Chuo Dori

Okay, enough about scandals.  No more news to bring us down.  At least not this week.  Some of us have been looking forward to this moment for quite a while, and I will not have any nonsense steal the thunder from this momentous occasion.  The new release I have been anticipating is finally upon us.  Fittingly, it is coming out the same week as….

WASAMIN’S 17TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, has it been this long?  When I first noticed Wasamin beaming on the AKB48 stage, she had just turned 14 years old.  So much has happened in these last three years.  I can vividly remember every interaction I have had with Misaki.  All the handshake events, high-touches, 2-shots, performances.  Just watching her grow as an idol and singing talent has been a total treat.

And she has had so much going on for her over the past 12 months.  From Watarirouka Hashiritai 7, her recruitment to Nagara Pro, an Ameba blog, and now her upcoming Enka debut.  I am so proud of her.  I couldn’t be happier with how well she is doing.

So a big Happy Birthday to my darling Wasamin!  I just know with her new Enka direction, 2012 is going to be the best Wasa-year ever!  I can’t wait to congratulate her in person.  Less than 9 weeks away!

Oh yeah, and please buy her CD.  It comes out tomorrow!!!

CK in California

(p.s. thanks to Wasamin for posting some adorable tanjoubi pics on her new Google+ page)

Here we go again.  Oh boy!  Another year, more scandals.  And this particular scandal may be the biggest one to hit AKB48 since the poster debacle from 3-4 years ago.  Of course, the English-speaking fanbase has no shortage of opinions when it comes to idols and dating.  I have enjoyed stalking the various forums to see what everyone has to say on the matter.  Surprisingly, I find myself agreeing with what a lot of people have to say.

That doesn’t usually happen!  Normally I find myself thinking quite a few of the various inhabitants of Stage48, Ebi48, Nihongogo and elsewhere are a bunch of nimrods.  But like many others, I think the idea of idols and dating (people other than ourselves) causes much conflict between our hearts and minds.  So let’s break this down, shall we?

I will start by revisiting my own history.  When I first started liking this idol stuff, it wasn’t because I heard a song I really liked.  In fact, music had very little to do with it.  I was a “Hard Rock” kinda guy.  Metalhead, Longhair.  You know the type.  So no, it wasn’t about the music.  It was about “who are these adorable girls I am seeing on YouTube?  I wanna watch more of the cute singing girls.”

Well…maybe I didn’t say it quite like that.  I am not mentally challenged…

errr…

The point is that my initial attraction to idols had to do with the presentation of the product.  If someone had handed me an idol CD, I may or may not have found the music listenable, and I would have moved on.  What I was attracted to was the idol image.  I thought the girls were adorable, and I wanted to see more.  I wanted to learn everything about them.  Of course I did find quite a few songs I truly enjoyed as well.  So I bought in.  I believe that it is this image that truly makes the idol industry what it is.  Far more than the music itself.  Idols are created for us to listen to, be entertained by, root for, and fall in love with.  Everybody involved is keenly aware of this, and the entire idol industry is marketed based on it.

So falling in love with idols…this is where it gets tricky.  Because many of us are guilty of “falling in love” with the idols we follow.  Now does that mean we really think that our love is going to be reciprocated, and that we are going to eventually have a personal, romantic, or sexual relationship with these girls?  For most of us, we know the truth.  We are aware that in reality our relationship is simply “idol to idol fan” and nothing more.  But we have bought into the idol fantasy world.  And to be honest, it’s a fun world to inhabit.  We love to be a part of their success.  We love being there to support them.  We will gladly fork over boatloads of ducats for another piece of our favorite idols.  We know it will make them happy, so in a way it is how the idol fan shows his/her love.  By helping the girls achieve their dreams and contributing to their financial success.

Anyway, the reason I point all of this out is because I don’t think I am alone in feeling this way.  In fact, I think most idol fans have similar thoughts and feelings.  We know conceptually what we have invested ourselves into, even if our hearts love living in the fantasy.

I am as guilty of it as anybody.  I want Wasamin to become more popular so she can be a success.  And on one hand, I am happy when I see more fans noticing her.  I want her to win, and I know that she wants to be loved by many fans.  But I must admit when I go to handshake events there is a part of me thinking “Who are all of these assholes invading MY Wasamin line???  Don’t they know that she is MY oshimen???”  Sure I feel silly when these thoughts creep into my mind.  But the thoughts are there.

So when an idol gets into trouble for not acting idol-like, it isn’t because what they did was so scandalous.  C’mon…Hanging out with boys?  Teen romance?  Sexual experimentation?  Even underage smoking and drinking.  This is what young people do.  I did it, and I am guessing most of you did it (or currently do it) too.  The problem is that idols are part of a fantasy industry.  And when their cover is blown it destroys that fantasy…period!  It doesn’t make the girl a slut, or a yankii, or a troublemaker, or even a bad person.  But the girl’s image in our mind is changed forever.

It is interesting that I say all this when among my favorite idols are Ohori Megumi, Tanaka Reina and Yazawa Erika.  The irony is that they are all idols that walk a very fine line when it comes to their sexuality.  However, as close to that line that they may be, they have NEVER crossed it.  At least not in the public eye.  So as much as I know that Meetan is an experienced sexual being, she has always held back enough to keep the fantasy going.  It is one thing for her to act perverted and tease us with her blog posts.  It would be another thing if she posted about her romantic dinner with her new boyfriend, and “yada yada yada” how tired she was the next morning. (hehe)

Or what if Wasamin blogged about some cute guy in her class who took her to the movies on Saturday night?  Is that the type of info I want to hear from my fantasy idol?  Honestly it would sting a bit to hear that, even if I know conceptually that an idol’s personal life is really none of my business.  In the case of AKB48, I don’t think their “idols you can meet” concept would be possible without these kinds of rules.  Even if it did, there is no way their popularity could reach the level of insanity it currently enjoys.

BTW, it’s not like this image is universal either.  There are plenty of performing artists that don’t prescribe to it.  Some of them even idols.  I’m sure you have heard of Ebisu Muscats.  SDN48 even alluded to their sexuality.  Then there’s that other group, OFA21.  Aren’t they idols you can……

But then you have to wonder how popular an idol act could become without this fantasy intact.  There is no way these groups would be followed so religiously by their hardcore fans.  Loyalty between idol and fan, as artificial as it may be, is a two-way street.

Anyhow, back to Yonechan and Nacchan, who are the reason this post is being written.  At the end of the day really just feel sad for them.  I believe they have made a big mistake.  And I believe there should be ramifications for their actions.  Do I think an idol “death penalty” is warranted?  Not necessarily.  But I get why maintaining the idol image is so important in the industry, and how breaking it is such a serious matter.  I am sure at this moment they both feel absolutely horrible, and I am sure many tears have been shed.  That makes me sad.  For so long they have been great idols, and this unceremonious firing errr…”retirement” doesn’t seem like a fitting end for all great things they have done for the last few years.  They deserve better, even if they broke the cardinal rule of being an idol.

But that doesn’t mean that I disagree with the rules.  I completely understand why the policies are in place, and cannot imagine the idol world without them.  In fact when it comes to AKB48, it seems to be the only way to get rid of these girls!  AKB was supposed to be a stepping stone, not a destination.  But the girls are having far too much fun, and nobody wants to leave the AkiParty!  So if this is the way we make room for the trainees to advance, oh well.

CK in California

Wasamin’s solo debut release date draws ever closer.  Less than two weeks away as a matter of fact.  Jeez, I am so excited about this.  I am so excited for her.  This week her record label Tokuma Japan released an extended preview of the Mujin~Eki single-PV.  Needless to say, I have had this video on a loop for the past week!

Actually, the full PV has already debuted on television.  If you search around the internet you are bound to find it.  But out of respect for the label and my darling Misaki-chan I will stick with the official preview.  And what a beautiful PV it is.

It reminds me of how I first felt about Wasamin when I first became a fan.  If you remember my early posts, I always remarked how mature I thought she was for her age.  And that was when Misaki had just turned 14!  She turns 17 at the end of this month.  Sure, there are times when she acts every bit the teenager.  But sometimes I am simply amazed by the voice that comes out of this girl…

And that’s the key.  This is her true calling.  Far more than being an idol.  In fact, you could say that Misaki never really was an idol in the true sense of the word.  She looks the part, and certainly holds her own among the AKB-elite.  Errr…

I’m not quite sure how to express what I am feeling.  But I remember a conversation I had with International Wota legend Ray a couple years back.  When I recall his definition of what an idol really is…Cute, semi-talented, semi-charming, and a deep desire to be loved for those attributes. Something like that.  Thinking of an idol that way, I’m not sure I can place Wasamin firmly into that category.  Sure, she possesses those character traits in a sense.  But at the end of the day her biggest desire was to merely be a great singer.  I think she is doing an incredible job!  And it should only get better from here.

On Thursday Wasamin the chance to perform her brand new song in front of a festival crowd at TDC Hall.  It happened during the encore of AKB48’s annual Setlist Concert series.  Like a doting mother-hen, Togasaki was on hand to take a few pics at the event, including a couple of choice Wasa-shots…

So adorable.  You can tell how hard she is trying.  Wasamin admitted that she was very nervous as this was only her second live performance of Mujin~eki.  By the way, I would love to see her debut her Enka version of Heavy Rotation at one of the upcoming shows this weekend.  That would be awesome!  According to a few blog posts from her fellow members she did a great job.  In a short period of time Wasamin has earned a lot of respect from a lot of people.  And that will only grow as she further develops as a singer.

It makes me wonder what her life and career will look like 10 years from now.  Of course I have high hopes.  And when that time eventually comes we will surely be looking back fondly at this moment when it all took off.

Now who is looking like the “doting mother-hen”?

CK in California

(credit to Togasaki and Tokuma Japan for the supporting material)

I can’t think of a day when I wanted to be in Japan as much as this past Wednesday…

Actually, pretty much everyday of my life I wish I am in Japan.  That’s a given.  But to witness my Oshimen take a new step in her life would have been extra special.  A lot has happened to quite a few of my favorite idols over the past couple of months.  Meetan’s pending graduation coming this Spring.  Erika Yazawa leaving Idoling!!! last week.  But none of that matches the anticipation I have for Iwasa Misaki’s Enka debut, which is due to be released in less than a month.

Wasamin has been languishing in the back row of AKB48 long enough.  I have rarely complained, only wishing she would get some sort of push that could launch her closer to the spotlight.  She has shown moments of brilliance at the Ogi Matsuri festivals, as well as various events where she has had the chance to show off her Enka prowess.  And now she is finally being recognized for her superior singing talent.

So Wednesday…

The debut of Wasamin’s new single “Mujin-eki” took place not at an AKB event, but at an Enka showcase in Yokohama.  Not only would she be making her solo debut, but she would be doing it alongside some established talent in the genre.  How would she do?  I was really nervous for her as I badly want her to be a huge success.  According to her blog she was so nervous and filled with anticipation she could barely talk.  Was there any way she could flop in her biggest show business opportunity to date???

Not a chance!  Wasamin is awesome, of course.  I loved the following news report, which is all about her debut.  The entire piece is great, but you can see highlights of her performance beginning around the 1:45 mark…

Didn’t she do an amazing job?  One of the things I loved about that report is the way they call Wasamin “AKB48’s Enka Singer”.  Not only does it give her some “street cred” within the Enka world, but it also establishes an identity and personality for her to utilize within AKB48’s group dynamic.  Misaki will no longer be one of the nameless backdancers in AKB!  Even the casual fans will begin to recognize her as “The Enka Girl” of AKB.  That’s great!

Oh, and didn’t she look beautiful?

It makes me wonder what her future will look like after this release.  Do I expect it to sell hundreds of thousands of copies?  No.  But I think the success of this release will be measured more on the quality of her performance than the amount of CDs sold.  So far the reviews have been nothing but positive.  That could mean a bigger focus on her Enka career.  But whatever happens, I will be there to support her all the way because I absolutely adore her.  I have never had a relationship with an idol quite like the one I have with her, and it makes me so happy to see her shining the way she is with this single.

I won’t get a chance to congratulate her in person until I get back to Tokyo in about 12 weeks.  I went all out this time and got 9 Wasamin handshake tickets for the events in early April.  In the meantime we can send her best wishes on her blog, and of course BUY HER CD!  It features no less than 5 tracks.  In addition to the title song, Wasamin will also be singing Enka versions of AKB48’s Heavy Rotation and Kikyou.  Plus, the accompanying DVD will feature PVs, and a “History of Wasamin” featurette.  That has me even more excited.

So I am counting on ALL OF YOU to help me support her, and BUY HER CD.  Here are the links…

HMV CD Japan

Way to go Wasamin! <3 <3 <3

CK in California

A relatively new tradition, on Monday I switched to a different hotel in another part of Tokyo.  I would have a few hours of limbo time before I could check into the new place, so I spent it doing a little shopping and checking to see if I could find tickets for Momoiro Clover Z on Wednesday.  My ticket search was unsuccessful, but I did manage to pick up a few Wasamin photos and the new French Kiss CD.

By the way, last week I had pre-ordered Wasamin’s 2012 calendar.  I just hope I can get it home in one piece.  Space in my luggage is at a premium, and things like this always manage to get a little “ruffled”.  Hopefully the box it came in will withstand the trip.

Anyway, I checked into the new hotel.  It is one that I have stayed in many times before.  But never like this!  I was really excited when they told me they were putting me on the top floor of the hotel.  I got to my room on the 32nd floor and opened the curtains…

Wow, what a view!  I can see everything from here!  Tokyo Tower, Sky Tree, part of the Rainbow Bridge.  Downtown Tokyo.  Even a little bit of Tokyo Bay.  It is an amazing view.  I wish my camera took better photos at night, because seeing Tokyo from this vantage point has me in complete awe!   I could sit up here for hours and just look out the window, but there is more fun to be had…

The AKB48 Cafe & Shop Akihabara

I actually visited the shop portion of the cafe on the first weekend I was here.  I didn’t get the chance to sample the cafe or the cafe theater until this week.   Overall I think it is great!  By the way, reservations aren’t required. You can just queue up for the cafe and shop. As for the theater. You can buy same day tickets at the box office for any show that hasn’t pre-sold out.  Your best bet is on weekdays during the day. Evenings, Weekends and Holidays are MUCH more crowded.

The shops (there are two, one on each side of the cafe) don’t have too many items. Just random collectibles like phone straps, t-shirts, buttons, coffee mugs, t-shirts. They do have some of the latest dvd/cds. But if you are looking for that stuff you are better off going to the official shop in the Donki. They also seem to carry leftover goods that weren’t sold from events, like microfiber towels.  I haven’t purchased anything from the shops at this point.  But tomorrow I might grab a couple of things I have my eye on.

I finally took the opportunity to check out the cafe on Monday.  It has more than just the 2000 yen set menu they advertise.  The menu is very cute, with pictures of the girls “recommending” certain dishes.  Instead of the full set, you can simply order an entree (most are 980 yen)  They have a many to choose from, more than you see on the website. I got Yakisoba with beef.  I also considered the Taco Rice (Yes, Taco as in Mexican food.  Not Tako as in Octopus) The entrees come with your choice of six appetizers.  Vegetables, Fish, even Onion Rings or Garlic Fries!  Plus, certain beverages come with a commemorative coaster.  You get your coaster by blind draw.  I ordered a Pellegrino, and the waitress came over with the coaster dispenser.  It looked sort of like a playing card “shoe” at a blackjack table…

First shot, I got Wasamin!!! Food is decent, and the atmosphere is totally fun.  They are playing AKB48 PVs on the monitors, and the wait staff is all “idol-cute”.  They have a “no-photography” rule there, but they are a bit lax about it as long as you aren’t photographing the staff or the other patrons.

A shot of one of the girls’ messages.  They are all over the place.  On tables, walls.  Everywhere!  A very nice touch!  However, to me the real gem of the place is the AKB48 Cafe Theater!

The AKB48 Cafe Theater 11/22.  AKB48 Live at Seibu Dome Day 3

The theater has five showings per day.  You can check the schedule to see what’s playing.  For the most part they replay recent shows from the AKB48 theater.  But they also show concerts.  One of the popular programs they have been doing this month is AKB48’s Summer Concert in Seibu Dome.  The DVD isn’t going to be released until December, so this is like a sneak peak.

The cost for attending a show is 2700 yen, and includes an all-you-can-eat buffet.  That may seem steep, but after experiencing the place firsthand I would say it is totally worth it!  Like the cafe, the theater girls are adorable.  They put on a little presentation for you which begins as you queue in the square outside.  After they welcome you in and you find a seat they serve you a first course.  For us it was chicken wings, fried rice, potato salad (which was really good!) and a small burger patty with “48″ drawn in ketchup. After that it becomes all you can eat, and they have a lot of different items to choose from, including dessert items.  I had the fried chicken, pasta salad and fried rice.  For dessert they had cakes, and choux creme.  Very nice.  You also get to help yourself to the beverage bar.  After about 5-10 minutes the theater girls present the program for you.  Very cute.

As for the show itself, the video/sound system is great, and the seating is very comfortable.  There were about 15 people there, and I would say the entire place seats 60-80.  The entire place feels very new, which is nice.  The video/sound system is great!  It really is like watching a movie at a small theater.    I loved the concert.  The stage setup was amazing, and the setlist for Day 3 was solid!  I was considering skipping this release, but I may change my mind after watching this!

So there ya go, the Cafe, Shop and Theater.  To me it is well worth the visit, especially the Theater.  My recommendation would be to pick a program that you want to see, and go for it!  You can check the schedule on the official site!

My trip is winding toward a close.  Will I have anything more to report?  We’ll see XD

CK in Tokyo

By the way, Last Friday I took a side-trip and visited the Capital of Japan from about 1000 years ago, Kamakura.  It is an adorable little town with all sorts of neat shrines, not to mention the giant Buddha statue a couple of stops away…

But my favorite part of the trip was visiting a nearby island off the coast called Enoshima.  This place was so cute, with amazing seafood.  They specialize in Shirasu-don, which is like baby sardine sushi.  The restaurants all looked so tempting, but one was recommended.  And along with the meal I had one of their other local specialties…a stout beer with fish extract.

It was actually really good!

Anway, back to the action…This was going to be one serious day.  In order for me to pull this off I was going to need to wake up extra early, travel three hours to Shin-Osaka (plus another 45 minutes of local train travel), and do it all over again once this marathon event was over.  That is almost 8 hours of travel time.  But I was up for the adventure.  Good thing the Shinkansen is a super-comfortable ride.  Here we go!

SKE48 Okie Dokie Handshake Event @ Intex Osaka 11/20

I almost blew it when I partied a little too hard the previous evening after meeting Erika Yazawa from Idoling!!!  But a minor headache rousted me awake at about 4am.  Great!  Plenty of time to medicate, wash up, and get to the train.  Catching a 6:20am Shinkansen, I made it to Intex Osaka just 15 minutes after the event started.  Perfect!  I had plenty of time to make it to my first-slot handshakes.

I had two tickets for Slot 1.  I would go to the shortest line first, then jam over to the second one.  It looked as if Akarin’s line was the shortest of the two, so I went for it.  As I stood in line I noticed she was right next to Rena.  So I got a good closeup look at her while I waited for Akari.  Rena looked beautiful, so I was quite surprised when she went out sick for the event less than an hour later.  I got up to the front of the queue.  Oh shit!  This isn’t Akarin’s line at all.  It was Kuumin….

Yagami Kumi: I had about 30 seconds to figure out what I was going to say to her.  As panic set in I fnally came up with my “brilliant” plan.  I stammered that she was funny on Bimyo this week.  But it worked out as she responded “Hontoni?  Arigato!”  I don’t think Kuumin remembered me from before.  But I got a good reaction from her, so all was good!

Suda Akari: This was my first time ever talking to Akarin (aside from the “high wave” after I saw Team S last June.  I basically told her that I really wanted to meet her, she had an adorable smile and she was cute in the Senbatsu Undergirls PV.  It was a good first-time meeting so I will definitely try to see her again!

After this I had an more than an hour before slot 2.  It is nice the way SKE does handshakes.  The breaks between slots are much longer, giving the girls more time to rest.  Although it kind of drags out the day for fans.  The queue for goods was huge.  But given the amount of time I had, I went for it.

They had shirts, a hoodie, phone straps and charms, clear files.  But the big item of the day were the event trading photos.  There was a limit of 5 packs per person, so people were looping the line before they sold out.  The queue took more than an hour (unnecessarily I might add)  I decided I didn’t care for the shirt, so I bought a Masanya phone charm (which I immediately affixed to my backpack) and my limit of photos.  Of my favorite members, I got one Masanya and two Shawako, although those two Shawako were exactly the same.

Anyway, time for slot #2, which contained one of my three Masanya tickets for the event.  But I will talk about that later on…

Takayanagi Akane: I tried to win more Churi tickets, but only ended up with one.  Oh well.  Her queue was obviously long, but it moved quickly.  I don’t have as much history with the SKE girls as I do with AKB, so sometimes I have trouble coming up with things to talk about.  But for this event I brought my English-Japanese dictionary which helped trememdously when I struggled for something to say.  I could prepare my little speech while I was in queue.  I decided to tell her how much I enjoyed her bonus scene on the new single DVD.  She thanked me, of course.  So is sooo cute.

Hiramatsu Kanako:  Just like when I met her at Yomiuriland, she immediately exclaimed “Yayyyy” as I came in and gave me a double high-touch/handshake.  I told her how cute she was in the Pareo no Emerald PV, she responded with her “Mokyuu Mokyuu” catchphrase, and asked me to do it with her.  I did, and she was happy.  Gave me another high-five and I was on my way.  Adorable session!

After slot 2 was the lunch break.  I decided to try some Takoyaki, since the only other time I had it was in Tokyo…and I hated it.  But I wanted to give Osaka a chance to change my mind.  But that’s for another thread.  On to Slot #3.  I had four tickets for this slot, so I would need to keep moving.

Ishida Anna: I had two tickets for Anna.  I had noticed that like last week in Chiba, her line was almost empty during the morning sessions.  This makes me sad.  She is so cute!  She greeted me with an excited double wave like she is beckoning me to come closer.  I always tell her how adorable I think she is, so I needed to switch to a different tactic.  So for her I also went with the compliment on her part in the Okie Dokie DVD bonus.  In the second session I apologized for my bad Japanese, to her insistence that it was okay  I then told her how nice I think she is, and that I am always excited to do handshakes with her.  I have definitely made a connection with Anna.

Hata Sawako:  I never really paid attention to Shawako until Yomiuriland last Summer.  And that was totally by accident.  The only reason I met her was because she was paired with Masanya.  But it was a memorable session, and it made me want to see her again.  She exceeded my expectations…again.  When she shakes your hand, so actually holds your entire arm with both hands.  I told her that meeting her last Summer made me want to come back to her.  When I said that she immediately remembered and got really excited!  Like last time, as the staff tried to push me out, she tried to pull me back!  Hahaha.  Shawako is awesome!  She also tried to talk to me in English, but fumbled it a bit.  So cute.  Shawako is now firmly positioned as one of my Top SKE members!

Furukawa Airi:  Like with Shawako, I reminded her that we met last Summer, and I also reminded her that we share a birthday (well, we almost do!  She is the closest idol to my birthday that I know of).

Slot four was my “Masanya Time”, but I also had another first time meeting…

Kato Rumi:  I forst started paying attention to Rumi when she did the promotional event for “Paranormal Activity”  I thought she was so cute at that event, and I prepared to tell her that.  But when I got to the front of her queue (her line was really short) she had on a beautiful white furry coat and cute silver shoes.  So I switched tactics and told her how cute she looked.  I then told her I was happy to meet her and really love S3.  Another cool first-time meeting.

Oya Masana:  At the AKB event last week I had told her I was coming to see her in Osaka.  So I got a cool, excited greeting when I got to her for my first of three tickets.  I told her I liked Osaka because it wasn’t cold (I had momentarily forgotten how to say “warm”  It took her a few moment to figure out what I was trying to say, but she eventually got it.  Funny thing was it got really cold later in the day. (LOL)  Later on I told her how much I loved her twin-tails in the Okie Dokie PV.  Surprisingly, on my last ticket Masanya decided to try a little English with me.  This was great!  The greeted me with “Third timu!”  I apologized for my bad Japanese and reminded her that she was my SKE oshi.  I also told her that I am rooting for her.  In summary, all of the work I have done on Masanya has paid off.  She definitely gets that I am a big fan, and is always a great handshaking experience.

I had one ticket for Slot 5, and then I would have to run back to Shin-Osaka to catch one of the last trains back to Tokyo.  In fact, I considered leaving early.  But I had met a friend, and wanted to hang out a little bit.  I also picked up one more pack of photos.  Glad to see that unlike AKB, SKE brings plenty of photos so everyone gets a chance to get some, instead of selling out before the event even starts!  This is why the hour-long queue was unnecessary.  I don’t believe they ran out of anything all day!   My friend and I had the same member for Slot 5 (her Oshi), so we immediately queued up since I was in a mild time crunch.

Sato Mieko:  The line wasn’t very long.  And to be honest I was getting tired.  So I basically said the same thing that I had said to Shawako.  That she was so nice at Yomiuriland th I wanted to meet her again.  She excitedly thanked me, and that was it.  My handshaking was done!

I made it back to the Shinkansen and fell asleep on my ride back.  Finally some rest!  It was an awesome event, so glad I went to Osaka.  Even if I barely got a chance to experience the city.  That will have to be for another time.  I don’t know if I will have anything else to report, but I am still here for a few more days.  We’ll see

CK in Tokyo

Okay, let’s see if I can do this writeup after a night of Suntory Hi-Balls and Yakitori (my favorite Japanese food)  It started as a boring Saturday…

I wasn’t sure what to do with my day.  The forecast was for pouring rain and wind, and I hadn’t won any AKB48 shows to keep me occupied.  However, I knew of one event taking place that would go a long way toward making this trip awesome.  I hadn’t needed an umbrella all trip because the weather has been wonderful..  Could this be my first trip ever that I wouldn’t need to splurge on one of Japan’s infamous plastic umbrellas?

I knew the event I wanted to go to was at Shosen Books,  However, Shosen is a chain.  So I wasn’t completely sure which store was hosting the event I wanted to attend.  I headed out of my hotel and down to the end of the block.  There was a huge line.  Wow, I didn’t realize she was this popular.  This line could take hours!  I rounded one block, then two.  Soon I was three blocks away.  I stopped at the local conbini to buy a cheap umbrella and queued up…

No sooner did I line up when a store associate approached me.  I think he felt I was lost.  He asked if I knew that this was an event lineup.  I asked which event it was for.  His reply???

Momoiro Clover Z

Huh???  Momoclo is at the end of my block?   I love Japan!  More idols than I know what to do with.  The store rep seemed to be convinced I didn’t belong there.  Which was fine for two reasons.  1) I didn’t feel like standing in the friggin’ rain for 3 hours.  2) This wasn’t the event I was looking for anyway.  Sure, I adore Momoclo, but I have been seeing their shows since they were practically a street idol group.  Plus, I had more important business to attend to.  I needed to see one of my favorite idols…one I had never met before.  This was important.  I had already missed out on the opportunity to see one favorite Idol I had never met before (Saito Yua)  I wasn’t going to miss out on two!  He directed me to a different shop a few train stops from Akiba…

Yazawa Erika (Idoling!!! #7) Trading Card Release Event @ Shosen Bookmart Jimbocho 11/19

I jumped on the Shinjuku Subway toward Jimbocho.  Would the line for Yazapai be as insane as the line for Momoclo?  As I journeyed the streets of Jimbocho, I eventually found the shop hosting the event.  I had heard Shosen Bookmart was awesome, and it is!  They have TONS of idol PBs and magazines.  They also have a bunch of Idol collector card sets for sale, some of them AV idols.  they looked hawt, but most of the prices were prohibitive.  I asked one of the employees about the Yazapai event, and they immediately directed me to the cash register…

I had no idea how this event would work.  Was it handshakes?  2-shots?  But when he rang up one box of trading cards I knew I was at my limit.  6300 yen!!!  That is a lot of money for some cards.  But I was going to meet Yazapai.  So I was happy.  One box it is, although I had a funny feeling multiple boxes would get me more perks.  But I am not a card collector, so there was no way I was spending hundreds of dollars on them…

I returned to the shop at 11:30 and queued up in a building next to the bookshop.  Once again, I had no idea what was in store.  I only knew I was getting some trading cards, and Yazapai was somehow involved.  I slowly made my way up a stairwell where eventually I would get to meet one of my favorite idols.

As I slowly made my way through the queue, I asked the guys in front of me how this event would work.  They were committed fans for sure.  They had Yazapai birthday shirts, birthday presents.  They were definitely guys “in the know”  So they explained to me that is was a photoshoot event, but you needed a proper camera (which I didn’t have with me)  It was also a 2-shot event if you bought enough boxes (one was obviously not enough)  Beyond that, it was a handshake and talk event.  That I could do!  I would love a 2-shot with Yazapai, but there is no way I was going to spend 300-400 dollars on trading cards for it.

When I finally got to the front of the queue (45 minutes after lining up) I informed her manager that I didn’t have a camera.  He said it was okay, and I could still do the handshake and talk.  Yazapai saw me and immediatley exclaimed “Whoah”  And made a reference to my “muscular physique”  Hahah, yeah, those are muscles Erika, just like yours are muscles!

Yazapai was absolutely adorable.  In fact, I will declare her beautiful.  She seemed so excited to talk to me.  She listened intently as I made my little speech (I had been rehearsing what to say to her for about an hour)  The look on her face was priceless.  She was focused on understanding me, it was so cute!  Then she wanted to ask me questions.  Luckily, one of her staff spoke decent English and translated.  She was asking me about California.  Does Yazapai have family in Orange County?  Based on her questions, I am guessing that she does.  She ended it by calling me her “homie”  (something I actually expected)  I responded with “Wazzzapp Homie???”, which got a laugh from her staff.  She ended it with asking me if I loved Akihabara.  When I responded “Mochiron” she gave me a high-five!

Anyway, Erika couldn’t have been any more gracious, or adorable.  It was an incredible event…a moment I will remember for years to come.  Yazapai is just an awesome idol.  She is the main reason I follow Idoling!!!

So for tomorrow I have to wake up super early to catch the Shinkansen.  The reason?  SKE48 handshake event at Intex Osaka!  This will be taxing on my energy, but for sure totally worth it!  I have tickets for 10 different members.  Wish me luck!

CK in Tokyo

Check out the new billboard outside of Akihabara Station, and very close to the AKB48 Cafe.  AKBaby…LOLZ!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I finally won a show at the AKB48 Theater.  SDN48, and Chenchu’s birthday celebration.  I have never won fewer than 2 theater shows on a trip, and I didn’t win anything for SKE.  So I have a week left to try to win at least one more.  But before that…

When I reported on my last trip in June, I had promised to post all of my “Gets”.  However, I completely bricked on it.  So let’s get this out of the way early.  I have actually purchased a few more things that I have yet to take photos of.  I picked up the new releases from Not Yet and SKE48.  I have also gotten a few DVDs, and a bunch of random photos.  And here are a couple of items I am particularly excited about…

SKE Halloween photosets.  Ooh, scary…but cute!  I got Masanya and Churi

The DumpShow DVD was high on my priority list.  I was happy it wasn’t sold out when I got here.  Also, I finally found an autographed version of Wasamin and Komorin’s DVD, for about one-third of what they go for on Yahoo Japan Auction.

Anyhow, back to the action.  I won a show, and even I didn’t know how special my evening was about to be…

SDN48 Yuuwaku no Garter Performance 11/17

Finally I won a show this trip!  My 28th theater show all time, and 11th SDN show.  I was beginning to get worried.  But fate somehow works in mysterious ways.  Remember last weekend I lost out on a bunch of Ohori Megumi handshake tickets because she cancelled for the event…

I won via Ippan , which I like a lot more than Enpou because you have the chance to get a really good seat via the lottery.  Enpou is always last seated row center.  That said, I have ALWAYS had horrible lottery luck when it comes to the AKB48 theater.  I have only once been as close as the 4th row, and that time I had one of the pillars blocking about 75% of the stage view.  Twice I have been the last person into the theater.  I went upstairs around an hour before the show because I wanted to see the birthday committee and their flower arrangement.  I have been to every Chenchu birthday show for SDN, so I actually know a few of the committee members.  Anyhow, the flowers were beautiful, and I was glad to see a few friends there for the show.

I got ticket #46, and went to queue up.  I passed the time by filling out a Yui birthday card and figuring out how the birthday glowsticks were going to work within the show.  By the way, they are now playing SDN songs on the sound system before the show. I know that sounds appropriate. But in the early days of SDN they used to play soft jazz, which I always thought was a totally cool move, not to mention fitting for the theme. Some sexy Jazz, YEAHHH!  They eventually started the seat lottery, #160-169 were called in first.  Oh well, this will surely be another horrible seat for me…

2nd call, #40-49.  OMFG!!!!  I am going to have a great seat.  I hustled in as quickly as I could (you aren’t allowed to run in the theater)  Most of the front row was taken, but 2nd row center was available.  Just as I was about to sit down I noticed the two guys front and center were sitting on 3 seats.  So I jumped up there and grabbed the seat in between.  Front row freakin’ center baby!!!  I didn’t care that I was sandwiched in between these two guys.  This show was going to be awesome!!!

So rule #1:  When big gaijin is sitting front row center, he is going to get plenty of attention from the girls.  Now I know this might be a very silly time to complain, but being in this position actually made things complicated.  Meetan is my oshimen, so obviously I am going to pay attention to her.  But Hatakeyama Chisaki was there, as was Akiko and of course Chenchu.  I have developed “relationships” with all of them.  Who do I pay attention to?  Who do I scream for?  Will Chaki be unhappy if she is looking at me and I am paying attention to Tan?  Or vice-versa?  Not to mention it seemed as if Akita Kazue and Kohara Haruka were fixated on me through the entire show.  Same with Kondo Sayaka…and Kato Mami.  My head was on a freakin’ swivel!

But I’ll tell ya, with the girls practically performing on top of me, it made the show even more amazing.  I twas also great doing the hand gestures with members doing them right back at me.  A few highlights…

Meetan had her antics in overdrive tonight.  First lusting after Mana Ito during the MC with Nachu.  Then during the late MC having to be held back from attacking Chen when she layed on the floor.  Chen actually kissed the stage, lied down, then Meetan went after her doing “The Pantsu Dance”  You had to see it.  It was so silly!  Later during Vampire, Meetan winked at me and stuck her tongue out, then she licked Yukarin!  By the way, I didn’t see this but apparently Meetan’s bra snapped during “Best By”, and she had to run offstage before her top fell off.  She talked about it on her blog right after the show.  If only…

Here is a link to her blog post with a couple of pics of her “wardrobe malfunction”.

“I’m Sure” was done by Mamitan and Kohara.  I had never seen that pair do that song before.  Also, this was a U-18 show, although I didn’t really see anyone under 18 in the audience.  But that meant I got to see the PG-rated version of “Futsuu no Anata”.  I actually did the crossed-arm “X” along with the girls.  I don’t know if the fans normally do that, but it just felt like the thing to do.   Chen did “Yuuwaku no Garter” with Yukarin and Kazue.  I was hoping this would be my chance to get a garter.  But it wasn’t even close.  Chen came down the middle and heaved her garter about 4 rows back!

High-Touch was great, although they were pushing us through very quick.  I got the best reactions from the girls I mentioned above…Kazue, Kohara, Akiko, Sayanee (finally!), Chaki, Yukarin (who might have remembered my antics at her DVD event last year) and finally Meetan, who like usual gave my hand a quick squeeze.

So it’s funny how things work out.  Here I was all bummed out that I didn’t get to do handshakes with Meetan last weekend, and today I probably got more Meetan facetime than I would have gotten with all of the handshake tickets combined!  Go figure.

Without a doubt, and to no surprise for obvious reasons, that was the best SDN48 show I ever saw!

CK in Tokyo

Okay, so this time around I am going to separate these posts by event instead of by day.  The reason is that unlike previous trips I am not jamming every single minute into idol concerts.  I actually spent a few days visiting shrines, museums…touristy things.  I checked out the Edo Museum on Monday which is a neat place.  Kind of reminded me of the British Museum, although quite a bit more low-key.  But well worth the visit for the 600 yen admission.

I had the opportunity to see Berryz Kobo and C-ute last Sunday, but passed it up even though there were plenty of tickets available.  The funny thing was, when I made that decision a rush of relief came over me.  I don’t have to rush into every idol event that happens while I am here.  I am at the point where I can be a bit more selective.  The fact is that HP concerts haven’t excited me for a while now.  And since I had just come off of an exhausting day of handshakes, a quiet evening was so much more attractive.   Even with AKB48.  In the old days I applied for EVERY show while I was in town.  But now, even their popularity being what it is, I stick to shows I want to see.   Maybe I’m just getting old…

By the way, at this point of the trip I had yet to win one AKB48 show at the theater.  I was also blanking for SKE48.  So I was beginning to get worried.  Especially after Tuesday night.  I had mixed up the dates of the Team Ogi Matsuri concerts and made conflicting plans for the first night.  Originally I was okay with this because the tickets were reselling for a rather high price, and I didn’t want to spend a fortune on this concert.  However, when I heard that Wasamin was made a guest appearance to do an Enka performance.   Well, let’s just say I was disappointed, shall we?  Wasamin used to be in Production Ogi, but she transferred earlier this year.  That said, she remains a member of Watarirouka Hashiritai 7, which is an OgiPro group.

Team Ogi Matsuri Live at TDC Hall 11/16 (2nd Night)

I finally found a ticket that wasn’t too expensive after seeing most of the resellers pricing them at close to 20000 yen for the last two weeks.  I scored a standing floor ticket, but toward the rear of the queue.  The bummer was…actually there were two bummers…

1) Wasamin had to keep secret that she would be there, that and my mistaking of the show dates meant I missed the first night, AND Wasamin’s Enka performance.  I was kicking myself for a full 24 hours over that blunder.

2) I checked the reseller website about three hours after I purchased my ticket, and they dropped the prices by about 3000 yen, AND had better tickets at the same price I had paid for mine.  But that’s the chance I took.  I could have also missed out on the tickets altogether.

They handled the floor tickets the same way they used to do the queue for the Shibuya AX Setlist concerts, you queued and entered by number.  I finally got into the venue with floor ticket #735, and jammed down to the arena level as fast as I could.  I probably passed at least 100 people confused about where to go, and stuffing their belongings into lockers.  When I got in, most everyone had crammed themselves on the right side, so I quickly went to the left for a much closer vantage point.  Not bad at all.  I was about mid-pack on the left side of the stage.  I could see just fine.  Now all I needed was to see Wasamin, and I would be a happy boy!

The show started about 5 minutes late.  Right out of the box, Watarirouka Hashiritai.  A quick scan of the stage…There’s Wasamin!!!  Yatta!  They led off with the first two Watarirouka 7 singles, Valentine Kiss and Hettapai Wink.  At this point I was reminded that I had never seen Watarirouka perform live before.  So I was etstatic as I screamed for Wasamin and Komori every time they sang.

No3b definitely had a bigger fanbase in the venue, as the energy rose dramatically when they came out.  Lots of people screaming for Minegishi Minami.  Once again, I had never seen No3b live before (although I have seen the three of them do unit songs together before)  I didn’t realize what a treat this show was until I started to experience it.

They did unit songs as well, and I loved them all.  Tsundere is a great song to begin with, and watching Nacchan, Rabu and Ayarin “ham it up” was too cute.  The came Himawari…with Wasamin on lead!!!!!  I was already getting hoarse from screaming her name (actually I was a bit congested before the show even started, which didn’t help)  But I was so happy she was getting featured so prominently in the show.  I have seen Blue Rose performed live so many times, frankly I was getting bored with it.  But seeing SDN48’s CinDy in Akimoto Sayaka’s position was just awesome!!!  Totally rejuvinated the song for me.  It would have been even cooler if she pulled a “Meetan-gold bikini”, but that’s another story…

The next awesome moment (aside from the performance of the new Watarirouka song) was the appearance of Yokoyama Rurika and Kawamura Yui from Idoling!!!  They stuck around for a few songs, including Chuu Shiyouze!, the AKBIdoling!!! song.  That began the parade of special Ogi guests.  I think my favorite had to be Mayuyu’s solos with Asakura Daisuke.  The second song she did was so pretty.  She did a great job!  Watarirouka with Ikuina Akiko from Onyanko Club was also very cute.  BTW, she still looks smokin’ hawt dressed as a loli-idol!!!

The show ended with an Ariyoshi skit with some dude imitating Takamina.  Actually in the VTR he was also dressed as Acchan, Mariko and Harunyan!  After that, Ponytail to Shushu, Everyday Kachuusha and the show was done…and my legs were killing me from standing on that concrete floor for three hours+

I went over to the goods table to see if they would have anything Wasamin-related.  Unfortunately not, so the good news was I could save a few Yen.  It was basically “I love (Ogi member)” towels, clear files, and Ogi group CDs.  But they DID have the new Watarirouka Book “The Spec Kit”.  I didn’t know if it had been released yet or not, so I was glad to get my hands on it.  They also had gacchas for signed clear files, but I hate clear files!  So I hoofed it back over to the train and got the hell out of Suidobashi!

A few observations…perhaps it is because the fans these days have such a hard time winning shows, but nobody seems to know the calls/chants anymore.  They basically scream the name of the girl on the big screen, regardless of who is singing.  Also, I could only watch the Watarirouka-related MCs on the big screen because some guy kept holding up his “I love Harugon” sign every time she was up there during MCs.  And it wasn’t like he held it there for a minute, he held it up during entire MCs.  Ya know, when you are toward the front of the “standing section”, and have people behind you craning there necks to see, do the world a favor and don’t hold up a big fucking sign…idiot!

Aside from that it was a great show.  Wasamin and Komorin were awesome (as expected), CinDy is always a treat.  I have finally seen Idoling!!! (sort of).  Heck, everyone did a terrific job!

Oh, a quick and blurry shot of the birthday flowers from Flagator and everyone else on the forums.  Nice job guys!

And the good news?  I finally won a show at the theater, SDN48 and Chen Qu’s birthday show.  This means I will have been to every Chen birthday celebration since the beginning of SDN!  Cool.

CK in Tokyo

Time to get this party started.  Yep, I am back in Tokyo…Yatta!!!

Just off the plane, totally jetlagged and slightly hungover…I made it over to the venue for the 12+ hour Kaze wa Fuiteiru handshaking extravaganza. I had 29 tickets, but only 25 were usable since my precious Tan decided to play hookie from the event. MEETAN!!! Actually, I think I heard a rumor that Meetan was doing a gravure photoshoot, but I’m not sure for what.  Maybe a DVD?  Don’t quote me on that.  Just something I heard.  By the way, they decided to do this event in the larger part of the convention center. Problem is that it is on the opposite side of the property, FAR from any restaurants and the train station. All they had were two drink vending machines for what seemed like a million people!

So without Ohori Megumi I stll had 25 usable tickets for 12 girls. Almost all of which I had previous handshaking experience with. At this point pretty much all of the girls that I get tickets for know me because I stick with my Top 6 AKB members, Top 3 SKE and Top 5 SDN. Makes it easier with my limited Jp skillz. Unfortunately I got shut out on Churi tix. But that’s okay since I will see her next week at another event.

AKB48 Kaze wa Fuiteiru HS Event at Makuhari Messe 2011/11/12

MORNING SLOTS

Anna Ishida (SKE) Poor Anna, she had the shortest line of anyone I went to all day. In fact there was no line. What’s up with that? She is super-adorable and super-genki! She was waving to me as I walked down to her station. She s so cute. I told her that I loved Bowling Ganbou and her “woof woof” song (I couldnt remember the name of the song she does the dog imitation in, LOL). She is just so cute and enthusiastic.

Nito Moeno: Most all of the girls were wearing very fall-like outfits. Moeno looked very pretty, her dress was reminiscent of the Kazefui PV. I told her I was happy to be in Japan and was happy to see her. On my 2nd ticket I tried to tell her that she was funny in Bimyo, but I got all jumbled up trying to explain which skit I liked (hehe). Anyway, I got out that she was funny. Hopefully she didn’t take it the wrong way

Komori Mika: I had morning and late afternoon tickets for Mikapon. Wow, Komori now remembers me. That is awesome. She always seems like such a blank slate, that I can never tell. But this time she knew me for sure! We talked alot about Himechi (her adorable cat) I told her that Watarirouka Seven is THE BEST Watarirouka! She liked that. She wore a red one-piece dress, but she had on a black Satin Jacket over it which looked very cool. In fact at one point I told her she looked Kakkoi! Funny thing was, Amina was next to her and had on almost the same outfit! At the end of the day, I am happy I have taken the relationship with my #2 AKB girl to the next level!

Katayama Haruka: Wearing an off-white flowing dress, with hair extensions and a cute hat. Haa looked very pretty. With my first ticket I went up one of her regulars. He introduced me as one of his friends. Haa told him that she has seen me lots of times. WIN! Anyway, I pretty much told her how pretty she looked, and everytime she gets to be on AKBingo! she is very funny, and they should put her on more TV shows!

Tanabe Miku: She had her slot switched from evening to morning because she was flying to Singapore that afternoon. First of all, I barely recognized her! Tanamin is such a chameleon. Her hair was dark, styled differently and she was wearing Prince of Tennis cosplay. I guess she wanted to have on comfortable clothes for her flight. But the result was totally adorable. Which I told her. I also congratulated her on Baby Gamba, and asked her to say Hello to all of my friends in Sgp. So Sgp people, feel free to mention me if you guys see her! BTW, end result…I get a brief mention on her blog

http://ameblo.jp/tanabe-miku/entry-11076233056.html#main

I have mentioned before that I originally had a hard time connecting with Tanamin. Usually when this happens I sort of give up on handshakes with that member (See Harukyan, Nakayan, Sasshi) But I have always stuck with Tanamin because I have liked her pretty much since the beginning of Team B. She is just so quirky-cute. Just my type!

AFTERNOON SLOTS

Yokoyama Yui: Was dressed very business-casual. Too cute! I’m not sure if she remembered me from before, but I have only met her once before. She likes to try and interview me when I come see her, which is fun but hard! This time she asked me where in America I am from. I told her that I really like Not Yet, and I complimented her on her outfit. On my first ticket I thought she looked tired. But she always seems energetic and enthusiastic during handshakes. I am so happy I decided to start going to her. She is an extremely sweet girl.

Masana Oya (SKE): Yayyy! My SKE Oshi had the cutest little shorts on, showed off her butt very well. BTW, Masanya has a legion of dedicated fans that circled her line ALL DAY! Her queue was always huge! Anyway, I wished her a happy birthday, and I told her I was making my first ever trip to Osaka for the Okie Dokie handshake. The coolest part? At the end of my second ticket with her she said she would see me in Osaka. That meant she understood what I was telling her, and remembered it for later. AWESOME!

Nachu (SDN): Her line, and everything around her is a raging party. She even had Wasamin (who was next to her) cracking up. Anyway, I barely had to say anything to Nachu since she decided to put on a show from the moment I got to her. She even got the OJS security guy involved with talking to me. I highly recommend going to see Nachu if you ever want to have fun during an event. Nachu is great!

Iwasa Misaki: My love fest with Wasamin continues…Of course I had the most tickets for her (five). I would love to get more. But the good news is her line was pretty long for her entire 5 hour shift. Wasamin had a few fans looping her line all day too. She had on a very fall-like dress with huge heels. On my first session I asked her how she got so tall all of a sudden, so she showed me her shoes. (LOL) I got pretty much everything I wanted to say to her out during my five tickets. And the best part? Wasamin did her best to speak English to me the entire time! I thanked her for that. The other best part? How many “I love you’s” I got. One per ticket. And on the last ticket I told her again how much I loved her, how happy she makes me and she would always be my oshimen. She leaned forward and said “I love you too” That’s my baby!

Oh! The Minarun moment!!! Just when I was going to queue up for Wasamin, Togasaki came out in his tux on a riser behind the handshaking lanes. The entire venue froze. He then introduced Oba Mina who came out with tears in her eyes to make her announcement, and ask the fans to allow her back into AKB.  It was such an adorable moment. Watching her apologize and requesting permission from the fans. I was in the audience for the Yokohama “agency promotion” announcements last year. Moments like these are just priceless, and unforgettable!

EVENING SLOTS

By this time I was beyond exhausted…and hungry. But I had 5 SDN tickets to get through. Since my friends also had evening tickets I would tough it out!

Hatakeyama Chisaki (SDN): I love Chaki, but I really fumbled what I was trying to say to her. But it’s okay since i have seen her so many times. I was trying to tell her how happy I as about the SDN concert being on the box set DVD, so I could finally watch SDN at home in America. But I just couldn’t get it together (CK fail!) I also told her that I will cheer for Chaki after SDN 1st phase is over! Oh, and I wished her a happy birthday as well. \o/

Akiko (SDN 2nd Gen): My first time actually talking to Akiko, although I have done a few high-touches with her. I told her how cute she looked, anthat she was my favorite in “Tamanegi”. Her response was amazing! She slowly responded “Hontoni???” and put her arms over her head like in the PV. I of course followed suit. Great first handshake experience! Finally…

Chen Qu (SDN): I always greet her with “Niihau”. I wonder how good her English is, since she spoke it to me the entire time. I forget what I said to her since I was so exhausted, but she is always very nice, and beautiful as ever! BTW, Machiko was next to her, so I spent my queue time spying Machipai’s bewbs (hehe).

After that is was tome for the 20 minute walk back to the station and the 40 minute ride back to Tokyo. It was an awesome, yet exhausting experience. And of course unforgettable. This was just my first day in Tokyo. I am here for two weeks. Hopefully I will have more fun stuff to report.

That reminds me…

I received an email from someone with an interesting question.  How can the big fans afford to buy so many CDs over and over again.  Personally, I do it twice a year.  But many fans in Japan do it for every single.  This was my response…

I dont do it every time since I don’t actually live in Japan. I just travel here for the occasional handshake event. This trip is my 7th and 8th such event. ( 29 CDs foir AKB-Kazefui and 13 SKE-OkieDokie) Plus I have been coming here to see AKB for 4 years now. Last trip I had 24 copies of Sakura no Ki ni Narou and 5 copies of the album. I actually threw away 19 of the singles. I’m not sure hany copies of these particular cds I will actually keep, but they are hell to carry so I doubt too many.

I give away some to friends. Sell some of them online, plus I sell some of the photos. It doesn’t take much to make a portion of the money back, but not all. A small price to pay to go to the events. Think about it, is it worth it to pay $300 to have Wasamin tell me she loves me all day? Not to mention getting good facetime with a dozen members? At the end of the day it really isn’t about the CDs at all.

You see all sorts of people at these events. Some of them buy 1 or 2 CDs, see their favorite member, and go home. Some buy hundreds! You see them with these HUGE stacks of tickets.  How can they afford it over and over again?  To be honest, I haven’t got a clue!

CK in California