How a teacher from Jupiter became a celebrity in Japan
4:04 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2016 | Filed in: Northern PBC
[ At The End See Miles Eat Live Lizard During An Arizona Fall League Game
They Call Him "The Lizard King" (LMAO) ]
Lauren Westcott Mikolas is so famous in Japan that she’s starring in commercials and writing a book based on her lifestyle blog, Fearless Charm.How did the 27-year-old former elementary school teacher become the toast of Tokyo? Here’s her story, in her own words …
My husband, Miles Mikolas, and I were married on Nov. 1, 2014 — a magical day that would launch an incredible adventure.
When we got to the airport to head for our honeymoon in Mexico, my husband got a text from his agent: How would Miles, a professional baseball pitcher who had been with the Texas Rangers, feel about playing baseball in Japan?
The Yomiuri Giants — considered to be the Yankees of Tokyo — made Miles an amazing offer.
If he took it, we’d be based in two countries — in Japan during baseball season and in Jupiter the rest of the year.
At the time, I was teaching kindergarten at Jerry Thomas Elementary School in Jupiter, where I grew up.
Lauren Westcott Mikolas and Miles Mikolas at their home in Jupiter.
If Miles signed with the Giants, I’d either have to leave my job and head to Japan with him or live without him half the year.
We had already experienced the separations of baseball life during our seven years of dating.
Miles’ agent explained that the amount of time we would have together in Japan would be much greater than in the states with Major League Baseball. In the majors here, players generally get one to two days off a month, and they have to stay for every game. In Japan, the entire team gets one off day a week, and if you are not playing in the game, you do not have to stay.
The promise of more time together was most important to me, although I was heartbroken to leave my job and home.
So, off we went to Japan — and I had to figure out, what would I do? How would I handle the cultural differences?
Miles headed to Tokyo first, and I followed soon after.
When I arrived in Tokyo, Miles was waiting for me, dressed in a suit, with roses and a white stretch limo! It was very “Pretty Woman.”
He showed me our beautiful apartment, and I told him I was planning to start a blog, Fearless Charm, to share my recipes, health and beauty tips. I am a certified wellness coach, so writing the blog allowed me to continue teaching, just on another platform.
The next day, Miles had a baseball game. He explained how to get to the field by the subway downstairs, and he told me to text him or his translator if I had any problems.
I arrived at the field — and I was amazed at the energy I felt in the dome. Baseball is the most popular national sport in Japan. The fans are diehards. It was like college football and Nascar combined!
I walked down to the front-row seats that the owner of the Yomiuri Giants had personally given to me to watch my husband’s game. I was the only blonde in the stadium, and the people around me quickly put two and two together — that I was Miles Mikolas’ wife. They seemed shocked that I was there, and that I was seriously watching the game.
In Japan, families of the players are not as visible as they are in America.
After Miles won, the media reporters swarmed me. Flashes were going off in my face, and people were cheering! The next day I was on the front page of the newspaper. I couldn’t read what any of it said, but I was told that they were calling me the “too beautiful wife.”
The next few days I worked on my blog, walked around Tokyo, and enjoyed time with my husband. I loved having time to cook large meals and bake, and he loves to eat. We’re a good match.
At his next game, I came to the stadium, and reporters surrounded me from the moment I sat down.This was a strange feeling for me, a 27-year-old woman who went to Jupiter High School and Florida State University.
At the end of this exciting game, Miles got the Hero Award, which is like the MVP of the game. At the press conference after the game, as I was watching Miles being interviewed, a mob of fans, reporters and photographers began to surround me. Security guards formed a barrier around me.
Miles thanked me in his interview, and I blew him a kiss. The whole stadium erupted in cheers when I blew that kiss. It was all over the news the next day and in the papers. They were all saying that it was like a movie moment. My 2-day-old Twitter account went from 20 followers to 3,000 in a matter of hours.
Since then, a lot of opportunities have come my way. Miles and I got our own baseball card! I am the first wife in history to have a baseball card!
I have done commercials, been on a few Japanese TV shows, in a few magazines, in countless newspapers, and been involved in a few movie promotions. I do interviews about how to cook healthful recipes and how to feel strong and confident. As the brand ambassador for Under Armour Japan, I’m trying to change the notion — still popular in Japan — that women should not exercise or play sports because those are masculine pursuits.
I’m also writing a book, “Fearless Charm,” that will be published in April.
What is fearless charm? It’s being secure in your own skin, taking care of your body — and being up for an adventure.
Never in a million years would I have believed that I could become a celebrity simply by showing up at a baseball game to support my husband.
Miles’ winning streak has bolstered our celebrity, too. He broke the record for most consecutive wins by a foreign player and went into the playoffs with a 13-3 record.
The Giants fans seem to love our story and how much we support each other.
As Miles kept winning, the Giants fans came up with another nickname for me: “The Goddess of Victory.”
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Mikolas earned the nickname "Lizard King" when, on a bet, he ate a lizard in the bullpen during a 2011 Arizona Fall League game. The video of Mikolas eating the lizard was posted to YouTube. Mikolas is married to Lauren Mikolas, who has become famous in Japan.
Mikolas eating the lizard
https://youtu.be/tVfnAZBOT5U
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