In Utah, most people have never heard of him; in Japan, it's not unusual for him to be mobbed by autograph seekers.
Kent Derricott leads a double life divided between the television sound stages of Tokyo and the quiet suburbs of Bountiful.Derricott, sitting in a restored Bountiful home that serves as the headquarters of his Utah video production company, spoke of his life in Japan's limelight and his decision a year ago to slowly remove himself from it.
The most visible step in that separation was Derricott's family moving from Tokyo to Bountiful. The next was taking on a rotating schedule in each country. Derricott now spends about two weeks each month in Japan and then another two weeks in Utah working at his production company and managing real estate interests.
Derricott, 37, began his rise to television celebrity status after he moved to Japan to manage a small business venture. His language ability, which he gained as a LDS missionary in Japan, and passing interest in theater landed him a spot on a noontime variety show, the Japanese version of "Late Night with David Letterman."
"The show has tremendously high ratings and my face got public," he said.
What followed was appearances on different shows on other networks, which unlike American television, don't have exclusive network contracts. He was helped at the time by a "foreigner boom" on Japanese television. Derricott and fellow Utahn and former LDS missionary Kent Gilbert both gained celebrity status during that time and are still part of a smaller pool of foreign regulars on television.
His ability to speak Japanese and his sense of humor, including a "dragon fly eyes" routine he does by magnifying his eyes through his trademark glasses, have enamored the Japanese. But he believes it can't last forever. One factor that prompted Derricott to begin withdrawing from Japanese television was the attention his celebrity status draws.
"When I go out it's that everyone wants to take pictures and (have me) sign autographs. It is impossible to be a dad outside of the home. When we went to Tokyo Disneyland we had to take the security guards along," he said.
His move to Utah is also an effort to spend more time with his growing family and give his bilingual children more exposure to American schools and English. While in Japan, Derricott appears on the country's highest-rated live Sunday morning news program, a Monday evening game show called "The World's Greatest TV Spots" and on a Saturday travel program. He also makes guest appearances on other shows.
Derricott, a Brigham Young University graduate who married his college sweetheart, said he felt at home in Japan because he feels "a kinship with the way they do things, but I'm not completely pro-Japan."
With his unusual insight into Japanese society, he's among the first to talk about the problems in Japan and about the misconceptions Americans hold about the island nation.
With his Mormon beliefs, he is outspoken on television about family issues and the tensions that affect families in Japan. He sees a certain waning of family values in Japanese society.
At the same time, he sees that Americans wrongly view the Japanese as unemotional and conniving. Most simply don't have any understanding about the culture, geography and current affairs of Japan. In contrast, the Japanese are much more conversant about the United States. He hopes to help enlarge Americans' understanding with a program his Utah firm, Lorien, is producing about Japan for the Discovery channel.
Tomorrow: Nagano prepares for 1998 Olympics.