Japan 24 Apr - 2 May 2016 Day 2

I wake up at about 6am as I have to catch a flight to Hokkaido at 9am

It is my first time to Hokkaido so I am very excited.

The flight is about 2 hours so I reach around 11am. From the Airport, it is a 1.5hour bus ride into the city.

Even though I always fall asleep on buses, somehow I always manage to wake up just before my stop. My special talent I think.

Bare Maruyama Park

The event I am attending only starts at 6pm, so I have plenty of time to kill. I meet up with a friend and take a train (20min from city center) to Maruyama Park and Zoo to spend the afternoon.

Maruyama Park is supposedly a popular spot for Sakura Viewing. However, the trees were all still bare… I was hoping that I would have been able to catch Sakura in Hokkaido at least, but I was a few days too early…

An Early Tree

Next up is Maruyama Zoo! I love Zoos! The Zoo is practically empty and not really all that big. I would say that within 2-3 hours it is possible to finish the whole Zoo. The entrance ticket costs 600yen

The main attraction is undoubtly the Polar Bear as all their snacks and souviners are Polar Bear Themed.

Honestly to me this is a pretty standard Japanese Zoo. Can't be compared to our world class zoo in Singapore rofl.

I enjoy the these 3 attractions the most

1. Big Bird of Prey. This giant eagle looks like something out of a fantasy book! I don't think I have seen such a regal looking bird before

2. Wolf. There are 3 of them. The one in the largest enclosure keeps pacing and staring at his Zoo Keeper, who is chatting with some aunties (likely regulars to the Zoo)

3. Brown Bear. This Bear keeps pacing right in front of the glass. He often stands up and bounces against the glass. Which is kind of scary the first time. He is so close!

Normally I would really enjoy the petting Zoo, but this Petting Zoo didn’t have any baby animals (NO BABY GOATS!?) so it was kind of meh for me.

I actually didn’t find the Polar Bears too impressive.

Some of the enclosures were so small I felt sorry for the animals.

After grabing a quick meal at Matsuya, its off to the Idol Event!

IDOLige 4.25 SAPPORO @ Sapporo Mole

The venue is a live house with capacity of I would estimate as 100 people. But at any given time, there are only about 20+ people on the floor chilling out so it was really cool. Not stressful and everyone can comfortably enjoy the performances from anywhere in the venue. As there are so few people, there are a lot of chance to interact (get response) with the idols. Very Homely feel. 10/10 would go again if it wasn't in Sapporo. Each group/soloist performs about 4 songs per set.

I make friends with a Kikka fan High School Girl. She is so quiet though. I think she was kind of scared of me when I told her I was a foreigner. We exchanged twitter, she is cute hehe

18:00 – 18:30 白井美彩

Misa-tan is my friend's Oshi, future Wife (for real) and solo idol. She is 31 years old this year. Former Fruity Member. She sings 1 anime song and 3 original songs. She has a very strong singing voice. I am quite impressed. Too bad she is not young anymore otherwise I am sure she will be more popular. On the other hand, her speaking voice is kind of Burikko, which I don’t really like haha. I guess guys are ok with it. My friend says that her voice used to be even more high-pitched and child-like so she already has improved in that aspect.

18:30 – 19:00 2代目HAPPY少女

Belong to same company as Fruity group of 6 Youngish (?) Idol group performing lively songs. They are full of energy and just watching them makes me feel tired. They are cute, but not THAT cute. I would say that only 2 out of the 6 members could compare to the underground idols in Tokyo. I am a harsh master.

19:00 – 19:30 寺嶋由芙

This might be my 2^nd or 3^rd time watching Yuffi, I can't really recall. Usually Yuffi, Mainya and Kikka come as a set. Her Mascot Kyara Mania is still going strong. Personally I feel that these 3 solo idols kind of complement each other. The fans of each of the solo idols usually enjoy the other 2 lives as well as it’s a great package to have. I do enjoy her lives quite a bit, not as much as Mainya's, but as a solo idol fan, I can appreciate the difficulties of supporting a solo idol more so than others might.

Her singing is so on point. Her voice is much easier on the ears than Mainya. And when she speaks, there is a ふわふわ感 which I like.

19:30 – 20:00 小桃音まい

Yay Mainya! She announces that this is her last live as a solo idol in Sapporo. She will be forming an idol unit soon. Her idol aura is so strong as usual and she performs her "BANG BANG 鼓笛サンバ" and " Dreamscape☆". The crowd gets really into these songs as well. (Because these songs are so OLD that everyone would know them by now lol) For some reason Kikka fans really love Mainya and participate fully in her live. I guess we all just think alike so naturally we will like the same idols.

During her MC she made several booboos. She was supposed to say "I haven’t been to Sapporo in 1 year!" but instead she said "I haven’t been to Sapporo in 1 month!", when in actual fact she just came to Sapporo last month. This means that she made a mistake which turned out to be the truth, but promptly tried to correct herself, to the wrong statement ("1 year"), when in fact what she originally said was the right statement ("1 month"). This left everyone mindfucked.  Lol

Stolen from Kikka Twitter, this is what she wore. Photo does not relate to live at all.

20:00 – 20:30吉川友

KIKKA! As with UUG, I haven’t seen her in 6months (considered long for me). She looks like she lost A LITTLE bit of weight. I would guess its due to her lead role in her Musical "Snow Princess". There are about 5 Kikka fans who flew from Tokyo and 1 Hokkaido fan. As such, I got to stand right in front and enjoy HD Kikka.

She sings "Ha wo Kuishibare" from her new single first. This is my first time listening to this song as it has yet to be released (release date: June 2016) Actually this is a really strange sounding song and I think anyone who hears it will agree with me too. It is written just for Kikka by Omori Seiko (an eccentric idol/composer). She uses so much of her Nasal voice which I don’t really like (Kind of like Ayaya during the Nee~ period). Knowing Omori Seiko, the lyrics are probably really "special" so I have to be sure to check it out when I have the CD.

Then it is 2 of her hype songs "Konna watashi de yokattara", "Akanedisuco" and"Renai Endo". I realized that she was not able to hit some of her high notes. She sounded kind of tired too… Besides that I absolutely adore Kikka's voice because of her ability to change the tone so skillfully. She can sound really sweet and idol-ish in "Konna watashi de yokattara", and then switch to a rock sounding "Renai Endo" without you even realizing. It is so easy to get swept away by the mood she creates.

She closes off with the other A Side to her new Single "Charming Shoubu Sedai". I initially didn't think much of this single, but after listen to it several times throughout the course of my Japan trip, I really like it now (Now in Singapore)

During MC, she mentioned how she doesn’t really come to Hokkaido often. Dwells briefly on her new single and upcoming birthday tour (unfortunately there is no Hokkaido leg). She wishes to come back again. She also has Showroom streaming right after this so she reminds everyone to watch.

20:30 – 21:00 フルーティー

There are about 10 of them. Immediately my eye gets caught by Seina. She looks like THE Hashimoto Kanna. So cute and charismatic. Its easy to fall in love with her because of how easy she makes performing look, and the cheeky smiles she gives the audience.

The only song I know is "Captive". The fans are really enthusiastic and it’s an enjoyable live overall. Could easier be compared to any Tokyo Idol Group I think. When I listened to Captive on Youtube, my impression was that their singing was sub-par, but hearing it real life was so different. The 2 lead vocals (Obachi and Seina) CAN SING so well. 10/10 Performance

21:00 ~ Buppan

I pre-order 2 copies of Kikka's new single, which entitles me to 2 handshake with Kikka.

1. I tell her this is the first time I am seeing her this year and she wishes me "Happy New Year". I say good job on the performance. She asks what I intend to do after the live. I say "Go back Hotel" LOL

2. I tell her I will attend her Birthday Live next weekend. And ask her if she has a new birthday T this year. She says yes, it's in the same colour as the previous one (LOLOL) I tell her I will see her again soon~

I am kind of disappointed that there isn’t any Tokutenkai (Cheki kai etc.)

I also give away the vouchers for the new CD because I would not be able to collect them.

After Kikka leaves, I go to Shirai Misa's Buppan and pay 1000yen for a Cheki and 1 minute of Chatting. For the cheki she suggested the pose of "Yubikiri". Misa is really friendly, although I have a few things to say she her, she keeps talking and doesn’t give me any chance to say anything. I tell her that my friend really likes her and always talks about her. She asks me how old I am and when I tell her, she says NO WAY~ You look so young… We do the thing where she says Im cute, then I say nonono you are cuter. I wanted to ask her about Hokkaido but 1min is over in a flash

After this I approach Mainya's booth. I pay 1500yen for her cheki. I told her this is the 2^nd time Im seeing her and I really enjoy her songs, especially "BangBang Koteki Sanba" (Which I refer to as the Flag song". I tell her that she is TINY. She POUTS and says "NO I AM NOT TINY, I AM HUGE WITH LOTS OF CURVES".  (OMG SO CUTE, I LOVE MAINYA)  Mainya… is really good at this… I lost to her… I am weak piss… orz

Misa-tan and Mainya cheki

This marks the end of day 2. Me 0 – Mainya 1

.

It's amazing how much I can get done in just 2 days actually.

My Acomodation at Susukino, Sapporo. Hotel Relief Sapporo. Has a very neat public bath! 

I need to stop writing "actually" so much. Also my posts are devolving into walls of text.

Japan 24 Apr - 2 May 2016 Day 1

I have decided to restart my blog as there are just too many precious memories of my trips to Japan that I would like immortalized. I already regret not recording the past few trips. Although I travel to Japan pretty often, each and every trip is a collection of special events that I would not wish to forget

It starts out like any other trip, I head out of Singapore on a night flight to reach Tokyo on Sunday Morning. It was the Scoot flight so no frills and all. But I sleep like a pig cause of a full day of activities the day before.

On NEX. Already decked out in Orange but covering up with リア充 Disguise

The flight lands on time, however, I make a poor decision in taking the Narita Express Airport Train into Tokyo. I had thought that since the NEX goes straight to Shinjuku, it would save me time by not having to transfer trains. However, I realise that it much slower than if I had taken the Keisei Skyliner instead. (And also more expensive). I was very lucky to be able to fund an empty locker in Shinjuku station to dump my luggage, usually I am really hard-pressed to find one. My flight touched down at 11am, however, I only reach the venue in Shinjuku at around 12:30 (Live starts 12:30). Just in time!

アップアップガールズ（仮）Zeppツアー “The Seven PARTY LIVE Alien”  Setlist

1.   パーリーピーポーエイリアン
2.  (仮)は返すぜ☆be your soul
3. イチバンガールズ!
4. ピンチはチャンス バカになろうぜ! [メロン記念日×ニューロティカ]
5. お願い魅惑のターゲット
6. バレバレ I LOVE YOU
7. Shout!!!!!!!
8. 青春の涙
9. キラキラミライ(アコースティックVer)
10.  チョッパー☆チョッパー
11. ジャンパー!
12.  銀河上々物語
13. イタダキを目指せ!
14.  UPPER ROCK(remix)
15.  全力!Pump UP!!
16.  美女の野獣(remix)
17. サバイバルガールズ
18. アップアップタイフーン
19. アッパーレー
20. アッパーカット!

Encore

    21. アッパーカット!
    22. セブン☆ピース
    23.  ENJOY!! ENJO(Y)!!

This was an explosive live from start to end. Except for the Acostic ver. Of Kira Kira Mirai (Will get to that later)

There is a girls only area so even though I arrived late, I was still pretty close to the stage.

I didn't expect Party People to come out so early, but it was the first song! Akari improvs on her solo Acapella Part to a great comedic effect. She refuses to start the song without everyone in the audience doing the alien pose. Her ability to draw laugher from the crowd is so natural I am sure the other members are envious of her.

Personally I have heard these songs live before except for Party People Alien and Seven Peace. I love the Rave sound and the Lasers so Shout!!!!! And Seishun no Namida are such great songs for me. Everyone is jumping and having a good time. There are hardly any MC, similar to high spurt kingdom and rave festival, just 90min of EDM

The only slow song is the Acoustic version of Kira Kira Mirai, where Ayanon, Akari (Center) and Azusa stand in front to take the lead vocals while the rest do backup vocals and backdancing. This song really moved me because the Lyrics are so meaningful and Akari and Azu have such soothing voices. I did wonder why they chose Ayanon over Miiko for the Vocals though. In my opinion, Miiko has much more control over her voice than Ayanon. The reason I suspect so is because Miiko's voice sounds too similar to Akari, and they need a more "passionate" voice, thus Ayanon was choosen.

Right after this song was an MC. Ayanon could not hold herself together and started to cry. You can tell how much soul she puts into her singing. Although she still has much to catch up with Akari iand Azu skill wise, but she makes up for it with her passion. Azu laughs at her. LOL

After that brief respite, it is back to the adrenaline pumping setlist we are all used to.

I really love the EDM Remix of Upper Rock. They performed this exact (?) same remix during Rave Festival last year too. It sounds too good! I actually don’t have a copy of this =( I would listen the hell out of this song if I had it.

During the Remix Ver. Of Bijo no Yaju (Or as I like to call it "I am a Beast"), there was no singing, just high impact dancing which our girls are sooo good at.

From the start Azu already spotted me and gave me lots of smiles and waves. I am actually so happy, it's great to see her again after half a year. I have mentioned before that Azu has grown so much as a performer in the past 3 years. She started out so awkward and full of doubt. But, each and every time I see her, she has grown so much from the previous time I saw her. She has blossomed in to a confident and beautiful woman. (Only her MC is still bad LOL). I rarely see any awkward moments from her anymore. And most importantly, she loves every minute of it and cherishes her time spent with the fans. What more could you ask for in an idol.

My current favorite song is Appare. I am pretty sure it will be a staple in lives for at least the rest of this year. It is a massive crowd pleaser. During the MC, Azu moves to backstage for a short period of time

At this point during the MC, UUG BOSS comes out. Everyone is really nervous (Especially members), because this means that there is a huge announcement coming. BOSS announces that BUDOKAN live is CONFIRMED for UUG on 8 Nov 2016! Immediately all memebrs start crying. BOSS stresses he know that the group is still very far from this objective (they will be unable to sell out the huge venue). And that while they have been taking 1 step at a time, Budokan is 10 steps ahead of them. He knows that the tears being shed by the girls (and fans) are joyous tears, but also those of anxiety and fear. Was it possible within a span of half a year, to be able to sell out 10,000 seats? Was the question on everyone's minds.

Picture of Budokan cause this post lacks pics

In my opinion, there is a method to full the 10k seats. UUG Family itself is about 3k strong (my estimate), Let's say we rope in another few thousand Hello Project fans, by announcing Hello Project Groups as Guests (Much like Angerme's Budokan), we could easily fill 7k. Which is a reasonable amount to make Budokan not look too empty. But I am sure I speak for all UUG family when I say, we will not be satisfied with this. The girls have to rely on their own strength to fill in the remaining 7k seats, otherwise it could not be called a "success".  Somehow or other, the people attending that Budokan have to be able to say "I am an UUG Family" instead of saying, "I came because of the Guests". The road to that result will be to release 1 more breakthrough single similar to PPA, promote their concerts as "The ULTIMATE RAVE ENJOYMENT EXPERIENCE". Hopefully, their success form PPA can translate to an even more successful next single which will snowball into a break into mainstream media. It all sounds very hopeful, and to be able to do that within the next 6months is the real challenge for the girls.

Ayanon mentioned that the Zepp tour has not even started. But I am not too worried about it, I am confident that the Zepp tour will be successful. I cannot stress how important Idol Festivals will be to promote Budokan (TIF2016 Im looking at you)

During the break between the 1^st and 2^nd lives, I hang out with my fellow foreigner fans (2 from SG and 2 from HK). We discuss about the shocking announcement.

There is also a handshake session slotted in here. As I came late, the handshake tickets were already sold out. But fellow Singaporean fan gave me his ticket! I am eternally grateful! UUG fans are so nice..  However, I was so disappointed to see that Azu was not in attendance during the handshake session.. Apparently she was not feeling well.. Honestly I felt so crushed because I was really looking forward to speaking with Azu. I congratulate all the members on Budokan.

Thankfully, Azu makes a re-appearance in the 2^nd Live. The girls still seem kind of in shock and that the announcement has not quite set in their minds. It is easy to say "Well, It's already been decided so we will just do what we can". But it is a whole different matter to say "WE WILL MAKE THIS SUCCESSFUL!!!" and actually work your ass off to make that dream a reality. That difference in attitude and the consequent result what is weighing on everyone's minds.

I pay very close attention to Azu as I am very worried about her condition. Despite her less than optimal body condition, I could not see any less energy put into her dancing and singing. I love this girl.

After this I meet up with my Dad and Sister for dinner. Coincidently, my Dad is also in Tokyo for a conference.

Truthfully, I am really dead because of the red-eye flight I took the night before. Combined with a whole date of jumping.

After dinner, I go back with my Dad to bunk in his hotel room at Hotel New Otani.

Japan 11-15 June 2015 Day 2

I woke up at around 5.30am while everyone else in the sleep quarters were still in dreamland. I pack up my stuff and head to Shinjuku to catch my highway bus to Matsumoto. Upon reaching Shinjuku Station. I realise that I left all my hotel/bus reservations with the front desk at the previous hotel. As I don’t have time to go back, I have no choice but to continue on without the documents (we will see how this plays out later on..).

At Shinjuku station I take some time to kind the Keio Bus Terminal (It is raining too) Because I gave myself ample time, I am still not late for my bus. At the Bus Counter, I am supposed to show my bus reservation, but just giving my name and telephone number worked well too.

The Train

All the way to Matsumoto it is raining. I reach Matsumoto at about 10.30am, dump my bag in a locker and take a half hour local train to the last stop on the Kamikochi Line, Shin Shima Shima Station (A tiny station actually with nothing around it). From here, it is an hour long bus ride into the mountains.

As it is a weekday, most people heading to Kamikochi are old people. The bus ride winds up a narrow mountain road and through several tunnels. Although I won’t be able to tell me much because I was asleep most of the time. A real pity because the scenery is awesome.

One of the "Mountain Cabins"

Upon reaching the Bus Terminal at Kamikochi, I take in a big breath and stretch my achy legs; the mountain air is so fresh. It is a little disorientating because just a few hours ago I was in Shinjuku, and now I am 1,500m above sea level, up in the Japanese Alps. At the bus terminal. There are 3 very well maintained Mountain Cabins (Bus Ticketing, Visitor Information Centre and a Post Office), surrounded by luscious green pines. Surreal indeed.

Trip advisor had advised me to buy my return bus ticket immediately when I reached, so I bought the last bus back at 6pm.

Kappa Bridge

It is about 1pm now and I am hungry. About 300m from the Bus Terminal, is Kappa Bridge, from which you can catch a glimpse of the Snow Capped Peaks. There is a cluster of Hotels/Restaurants/Souvenir Shops at Kappa Bridge and I have my lunch here.

Soba noobdles and Fish. From the Menu, I couldnt tell what kind of fish this was. I only knew it was a kind of fish. So I asked the staff, and he brought out a frozen one just for me to look at. XD

After re-fueling my body, the rain starts again. I buy an umbrella from a souvenir shop and start my trek to Taisho-ike. The walking guide tells me that I will take an hour to walk there and another hour to walk back. Maybe I am slow, or take too much time to stop and take pictures (you would think they’d include this in the walking timings? Tourist done just bee-line to ANYWHERE right?) I take considerably more time to get there than what the walking guide stated.

There are a few bridges and small ponds on the way. The path is mostly flat paved with gravel . It is a leisurely walk. I encounter a few people on the trek. But mostly I am alone in nature.

The rain obviously dampens my mood. Especially when I am three-quarters way to Taisho-ike and it starts pouring like mad. The wind threatens to flip up my umbrella several times too. Luckily the umbrella is pretty sturdy.

Comparing the "Expectations" and "Reality"

Finally I reach Taisho-ike. As it is so cloudy, there is no view of the snow-capped peaks as I would have liked.  There is a restaurant/café overlooking the Lake so I seek shelter there till the rain stops. I had a lovely mini cheesecake and a not-so-lovely blend coffee (i.e. coffee powder). I was the only one in the café for almost the entire time. Very Chill :D

My Lovely Tea

At about 3pm, I decide to head back. It is not raining anymore. However, the clouds have stubbornly refused to leave. I can only manage peeks of the blue sky. I still take lots of pictures anyway. The weather is very nice at around 20deg Celsius.

Bear Warning

I take another route back but it still takes me about one and a half hours to reach back to Kappa Bridge. I buy a little souvenir to remind myself of the pleasant time I had at Kamikochi.

The Sky has cleared up a little!

I still have about an hour till my bus comes, so I buy a post card and send it back home via the post office. It has been a while since I wrote a postcard. I doubled checked with the Post office guy just to make sure I was doing it right.

A Bus Terminal in the middle of the Mountains

Since I am still early, I requested for the bus station to let me ride on the earlier bus back to the city. I would have definitely loved to have spend one night in Kamikochi to give myself more time to explore some of the other trails (more chance for better weather too!) Perhaps the next time I guess.

By the time I am back in Matsumoto it is dark. I wander around the train station, but to my horror, all the shops started to close around 8pm! I am really not used to it. Most shops in Singapore close at around 10pm.

I take some time to decide on where to eat my dinner and finally settle on a Japanese Restaurant for some Tonkatsu and Soba. It was alright. The soba was good.

My Dinner

After which I search for my hotel. Not to brag, but I am really getting quite good at finding my hotels. At least much better than before, Haha.

What was waiting for me was one of the biggest nicest hotel rooms I have ever stayed in Japan! What a delight considering my previous “hotel” was akin to a dormitory. I am still reeling with joy from the awesome room, when I tried the shower. It was the kind with 2 knobs, 1 for cold and 1 for hot. As usual, I fire up the hot knob and wait for the bathroom to steam up before adjusting the cold knob. The hot water takes about 10mins to come out, and it is scalding-ly hot. To my horror, once I turn the cold knob, the whole shower turns cold!  I repeat this multiple times with the same result. I am really angry now. Nothing gets me more riled up than my bath not turning the temperature I want.

I put my clothes back on and call the reception. The girl comes up and tries the shower (NO NOT LIKE THAT) and she also get visibly frustrated. She tells me “Sorry I can’t help you” in the very nice Japanese way that all Japanese staff say. But to me, it just sounded like “Fuck you, why can’t you shower in extremely hot or extremely cold water”.  If it was winter I would have absolutely kicked up a fuss. But since it is summer, I just settle for it. “Ok.. what else can I do, right?” I say. She nervously exits the room before I change my mind.

BIG BEAUTIFUL BED

So now, it is back to me versus the shower. I curse and swear at it with all my might. As you can imagine, the shower ends badly with me almost in tears and alternation between scalding hot and freezing cold water. I also attempt to supplement the poor water pressure with a CUP. What a way to end the night.

Japan 11-15 June 2015 Day 1

As this was my first trip to Japan in 2015, I had been eagerly anticipating it for months now. I managed to get a really good offer for my flight tickets at SGD572 for Japan Airlines (JAL). It was a night flight. The leg space is very decent but the meal was kind of a letdown. They served breakfast at around 5am(?). It was catered by “Tokyo Soup Stock” which is a Fast Food Chain selling MSG-less Soup. The soup is as bland as I had it in Singapore. Thus is the healthy life I guess. I watched a movie called “Focus” (Will Smith)

I arrived at Haneda at around 10am. From here I head straight to Shibuya to find a Docomo shop so that I could pay for my sis’s mobile phone bill so that I can use it. I take some time to find a Docomo shop and after asking around, the shop attendant told me that the bill has already been paid ORZ.

Family Resturant Lunch

I am quite hungry by this time so I pop by a Family Restaurant to have my Pasta Lunch.

After this I go to Tower Records to buy Kikka CDs for the CD Jacket signing that night (After C-ute Con).

The sky looks cloudy... uh oh... MAIMI CHAN

While walking there, I happened to pass Shibuya PARCO which had a poster on a special Pop-up One Piece Shop on the top floor. Unable to resist myself, I spend quite some time browsing here and end up buying 2 keychains. (I had to stop myself from buying more)

Mugiwara Store!

Now I head to Akiba to meet 2 Singaporeans to go to Yokohama for the C-ute 10 Anniversary Concert.

I also pop by Akiba’s Yodobashi to see if they had stock of the Apple Watch which I wanted to get for my dad. They didn’t have the colour that I wanted so I did not get it.

Now off we go to Yokohama! I had initially wanted to go Yokohama earlier to explore the place as I heard many nice things about it. But as I had to run some errands, I ended up in Yokohama only about 2 hours before the concert starts. Had a quick Conbini Bento before entering the venue just half an hour before the live starts.

Yokohama Arena has a Capacity of 16,000 people, so getting everyone into the venue in an orderly fashion is no mean feat.

Team C-ute waiting to go into the Venue

Just as we enter the doors, Juice=Juice’s new Single “Wonderful World” starts playing. I quickly rushed to find my seat. The seat is an “Arena” seat, but actually it is still pretty far for the stage and Terraced so that we still on a raised platform. Only when the girls run around the sides of the arena, could we see their faces.

Juice=Juice is the opening act and they perform “Wonderful World” (which I really like!), Honestly because I am just settling into my seat, I couldn’t really enjoy it. But their Singing Quality is surprisingly very good. Their 3 main vocals of Karin Chan San, Baby Monkey and Kanatomo are very solid. They could very well become the next C-ute (Although I highly doubt any of them could obtain the vocal prowess o f Suzuki Airi)

Gamyusha Life Banner at the foyer

The next opening act is a group of “left-over” Kenshuuseis comprising of Yamagishi Riko, Kaga Kaede, Danbara Ruru and Hashimoto Nagisa. They sing a KSS release called “Seishun Beat ha 16”. I have heard this song a few times before at previous Hello Cons, but this is the first time hearing it with 4 people (Normally its more like 15 people).

Now that we are done with the Opening Acts, the real fun begins. It starts with a VTR of C-ute Music Videos, About 10 seconds each, from Newest Single to the Oldest. So just after Soku Dakishimete, it is supposed to be Massara Blue Jeans (Their Indies Debut), but instead the Members run out and START with Massara Blue Jeans. The Arena ERUPTS, this was a really epic Opening, so simple yet Unexpected. Its genius! Maimai is wearing Sunglasses here LOL

まっさらブルージーンズ

即抱きしめて

大きな愛でもてなして

桜チラリ

わっきゃない(Z)

Oldies but Goodies! I suspect that these were aimed at C-ute fans who “disappeared” during the dark ages of H!P. Its like saying “Welcome Back! We Love you as long as you come back to us”. Also, I am not too sure I have ever heard Wakkyanai(Z) Live before (I probably have but just forgot). Starting off with a touch of nostalgia… not too bad

I miss you

My First time listening to this live! The audience goes TuTuTu TuTuTu TuTuTu along with the song hahaha

ほめられ伸び子のテーマ曲

Wow, I am totally not familiar with this songs. Its an album song from their 3^rd album LOL. I guess the title itself is making a statement

悲しき雨降り

< START MEDLEY>

夏DOKIリップスティック

Yaji Solo. This is like the highlight for Yaji fans. Because YokoAri turns a FULL RED for her. The way the whole Arena Chants “Maimi Maimi Maimi” during the verse is just too awesome… the feeling is great :D. I am really looking forward to the DVD just for this scene.

ディスコクィーン

地球からの三重奏

君の戦法

通学ベクトル

Airi Solo. While it is good, and Airi’s singing is just out of this world, it just wasn’t as epic as Yaji Solo. (BIAS)

One's LIFE

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There is a MC somewhere here, but unlike normal Tour MCs, the girls don’t talk about mundane stuff. They talk about how great the Arena is, Chisa claims that she can see everyone even in the last row of the 2^nd floor (“Airi fan, Maimi fan, Chisa fan, Chisa fan, Chisa fan, Chisa fan, Chisa fan”). At the same time you can tell their nerves are affecting them. I don’t know if I am too sensitive, but Maimi starts to speak gibberish when she gets too nervous.

心の叫びを歌にしてみた

世界一Happyな女の子

SHOCK! (Performed by KSS)

This is really not an easy song, but the talented KSS make it sound very good

Flashdance…What a Feeling

Song performed in English. Oh my God the horrors. Maimi-chan’s English pronounciation is SO VERY POOR. I can’t understand her at all. Airi is slightly better.

次の角を曲がれ

Airi’s singing is so dam superb here. I got goose bumps listening to her.

君は自転車 私は電車で帰宅

The Middle Management～女性中間管理職～

ひとり占めしたかっただけなのに

アダムとイブのジレンマ

悲しきヘブン

The popular “Mid Ages” of C-ute. This bunch is purely here to showcase their singing and dancing skills.

Here is the start of what we call後半戦(Last Half Battle). The really high adrenaline songs

Midnight Temptation

都会っ子 純情

Kiss me 愛してる

僕らの輝き

ザ☆トレジャーボックス

超WONDERFUL!

Danceでバコーン!

I couldn’t have picked a better setlist. It has my favourites Midnight Temptation, Tokkaiko Junjou’s opening speech was made by a joint Yaji and Hagi (so as not to anger either camps), Bokura no Kagayaki is such a crowd pleaser. And of course Treasure Box, Chou Wonderful and Dance de Bakoon to end nicely on a great high.

Only Iza Susume Ready go is missing. I am forever whining about that song.

たどり着いた女戦士

This is such a fitting song to be here. The girls have really come a long way. And this song is a triumphant “WE DID IT”. When it first came out in the album, I thought it was a filler song, but when it was sung in Budokan, I realized that it was the most important song in the album. It is a real tear-jerker. My heart swells with pride for C-ute, as I am sure every single other member of Team C-ute in the Arena felt as well.

ENCORE

JUMP

It has been a while since they did JUMP, but I was already expecting this song. Everyone sang their loudest when C-ute turned their mikes to us.

MC

Members take their turns to thank everyone (Family, Friends, Staff, Fans) for the 10 years. About how tough things have been. They mentioned the other 3 members A LOT (We later learn that all 3 of them are in the audience). Maimi-chan scold fans who left them halfway, and starts her gibberish again. Everyone is crying now. Nakky announces their next goal is Saitama Super Arena (The first time they had actually named the venue)

Even if you weren’t part of Team C-ute, you would instantly be one. This is the reality. Of the thousands of Wannabee Idols, only a handful reach this stage. It is not easy, nor is it for the faint of heart. But if you persist (and with a little luck) this is where you could end up. They were tested time and time again. With being the “Losers”  of the H!P Kids, with their first Ace leaving, with their 2^nd Ace wavering, with producer pulling stunts, with 2 members leaving. And finally their slow climb to the top. The Idols for Idols.

我武者LIFE

This song has been touted as C-ute’s new Kamikyoku. To me, it has not cemented that status yet. It is nice sounding enough, but not worthy of being called Kamikyoku. At the end, they shoot streamers out with a bang. This really gave me a fright.

View from my seat.

So originally, I intended to rush off after the concert to go for Kikka’s jacket signing event at Shibuya, but I realize that it was not feasible at all.

Me and the other Singaporeans end up joining a bunch of Chinese (from China) for an after concert meal at a Chinese Restaurant (LOL). We all can speak chinese, but as there is a Japanese guy there, we end up speaking Japanese to each other. It’s kind of hilarious. I got praised for my good Japanese and talk C-ute stuff. I ask the Japanese guy about C-ute’s ability to do SSA. He tells me unlikely. He said that even for YokoAri, many people were not Team C-ute, but just H!P fans (Musume fans being the large bulk) Even for myself, I could see that the back rows of the 2nd floor were often unoccupied.

This kind of confirmed my suspicions. I had always knew that C-ute is often Over-hyped about its popularity, so I was extremely surprised when the news came out that YokoAri was sold out. I just didn’t think that it was possible. I often told people that YokoAri is C-ute’s limit. I don’t think they could sell more. But now that they have officially named SSA as their next target, as a member of Team C-ute, I have a duty to cheer them on. I really wish the best for them. Even if their don’t get SSA, I know that this is best that they could do with what they have.

One of the chinese fans helps me check when is my last train, and I quarrel with the waitress with how slow the food is (in chinese). 1 minute later, the waitress brings the food out. We eat and rush off to catch the last train.

My hotel is in a pretty sleezy area near Akasaka. Luckily, I didn’t meet with any incidents while walking to my hotel (It is raining slightly too. さすが舞美ちゃん)

My accomodation for the night. Its exactly as you see in the picture. 

The accommodation in question is called “Centurion Cabin and Spa”. Bascially it is just bath facilities with a shared sleeping area with (unlockable) sliding doors (Girls Only). Everything is really public, but its really cheap at about SGD30 per night. Don’t think I will be booking this place again. While the facilities are decent, I just can’t take the lack of privacy. Anyhow I am so drained, it takes me a whole 5 mins to fall asleep.

Team Syachihoko in Dalian 21 – 22 March Day 2

Something I forgot to mention yesterday was that we were just randomly standing in a corner of the shopping centre when Tenchou and his Managers walk past. As we were in Wota gear, Tencho actually stopped and apologised to us personally for the cancellation of the 2nd session. I was really touched that he would bother to talk to us fans like this. I told him we were from Singapore and they were so surprised, did about an 80deg bow. Tenchou asked me if I was going to come to the shopping centre on the 2nd day and I replied “Of course”

Admittedly, when the 2nd session was cancelled, I immediately thought that this was a play of anti-Japanese sentiments. The Chinese and Japanese are not exactly known to be the best of friends (with good reasons). Later on I was re-assured by a local Chinese that this was not the case, but I guess we will never really know.

For day 2 I had originally wanted to do some morning sight-seeing to visit China’s “Great Ocean Road” called “Binhai Road” which is a coastal highway. It also features a 40km Boardwalk which happens to be the longest boardwalk in China, promising breathtaking views of the coast.

Alas, my body disagreed with this plan and I slept through the morning LOL.

A Random Giraffe

And so, back to the Wanda Shopping Centre it is. Reaching at more than an hour before the 1pm session starts, ALL the Japanese wota already lined the 2nd and 3rd floors looking down onto the stage area. This would be what we Singaporean Chinese call “自动” (Automatic). They all know the right thing to do without being reminded or cajoled.

However, the front row of the stage is still a row of wota. These are the local Chinese(and HK) fans which number less than 10. As we are not locals, we are slightly confused as to where we could stand. We decided to go up to the 2nd floor to recce.

Upon settling on a great vantage point in the middle of the stage, we make conversation with the wota around. It is only from talking to the wota in which you can get a real sense of what the fandom is really like, and also learn more about the girls. They also informed us that it was still not clear whether the performances would go on or not.

One other thing that made me chuckle was that one of the Ojisan wota said “Us Syachi fans are very nice to each other, not like AKB fans who always fight among themselves.”

There is a Chinese couple standing next to me and they also talk to me. They ask me about the girls and how I find the event. It is only halfway through our conversation that they reveal that they are one of the organizers to the event! What are the chances! Of course we say we are from Singapore. They told us that they are very pleased with the turnout and will likely invite the girls (and maybe more artists) next year! Although I do not like Dalian very much, but if Syachi PLUS other groups come again next year, I could consider going again.

They also told us that the Managers visited the Police Station yesterday to 打个招呼  or “Say Hello”. But we all know what that means. I guess things turned out for the best because they got permission to continue with the rest of the Lives!

The Japanese Wota urged us to go down to the first floor as we are not-Japanese. We took their advice and went down.

Basically, apart from the row of Chinese Wota sitting in the first row (whom I got to know later on), there was another 2 rows of chairs, followed by the crowd of local Chinese non-wota. We stood right in front of this crowd and in full wota gear so I guess you could say it was as good as front row seats. The MC is a very cute Chinese girl who speaks very fluent Chinese and Japanese. Her accent sounded a little Taiwanese to me so she was definitely not local Dalian-er (The local Dalian-ers have a strong Northern Chinese/Beijing-ish Accent). Her Japanese had a little bit of Chinese Accent in it so I know that she isn’t Japanese. She warned the wota not to make too much notice or get too excited.

The setlist was something like “Otome Juken Sensou” “Colours” and “Stardust Bowling”. This time, Nao chan gives me the full fan treatment. Lots of eye contact and smiles. She is really cute when she isn’t giving her bitch face. Haha. Haruna also looks at me at least once. Nao chan’s voice sounds exactly like in the DVD lives, her performance more than lives up to my expectations.

At this point we notice Tenchou, his managers and other random crew members lining both the sides of the stage. To our shock, they are actually physically holding down the red felt floor covering! And also visibly using considerable strength to make sure that the girls don’t fall down due to the loose flooring!

Incredible. Once again I was touched by their strong determination and commitment to the fans.

In between performances, the members have to do interviews. 

Yuzu-pon is not present so Yuzuki mostly takes over her lines. We later learnt that she flew back to Japan to take care of things at home (An internet source said that she had exams). Sometimes they forget to fill in for Yuzu-pon so everyone just kind of stares at each other while the music plays and nobody sings(Some people still chant for Yuzu-pon though she is not there). The sound system was still shitty and the music cuts off in short intervals.

The “Oi Oi”’s of the wota from the upper levels echo into the atrium of the shopping centre sending chills down my spine. You would have to be there to know what I mean. Just Amazing. Another person could likely describe the same as “Creepy” though.

After the performance Tenchou informed us of the Photo Session after the 4pm performance. I took it that this was to make up for the cancelled 2nd session on day 1. Maybe you could say that this was a blessing in disguise? I would never have thought to be able to take pictures with the girls!

Once the session was over, the local Chinese wota would gather at the back of the stage to wait for the girls to come out. So we went to hang around there to see what would happen. True enough, the girls came out and spoke to some of the fans.

We didn’t want to trouble the girls so we stood apart and just observed. To our surprise, one of the managers told Haruna that we were from Singapore (The manager recognized us!). Haruna gave us a 90deg bow and thanked us for coming. I was absolutely stunned. NOBODY has ever given me a 90deg bow. And it was from an Idol so young (and cute) as Haruna. In my eyes, she is not a kid despite being 15 years old (same age as Maa-chan but Maa-chan would never do this). She is an extremely professional artist who takes her job and commitment to her fans very seriously. She is mature beyond her years. She has my full and utter respect.

I wanted to tell her not to bow and that we were the ones who should be saying thank you. But I was just at a loss for words. I was so moved. Typing this now at this moment just makes me feel like oshihen-ing from Nao chan to Haruna. Double oshi it is then.

Finally we have some time for lunch, which was at a Japanese-Family-Restaurant-like place. The food again was nothing too great, if a little disappointing for the relatively high price. I swear I am not picky with food but the standard is just not within acceptable restaurant standards (for Singapore or Japanese standards).

I had Omurice, Fried Pork Cutlet and Nao-coloured drink

This time, the 4pm session started promptly. However, the Organizer took to the mic again and announced happily to the wota that they could make as much noise as they wanted to, this being the last session in Dalian. I could just feel the tingle of excitement in the air as the wota get ready to release their inhibitions.

This setlist does not disappoint with all their hit numbers “Otome Juken Senso”, “777”, the pizza song and the like. Once again, the staffs are using all their might to hold the stage together. This time I try to take note of members other than Nao chan. Chiyuri gives me a cute smile. Haruna also give me a quick glance to make sure I am paying attention to her. I don’t know if it’s just me, but Honoka doesn’t seem to connect with the audience much. It could be just how she is with her “my-pace” attitude, but she does always seem to be in her own little world. Yuzuki less so, but she too seems to be thinking about something else. Nao chan has her on and off moments; one moment she could be smiling and fishing fans, but when she is in her “off” moments, she puts on her doya face, especially when she has to dance at the sides.

More people forget to sing Yuzu-pon lines. There seems to be a slight improvement in the sound system too. But other than that, it was awesome! The wota certainly gave it their all the cheered the girls on with all their hearts. In response, the girls were fired up. To be in the middle of it all was unforgettable.

As the performance came to an end, the girls stayed on the stage extra long to say good bye to everyone. All the wota ended up waiting around for announcement of the Photo Session. We then trooped along outside to the front of the building where the photo taking would take place. Again making conversation with fellow wota. It is kinda confusing because there are multiple languages being thrown around. There was also a reporter from Nikkei Sport who spoke to me in English and Japanese, he took down my name too.

Soon, the wota are split into “Bus Groups” This is the bus service organized by Syachi Manager to ferry wota from the Hotel to the Shopping Centre. “Others” Japanese wota not signed up for the bus plan and “Local Fans”. Once again, we are confused where to go, but the manager who recognized us waved us into the “Local Fans” group along with 4 Japanese-Wota-Living-in-China. As a result our group is pretty small compared to the other Bus sized groups of about 15 people.

Behind the scenes of the picture taking session. This is a normal group pic size.

After the picture is taken, we get a chance to talk to the girls. Haruna again comes to talk to us and thank us for coming I tell her to come to Singapore. Nao chan then comes over and she is surprised that we are from Singapore. I ask her if she knows where Singapore is, and yep, she knows the Merlion. I tell her to come to Singapore. (This is my standard phrase haha). They are all super tiny. Her profile states that she is 154cm, but I swear Nao chan is smaller than that. What do they feed these girls!?

While Nao chan is very considerate as expected of an idol, Haruna is the one who won me over with her earnest-ness.

Soon, it is time to say our good-byes; to the girls and fellow wota. We head off to the airport straight, sharing the cab fare with 2 female Chinese wota. At the airport we chat about wota stuff and exchange wota stories. At our gate, we also bumped into 1 of the Japanese-Wota-Living-in-China who is a huge Mononofu.

The flight back is un-eventful aside from being bogged down by post-event depression. What a weekend indeed.

Lastly, the group pic! Too awesome!

Notes on Team Syachihoko, Managers and Fans

I would say I have become a slightly bigger fan. I could also appreciate how differently Stardust treats their fans as compared to other groups. The managers take their time to personally speak to the fans to make them feel like they matter. The thought that they put into taking care of the fans is something uniquely Japanese, and more specifically, uniquely Stardust (?). I can truly understand how Stardusters can support their groups so whole-heartedly. I came out of this re-thinking everything about the idol industry and realizing how much the management style can affect an idol group. And perhaps also begin to understand how Momoclo got to where they are now.