Hello Project Official Shop in Akihabara

After the fabulous concert at Nakano Dreams Come True Plaza, me and Aki went to Akihabara to do some Purikura, eat and reach the Hello!Project shop to sell my soul.

We need those in Europe.

For many, it’s routine. For others it’s a celebration. You can guess which it is for me. Merely seeing the sign was an event on its own.

Not to mention passing the doors and riding an elevator. It was INTENSE.

When the final doors opened, choirs of angels started to sing, crowds of elves danced around me holding hands and one single butterfly flew above my head dusting me with glitter while I was starstruck.

Rows of photos, keychains, mugs, flipflops, bags, files, frames and other accessories. I was one heavy breathing away from hyperventilation.

Excuse me, shop assistant-sama! Can you pack this rack of merch and those photos on the wall? No, I mean all of them plus the ones behind you and in the storage room. Plus the costumes on display and the TV playing H!P concerts. Yes, I’m paying with my blood and unicorn milk.

It was fun choosing photos and writing down the numbers on the piece of paper provided by the shop. I bought myself a mug, photos (they give you an extra photo at the desk so I got an Airi freebie), a keychain and a hairband. Aki was there to help me. Birthday message books was there to write in. I couldn’t resist.

It’s a pity that we can’t just order what they want from an official online site. That would be so convenient. No wonder that many of us, me included, can only afford watching scans online. The shipping fee is just too damn high. Please, consider alleviating this problem, ne?~

Nyuchandesu

Hello! Project 2016 SUMMER ~Sunshine Parade~ plus another handshake?!

I wrote a post on December 31st 2015 : https://nyuchandesu.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/2016-here-i-come/

The post was about seeing a Hello!Project concert live. I can’t stress enough how important the experience was for me. It was a goal I set for myself but never truly believed in. One of those bucket list events like: traveling to New Zealand, kissing Benedict Cumberbatch and winning a million dollars. You like to day dream about it but you don’t practice kissing techniques on your elbow (or DO you?).

With more practice, I’ll reach his lips eventually >o<

Before going to Japan, I googled the venue, recognising it from pictures immediately. When you just watch the concerts on the computer screeen, you don’t really focus on the actual place. But there it was, real as ever and looking so surprisingly normal. I still have this a bit underwhelming feeling when the ground itself doesn’t sparkle or the unicorns don’t fly in the sky around a H!P related event. They are merely idols, working for the paycheck among other idols and ordinary people. No big deal.  WHERE’S THE MAGIC?!!

Oh, yes. The magic was right there in front of my eyes. Me and my sister, moved from our friend’s house at Hachioji, to a hostel at Nakano so we walked by Nakano Sun Plaza everyday. It was magic everytime and I took photos at any occasion. Look at this legendary beauty. I saw the sparkles and the rainbow with my heart.

The Hello Project concert was divided into Sunshine Parade and Rainbow Carnival. I had tickets for both. The first to go was Sunshine Parade. I met with Akiko so she could help me buy merchandise. The first time to buy official merchandise. Fans in front of the venue had a tent to exchange the goods but I had none to exchange yet and boy was I ready to spend my hard earned cash on impractical idol stuff.

Usually, I saw merch as scanned pictures on Hello!Online or a small pixalated flyer on a shop Twitter. I had no idea how the process would go. In Otodama, there were desks near the entrance, but at Nakano the selling happened inside. Thank God, because it was freaking scalding hot outside. The queue was long but not impossibly long and as usual in Japan, very efficient with three rows of people moving at the same time. Once inside, I saw a huuuge poster thing with the merch and prices.

I.WAS.IN.HEAVEN.

The most difficult thing was not buying EVERYTHING immediately. Visiting the official Hello!Project shop was still ahead of me. Not to mention the pesky stuff like eating and surviving in Tokyo until the end of my visit *shrugs*.

There was so much I wanted to buy. For me, the bigger the photo the better. Aki was very helpful with translations and answering million times the same question patiently. The queue was almost up the stairs and it was nearly impossible for me to decide. The photos that were the most appealing were the big ones with dates that you could only buy at the venue, that very day. I needed the photos of all my oshis in every group plus some Airi for me, some Nacky and Hamachan for Morningtime. What about the Hello Project bag? Or the random photos? Or the capsules? How could I say no?!

When I told Aki my order she was in shock. I bought a lot that day even though it’s probably nothing when compared to some more affluent fans out there. It was a lot for a casual Japanese fan. The woman at the counter did not care one bit about my face of utter excitement and childlike bliss. She was just happy that Aki translated whatever needed translation and my transaction was done.

Me with not even half of stuff I bought XD Can you see the bliss though? It’s there.

Double bliss right there 🙂 Can you see how ppl in the background just don’t give a damn?

The bliss up close. Still no excitement in the background.

When the time came to line up I was pumped on adrenaline. Again, nobody else was. How I envy them. I’d love to have Hello!Project around me almost everyday to the point of mild boredom. Okay, it has the downsides. I want to be spoiled with H!P >o< We went up the stairs inside Nakano Sun Plaza. The security  asked me some questions that Aki couldn’t answer because she was in a parallel line but they just let me in ignoring my confused look. It was probably something about having a camera, a kitchen knife or anything like that. They looked inside my bag and gave me a bunch of flyers treasure.

Inside the hall, we found our places which were more to the left (for a change) and quite far away to my dissapointment. What was an even bigger dissapointment was a total disinterest of people around me. I really wanted the friendliness. I didn’t travel around the globe to meet  a bunch of people not excited over stuff that I was excited over. The guy sitting next to us was looking bored. There were many people like him, looking antisocial and used to going to concerts like this. The situation was slightly better in the front rows where groups of people prepared for wotageing or at least exchanged jokes and gossip. Those groups looked more like cliques to me and some of them had this vibe from the Tokyo Idol Festival MAGICAL RAILING area, mainly”cross me and I’ll cut you” vibe.

I chose to stick to Akiko and having the time of my life.

The concert started with a cartoonish safety video making me believe that Japanese people may not remember how to use chairs. I looked at Aki not knowing whether to laugh or stay shocked.  But soon the concert started.

(source: helloproject.wikia.com)

1. GOOD BYE Natsuo    Hell, yeah! I love this song so much! It’s so dramatic, energetic and simply good old fun. It requires great vocals and the girls did their best.Some of the girls entered from the side doors but were too far away from me to see properly. Such a pity. But I could see all of them on stage and it felt unreal.  I already saw the outfits online and they were okay. They could be worse and they could be better. I hated the hats. They looked tacky.
2. MC
3. VTR
4. Hello! Massara no Jibun – Hello Pro Kenshuusei   I listened to the song from the opening concert recordings. It was very Hello!Project without anything to make it into my fav list. The title sounds like Hontou no Jibun meets Massara Blue Jeans and Say!Hello!.
5. Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo – Tsubaki Factory After TIF, I felt a deeper connection with the girls and had pure fun listening and clapping along to their songs. They are an unexperienced but lovely bunch.
6. Ora wa Ninkimono – Kobushi Factory Yesssss. That’s more like it! I got super excited and jumpy during this one. I went all in with the singing and crazyiness. Kobushi Factory are the best live! You can’t sit still when they perform. The goofiness is contagious.
7. Boogie Woogie LOVE – Country Girls It was my first time seeing Country Girls live and I cheered for Momoko because of my Berryz Koubou sentiment. Aki cheered for Yamaki Risa. It’s a fun song but the performance was very well rehearsed and lacked the liveliness for me. It was like every wave and wink was exactly like on the music video. 
8. Dream Road ~Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru~ – Juice=Juice I’m no Juice=Juice fan since they changed style. I preferred the saxophone days. I cheer for Karin (another alien face). The song is like a strange improvised modern dance number. I don’t buy it. A nice song but doesn’t do it for me.
9. Itoshima Distance – ANGERME Out of all Angerme songs and even S/mileage reportaire, this was one of the least favourites of mine. I was happy to see Angerme live for the first time and I had the time to observe the new member.
10. The Vision – Morning Musume ’16 It was my first time seeing Morning Musume live. My heart was pounding so much. I regret, not having better seats and not getting any special waves or eye contact. I got to see the legend performing and it was amazing. They are such strong performancers. They dance fiercely. It was like watching a well oiled machine. Perhaps, seeing them closer I’d see the flaws, but from far away, it was just perfection. And I don’t even like the song XD
11. Summer Wind – ℃-ute With C-ute as with Tsubaki Factory, there’s the sentiment involved. I had an opportunity to interact with them earlier, to see them up close, to shake their hands. With them on stage, I enjoyed every song far more then Country Girls. Plus, my H!P oshi Airi was performing so it was super special on many levels. It also helps that I luuuv the song 🙂
12. MC
13. Hello Pro Time Machine Corner 1  I WISH – Hamaura Ayano, Ogawa Rena, Kishimoto Yumeno Obviously, I was cheering for Hamachan, for Morningtime’s sake 🙂 All of the girls, did very well although they have nothing on my ultimate oshi-Aibon. 
14. Hello Pro Time Machine Corner 2 Kokuhaku Kinenbi – Nomura Minami, Taguchi Natsumi, Asakura Kiki, Morito Chisaki MINAMI!!!!!! My oshi in a song? I won’t stay mad with the song for too long although I’m not a big fan either. MINAMIIIII!!!!
15. MC
16. Samidare Bijo ga Samidareru – Kobushi Factory, Tsubaki Factory YES! The period when Juice=Juice had fierce and epic songs with an epic groups like Kobushi Factory? Count me in! Tsubaki Factory was there as well, but were obviously outshone by the epicness of Kobushi girls. MINAMIIII again 😀
17. Crazy Kanzen na Otona – Country Girls The sexy vibe doesn’t suit them too well but it’s C-ute’s song after all so who am I to complain?
18. Gashin Shoutan – Juice=Juice  It took me some time to recognise the song. It’s damn catchy but fairly fresh. A good one but not great. With Ups and Downs to choose from, I skipped Gashin Shoutan.
19. Chotto Guchoku ni! Chototsumoushin – ANGERME A good choice for a strong group like Angerme to get a song by another strong group like Kobushi. The growling was done perfectly by Takeuchi Akari.
20. Itooshikutte Gomen ne – Morning Musume ’16 What a surprise! A cute song form MM? Such an odd but wonderful choice. DUUUUU!!!! 
21. Summer Night Town – ℃-ute A cool song that C-ute can pull off really well. It’s an oldie and I love it. 
22. MC
23. Hello! Project Station Dance Club Performance I really want to say awesome things about it but I expected so much more intensity. It was a good performance but I think that the Dance Club had better choreographies and better music in the past.
24. Jouro – Juice=Juice Decent. Easy to forget. Don’t make me say more.
25. MC
26. Taiki Bansei – ANGERME (with 5th generation) OMG! It’s the world’s catchiest song that I thought would be awesome live but I had no idea. It was SUPERB! I jumped, screamed and sung the song with everybody. It was the moment when nobody looked bored and everybody knew the lyrics. Pure happiness. Energy was over the roof.
27. Tokyo to Iu Katasumi – Morning Musume. ’16 DUUUU!!!! I used to be picky when watching them up close, but from my row they looked perfect 🙂 LEGEN wait for it DARY
28. Naze Hito wa Arasoun Darou? – ℃-ute Breathe, don’t cry. Just breathe and stop crying. 
29. Hitorijime – Tsubaki Factory It’s was a new song at the time so I enjoyed it. I still prefer V-u-den’s song with the same title which means that Tsubaki’s song is not THAT great XD
30. MC
31. Samba! Kobushi Janeiro – Kobushi Factory (with Hello Pro Kenshuusei as backdancers) I had a blast with this song at TIF when I was alone and I had double blast here with Aki.
32. Rhythm ga Yonderu zo – Country Girls (with Hello Pro Kenshuusei as backdancers) Okey, with this song my love for Country Girls grew. It’s such a lovely, fun and interactive song!  Super cute.
33. KEEP ON Joshou Shikou!! – Juice=Juice Michael Jackson in da house, ladies and gentlemen. I had mixed feelings about it. Catchy but wacky, and I’m not sure if that’s what they aimed for.
34. Tsugitsugi Zokuzoku – ANGERME (with 5th generation) This couldn’t get any better, right? Bring it on, Angry Germs! 
35. Shabondama – Morning Musume ’16 Well, it certainly can get better and it just did! How many dreams come true can one hope for?! I’m totally in love with this song and just a couple of days before I said that to Tanaka Reina herself XD
36. Arashi wo Okosunda Exciting Fight! – ℃-ute There’s never enough of crying. Happy crying is okay. 
37. MC
38. Utakata Saturday Night! …..and we’re back on the happy train!!! What a way to finish a concert. This song played around Tokyo all the time. It was so much fun.

After the concert ended, I looked at Aki with a face split in half with the stupidiest smile ever. The crowd slowly started flooding out of the doors and I took an opportunity to buy more stuff because very important reasons I can’t disclose but it has something to do with me really, really wanting more stuff so don’t judge me. 

There was something about Juice=Juice new single and a lady with a list was trying to make people sign something I couldn’t quite understand. When Aki explained to me what it was… oh, dude…. I mean…. holey moley….I was speechless. There was a quick handshake event right after the concert with some of the girls from Juice=Juice to promote the single. Aki asked me if I wanted to attend and I think I might have strained my neck by nodding too vigorously. There wasn’t much time, since the handshake already started (remember that I was very busy shopping) and Aki tried her best to fill the pre-order form and spend my money on a single I didn’t really like by a group I wasn’t even that much into. Screw logic. I loooveeee handshakes for a chance to actually meet a H!P member face to face. There were only three members and no Karin for me. There was Sayuki (the Voice), Kanatomo (the I don’t know you) and Yukanya (the Cute One).

Some staff member grabbed my bag and lead me away from Aki who tried to help me translate something I would like to say but the handshake was just too damn fast. The girls were jammed in a tiny room with ppl going down the corridor, going into the room behind a plastic wall for like 2 seconds and pushed out of the room. It must have been the world’s quickest …ekhm…job ever XD

In the meantime, I was the last one to go which made me super, super happy but very nervous. Again, I was to say my standard things learnt at Japan Expo’s handshakes. Some small crowd of girls in front of me, got giddy and decided to go last. I really didn’t want to play any games with them like “No, you go first. No, you do” with my limited japanese so I stayed in front of them, getting closer to the magic door when another staff member was spraying ppl’s hands. It was so damn fast!

I went inside and got starstruck by the girls (scrap anything bad I said about them, they’re so beautiful, warm, idol-like and just amazing at what they do). I was ready to throw my  “I’m from Poland,” and “I’m an English teacher” at them but I got totally blocked by Sayuki who looked at my obviously not Asian face and just screamed (literally, screamed) “THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU!” which you can note lasts more than a second so when I reached Kanatomo’s hand, my face was still turned to Sayuki’s screaming. I think I managed to say something along “Great concert” to Yukanya but I clearly remember her smiling face. She was polite and gentle. Sayuki was just ballistic 😀 She reminded me of Maimi at Japan Expo with her over the top facial expressions. Great experience, so worth the price of the CD (I still haven’t retrieved it from Aki as it was sent to her address :D).

Highlights:

– great songs

-merchandise

-sharing the experience with Aki

– handshake and Sayuki’s screaming

-Harocon DUH

Downside:

-not so great seats which meant no interactions with the girl’s on stage

-fans around that didn’t socialise

-not enough time to interact at the handshake

Overall, It was an amazing concert but so different from Otodama and Japan Expo. If I wanted to rank them Otodama would be first (the intensity, the interactions), Harocon second (the real deal) and Japan Expo third but still better than TIF 🙂

Rainbow Carnival, here I come!!!

nyuchandesu

 

 

 

 

Otodama Sea Studio Live 8/3 2016

Just as planned, I met with my friend who gave me tickets and a surprise birthday present. I got Airi’s T-shirt, a wristband and Airi’s clearfile from her birthday event! She saved my life with this gift as my Japan Expo T-shirt was already drenched with sweat. I knew that Otodama lives are always very hot so a T-shirt I could change into was heaven sent.  We had some time before the show so we frolicked around on the beach. It was our first time meeting in person so we had a lot to catch up.

C-ute ❤

I bought myself more water, changed my clothes and lined up according to the number on my ticket. This time the line was organised by the Otodama staff so everybody knew what to do and where to stand. Nobody rushed and nobody was as excited as I was. I considered bolting for the women section to get a good view again but when we entered it was already very crowded. We decided to stay on the right side of the stage where we found a nice spot to see the members. A man next to us pointed to the women only section but I told him that I like this place and asked if it was okay with him. Who knows, he might have been a womanphobe or something. But he was cool. Probably thought I got lost. There were some girls opting for a different place than the women section so it wasn’t that weird. I had my Kingblade on bright pink so I was ready to take part in this legendary C-ute live. It was getting hotter and more humid with every second and my friend felt weak. We crouched down and I held cold water bottle to her skin to help her. It was really scary because I had no idea what to do if she passed out. Luckily, C-ute family is really nice. The men standing next to me started to fan her and ask for her well-being. I was truly touched and so was she. She later told me that Morning Musume fan (she’s not into C-ute) aren’t that nice. She felt a bit better and was ready to stand up before the concert started.

The experience was so much different than the concert in Paris. The girls were truly in their element. It was like seeing your idol with a group of friends. They OWNED the stage and there was no nervousness in the air like in Paris. I had eye-contact and many small waves that made me such a happy fan. The girls’ singing and dancing ability is superb. Okay, not MaiMai’s. I’m not a hater but her voice is getting worse and worse. She was standing out so painfully but received lots of love. She was clearly a bit sick that day and coughing a lot. Still her outfit was the cutest and the red lipstick suits her very well. The concert was streamed so you can see the first part of it uploaded here:

Bokura na Kagayaki is a great song to start off a concert. Chisato’s voice sounds a bit strange but it’s still strong and captivating. The girls try their best to reach every fan so very often they walked to the sides to entertain fans like me not being able to reach the very centre. I thought it was very nice and very proffessional of them. For Momoiro Sparkling I had a lot of MaiMai and this was a different girl than the one in Paris. She was far more confident and encouraged us to have fun. Notice how at 4:51 she’s turned completely to the women section. I was more to the center but got a good view of her thanks to that.

At the first MC the girls asked the crowd to move back a little because of the lack of air and the temperature. I don’t think that anybody moved a muscle LOL. Chisato left the stage because her voice needed some rest. They performed some songs without her.

The next song, Meguru Koi no Kisetsu brought Airi closer to me and she really looked at us a lot making the experience so much better. They didn’t just perform in front of us, they performed FOR us.

Saikou Music is a very good song for chanting. I had lot of fun screaming the names. The song is very catchy but simple. Perfect idol fun.

Dare ni mo Naisho no Koishiteiru no is one of those songs you can recognise but not really pin it to a specific album. It’s not their best song but I guess they needed some less energetic but cutesy song. You can’t have Dance de Bakoon all the time, right?

Kokoro no Sakebi o Uta ni Shitemita is again a very cute song with mild tempo but Chisato came back after a short MC plus the choreography is more structured so I didn’t complain. Okey, I wouldn’t complain even if they just stood there and sang Happy Birthday in a loop for 3 hours. Just watching them was pure pleasure. I was high on C-ute. ALL OF ME!

Go Go Go is what I missed in Paris. A song with waving and smiling and just interacting with fans and the members. I wouldn’t put it on my “C-ute’s best songs evar” CD but it was again very enjoyable thanks to C-ute being super friendly.

By the time of another MC break I was a sweat machine. I could literally feel myself  melting. Since the Airi T-shirt is too big for me, it wasn’t as drenched as everybody else’s. I had it rolled in my stomach so that the rest barely touched my skin. I was a human sauna. But a very VERY happy one. C-ute members were drenched in sweat as well so they used some towels. The video stops then and I don’t really remember the exact timing but I think that around this time the girls organised a lottery with ticket numbers. They winners could get some signed items and later a polaroid picture with a chosen pose. The poses were usual “cute”, “wink” and “hug” poses. I’d totally go for kabedon. I might have developed a kabedon kink thanks to Duu.

The next song wasn’t a big surprise. Summer Wind is THE song when it comes to summer songs. I mean, DUH. SUMMER wind. This one is not about sweet smiles and running around stage but it’s so pretty to look at. The dance is very elegant. Airi’s voice soothes me so much. This change of pace was very much needed because of the temperature.

Okay, this one simply crushed me and crushed me to pieces. I heard the song secret base ～Kimi ga Kureta Mono～ before by accident and it’s such a nostalgic beautifully simple song. You really need just a couple of words in japanese to understand the lyrics. It’s very straighforward. Let me provide you with some translation though.

The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future
The big hopes, I won’t forget them

Believing that in August, ten years from now
I’ll meet you again
The best memories…

Go on. Cry. I know you want to. I didn’t expect C-ute to sing a cover of this song. The sweetness of this song, the context of this summer and me making my ultimate dreams come true was just to much. I cried my eyes out and Maimi saw me crying and she cried even more herself. I literally saw her looking at me and then rubbing her eyes. I don’t say that I made her cry but I definitely made her cry more. Now, knowing that they graduate she knew that this was their last Otodama Live and their last summer as C-ute. They must have felt this sadness. They all cried during this song. It was one of the greatest moments of this live.

Another MC and I think that Chisato had to rest some more. I really can’t remember. I know that she skipped some songs from time to time. Jinsei wa Step is generally considered to be an awesome song and I agree. Even non-fans consider it to be very good. I love how H!P likes to experiment like that from time to time. I’d prefer some more actual stepping going on but well, you can’t have everything. I had a blast during this one. This song and the following ones was a medley of energy and jumping. The girls gave it all and we were all surprised how the fun didn’t seem to stop. I mean, Sekaiichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko is high energy, Tokaikko Junjou is fierce, Adam to Eve no Dilemma very sexy and Kiss Me Aishiteru is again very fun with the repetitions. Chou WONDERFUL! is a great cherry on top. Everybody was beyond sweaty and exhausted by the end of this song. I couldn’t believe they could go on so long with this amount of energy. Just song after songs of pure win.

Chou WONDERFUL! seemed to be a good song for the end and the girls actually waved goodbye but nobody got fooled. Encore, right? RIGHT?! Everybody treated the encore chanting as a chance to drink something and rest a bit.

The members appeared of course and explained why they gonna sing a cover song but I had no idea what they were saying and frankly speaking I couln’t care less since they brought freaking water guns.

I knew this was gonna happen and I was waiting for it. Not just because I was swimming in my own sweat and ready to pass out but because you could FEEL the girls attention on you. If you touched the water or got splashed it’s not by accident, but because the girls looked at you and sprayed YOU and not the person next to you. Am I making any sense? It’s almost like a handshake event but with water  🙂

Firstly, I could barely get any water on me but then I got sprayed right between my eyes and I went to heaven. Yep, I think a long paragraph full of dirty analogies is due but let’s skip that.

[a long paragraph full of dirty analogies]

Okay, now that we can forget about this embarrassing moment of fangirling and move to ANOTHER FREAKING SPLASH OF WATER STRAIGHT TO MY FACE that left me in utter bliss. The first time it was Maimi’s and this time it was Nacky’s gun. I looked at my friend with water pouring down my face and I think I was smiling like a maniac because she laughed at me so much. C’mon, wouldn’t you be utterly happy in my place?!

The next song Iron Heart again was a good opportnity to get a couple of waves from the girls and I honestly thought that it was the last one. But alas was I wrong.

The last song was Wasuretakunai Natsu and it is a very fitting song to end the live. I really don’t want to forget this summer forever. I think the girls felt the same. It was less crying (oh, I cried a BIT) but more waving and appreciation of the whole live. You could see this song on Hello!Station but here is a nice cut version.

After the live I was deaded. The staff gave away some free samples of energy drinks and we were more than happy to give it a try. I looked like roadkill that somebody tried to wash in a washing machine. I changed clothes, ate some dinner with my friend and headed home while riding my C-ute high. It was the best live ever and it was just the first one during this trip. There was still so much to come. Next? Tokyo Idol Festival with UpUpGirls, Tsubaki Factory, Kobushi Factory and LoVendoЯ.

nyuchandesu

Otodama Sea Studio Talk Event 8/3 2016

The third of August started rather unluckily with my sister getting sick so I had to go alone and my friend getting sick as well so she would meet me up just an hour before opening time. This sucked and made me super anxious as Kamakura and Hachioji (the place I stayed at that time) are quite away. Soon I learnt that Kamakura and any place within Tokyo is still QUITE AWAY ==’. But I was determined to have some fun so bravely I stepped out of the apartment, switched on google maps and got lost immediately. I’m not even kidding you. I lost my way before I even got on a train. So yeah, it was a rather unlucky start. Then it got better so bear with me. The train ride was complicated due to transfers but again my basic Japanese skills plus some really helpful old Japanese ladies and I was at Kamakura in no time (1h9m to be precise). Should I mention that the day before I got some allergic reaction on my legs which made me wear a looong black skirt? Should I also mention that it was probably the hottest day during my stay in Japan? I probably shouldn’t, nevermind. Just imagine a pale blond girl in a loooong black skirt, black Japan Expo Paris T-shirt, holding a (you guessed it) black umbrella walking to the beach with a crowd of suddenly not so modestly dressed Japanese youth with bikini straps poking under tops. I was basically looking like more of a weirdo than normally. On the good side, I couldn’t get lost as the whole train crowd headed in the same direction as me, the beach. I knew that I was only an hour or so before the Satoyama x C-ute talk event at the Otodama Sea Studio so I was ready to stand in a long line just to enter the building. But I could meet and socialise with fans? Right?  Team C-ute forever baby!

Not so far away from the beach, I noticed a small group of people wearing H!P goods, mostly Airi’s so I got super excited. Of course, I waved at them and said something like Suzuki Airi is the best to which they smiled politely. I wanted them to help me out with finding the Otodama building but they weren’t THAT friendly, besides I was confident to find it on my own and beat them to the line. MUAHAHAHAHA yeah, pathetic I know.

I was right, finding the place wasn’t that difficult since it was literally by the entrance to the beach. One would have to try really hard to miss it.

 

Just follow Smirnoff. It works in Poland.

I asked the first staff member where to stand in the line and through gestures and some rambling we established that I can start lining up just an hour before the event itself. Let me just tell you, Japanese people don’t fuck around with lines. If it’s one hour before, it’s gonna be one hour before. In Europe (and other countries I have no idea about), people would line up whenever they feel like it. “It’s a free country goddammit” would be yelled at any staff member. Not here in Japan. I noticed some fans just standing around like vultures and decided to talk to anybody that dared to look the foreigner in the eye. BINGO. One girl did and she seemed alone so I walked to her and asked her the same question about the line. It was a good choice since she introduced me to some line guru who got his magic notebook with names and numbers of people in the queue. God, was I not lucky. My number was around 130ish so it wasn’t that bad. The guru had some problems with pronouncing my name as I wrote it in romaji but to hell with that I was the only foreigner there anyway… or was I?

Exactly an hour before the event, Line Guru san started reading the names and organising everybody. Everybody was very calm and nobody argued. I just remember the Japan Expo line in Paris and well all the scenarios played in my head like “I was here from 8 am and I don’t care about any lists.” or something similar. Huge respect Japan, huge respect. My foreigner radar started buzzing and I saw a blond girl standing not so far away from me. That’s how I met Chiara from Italy. She spoke awesome Japanese and was very friendly so I was very happy I could finally talk with another fan freely. Our line numbers were close so soon enough I skipped a couple of Japanese guys who didn’t mind and stood next to her.

It was extremely, and I mean EXTREMELY hot. I was on the verge of a heatstroke. I changed to shorts and put the black skirt in my bag because YOLO and screw my allergy it’s C-ute baby. My umbrella was a blessing so Chiara and me stood together with my umbrella the only shield against the sun demon. I tred my Airi towel but it wasn’t that effective.

 Standing in the line for an hour was pure torture. My brain was on fire and minutes were crawling by. I desperately needed more water but any vending machine/combini was surprisingly out of reach. It was all worth it though. I reached the doors inside with a sense of anticipation and determination to find a good spot. We entered the venue and the women section was just in front of us so it was easy to stay there instead of trying to flood the center with all the tall man already there. My foreigner powers came to my rescue as with my 164cm I was the tallest girl easily.  What is more, I stood right by the fence guarding our innocence from the raging fanboy testosterone so I could propel myself on it  bit more, making my view even better. Jackpot.

not so bad, amrite?

The venue wasn’t nearly as hot as the outside so I risked my wig. I just needed the members to see that somebody from Japan Expo came all the way to Japan for them. I don’t know why, but as a foreigner I feel this responsibolity to make myself even more visible to the staff and members to make them know that all the international marketing and concerts are paying off.

all the memories *sniff*

I was ready, everything was set and I waited with more and more pressure building in my chest. This was it. This was finally happening. The moment that the girls entered the stage was so magical. It lacked the desperation, the rush, the devotion the crowd felt in Paris after first seeing them at the autograph session. But it was different. The girls looked far more at ease and comfortable and the crowd was more “welcome back” and less “I’m gonna rip my face because I love you so much”. Do you get what I mean? It wasn’t bad but it was warmer. I liked this atmosphere because I could savour the girls more rather than scream like a banshee and cry (this would come later). At the same time this surreal situation in which the idols you love and adore are suddenly so close to you, they wave at you and smile so gracefully is just the same as it was in Paris. I still can’t believe that they were so close to me and all it took was an hour of standing in a line and paying absolutely nothing. Japanese fans are so spoiled and foreign fans are just so sadly at a  disadvantage. If you are a fan that never saw them in person then I am so sorry for you and wish that one day you will because it’s just amazing beyond any words.

During the event, the girls talked about beach safety and Nacky was the MC. She stood the farthest to me while Chisato and Mai were closest to me. Again. It was Japan Expo concert all over for me LOL. They behaved so differently from Paris tho. MaiMai and Chisa were talking to each other and ignoring the hosts (and Nacky) it was hilarious. Chisa was always so entertaining to watch but I never knew that she’s so close to Mai. Chisa wore some really high shoes to fit with the rest of girls while Nacky just didn’t give a damn and stayed a midget 🙂 At one time, Chisa took off her shoes and stood barefoot. The girl is so entertaining. The talk included some silly games that made the audience guess some beach related terms. Even without knowing Japanese, it was fun to watch them having fun and making a fool out of themselves. My favourite moment was when Airi tried to show a hiragana sign for “ma”.

She held her arms horizontally and then kicked her leg in the air in a tango like move I really can’t explain well. She whipped her head at the same time with a facial expression matching the tango theme. Airi rocks! At the same time, Maimi showed the simplest hiragana you can show with your arms- “ku”.

Why did they do that you might ask? Well, because “kuma” is a bear in Japanese. Yes, they were supposed to make the audience guess the word “bear” and they chose to show hiragana.  Genius XD How is that beach related? I really didn’t want to find out on my own.

The event was quite long and very satisfying. I left the venue happy and even more pumped up for the live. Bring it on.

nyuchandesu

to be continued

2014 rankings – Top 5 songs to come out of the closet

There are some  everyday annoyances that can ruin a good day.  Forgetting an umbrella during a downpour, getting stuck in the traffic, listening to Koharu’s ‘Konnichi pa’ sober. But there’s just that one thing that always ruins your day. Getting stuck in the closet. No matter how loud you scream for help, there’s rarely anybody to hear you. You end up living there for a week until the postman comes with your latest e-lineup haul (consisting mostly of the trainees’ photos because you’re such a lollicon). So what can you do to make your flatmates slash family slash imaginary friends notice your absence? Luckily, you always carry a full set of speakers and your mp3 player with the 2015 songs by Hello!Project. Some of them are perfect for the occasion.

5. Kimi no Kawari wa Iyashinai by Morning Musume

Just do the crab everybody.

To let the people know that you’re there you need a fast-paced song with some chanting and great vocals. This one is great for you. Oda and Atsuko Maeda Riho are the vocal powerhouses that keep this song going. Suddenly you’re rooting for NIPPON NIPPON NIPPON NIPPON NIPPON. THEORY? IRONY? It doesn’t have to make sense, right? It’s loud, it’s strong, it’s enough to gain the attention.

4. The Future by C-ute

Oh, I’m sorry. It’s the wrong photo. Those costumes mislead me.

C-ute these days provides us with many powerful songs (that usually include either hip thrusting or butt groping. Not that I’m complaining.) In 2015, one of those had a particular hook that brings the boys to the yard, or in this situation to the closet. I’m talking about DE FIUUUUTCHEEEEEER *the sounds of a strangled kitten*. Your windows won’t stand the chance. Neither will the ears of the people within the 20 km radius. Somebody is bound to come the rescue for the sake of your FIUUUUTCHEEEEEER.

3. Mystery Night by S/mileage

Hm, I always thought that bras go under the clothes.

How can you lure somebody to help you? How about with a group of girls promising them a Mystery Night (it already sounds like a condom brand, doesn’t it?)? Bingo. There are a couple of useful bits in this song. One most prominent is the ‘Come on, come on, come on, come on’ part which sounds exactly like a person banging on the door. I can easily imagine myself pounding on the relentless wood of my closet and screaming “Come on!”. On the other hand, you can always switch back to seducing if you finish the phrase differently e.g. Come on my (any body part would do *shrugs*). I bet somebody would actually come to rescue you if you yell that one with enough ‘Sayu from It’s you’ type of charm.

2. Oheso no Kuni Kara Konnichiwa

Sure, this closet is big enough for all of you. Jump right in.

GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND GREETINGS FROM BELLYBUTTON LAND

You just can’t play this song without your rabid flatmates barging through the door  to suffocate you and annihilate the source of this ear-raping music. If they want to do it, they would have to free you from the closet first. That’s a win-win situation right there.

1. Eli, Eli Lema Sabachtani from the Lilium musical

It’s me! Please don’t eat me D:

That’s the blast you’ve been looking for. It starts quite innocently but then the pure power of the girls voices, the magnificence of the instruments worthy being the soundtrack of some epic battle (orcs vs elves, Riho vs Ayumi dance off, Kanon vs food) can break the doors of your closet. Nobody can stay immune to the glory of this song. Your whole neighbourhood would flood your flat searching the source of this epic vocal performance. (some of them to perform exorcisms I presume)  Perhaps the power if this song lies in pure numbers of the vocalists. Nevertheless, the song would definitely do the trick.

nyuchandesu