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Attending AKB48 handshakes: how-to (work in progress)

Discussion in 'General AKB48 Discussion' started by Mr Waffle, Nov 26, 2013.

  1. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    The purpose of this thread is to help foreign fans attend handshake events in Japan. It is constantly growing and changing, due to the addition of new information and changes occurring at the events themselves. If you have new information or questions, please post and we'll see what we can do.

    While this thread is specifically written for handshake events, most of it should be valid for 2shot photo events as well.

    Section A - Essential vocabulary

    Since everything will happen in Japanese, it's helpful to be able to recognise some of the more important words. You can use sites like Google Translate and browser plugins such as Rikaichan to help guide you through the website portions of the process, but come handshake day, it'll all be up to you.

    劇場盤 (gekijou ban) - theatre version of a CD release.

    大握手会 (dai akushukai) - the handshake event featuring all members of the 48 family. Referred in this guide as "the big handshake event".

    全国握手会 - (zenkoku akushukai) - the handshake events that occur around Japan. Referred to here as "national handshake". All groups do them, though they can be slightly different in their execution.

    レーン (lane) - The number of girls can be different between the handshakes, but essentially, member(s) of the group will be waiting to meet you at the end of their lanes. You will give staff your ticket at the start of the lane, and then queue up to meet the girl(s). Which girl is in which lane is usually announced around a week in advance.

    第x部 - the big handshake events are broken up into several time slots, when different girls can be met. the "x" is replaced with a number eg 第5部 is this 5th period of the day.

    受付終了 (uketsuke shuuryou) - Entry into the lane for that period is over at this time. Typically half an hour before the end of the period.


    Section B- The big handshake event

    1) Getting a ticket

    Section C - National handshakes

    Section D - FAQs
     
  2. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Section B- The big handshake event
    The big handshake event involves every member of the 48 family, and goes for all day. It is broken up into several time slots when different girls will be available to meet. There will not be any sort of live performance, the event is simply a chance to meet the girls and buy some merchandise. The tickets for this event come bundled with theatre version CDs purchased from the site chara-ani.


    Part 1) Getting the ticket

    Before you applying for a ticket, you need to be sure that you 1) have an address in Japan to send to, and 2) can pay via credit card (or have someone in Japan to pay Cash on Delivery for you). This can be difficult for people who live outside of Japan, but since the site is technically only designed for people who live in Japan, it's something you'll have to put up with.

    The site you will be applying for tickets on is-

    http://akb48.chara-ani.com/

    i) Register for the chara-ani site

    You can apply for tickets as a "guest" but this method will not allow you to later log in to pay for your order by credit card (it is COD only), or cancel your applications. Therefore, it's better to take the extra time and create an account.



    If you don't know your name in Japanese, then ask a forum member who speaks Japanese to translate it for you.



    You should then see a screen to confirm your details and receive an email to verify your email address.

    ii) Apply for tickets

    Technically, you are not "buying" handshake tickets. You will be buying the new theatre edition single CD, which happens to come with a handshake ticket. However you will only "buy" the CD if your ticket application was successful, so don't worry about ending up with a pile of CDs without tickets, they'll be cancelled automatically.

    The front page lists various information about when the events will be on, as well as when application periods are open.



    You'll need to agree to terms & conditions before applying.



    When applying for tickets, you must choose which time slot you will buy for, and that ticket will ONLY be valid for that slot. Be careful not to apply for many tickets in the same slot, as the periods are only 1.5 hours each, and you may spend as much as half an hour in line to to meet a popular member.



    Once you've submitted your application, you can go to the application history screen and view what you've done, and cancel applications that haven't been put into the lottery at the end of the application period yet.



    Once applications close for that round, you'll receive one to two emails a few hours after.

    The email listing all the applications that were successful looks like this-

    The email telling you the applications that were unsuccessful look like this-

    Again, you can go onto the website and check your account to see won/lost tickets (red for won, black for lost).


    iii) Pay for tickets

    Shortly after the final round has closed, you'll receive an email with an invoice number asking for payment. It's time to go back to the chara-ani site and pay.


    First, go to the invoice section of the website.


    Find the invoice for your order and click the little button in the right corner.


    You'll see your invoice, along with the option to pay it, the small grey button down the bottom.


    This is the payment option screen, you'll want to pick the first Credit option to pay with credit card.


    Here you put in your credit details. Make sure to write in your name as it appears on your credit card (eg in English characters if that's how it looks) and hit our friend the big pink button to confirm. Your credit card will be charged shortly after confirming payment.


    If you go back to the invoice screen, you'll see that the green box displaying the status of the order has changed. When the CDs ship it'll change again.


    Part 2) Attending the event

    Under construction.

    Part 3) Warnings

    Typically, entrance into a lane will occur a few minutes before start of a time slot, and will close
    HALF AN HOUR before the official end of the slot. The exact closing time will be listed on the front page of the chara-ani site under the schedule. Do not be late.
     

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  3. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Reserved
     
  4. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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  5. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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  6. admiraltolokus

    admiraltolokus Kenkyuusei

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    I had been asking some questions about 2shots on another thread but this seems the better place to do so. Every time I have ever seen photos from them, the fan's face is blurred, are you given a photo of the 2shot where your face is not blurred?

    Also as to the time limit for when you finally reach the girl you are to shake hands with, I understand that if you have more than one HS ticket, the amount of time you have to be able to say something to/exchange a few words with her increases. By how much time and what is the limit? I know you could instead go through the line a second or more times and do it that way, but if you wanted to group your tickets at one time for that one girl and say a few words to her, what would a limit be for that? You don't want a fan standing there for an absurd amount of time, but what is seen most often for those who group a few tickets together for one girl at a HS event?
     
  7. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    ^ Your face is not blurred in the photo. Fans are editing their own photos for privacy when posting on the internet. After all, most everyone is interested in the girls anyway.

    As for your handshake question. That really depends on what type of event you are going to. You are right, bunching your tickets together gives you more time in one shot, and a chance to have a slightly longer conversation. This plays more into the individual handshake events. As for how long? They say each ticket is good for 10 seconds. However, that can slightly vary based on many factors. There is a limit on how many you can use in the first 30 minuts of a slot. I am pretty sure it is three.

    At the National events they pass you through rather quickly, so you don't have much chance to say anything other than a quick greeting. Plus, you can only use one ticket at a time. However, at the end of the National events they allow people with a lot of tickets to use their remaining tickets to spend a longer time with the members. How long? I am not sure, but my guess is it's no more than a few seconds per ticket.
     
  8. admiraltolokus

    admiraltolokus Kenkyuusei

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    Very good thank you for that clarification, I had been wondering about it. Thanks I was thinking about a 1 minute's time at most, I did not consider the difference between the national and unit specific handshake events, so thirty seconds on average if you have a few tickets together, sounds good to me! :awesome: because of the things a few of the girls have said they have heard from fans in HS events normally have pointed (in my opinion) towards upwards of a minute's time, but that could have to do with national HS events.
     
  9. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    The last couple of national handshakes I've gone to, I've watched the staff and they time it as 1 ticket = 7 seconds using the stop watch (ie the staff member with the stopwatch says "time up" when 7xnumber of tickets seconds has passed). However the speed and power with which the staff pull you away from the member and throw you out of the booth is what can vary :lol:


    Sorry for not finishing the guide yet, I'll work on it on the weekend, ready for the 2shots the following weekend!
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
  10. admiraltolokus

    admiraltolokus Kenkyuusei

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    They have to drag people away from there?! Well understandable I suppose:^^;: No problem we all have lots going on this time of year, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your guide coming together, should be very helpful especially to those of us who have yet to go over there for one! Also maybe include pictures of the tickets too? Just for reference at least. I have a collection of ticket items I have gotten from new single releases but was uncertain if that is what they are.

    If ya get to go see Haachan make sure she knows she still has a loyal fanbase, we all wish her success in her continued acting work:1st:
     
  11. ayaelectro

    ayaelectro Kenkyuusei

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    Good questions.
    I also want to ask about the 2 shot tickets.
    If I have 2 tickets and I want to group the tickets, how will it go?
    Since I don't know how the time allocation for 2shots. Is it 10 seconds for the talk and photos? Or is it only for talk?
     
  12. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    I plan to cover all that in the final guide, sorry it is taking a while. Quickly:

    You can choose to redeem up to x amount of tickets (at first 5, then later 30+) at the time of entering the line. You tell the staff how many you wanna use at one time. So you can either get both photos/amount of time for handshake at the same time or loop around and do it again.

    I found the time allocation to be really, really dependant on the staff. In theory you walk in, put your bag down if any, shake hands with the girl, tell the pose, do the pose, maybe shake hands again, and leave. You can talk during this time but you'll be ushered out at the end. Now for some girls you can linger a bit, for some the staff will physically get between you and the girl to get you out of there (happened to me with TANABE MIKU of all people, the staff member was acting stricter than Takamina or Yukirin's staff ffs :fp: ).

    So basically you can say a few words but don't expect a long conversation. It's a factory production line and they'll usher you through it.
     
  13. DaimonMichiko

    DaimonMichiko Kenkyuusei

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    Are Takamina staff very strict? I supposed they shuffle the staffs rite?
     
  14. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    The event staff is an outside agency. I don't think they assign people permanently to the members. It will change from event to event.
     
  15. Tensai

    Tensai Member Stage48 Donor

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    A tweak on what MrWaffle mentioned, you can only use 3 tickets in the first 30 minutes of a time-slot, then up to 30 after (unless they are open tickets, then you can only use 5). I thought it may have been different for 2-shots, but I checked and it's the same as HS. (actually ate a ticket last month because I had 4 and could only use 3 because it was 28 minutes into the session).

    For handshakes at least (and should hold true for 2-shot), the amount of time you get usually varies on how busy the line is and the popularity of the member (and sometimes the member themselves). The top members usually will have an additional OJS48 member at booth entrance too (though they are there more to ensure there are no incidents, rather than doing the timing).

    A good rule of thumb is that for most members, you'll get a full 10 seconds for a handshake (which is the advertised time). But for certain members, and especially the very popular ones, it's more like 7-8 seconds. You have no way of gauging the actual time in the booth, so I find they say "time's up" and the hagashi will say "thank you" or tap your shoulder a bit earlier. There isn't a specified time for 2-shots, but I'm sure they want to keep that line moving (even if it's empty). My personal recommendation is to try to use no more than 2 tickets at a time. When you use over 3 tickets, they tend to really accelerate the clock no matter who the member is.

    Note: Hagashi, or peeler, is what the fans call the staff member at the booth exit. In some cases, they literally have to 'peel' people from the member's hands lol.
     
  16. upsidown

    upsidown Kenkyuusei

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    So, Mr. Waffle said "In theory you walk in, put your bag down if any, shake hands with the girl, tell the pose, do the pose, maybe shake hands again, and leave." At what point do we hand over our phone for the picture to be taken. Is this before we go in?
    I'm excited about tomorrow. Going over the lane assignment and map pdf's at the moment for planning. It will be a perfect way to end my two-week stay in Tokyo.
     
  17. scantalous

    scantalous Kenkyuusei

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    I'm not familiar to this methods because i've never participate to this events before but i'm planning maybe this year to go. So forgive me if i will ask a beginners question.

    Basically you need to register and apply on that website to get a handshake ticket or 2shot ticket for a member/s you like. (the method on applying for tickets on those 2 events is similar, right?) By applying for the ticket means buying the CD.
    Months ago i bought a Mae Shika Mukanee CD a limited edition, inside of the CD there are two pieces of paper one is related to handshake event and the other one is for Oshima Yuko's thanksgiving event. What's the purpose of that.

    About the registration process, i just need to translate my name in japanese and my relative's address in japan and also it's phone number,right?
    Can i use my own email address like yahoo or gmail?
     
  18. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Let's take these one by one....

    Yes, the method for buying the singles for handshake event tickets via chara-ani is exactly the same as the method for buying the album for 2-shot tickets. However, the theater version application process for the sister groups can be slightly different.

    The ticket that came with your copy of Mae Shika Mukanee is for the National Handshake event. These events are a bit different. There is a mini-live that takes place. After which the handshake part occurs. You don't need to pre-select which member(s) you want to meet. You simply queue in the lane of your choice. Your handshake ticket merely has a serial number. There will be a chart projeced that tells you which lanes are accepting which serial numbers at any given time.

    As for registering on the chara-ani site. The answer to all of your questions is YES. You need to translate your name. You need a Japanese address and telephone number, and you can use a personal email address like Yahoo or GMail.
     
  19. DaimonMichiko

    DaimonMichiko Kenkyuusei

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    How about this? I feel this is good question hehe
     
  20. Tensai

    Tensai Member Stage48 Donor

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    1. After check-in, you give the staff member at the curtain your ticket, do the usual 'nothing on my hands' check.
    2. They will remind you to put your phone in camera mode
    3. When ready, the staff member inside will open the curtain and ask for your phone.
    4. Once they have it, you step past and put your bag on the far side of the table (there is a big taped Box/X where you should not put your bag)
    5. Depending on the member, you can do a quick handshake/chat while you go into position. Some members may not shake hands, some may just ask what pose. All depends on the member and how tired you are.
    6. You stand on the mat, do a quick discussion of the pose, and then pose.
    Note: Members will refuse poses they don't want to do, and it really depends on the member and your rapport with them. A lot of the cooler 2-shots are with fans that they know or remember. Sometimes, the staff will tell you that the pose is no-good (you'll get the crossed-arms/dame signal). You just need to adjust it so they are happy. ​
    7. Say Cheese!
    8. While you say goodbye to the member, do another handshake depending, the staff member hands off your camera to a staff at the exit.
    9. You pick up your bag, and walk out.
    10. Staff asks you to verify the photo is okay, and then you leave. (I didn't need any retakes, but I'm assuming if it was blurred/cut-off) you would go back in for a quick retake.

    The first one will be a bit confusing, even if you know in advance what to expect. After that, it's just getting used to the routine.
     

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