December 30, 2008
the case of the mysterious traveler
A Japanese man who took up residence in a Mexican airport left mysteriously.
Authorities searched the terminal for Hiroshi Nohara on Monday but he was nowhere to be found, said an airport official who was not allowed to be quoted by name.
The daily Reforma newspaper ran photos of the scruffy man getting into a cab Sunday at the airport.
Nohara’s three-month residency at the airport made him a local celebrity whose life drew comparisons to that of Viktor Navorski, a character portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2004 movie “The Terminal.”
But there was one major distinction: Navorski was forced to stay at a New York City airport after war broke out in his Eastern European country and officials said they could neither allow him into the U.S. nor deport him.
Nohara had a tourist visa that allows him to stay in Mexico — anywhere in Mexico, not just the airport — until early March. He also possessed a ticket home.
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