AKB48 Question & Answer

Has anyone ever asked Tenso to dispose of CDs and ship only photocards. Do the charge for this “service”


お願いします

 

100yen per CD. You have to contact customer support and request it.

 

To show how AKB48 fans have to dispose of their CDs according to Japanese recycling laws, a vlogger I follow called Sari-chan made a video last year about taking hers to a company which recycles unwanted CDs for a fee - the part from 1:38 onwards shows her delivering them in her car and then they're taken away on a fork lift truck:

 

I've recently switched to using Blackship, they do this service for free. I've used it before, and can confirm no additional fees were charged. All you need to do is to leave a note to tell them what to do during the checkout process.

https://help.blackship.com/article/...rd-dispose-of-some-of-the-items-in-my-package

 

Thanks for responses. The juxtaposition of the new single thread discussion about the quality of CD covers and us consumers discussing how best to dispose of these CDs is not lost on me.

 

People who have been to Akihabara, can you actually enter the theater just to look at it? Is it open for public or can you only go in if you have tickets for a show?

 

When I visited, there were already people queued up in the lobby to enter the theatre (about 1 hour before show time), and the metal detectors had been set up just outside the theatre entrance. I would say no, but if you get there when it opens (I think someone said 2 hours before show time), you might get lucky.

 

I was last there in 2018. You can get as far as the lobby without tickets, (escalator -> lockers -> hallway kabesha -> lobby) and they will have a small TV mounted from the ceiling where fans can watch the performance.

On days when there is no performance, the escalator will be blocked off.

 

I visited a couple of times. The first time was on a Sunday between afternoon and evening shows and I was able to freely walk along the corridor with the photos and look around the main lobby where the entrance doors are. The second time was while a Team 4 show was in progress, this time the main lobby was full of fans watching it on a screen. I watched one song performance before moving on as I think you’re only meant to be able to watch if you’re an unsuccessful ‘cancelmachi’ ticket holder but nobody stopped me.

I’ve heard that access for visitors isn’t permitted about 30 minutes or so before a show which is probably what @jmo42 experienced. I’ve also seen that sign which @sscrla saw when no performances are scheduled.

@bonjourmarlene I’ve just reread your post - are you asking if access is allowed to the Theater itself while no show is in progress - the answer is no, the time I was there on the Sunday between shows a security man was guarding the entrance doors.

 

I don't necessarily mean the area where the performance takes place, but just to see some of the building; like you said, maybe the photo wall or the front of the building, which you see on performance streams/LODs before the performance starts, like this:



Just in general, I suppose, my question was how far you can get without having a ticket. I will try to apply for a ticket, but my trip is planned for October, so there's nothing to apply for just yet, so I just wanna know how much I can see in case I don't get lucky.

So thanks everyone @sscrla @David61 @jon_azuki @jmo42 for your experiences and explanations!

Since I'm planning to stop in Nagoya and Osaka too (only briefly in Nagoya, but for a few days in Osaka), if anyone knows what it's like for the SKE and NMB theatres, especially the latter, do share your experiences, please

 

I made it as far as that door without a ticket. Past that door is the stage, you will already have passed through the photo wall.

 

I've found some photos from my Sunday late afternoon visit in 2016. The first shows the corridor with the photo wall (I've included a second pic with some much-missed former members) which leads to the main Theater entrance door in the third picture (click on images for larger versions):

I've gone to each of the entrances of the theaters for SKE, NMB, HKT (old) and NGT but no access was possible past the staff members on duty (the NMB one was closed at the time anyway). The NGT one did though have some costume and poster displays outside:



The SKE entrance was worth a photo:



I'll be in Tokyo and Nagoya later next month and I'll try and win Theater shows for AKB and SKE. The only Theater show I've so far ever won was for STU which was at one of their 2018 temporary onshore locations in Shunan City, Yamaguchi where a photo board had been set up inside:

 

Thanks again everyone for your insights!

It no longer exists, right?

 

That's right, it's gone as has the SKE48 one in Sakae which IMO was better. Last November there were temporary AKB48 cafes in a few cities across the country but nothing seems to have come from those in the way of anything more permanent.

 

As you can see it is closed to Japanese but easily accessed by a haole gaijin like myself. (Walk around the sign). Another haole mistake i made at don quixote was not realizing there are check out lanes on every floor, except ground level. I wandered to ground level with my unpaid for goods. And quickly returned upstairs to pay.

Such experiences are only possible because CDRE Perry was so persuasive in getting Japan open to foreigners.