<\/p>\n
World Cup influencer Bob from Japan meets with The Dallas Morning News at Acai Brasil in Victory Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Eric Prisbell<\/p>\n
The World Cup fan known simply as Bob says he is weeks removed from sleeping on Seattle\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These days, he says he rides in a private jet, is approached daily by strangers for photos and has zero doubt he\u2019ll get a ticket to Tuesday\u2019s France-Spain semifinal<\/a> at Dallas Stadium.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve followed the pageantry of the World Cup the last 30-plus days, you may recognize his face, or perhaps his signature line\u00a0\u2014 \u201cI don\u2019t know what happened to me.\u201d He\u2019s known on social platforms as Bob from Japan, a World Cup-made influencer whose story reveals unique slices of modern\u00a0fandom and American culture.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n One way to appreciate the largest World Cup in history is to watch the global stars shine on the field, from Lionel Messi and Harry Kane to Kylian Mbappe<\/a> and Lamine Yamal<\/a>. Another way is to follow the stars made off the pitch, a 27-year-old Japanese man like Bob, whose video content about food, culture and hospitality fueled his sudden popularity.<\/p>\n Sitting in Acai Brasil in Victory Park on Saturday, a corner kick away from bars roaring with a cacophony of cheers from the England-Norway quarterfinal game, was Bob from Japan. In between strangers approaching for pictures, Bob, who declined to provide his full name, tried to wrap his mind around his experience of a lifetime the last two months in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what happened to me,\u201d he said, chuckling, with a cowboy hat on his head, a World Cup scarf around his neck.<\/p>\n He\u2019s genuine and endearing\u00a0\u2014 and extremely happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cLike, suddenly I became popular,\u201d he said during a late afternoon with The Dallas Morning News. \u201cI was confused. I suddenly became an influencer. I didn\u2019t know how to do influencer life. I was really confused.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I am used to it. I am very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Since May, Bob has visited at least six U.S. cities. He says he spent at least five weeks in Dallas alone. It\u2019s a special place for him, always will be. He adores the hospitality, the seafood boil, the brisket, the warmth of fans, the excess of sports and entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n When he talks about D-FW, he glows.<\/p>\n Related: How the world sees Dallas during the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He says he had worked in real estate in Japan but dove head-first into trying to be a YouTube influencer three years ago and hasn\u2019t looked back. In January, he left Japan for Vancouver.\u00a0<\/p>\n And in May he embarked on a World Cup journey unlike any other, intent on soaking in the 48-team event across the U.S. on virtually no budget. He was leery about traveling to the U.S. because of news reports about how tourists are treated.<\/p>\n \u201cI was little scared because of the news,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought some people hate tourists. [But] my image was completely changed. Everyone was so nice, so warm to me.\u201d<\/p>\n He arrived in Seattle at midnight with \u201czero dollars, not even once cent.\u201d His credit card was \u201cover the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n He says he slept on the street a handful of nights. Eventually, he made his way to famous Pike Place Market, where he started doing Japanese calligraphy for people.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sleepless in Seattle, so to speak, he will never forget the man who gave him $20, took him around Seattle and let him sleep at his home.<\/p>\n His West Coast travels included visiting Las Vegas, watching the Michael Jackson movie and performing the moonwalk on the street.<\/p>\n Bob was on his way. A (off-the-pitch) World Cup star was born. In his videos, the people, the food, the restaurants, they are the supporting cast.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Thank you so much, Dallas’<\/p>\n More than $10,000 in fan donations (his estimate) later, he\u2019s become a sensation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When he arrived in the U.S., he said he had \u201cnothing, nothing. I just came here. I was going to do hitchhiking but a lot of people helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n Some people bought him plane tickets. Some bought him bus tickets.<\/p>\n He arrived in Dallas with no place to stay. He posted on social media \u201cPlease let me stay somewhere.\u201d People started direct messaging him, \u201cYou can stay at my house!\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, he was staying in a spacious private loft at The Village Dallas. When The News tried to meet up with him there, a simple message to the front desk, \u201cI\u2019m here to see Bob from Japan,\u201d prompted an immediate escort to his room with a staff member in charge of VIP guest experiences.<\/p>\n Related: Next week’s\u00a0FIFA World Cup semifinal is sending D-FW hotel prices skyward<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On Wednesday he leaves Dallas, likely to be recognized at the airport a time or 10. He will be en route to Miami for a week. Then New York. Then back to Seattle, a victory lap of sorts, to thank the city. Then back to Vancouver.<\/p>\n He says post-World Cup life will include creating traveling content worldwide.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to share the world for Japanese people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He will depart with memories for a lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n He went to Texas Live! \u201cAmazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He went to Cosm. \u201cI thought I was in a stadium,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n