autograph when he visited Japan in 1997. These reliable members were our advantage. However....

At that time of the game, these six experts decided not to go to Phi Phi. (Later, they were going to Krabi, instead.) As you see, 9 - 6 = 3. Yes, only 3 members left consisted Phi Phi OKKAKE-TAI. Unfortunately, they had no experiences of OKKAKE. Now, let me introduce our brave OKKAKE-TAI members as follows.

1. MAMI: Age 30 something. The Captain of the OKKAKE-TAI. She brought up this project. She is a well gifted graphic designer. She is a woman of fighting spirit.

2. RIE: Age 30 something. She is working at a major toy manufacurer in Japan. She is in charge of Planning Department. She looks like a teenage girl, but contrary to appearances, she is a hard worker and a good command of mobile tools.

3. NORIKA: Age 30 something. She is a freelance interpreter and translator. She is a perfect master of English and has a lot of experience of traveling abroad on business. She is a very reliable member who handles flight and hotel arrangements.

Then, let's go back to the story of Phi Phi OKKAKE. The members of Phi Phi OKKAKE-TAI made a reservation at the hotel on Phi Phi island. Our guess was very simple. The shooting was to be done at Phi Phi, therefore, Leo was to stay at Phi Phi. Right? Our arrow missed the mark! Leo was at Phuket. Then, we tried to make a reservation at Cape Panwa Hotel (Leo stayed there), but in vain. The hotel was already fully booked.

We were all in anxiety for our plan's destination. This was not a trip for sightseeing. We were going to meet Leonardo, Hollywood's hottest star, without an appointment. Three mature women were going to come all the way to Thailand just to see Leonardo. It was too impractical.

Even though there was only 1% possibility of success, we pinned our hope on Phi Phi. We were about to board "7-day-PhiPhi-OKKAKE-Tour" !

....to be continued.

P.93-98. Here we go !

## We Arrived in Thailand ! ##

At 18:00 on January 23, we departed Tokyo International Airport for Bangkok by NW875 and at 23:00 the plane safely landed Don Muang International Airport just outside Bangkok. Welcomed by Thailand's sultry night air, we headed for the hotel where we were going to spend the first night in Thailand. Expectation and anxiety... fatigue and excitement...shout and whisper... antithetical feelings were mingled in each member of OKKAKE-TAI.

(From reports written by Norika and Rie) Jan.23

Can I meet Leonardo? Arrived with the complicated feelings of expectation and anxiety. Even a night, that's like the southern country that Thailand is. It is so sultry. After checking in at the hotel, we went to the bar in the hotel. When we entered there, the familiar music and singing voice of a live performance reached our ears. That was "My Heart Will Go On". Is this a good sign for our trip? Surely it is! We are able to meet Leonardo! Cheers!!

## Chartered-Boat at a half day Costs 10 thousands yen?! ##

At 10:00 in the following morning, we left Bangkok for Phuket by Thailand Air Line. It was a 2-hour flight. It seemed that Phuket had higher humidity than Bangkok. Here, the tropics! From Phuket, we were going across to Phi Phi Island by ship. The local guide boy whom we asked to meet us was waiting for our arrival. His spoken Japanese was not bad. As we were walking to the harbor, Mami, the Captain, tried to gather any news regarding Leonardo from this guide boy.

Mami: "Is Leonardo popular in Thailand, too?"
Guide: "Yes, he is. He is a nice guy. When asked, he frankly gives his autographs to the hotel guests."
OKKAKE-TAI: " ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! "
Mami: " Will you take us to the hotel now?"
Guide: "No, No! The hotel is located far away. Why don't you charter a boat and hire me? I will take you to the shooting place and go back to the hotel. Sounds nice?"
Mami: "How much does it cost?"
Guide: "Ten thousands yen a (half) day!"

His proposal was too expensive to accept!

## Arrived in Paradise ##

Phuket was one of the popular resorts among the well-off Europeans. The ship for Phi Phi was fully crowded with European tourists. It took almost two hours and the great scenery of the steep rock cliff caught our eyes. In the emerald-green colored sea, the water was so clear to the bottom that we saw beautiful tropical fishes there.

"The Beach" is the movie about backpackers looking for utopia. Phi Phi Island seemed to be the perfect location as utopia. Phi Phi was worthy for a name of paradise. And at this island, Leonardo DiCaprio is now shooting his new film. At this heaven-like island, here the sweetest idol is! Just imagine!! We, OKKAKE-TAI were completely fascinated with the fact that we were now standing and breathing at the island where Leonardo might be working and strolling about.

....to be continued.

P.99-106

January 24 (From OKKAKE Repors Written by RIE and NORIKA)

As we were walking through the crowd to the hotel, a Thai boy came and spoke to us.

Thai Boy: "Maya Bay, Today Open!! Maya Bay,Tomorrow Closed!!"

We stopped suddenly. Maya Bay was just the place Leonardo was shooting his film, the Beach. "How does this boy come to know that we're coming to meet Leonardo? Is it written all over our faces???" In fact, Maya Bay was closed to the public for the shooting of the film on weekdays. Though the shot was not on today, this was the only chance for us to go there. We immediately asked the Thai boy to take us to Maya Bay. Getting on board his long-tailed boat, we departed for Maya Bay !

Maya Bay is located on Phi Phi Le Island, about 20-minutes by boat from Phi Phi Don Island. Shortly, our destination we were heading for came into view in the distance. Phi Phi Le Island was a small desert island surrounded by high, steep cliff. The water of the sea was crystal clear and we could see the beautiful coral reef at the bottom.

Getting off the boat, we landed on Maya Bay. This scenery was just what we saw in Richard's website!! Though it was almost evening, some of the tourists were there. Palm trees planted for the film shooting could be seen on the beach. We've heard something about the environmental issues regarding this beach including these palm trees. But, anything wrong was not seen there. It seemed to be an excessive assault made by environmentalists.

We finally came over to the place where Leonardo was working! At the top of the bay, there was a sign saying "No Entry" and ropes were stretched around to keep visitors off. White sand was blowing in the air and so comfortable to touch. Maya Bay was a completely beautiful beach!! At this beautiful beach, our prince Leonardo was shooting his new film. This made a deep impression on us, Phi Phi OKKAKE-TAI. We ran about on the seashore, barefoot like children.

The Thai boat-boy was called Joe. He knew in detail about what Leo was doing in Thailand. He advised us that we would meet Leonardo on "the pier" which led to the shooting location. According to him, Leo, co-stars and the film crew usually got off the boat and crossed this pier and headed for the shooting place. "As long as we wait here, Leonardo will surely show up tomorrow morning!!"

When we got back on the boat to return to the hotel, people at the beach began to remove the "No Entry" sign and ropes. People that we had thought were "tourists" were in fact police officers! To our surprise, they were watching our movements! And we also found that tourists spending their vacation on Phi Phi Don Island were not interested in the fact that the Hollywood star, Leonardo DiCaprio was now shooting his new film in the place very close to them. "I see...are we Japanese freaks?

" But, we will meet Leonardo tomorrow morning!!" Being excited, we spent a sleepless night

....to be continued