NGT48 3rd Single National Handshake Event at Makuhari Messe (2018/05/19) This is the second time I have ever been to an NGT exclusive event. The first time was their Zenkoku event for the 2nd single, and I mainly went to that one out of sheer coincidence, since both HKT and AKB were also doing events at Makuhari on the same day. Actually, I hadn't planned on going to this event at all. However, my friend Derek asked me to keep him posted on when the next NGT48 event would be, and when I reminded him he just assumed we would be going to the event together. So technically my main motivation in going was merely to hang around with Derek, the event was secondary. That said, one never knows when a magical idol experience might occur. And today ultimately ended up being very special... I resolved that if I was going to attend this event, I was going to limit myself to two tickets. However, after checking the lane assignments there were three lanes I was interested in... Lane #4: Nishigata Marina/Kado Yuria. I met Marina at the first event I went to, and she was really sweet. So I kinda wanted to see her again. Lane #10: Yamaguchi Maho/Yamada Noe. Noe tried to fish me hard at that first event, and she was coupled with Maho, who I wouldn't mind meeting. Lane #1: Ogino Yuka/Murakamo Fuka. My brief encounter with Ogiyuka at Horipro Fes was quite memorable, so I considered this lane as well. Marina was a possible for my two tickets. Rika I wasn't so keen on meeting this time. As for which of those lanes I wouldn't visit, I decided I would let the event determine. Let's see if any of these girls grab my attention during the live. I met with Derek outside the train station, and we headed to the hall to purchase CDs and get tickets. We also happened to run into Paul again, so we decided to all hang out together during the live. That is, unless we got different section tickets, but we all got section B, so we were cool. We positioned ourselves on the far right side of the standing area, just in case the members walked around the hall, we would have a great view. Although I wasn't sure this would take place at all since there was no bag or body check before the show. At 1pm the Overture started, and here's the setlist... Setlist 1. Haru wa Doko Kara Kuru no ka? 2. Midori to Mori no Undokouen MC: Member intros 3. Ato de 4. Hansei Soda 5. Watcha Gonna Do 6. Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara 7. Jouhatsu Shita Suibun 8. Max Toki 315go After the fifth song the NGT draftees came out and did their intros. I can't really tell you which ones stood out for me, although a couple of them seemed extremely genki and outgoing, while a couple of them seemed more reserved. They were also playing a series of games, where a question was asked and everyone wrote their best answer. For example, "your favorite place in Niigata?" Most of the wrote the NGT Theater, although one member wrote "My room" and another wrote Niigata Eki, LOL. I thought the unit songs were kinda cute, although Watcha Gonna Do is quite fierce, and it was by far the loudest song of the set. At one point they asked who was seeing them for the first time, they also asked who was coming to their individual handshake event on Sunday. I heard a bunch of people muttering about the HKT Shamekai event, LOL. I mentioned to the three guys in front of me that I was also going to HKT, and we all started laughing. Oh, and there was another guy in front of me who smelled like a soiled diaper. I don't know why I often find myself next to these guys. I wanted to move, however I had a really nice view from where I was standing, and didn't want to give it up. But I was holding my towel over my face for quite a bit of the show. They ended the show with their signature MaxToki, with all of the members roaming around the audience. They also had the plastic balls with personal messages to throw into the crowd. It seemed like all of the members kinda congregated in one general area, but then they spread out again, and only at the very end of the song did they start throwing the balls. All of a sudden I saw a ball coming in my general direction, but it was going to land a bit short of where I was standing. Then I watched it bounce, bounce, bounce until it hit me right in the chest... Both sides of the ball, and a gift coaster from the fan in front of me who I think tipped it into my chest. I jammed it into my pocket as fast as I could. I guess nobody really noticed that I caught it, as a few minutes later I pulled it back out of my pocket, and everyone around me kinda gasped. "Sugoi, you caught it!" I didn't know who threw it to me, so the fans told me it was Tsugumin. To be honest, I had never noticed this girl before. But that all changed after catching that ball. So now I had a big dilemma. There was no way I was going to miss the chance of meeting Tsugumin after catching her ball. The question was which ONE of the other three lanes would I visit? I eliminated the Ogiyuka lane right off the bat, since I have never considered myself her fan. I do like her however. It came down to which lane I thought I would have the most fun with. Derek and I re-queued for the handshake portion of the event (I don't know where Paul disappeared to ) After going through security, I checked out Tsugumin's Lane assignment to see who she was paired with. I also wanted to memorize their faces since I had never met either of them before, and if they looked any way similar I might mix them up. (Lane #2) Oguma Tsugumi/Kusakabe Aina: I checked their official profiles. Oh look, Tsugumin's birthday is one day apart from mine, neat! But crap, they have the exact same facial expression on their profile pic. It was just then that I happened to see one of the Wasafans come out of her lane, but he kinda disappeared before I could catch him. As I was standing outside the lane still trying to memorize the girls' looks, he came back. So I jumped in the queue behind him and asked him if Tsugumin was on the right or the left. He told me she was first, on the right. But then he took it a step further... I entered the booth, and the first thing Tsugumin says to me is "Kurisu!!! Omedetou!!!!" It turns out that not only did he tell the girls I caught the ball, but he also told them my name. So both Tsugumin and Aina yelling my name and congratulating me, and Aina eventually asked where I was originally from, so it was an awesome experience. I left the lane so happy! I considered using my second ticket for looping their line. But I believe in ending on a high note, and I will definitely see Tsugumin again, so I decided to instead use my 2nd ticket on someone else... (Lane #10) Yamaguchi Maho/Yamada Noe: I know Noepii is always like 'shot out of a cannon' from meeting her before, but Mahohon seemed like an intriguing member to meet, plus she was highly noticeable in Watcha Gonna Do. I entered the lane, and Maho kinda put her hand on her chin and smiled as I told her that I enjoyed her performance on the song. She winked at me, and then thanked me. Nice and subtle, unlike Noe. As expected, I was immediately greeted with a rapid fire of English, which I parroted back at her. Eventually I reminded her that me met at their last Tokyo event, it was just then that I got a good shove from the guard. BTW, Noepii looked MUCH cuter than the first time I met her. In fact, now I am wondering why I didn't think she was that cute the first time I saw her. Oh well... And those were my two tickets. I considered getting one more, as they were still selling CDs inside the venue. However, I purposely brought a small amount of cash so I wouldn't overspend. Instead I took photos of the cardboard stands before leaving the venue, and running into another Stage48 user (Riina!) Ultimately, I am very happy that I decided to go to this event, despite the fact that I have never really considered myself an NGT48 fan at all. Moreover, I have never really had a favorite member in NGT. But when Tsugumin's ball found its way into my hands it honestly felt like a fated moment. Couple that with the extra special way she greeted me during the handshake, and BAM! I have found my favorite NGT member.
That would be me I also went to today's national handshake event at Makuhari Messe. I didn't really plan to go originally, as NGT are the 48 group I'm least into, but I happened to get 3 tickets from @SaitoWinterStar so I decided to go. I've been to NGT's mini live before (in Yoyogi, for the 3rd single release) but other than that, I haven't really met any of the members before, and I also don't watch that many NGT videos and shows, so I don't really have a NGT oshimen. I had a few members I was slightly interested in, but they were mostly split up into different lanes, so I figured I'd decide after the mini live. The live was fun, but it didn't make me magically realize which members I'd like to see for the handshakes as I'd hope it would Me and my friend also managed to position ourselves near the edge of the women's area, in case the members came closer during the concert, and luckily for us, they did. At some point, Nakai Rika came by and started touching everyone's hands. Now, I'm not super into Rika, but I thought that was a nice thing and not something most members do during lives The choice for my first lane was pretty easy, as this one was the only one that I have already decided before even coming to the venue. It was Sato Anju and Kato Minami's lane. Anju actually really impressed me during the Yoyogi mini live, I didn't really know about her character (I still don't actually), but I like her look and energy. As for Katomina, I'm kinda neutral about her but since she was quite pushed I know her rather well compared to other NGT members so that was a pretty good combination. First one was Katomina, who looks really cute with her blonde hair. I told her I really like Gesu na Yume (her stage unit song), and she thanked me, and told me to come to the theater sometime. As for Anju, I had planned to tell her she's really beautiful. But the moment I approached her, she already called me beautiful, making it kinda more awkward. Still, I had nothing else prepared, so I told her I thought she was the prettiest in NGT, and she seemed really happy about it For the next one, I've been thinking about several lanes but eventually decided for Takakura Moeka and Seiji Reina's lane, with Moeka being the reason for my choice. Moeka was first, so I told her I liked her Niigata dialect segment in Akbingo. She replied with: "Ah, you watched it?" I told her it was very funny and that she was really cute. She seemed very hyper today, I'm not sure if this is her normal character but she was definitely the most hyper of the members I saw today. I don't really know anything about Reina, but she's cute, so that's what I told her, and she looked happy about it, and then she asked me if I was a foreigner and where I was from. Just as I was being pushed away, I managed to tell her I was from Europe, and she did a surprised reaction. For the last one, I've been thinking about Oguma Tsumugi and Kusakabe Aina, Hasegawa Rena and Nakamura Ayuka or Nishigata Marina and Kado Yuria lanes. I ended up choosing the latter, as it was less crowded than I expected it to be, and I quite like Marina, plus I heard she is pretty good at handshakes too. However, Kado Yuria is one of those members I also have no idea about. Anyways, Marina was first up. I told her I really liked her song Watcha Gonna Do and she thanked me, and since the staff hasn't started to push me away yet, I had to come up with something more to say, so I told her we were the same age. She kinda stared at me in disbelief and asked me "Really? Same age?" I don't know if I look that old or something With Yuria, I just told her the mini live was really fun, and she smiled and thanked me. Overall, it was fun and some girls gave good or at least fun reactions, but I still haven't really found a NGT oshi yet. As I mentioned above, I happened to notice @Cristafari while waiting for my friend to finish, so I talked to him for a bit too. It was a fun, but tiring day
(I am sorry in advance for the messy writing style, but I hope you still enjoy reading it^^')(Oh, and if it feels like there is something missing, it is because I copied it directly from my blog, there is some text before the HS-event that had nothing to do with it) NGT48 Handshake Event in Niigata Before I begin with the event I would like to give you a little bit of a backstory and my mindset going in there. First of all, I am an introvert, so obviously I became REALLY nervous. Well, at least I said something during the handshakes.^^ Next, this was my first Handshake Event ever. But to be honest, I didn't know that much about NGT48 and its members. Of course I knew who Ogino Yuka was, because of Sousenkyo last year and I heard of some of the members like Yamada Noe and Takakura Moeka before. But it was the only Handshake Event that happened while I was staying in Japan, so I took what I could get. Well there were other HS-Events, one was STU48 and the other was Keyakizaka46. For STU, I was so happy to win some Okada Nana (my Oshimen) tickets, but good old CharaAni wouldn't take my credit card (and the ones of my friend), so I lost the tickets, because I couldn't pay. I am still pretty angry about it. For the Keya tickets, they didn't arrive in time because of german customs. Yaay, paid a lot of money for nothing... Enough of that, back to Niigata. Standing in line, not knowing what came next I just followed the people before me and did what they did. Worked out pretty well. First, you just show them your tickets to get into the building. Then inside you show them a second time and after that you empty your pockets and backpack, if you have one. I didn't take one with me, because I knew this was coming and the less communicating I had to do, the better.^^ Finally, I got into the hall, few minutes left before the first time slot started. The first thing I noticed of course was, I probably was the only foreigner here at the event. Not many foreigners would probably travel all the way to Niigata, but hey, I was desperate. So, I prepared some sentences in Japanese I could say to each one of them, so that I could have a short and light conversation with them, But the moment I was next in line I forgot everything. I was SO nervous, if one of them would have asked for my name, I wouldn't know it. So the only sentence that somehow stuck in my brain was :'Hajimete no akushukai desu' (This is my first Handshake Event). So the conversations could be a bit boring, because I said that to every girl I got tickets for. ^^' Now, I had to make my first decision, who would take my Handshake virginity? (Wow, that sounds so wrong) I decided to go with Takakura Moeka, 'Okappa', because I always liked her randomness on AKBingo and other variety shows and I have an affinity for strange people. So I got in line, the event started, but..... where is Okappa? Most of the other lines started already but Okappa was nowhere to be found. 5-10 minutes in, Okappa finally showed up slowly walking to her position. Ah, Okappa doing Okappa things. Before you can meet the girls, you have to put your hands up and show that you have nothing in them, keeping them up until you shake hands. Unfortunately, those safety measures are necessary because of some idiots in the past, but at least that keeps the girls safe and that is the most important thing. So here I was, next in line, holding my hands up, way more nervous than at my practical driving test a few months ago, waiting for the staff to give me the signal that I can go to Okappa and shake her hands. Finally, staff gave the signal, Okappa started to look at me, surprised but with a big smile. I took her hands and my first thought was: 'Wow, these hands are so small and fragile!' And then we began to talk: Okappa: *in Japanese* Hello Me: *stuttering in Japanese* Hello. This is my first handshake event. I am a 32 year old adult and am not able to speak properly to a girl half my age? What is wrong with me? ^^' Okappa: *in Japanese* Oh, your Japanese is very good Me: Thank you. I am really nervous (I said it in English and then tried again in Japanese) Okappa: *in Japanese* Its ok She really tried her best to make it as enjoyable as possible for me, because she noticed how nervous I was. (Thank you for that, Okappa ) After that I didn't know what else to say, so: Me: You are kawaii Okappa: *in Japanese* Thank you My first handshake and already a highlight. She is still so young but already seemed so professional at the handshake thing. I was still very nervous but her kindness definitely made it a lot easier for me to talk to her and the other girls. So, a great start to this event. As I was walking out, I noticed that I couldn't stop smiling. So this is what people are talking about. This is what a Handshake is like. Already at that moment I knew, that I would need a bigger credit card for the next events. xD Who would be next? I was looking through my tickets. Hasegawa Rena, 'Renapon'. The only thing I knew about her was, that she loves baseball and is pretty good at it. Hmm, I don't know anything about baseball. So why did I buy tickets for her? To be honest, when I was buying the tickets, I scrolled through the list of NGT members and some of them I just picked based on their pictures. Renapon was one of them. As with Okappa, the moment she looked at me, she was happily surprised to see a foreigner and an 'Oh!' came out of her.^^ Renapon: Hello! Me: Hello. Hajimete no akushukai desu! Renapon: *in Japanese* Oh, awesome! Again, I didn't really know what to say next, but the staff already started to push me out, so I could avoid some awkward silence. While I was leaving, she said: Renapon: You are cool! Me: Ah, thank you! Not much else to say here. Still, she was very nice to me, even though she didn't leave that much of an impact on me compared to some other girls. Next up, Ogino Yuka. She was someone that I was really looking forward to the most. I heard that her handshakes were among the best, always giving 120%. Her handshakes even got featured on AKBingo some time ago, if I remember correctly. It already started with her jumping over to my side grabbing my hands with full energy. OgiYuka: Ah, hello! Me: Hello! Hajimete no akushukai desu! OgiYuka: *in Japanese* Oh, nice to meet you! Me: Nice to meet you! This year sousenkyo ichiban! (I didn't know what 'this year' in Japanese was) OgiYuka: *in Japanese* I will try my best! Staff began to push me out again. OgiYuka: I love you! Me: I love you, too! Another great experience. She was very energetic and super nice and stayed with me until the very last second, so yeah, now I see why her lane is always so long. If I will ever have the chance, she is definitely one of the candidates I will come back to for more awesome handshakes. Last one on this time slot was Honma Hinata, Hinatan. Another one I didn't know much about, but she always had this cute smile I wanted to see for myself. But before that, the first problem occurred. Before you line up, your ID will be checked and compared with the name and address on the ticket, but my passport has no address on it. The staff members on the other lanes had no problem with that, but the staff at Hinatans lane didn't know what to do. So she called another staff over, a young lady who seemed to be the leading staff member of some sorts. She tried to help me as much as she could without speaking a single word of English and eventually she took me over to the information booth. The guy there said, that everything is fine, so I could get back into line. And shortly after I was next. Hinatan: *in Japanese* Hello! Me: *in Japanese* Hello! This is my first handshake event. Hinatan: Nice to meet you! Me: Nice to meet you! I like your smile Hinatan: Thank you! Aaaaand that was about it. Her handshake didn't stand out that much for me, but whose would, directly after OgiYukas super energetic power handshake!^^ But at least, I could see her smile in person. A few minutes were left until the lanes closed, so I wanted to try to use my 3 spare tickets for other girls (I got 2 tickets for each Okappa, Hinatan and Renapon). As far as I understood, if a lane isn't sold out you can use a random ticket for that lane. So I tried. But the staff member was confused that I had a ticket for another lane and didn't know what I wanted to do. So, madam leading staff was back trying to help me, but I couldn't make her understand what I wanted to do and the time ran up anyways. She was super nice and REALLY tried everything she could to help me, but she didn't speak English and I don't speak enough Japanese, so yeah. The first time slot ended and the second time slot should begin directly afterwards. But to my surprise instead of starting the next time slot they let the new NGT 3rd gen draft members introduce themselves. A neat little bonus to this already awesome event. I couldn't understand that much but still was happy to be a part of it. So after that the second slot started. I had 3 tickets for this slot, Yamaguchi Maho, Yamada Noe and Kato Minami. I started with Yamaguchi Maho, Mahohon. The third one I picked purely based on her profile picture. So without knowing much about her I went into her lane. Mahohon: *in Japanese* Oh, hello! Me: *in Japanese* Hello, this is my first handshake event. Mahohon: *in Japanese* Eeh, awesome! Me: You are beautiful! Mahohon: Oh, thank you! And yes, she definitely is beautiful. Even more so, when you meet her in person. Next up was Yamada Noe, Noepii, someone I also was looking forward to. As I stated before, I have an affinity for the strange girls. So obviously Noepii was on my radar. She is also known for her loud voice and I totally can confirm that. No matter where in the hall I was, there was always one voice you could hear. But it is something different, when you stand right before her. If you have very sensitive ears, they might even hurt when she talks to you. xD Noepii: *in Japanese* Oh, hello! Me: *in Japanese* Hello, this is my first handshake event. Noepii: *in Japanese* Eeeeh, awesome! Me: Noepii kawaii Noepii: *in Japanese* Thank you! Please come back soon! Staff tried to push me out, but Noepii kept my hands tight in hers. Noepii: *in Japanese* Where are you from? But I didn't understand what she asked me, so I shook my head. Noepii: Where....uhm.... Then she asked the staff who tried to push me out, what 'Where are you from?' was in English. Staff: Where are you from? Noepii: Ah yes. Where are you from? Me: Ah, doitsu, doitsu! (german) Noepii: Eeeh, sugoiii! (awesome) Noepii, you've got a new fan Hers was definitely the best handshake at this event. I even got some extra seconds with her. Even though she wore a mask (maybe she had a cold?) she was there with full energy and seemed to be in a really good mood. Last but definitely not least there was the beautiful Kato Minami, KatoMina. But I wasn't prepared for HOW beautiful she was. There is this phenomenon that only Japanese idols seem to have. They are at least 10 times more beautiful in real life than they are on TV. (usually it is the other way around) And I already liked KatoMina a lot when I saw her on TV. But before I got to KatoMina, there was another girl I unfortunately didn't get any tickets for. Kitahara Rie. She is one of my all time favorites and this was her last handshake event EVER! She was next to KatoMinas lane, so at least I got to see her in person for the first, but also for the last time. I almost teared up. Good bye KitaRie! So back to KatoMina. The moment I saw her, my heart went into turbo mode. Wow she looked really good. And now she looked and smiled at me! KatoMina: *in Japanese* Hello! Me: *in Japanese* Hello, this is my first handshake event! KatoMina: *in Japanese* Oh, cool! Me: You are very beautiful. KatoMina: Thank you! My brain shut down already, so the only thing that came to my mind was: Me: I love you! KatoMina: *in Japanese* Eeh, really? Thank you! And that was the end of my first handshake event. It was so awesome to finally meet some of those girls and I will definitely come back for more. But I hope that the next event I can attend will be in Tokyo and not in Niigata.
NGT48 National Handshake Event - 19th May 2018 Location: Makuhari Messe - Chiba, Japan I was looking forward to this event. When I opened my copies of NGT48’s 3rd single and discovered they would be holding a National Handshake Event within the Tokyo area during my time in Japan I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t miss! A train journey from Tokyo Station took me to Kaihimmakuhari Station. From there it was a short walk using overpasses to reach the Makuhari Messe. I wasn’t expecting so many other events taking place at the same time in the various exhibition halls and the surrounding vicinity. Thankfully, upon entering the main entrance there was a lone person holding a sign with NGT’s logo on and an arrow pointing to the right direction. I soon came across Hall 4 where copies of the 3rd single were being sold. It was there that I came across @Cristafari again who introduced me to Derek. We had a brief chat to get to know each other before we went to join the queue to enter the hall. Upon entering the hall, the CD ticket was exchanged for a ticket containing a randomly assigned section from A to C (A being the closest to the stage & C the furthest away). We was all assigned the middle section, B. @Cristafari suggested we stand close to the side just in case the members walk around at any time. This proved to be very sound advice. There was large high-definition screens on either side of the stage ensuring you could see the action up close. Not that I had a problem with the view because thanks to my height I could see the whole stage clearly. The majority of the songs performed where from the 3rd single release Haru wa doko kara kuru no ka?. Also performed was the classic Kimi no koto ga suki dakara. The final song was NGT’s signature Max toki 315gou, which involved the members stepping down from the stage and walking between the sections of the crowd and throwing balls with messages on. It was fun to see and wave to the members as they walked close by us. Unfortunately I got separated from @Cristafari and Derek as everyone was leaving the hall. There was already a long queue forming to reenter the hall for the handshake part of this event but knowing it would take a while for the hall to be set up, I decided to grab a bite to eat and more importantly… decide which members I would meet. 1st ticket: Sugahara Riko & Nara Miharu (Lane 5) I have to admit I find Rittan to be ridiculously cute and watching her Showroom streams is a guilty pleasure of mine. I said “Rittan, Konnichiwa” and “arigatou” as I held her hand. I didn’t know the other girl so I just said “Konnichiwa” and “arigatou” as we shook hands. I’d have to describe my 1st ticket as a warm up practice to get a feel for how the procedures work and to ease my nerves. 2nd ticket : Ogino Yuka & Murakumo Fuka (Lane 1) There was one member that I definitely wanted to meet and that was Yuka. I headed over to lane 1 which was by far the largest queue of the 13 lanes. I had had a 2-shot with Yuka the previous weekend and was curious if she would remember. To my delight she instantly recognised me and mimed taking a photograph with a camera in order to communicate with me. After saying “Konnichiwa”, I told her that I was from England (in English). I hope she understood me because she replied saying “Eigo?” to me as I was being passed over to the next member. Again, I didn’t know the other girl in this lane so after saying “Konnichiwa”, I told her that the mini-live was sugoi. She seemed excited when I said sugoi. I was then onto my last remaining ticket. I could have gone to another lane to meet some different members but I quickly decided to jump back into the lane 1 queue as I had a very important message I wanted to convey to Yuka. 3rd ticket : Ogino Yuka & Murakumo Fuka (Lane 1) As I reentered the booth, Yuka jumped forward to grab my hand. I slowly said “Sousenkyo, number one” to Yuka and she quickly responded by holding her index finger up in the air and shouting back “number one” with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. I then told her I would be voting for her (in English) and I really hope she understood that. For Mofuchan, I said “NGT48, ganbatte!” and she replied by pumping her fist and saying ganbatte back. Close by the entrance of the hall were full size banners standing up for each member. Noticing people were posing for photographs next to them, I asked a random guy if he would take a photo of me next to Yuka - I then looked at the merchandise board and decided to get an Ogiyuka T-shirt & Keychain, and the 3rd single uniform keychain (The badge shown in the picture was purchased from the AKB48 Cafe & Shop in Akihabara) - To conclude, I had a fantastic time during the whole event. The mini-live far exceeded my expectations and really felt like a miniaturised version of a major 48 group concert. While communicating with the members is challenging, it was still very fun and I hope to improve my confidence and Japanese language for any future events. If you happen to be in Japan at the same time as a National Handshake Event, I highly recommend looking into obtaining an event ticket. You won’t regret it. I will be reminiscing this day for a long time to come.
I guess I haven't been posting on the forums in a while, and this thread didn't exist when I made my report so I'll link it here: Summary: On March 17, 2018 I got to meet Sugahara Riko, Yamaguchi Maho, and Yamada Noe. With the terrible events lately I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'm sad I don't say much about Maho in the report (since Noepii stole the show). But she was great, and it's nice to see others like meeting her too. My wife is also a big fan of her in Watcha Gonna Do.
