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Iwasa Misaki (Wasamin) / 7th Generation

Discussion in 'AKB48 Graduated Members' started by haruna_hamasaki, Sep 2, 2009.

  1. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 'Employee for a Day' Event at BIG ECHO Sangen-jaya, Tokyo (2019/06/15)

    wasa9.jpg


    Another day, another duet with Wasamin....

    When Wasamin's manager first announced this event a few weeks ago, I was somewhat hesitant to apply. Not that I didn't want to go, but I had already received notification that I had won the grand prize from her 8th single release, which is a party at this same location. Given only 28 people would win this particular event, I didn't want to be greedy. On the other hand, I don't think Wasamin would be happy if she knew I purposely didn't apply. Ultimately I put in my application, and a few days later I received e-mail notification that I had won. Score-a-rooni!

    So this was going to be a total Wasa-weekend. Not only would I be attending this event, but she is doing her promotional mini-live event in support of her 5th concert DVD/Blu-ray release on Sunday in Chiba. I headed out early, hoping to have lunch at a restaurant I wanted to try a few blocks from the station. It was pouring rain when I arrived in Sangen-jaya, but I trudged through the rain, only to find out the restaurant wasn't open. Huh? Their website listed lunch and dinner hours, unless perhaps they only serve lunch during the week. I had 45 minutes to find lunch before I had to check-in to the event, but it seemed like every other restaurant I was interested in had a long line. As I was running out of time, I scratched my lunch plans. Hopefully the snacks they were serving at the Wasamin event would be good.

    wasa8.jpg
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    I arrived at the venue, and checked in 30 minutes before the event. By the way, if you watch the MV for Wasamin's latest single, there is a scene where the actors are walking right by the entrance to this BIG ECHO. I was given a badge to wear, which listed the room I would be in. It turned out there were three separate rooms, two of which were considerably smaller than the main room. I was informed that it was all-you-can-drink soft drinks from the drink bar, and we had to order one drink that would be served to us in the karaoke room. I ordered a Pepsi, then filled by cup with Ginger-Ale before heading downstairs to my assigned room.

    wasa0.jpg

    It turned out I was in one of the small rooms with four other people. I'm not sure how many were in the other rooms, but I was told we were the smallest group. Sasou-san, one of Wasamin's assistants, came in and explained how the day would play out. He mentioned that not only would Wasamin sing a song we request, but that we would all have a chance to sing a duet with her. In the meantime, he invited us to have fun with the karaoke machine, as there would be a lot of down time between the moments when Wasamin would actually visit our room. The five of us discussed which songs we might request. I had suggested Misaki Meguri, which is on my list of favorite Wasamin performances on the previous post. Everyone thought it was a good idea. In the meantime we were playing her music videos and practicing the karaoke, just in case we would need to sing one of them. In the meantime we could hear Wasamin singing Mujineki in one of the other rooms. It was around 30-minutes into the event when Sasou-san informed us that 'our waitress' was on her way...

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    In walked Misaki, our server, with our snacks. We were served three baskets of Pocky, popcorn, and nori-flavored potato chips. Frankly, I really don't like nori-flavored chips, but keep in mind that I missed out on lunch and was famished. In the meantime Wasamin was playing this shtick where this was her regular job, and she wasn't an enka singer. It was all really silly, but eventually she offered to sing us a song, and asked if we had any requests. Immediately the other people in the room blurted out Misaki Meguri. Wasamin exclaimed "Natsukashii!" and asked who came up with that idea. We told her that we decided together. She was trying to remember which key she sings the song in, and eventually decided to wing-it, although she had the song in much too low a key, she kept fooling around with it throughout the first verse until she found a key she was semi-comfortable with. She had forgotten some of the lyrics as well, which isn't too surprising since it had been two years since she performed it in concert. After singing she informed us she had presents for us, and would be back a little bit later. Oh, and at one point Wasamin started eating our popcorn, LOL. She did the same thing during her boat tour event a couple years ago, stealing tempura from her fans.

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    It was around 40 minutes of karaoke, and watching a couple episodes of Wasamin's interview show on DAM Channel before she would return to our room with drinks. BTW, in addition to her show, Wasamin also does all the voice-overs for the DAM Channel Enka promotions. I wasn't aware she is a prominent voice for them. Anyway, Wasamin had our drinks, as well as a promotional coaster with her photo on it. At first she started to put the drinks down on the first coaster, but Sasou-san stopped her. "I think they want to keep these a souvenirs." he suggested, so she put the drinks down directly on the table, and handed us the coasters. She asked if we were enjoying the snacks, and noticed the bowl near me was empty. "I was hungry!" They rearranged the tables and had us all sit on one side. It was time to sing duets....

    wasa3.jpg
    Promotional coaster

    Actually, it was one big duet. We would all be taking a turn singing a verse of her 8th single, Koi no Owari Sanganjaya. Sasou-san would also be taking a 2-shot cheki of us while we were singing. It worked out perfectly too, since there were five of us, and the song is verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus. I was chosen to go last, which also meant I got to stand up there for the instrumental portion of the song, and then the final chorus. In fact, I decided to mimic the move Wasamin makes where she shows off her kimono during the instrumental, turning my back and raising my arms. It got a good laugh and Wasamin shouted "Copy!!!"

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    At the end of the day, I was really glad that we took the time to practice, since it seemed like most all of us did a really good job singing the song. One lady who was in our group started crying after getting to sing with her too. But yeah, it was another opportunity to sing together with Wasamin, which is something I used to dream about doing, and now I have done it twice!

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    After that we were told we had around fifteen minutes, and then Wasamin would see us one last time as before we left. We each took a 2-shot shamekai, after which she presented us with an exclusive autographed clear file, and a coupon in case we wanted to rent out the special Wasamin room which will be available through August. I told Wasamin that I had a lot of fun, and I looked forward to seeing her the next day. "You are coming to Chiba?" I informed her that I hadn't yet purchased any copies of the concert. She said that was fine, and that I could purchase them tomorrow. Yep, that's my plan.

    wasa1.jpg
    Signed Clear File

    Overall this was a great event. I mean I could be pessimistic and say there was a lot of time where we were just sitting in the room. But the time we got to spend with Wasamin was extra-special, and made the entire experience worthwhile. She served us, we got to sing with her, we received exclusive gifts. I mean what more can you ask for? The good news is that I have an invitation to another event she will be holding at this exact same location in two weeks. I am sure it will be just as fun! And perhaps we will get to see the Wasamin special karaoke room at that time. I really want to check it out!
     
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  2. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2015
    Oshimen:
    Takayanagi Akane
    Cristafari made the news! At least as one of twenty-eight.

    Iwasaki Misaki, one day karaoke box clerk shows off uniform appearance "May I be able to part-time job"

    Singer Iwasaki Misaki (24) who released the single "end of love Sangenjaya" in February served as a day staff member of "Big Echo Sangenjaya Ekimae", a karaoke shop in Tokyo Sangenjaya, which became the setting of the song on the 15th .

    The same store opened "Misaki Iwasa collaboration room" from June 1. The room is designed with many photos of Iwasa, and you can enjoy making images of songs and videos of singing instruction.

    On this day, we entertained 28 people who were elected from the application as a store clerk. Iwasa smiles, "I was happy that the uniform was popular." "I had never had a part-time job until now, but I was able to enjoy customer service. I might be able to do a part-time job soon,"

    [google, of course]

    Screen Shot 2019-06-15 at 12.41.21 PM.png

    https://hochi.news/articles/20190616-OHT1T50069.html
     
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  3. Tsumu

    Tsumu Kenkyuusei Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Location:
    Finland
    Someone took a picture at that very moment
    MisakiCristafariDuet.png
    #nophotoshop

    I should probably add that this iconic scene came to mind the moment I read this. I just had to, sorry.:XD:
     
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  4. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 5th Concert DVD Release Mini-Live at Aeon Town Yukarigaoka, Chiba Prefecture (2019/06/16)
    ~Plus a brief DVD review~


    2 1/2 weeks after it's official release, Wasamin was finally doing a promotional event for the DVD/Blu-Ray release of her 2019 Tokyo Kinema Club concert. Now obviously I could've gone out at purchased it a couple weeks ago, but that becomes more difficult to justify when I knew that there would be bonuses and handshake tickets with my purchase if I just waited for the event. After all, it's not like I had never seen the show before. I saw it live. So despite really wanting to watch the concert again, I patiently waited for this day to come.

    I headed out extra early since I knew I had a bit of a trek to get out to Yukarigaoka, which is on the outskirts of Sakura City in Chiba, not too far from Narita International Airport. There is also a bit of a walk from the station to the mall. Not too far, just under a kilometer. I arrived around 90 minutes before the event was scheduled to begin, thinking perhaps I could score a seat for the live. To my surprise, all the seats were reserved. I instead decided to roam around the mall. It's a pretty big place, divided into two multi-story buildings, with a bridge that attaches each side. I first walked over to the West side, thinking I could take the time to get a haircut. But the line was really long. I headed back to the East side where Wasamin's live was taking place, and noticed there was already a queue forming to purchase CDs and DVDs. There was a special offer of a concert poster with each DVD or Blu-Ray purchase, and the promotion mentioned a limited supply. So I think everyone was trying to make their purchases early to ensure receipt of a poster. Although ultimately that wasn't an issue, as they announced toward the end of the second event that there were still posters available.

    Anyway, I got my DVD, Blue-Ray, and two posters, and had 40 minutes to figure out what to do about lunch. There was a hamburg steak place directly behind the venue that looked really good, and the line didn't seem too long, but they moved at a snail's pace, and all of a sudden it was 25 minutes before the show. I crossed out my name and headed back to the stage. I would worry about lunch later.

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    I came around the corner, and whoa, the crowd was HUGE! It had been a long time since I had seen such a big gathering for one of Wasamin's events. I found a standing spot on the right that wasn't too far back, and had a clear view of the stage. A few minutes later Wasamin came out for her first of two events.

    Setlist 13:00
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Despite being out in the burbs, this is a lively mall. I think Wasamin was really excited about the big and enthusiastic turn out. She spent a bit of time talking about Chiba Prefecture being her hometown. In fact, she had mentioned once before when she performed here previously that when she was younger her mom occasionally took her shopping there. I also noticed that the staff was really diligent with making sure nobody was taking photos. I mean they always have a "no-photo" policy, but usually you see lots of people taking pictures anyway. This time they had three staff roaming the area, and I never saw anyone getting away with a free shot. In any case, the queue for buppan quickly formed after the live. I knew the line would be long, so I jumped into it as quickly as I could. It was less than ten minutes until my turn.

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    Wasamin started by thanking me for coming to the BIG ECHO event on Saturday. I thanked her as well, telling her that I was so happy to sing with her again. I went on to say it had always been my dream to sing together with her, and now I had done it twice. She put her hand over heart. I also mentioned that I wrote about it on my blog and twitter, and that a lot of overseas fans said that they would love to sing together with her too. She was really happy to hear that. In the meantime, my turn was over, I decided to scout for lunch.

    I went back to the Hamburg Steak restaurant since you could smell their garlic rolls from 30 yards away, and I really wanted to try them. Again, they were very slow, but I endured the wait, and the food was really good. Afterwards I went back to QB House to see if the haircut line had gotten shorter. NOPE! So after roaming around the mall in an futile attempt to find a poster tube, I found a row of massage chairs upstairs. 200 yen for 15 minutes. It was awesome, definitely the best massage chair I had ever used. It even gave me a foot massage. I would have gone for another 15 minutes, but it was almost time for Wasamin's second show. The crowd was big, although not quite as big as the earlier show.

    Setlist 15:30
    1. Mujineki
    2. Kikyou
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wasamin was a few minutes late coming out for some reason. The record shop staff were scrambling around wondering where she was. But eventually she showed up. This was the first time in a long time that Wasamin has performed Kikyou, the old AKB48 song she covered on her first single. I'm not sure why she chose to pull that one out of her repertoire, but it is probably good that she sings some of those old songs once in a while, lest she gets rusty on them. It was interesting that Wasamin seemed to be emphasizing the promotion of her 8th single all day, and the DVD was like an afterthought. My guess is when she is trying to court the people there that aren't necessarily her core fans, it is easier to sell them on making a 1000 yen purchase than a 5000 yen purchase. Although I did see a few locals make concert purchases too, it seemed like most people, even the regular fans were buying more CDs than DVDs.

    This time I decided to wait a little bit before I went to take my 2-shot with Wasamin. I grabbed a drink, sat down for a few minutes, then proceeded to queue up when the line got a bit shorter. Taking a queue from some of the fans in the first event, I decided to show off my purchases in the photo...

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    BTW, there are a lot of cute pics of Wasamin on the DVD box, and inside the booklet, but there is a really great picture of her on the back of the DVD. I pointed it out to her, and she emphatically stated that she also really likes the photo. After that I pointed out to her that if you look closely I can be seen in the photo below it. Wasamin grabbed it, looked, and started laughing. "It is you!" as she started showing to Ichikawa-san (Wasa-manager) All the while the staff running the event was trying to push me away, except Wasamin still had my DVD in her hand, LOL.

    I was debating staying a little while longer, even getting another one of those massages, but then I decided to head over to Hibiya since my IQOS has been acting up, and they had a deal on the new version at the Hibiya Beer Garden Event. I got over there around 6 P.M., made my purchase, and grabbed a pint before heading back home to watch the concert.

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    Iwasa Misaki 5th Concert Mini-Review

    Well, maybe not so much a review. More like a few observations in comparison to my first impressions when I saw it live. After all, you can read my original review in this thread, just a page back. Here are a few things I noticed...

    1. If you read my original review, I mentioned that she screwed up the first MC, and stated that they would probably clean it up on the DVD. I hoped they wouldn't, but they did. The screw up is gone. (They also cleaned up the VTR that played before the encore, smoothing out the transitions)

    2. On the other hand, they left in the part where Wasamin wasn't ready to come out to talk to Hiyoshi-san and Kanade-chan from Hiruson. Not only that, on the making-of featurette at the end of the disc, they show what was going on backstage at the time. It is pretty funny. Also, they seemed to edit the interactions during this MC to make it seem a little less stilted, although there are still a few awkward moments.

    3. For some reason they completely cut the Zard song out of the video. I'm not sure why. Perhaps a licensing issue? It is an awkward edit too, like you can tell something was cut out. She is finishing up an MC, and then it cuts to her bowing at the end of an unknown song.

    4. You can see me periodically on the DVD, but never so much as the MC and performance of the song
    Neraiuchi. If you read my original review, I mentioned at the time that I was aware that the camera was probably on me, and began panicking over how to react. The camera is on me for a significant time, and I look like I am unsure where I should be looking. (I was!) However, the cameras cut back to me after the song started and you can see me pumping my fist and sorta bouncing with the song. I mean there are moments on all five of her concert DVDs where I can be seen, but this was by far the longest the camera was directly on me in one shot.

    5. After watching all of the performances, I still say that Wasamin's version of Fuyu no Riviera was sensational, definitely my favorite song of the night.

    6. However, as for Rouge no Dengon; I like it, but it didn't have quite the same impact for me on the DVD than it did live. On the other hand, the song after that, Genki wo Dashite, was amazing. So I will amend my ranking to declare that my 2nd favorite performance. I was also impressed with her performance of Ryoushu.

    7. There are limited camera angles, so for the most part the camera is focused on Wasamin in various angled closeups, then cut to overhead shots of the crowd. The exception to that was the camera shooting time, where they had various cameras on the floor following her around.

    8. The "making-of" feature is around 15-minutes long, and shows a bit of the rehearsal. It is interesting to see her being coached on choreography, as well as how she practices the photo-op part. The end of the feature shows quite a bit of the post-show 'ichigo seat' event, where she did a toast, answered a few questions, and greeted all of us.

    Overall it is a really nice DVD. Needless to say I highly recommend it.

    Anyway, next up for me and Wasamin, her
    Koi no Owari Sangenjaya party at the end of the month. She has a bunch of appearances out of town over the next couple weeks, so I doubt I will be making any of those journeys. But you never know, I may make a special trip somewhere if I get in the mood.
     
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  5. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 8th Single Celebration "Sangenjaya Party" at BIG ECHO, Sangenjaya (2019/06/29)

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    From Wasamin's official blog

    I remember when I first started coming to Japan and buying CDs. Often I would find these postcards inserted in the singles, but I never quite knew what they were. Eventually I learned that they are applications to win special prizes, or go to special events as a reward for purchasing the single. Wasamin has been doing this with all of her music releases, as well as her first couple DVD releases. The top prizes being special trips and events, as well as secondary prizes like personally signed posters. I have sent in applications for all the release prizes since I moved to Tokyo, winning the first or second prize each time. You might remember the BBQ party I attended a few years ago where Wasamin served me lunch, or the Karaoke party last year when I sang a duet with her for the first time. For Wasamin's 8th single the top prize was a "Sangenjaya Party," which was slightly mysterious aside from it most likely taking place in the Sangenjaya neighborhood. The second prize, as always, was the karaoke party. Per usual, I put most of my applications in for the grand prize (you have to specify which prize you are applying for) and then a handful of applications for the 2nd prize, just in case. I received a postcard a couple months later, I won the grand prize. Score-a-rooni!

    In the meantime, if you have been reading this thread, you are aware that there is a special "Wasamin Club Room" at the BIG ECHO karaoke box in Sangenjaya, the same location that gets considerable screen time on her 8th single MV. You may also be aware that I went to a special karaoke event at this same location a couple weeks ago, where I sang a duet with her for the second time. Wasamin has been doing a lot of work with Live Dam/Dam Channel lately, so she has a close association with the karaoke world as well as BIG ECHO. In any case, this was the second time in two weeks that I would be attending a party hosted by her, and I was looking forward to it.

    wasa23.jpg
    Wasamin commanding the attention of the downtown crowd

    I arrived in Sangenjaya around 3 p.m. I was part of the second group that won this event. There were a total of 20 winners, 10 for each event. I was hanging out across the street when I heard Koi no Owari Sangenjaya playing nearby. I may have forgotten to mention this two weeks ago, but they are promoting the song on the big screen overlooking the main intersection, and you can hear it from a block away. I quickly took a shot of the screen before running into Caster, another Wasafan who had also won the second event. We went to line up outside the building, thankfully it wasn't raining at the moment as was forecast. Eventually one of the other fans came out of BIG ECHO; "Hey, you guys can come in. They are wondering where everyone is!" LOL. We went up to the second floor, checked in, and were directed to a large karaoke room. Unfortunately this wasn't the special Wasamin room. When am I going to see it???

    wasa25.jpg

    After grabbing our drinks, they set out another tray of popcorn, pocky, and nori-shio potato chips, just like the last event. However, a few minutes later they returned with a spread of karaage, takoyaki, onion rings, fried potatoes, and edamame. Now this was more like it! Sasou-san, Wasamin's assistant, told us that we better be ready to sing because we will be performing even more than Wasamin will. Okaaaaaay! A few minutes later he asked if we were ready to go, and in she came.

    wasa24.jpg

    Wasamin, once again dressed in her BIG ECHO arubaito uniform, asked us if we were all genki, and if we were enjoying the snacks, and then led off by performing Koi no Owari Sangenjaya and Matsuda Seiko's Aoi Sangosho. She was laughing at a few points since we were cheering the same way we would at one of her events, and in that closed space it was very loud. I was busy paying attention to the karaoke screen, practicing my reading and singing in case I would be performing later on. After that she asked who wants to sing, and about half of us raised our hands. Shim-san went first, and afterwards nobody raised their hand, so I offered to go. Wasamin looked surprised; "Honto?" Sure, I don't mind singing karaoke. I confirmed with her that I would be singing alone, and then I asked her if it had to be a Japanese song. At first she said "yes, one verse and chorus," but then said "You can do a foreign song if you want." But I had already decided what I wanted to do. So I said "How about Man With a Mission?" She was like "Sure!" So I requested Fly Again. (Wasamin is an MWAM fan, and she likes that song) She had to help Sasou-san search for it in the menu, but eventually they found it....

    wasa29.jpg
    Man With a Mission

    Now usually in these situations the people singing can be a bit timid, so they turn the mic up. However, I am not new to karaoke. Moreover, I know how to project from my years as a radio broadcaster. So when I started to sing (actually that song is more of a rap, and it's in English) they were like "Whoah, loud!!!" I was doing my best Tokyo Tanaka impression, belting out the song and trying to sound cool. Actually, I have done this song at karaoke before, and the main problem with it is the chorus is the same line over and over and over again, so I was glad I only had to do one verse. At the end, Wasamin was like "Wow that was great!" As a prize for singing we got three special "Wasamin senbei" crackers. However she felt my performance deserved four. (By the end of the event I had six!) Most everyone sang, at one point a fan chose the AKB48 Overture as his karaoke song, although there were no lyrics on the screen. So Wasamin started laughing when all of a sudden I belted out "a live like you've never seen before!" In fact, I ended up carrying the guy's entire song. Meanwhile, staff was refilling our drinks so we didn't have to go to the drink bar and miss anything. However, Wasamin had a little surprise in store for us, a batsu game!

    wasa26.jpg
    My Wasa-senbei. I ultimately received six of them

    Well, it was more like a reverse batsu game. Staff brought in two trays of fresh takoyaki, one for each of us. However, one on each plate was super spicy, and whoever ate the spicy one would get to do an entire duet with her. Now I LOVE spicy food, and was sure that I wouldn't be phased by one spicy takoyaki ball, so I hoped that I lost. (won) The first group went, and after a few moments one fan grabbed his mouth. We have a winner! I was in the second group. Ready, Set...I put it in my mouth hoping for a spicy sensation. I didn't detect any excess spice, however nobody else was reacting. Could it be that I'm just not phased by it? Eventually Hide-san, who has been an AKB fan since the very early days, raised his hand. Lucky him!

    wasa21.jpg
    I'm the blur right behind her head

    So the two of them got to sing duets with Wasamin. But like the last event, we would all get to share a duet with her, singing Saba Kaido. I was sixth, and got the end of the second verse and the chorus. So you can chalk that up as my third time singing together with her. It's like a dream come true. Anyway, for the final song Wasamin would be singing something by request, and the person getting to choose was decided by janken. I got through the first round, but lost in the second. Eventually Caster, who is a big 48/46 group fan, won. His first request was a Nogizaka46 song, but she was like "Pfft, I'm not doing that!" LOL. Then he requested Zutto Zutto, the old Team A stage song. Wasamin seemed relieved when it wasn't in the catalog. Undaunted, his third choice was Lucky Seven, the old c/w track from the Heavy Rotation single. Actually, Wasamin has performed that song before, and is even on the MV. So she was like "Well, okay." She did a great job with it, and even remembered the dance and hand motions. That ended the show. Wasamin excused herself to the next room, where we would meet her individually for a handshake and 2-shot. We were also informed that the room we were meeting in was indeed the "Wasamin Club Room," so I would get a chance to see it for the first time.

    I walked into the room wanting a chance to check out the decor. Wasamin engaged me immediately. "Kurisu, your Fly Again was perfect!" I don't know about that, but I told her that I had sang it in karaoke before, so I was familiar with it. I was busy commenting on the various photos of her around the room. Eventually we sat down to take a 2-shot. We could do a shamekai or a cheki, I chose shamekai since I wanted the room clear in the background.

    wasa27.jpg

    I went on to tell her that I have watched her concert DVD many times, and my favorite performance is Fuyu no Riviera. It is the best version, I said. She thanked me as Sasou-san handed me back my phone. I went back into the karaoke room and waited for everyone else to finish. After we were all done Wasamin returned, thanked us again, and confirmed we all had a good time. Of course we did, we got to spend 90 minutes with her in a little room, How cool is that!?!? After that she left. I think she needed to catch a shinkansen since she is performing in Hiroshima tomorrow.

    wasa28.jpg
    Cheers!

    We gathered our things and left, meeting a few of the people from the first event who were waiting outside. We then proceeded to a nearby izakaya for a post-event celebration. While we had dinner and drinks, Shim-san made a reservation for the Wasamin Club Room next week, and invited me to come along. So it looks like I will be getting the chance to hang out in that room after all! In meantime, she has two events scheduled in Chiba and Ibaraki next weekend. I am definitely planning on going to Chiba. As for Ibaraki, we'll see. I saw her at that mall once before, and it's a real pain in the ass to get to. Then again, I have gone through greater hardships than that to see Wasamin, so maybe.
     
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  6. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Mini-Live at Aeon Marinpia, Chiba Prefecture (2019/07/06)

    I was so happy when this event was announced a couple weeks ago...

    Since Wasamin has been extremely busy with television appearances and other professional commitments, she hasn't been doing quite as many mini-live events as in previous years. Moreover, it seems like she is doing fewer and fewer events in Tokyo, most of her Kanto events taking place in Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa prefectures. She had one event scheduled for this weekend, however it was all the way out in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki prefecture. I had been to the mall out in Shimotsuma once before, and it is a royal pain in the ass to get to. It takes over two hours, and 4-5 trains to get there. Not to mention the 2100 yen fare each way. And that's just to get to the station. It is such a rural area, and there are no taxis or buses. So you either need to arrange a ride, or walk the 3+ kilometers to the mall. Needless to say, many of her fans skip her appearances there.

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    Marinpia is another story. It is located right next to the JR Keiyo Line station, just two stops beyond Makuhari Messe, so it is pretty much the same as going to an AKB handshake event. I headed out extra early since I didn't remember ever going to this mall before, and I wanted to make sure I found it okay. Plus, I wanted to have time to eat lunch before the event. I arrived around 90 minutes before the first event, and the moment I stepped out of the station I realized I indeed had seen a Wasamin event here before. I have been to so many I have forgotten which malls I have been to, LOL. Anyway, I grabbed some lunch before heading up to the top floor where the event was taking place.

    The event space is part of a fairly large Shinseido/book store, which is sandwiched between the food court and a game arcade. There were flags throughout the floor promoting Wasamin's appearance. As expected, all the seats were taken, so I grabbed a standing spot just beyond the seats in the center, donning my Wasamin Happi coat which I had remembered to bring for a change. The MC led us in a Wasamin call before she took the stage. Here is the first setlist...

    Setlist 13:00
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    This is one of those malls that keeps the sound somewhat muted, especially since it is right next to a small cafe. But it isn't too bad, and they don't restrict us on the Wasamin calls. As expected, Wasamin always makes a big deal out of getting the chance to perform in Chiba Prefecture, since it's her hometown. Although to be honest Chiba is a pretty big prefecture, and this is not the part of Chiba she is from. But she always brings it up, and she said something about purchasing an "I <3 Chiba" T-shirt. She also spoke a bit about Uta Navi, the television program she is currently co-hosting. Oh, and as much as I always commend Wasamin on her great singing ability, I also like to point out when she occasionally screws up; her voice cracked really hard on the first chorus on Saba Kaido. Then again, I think hitting the high note in the chorus of that song has always been a challenge for her.

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    After the event some of the fans showed up with a bunch of multi-colored flower arrangements. Fans (including myself) bring her flowers all the time, but I wondered what the big production was all about. Well, it turned out this was Wasamin's 600th mini-live event. I'm not sure if that meant event or performance, as she does multiple performances at most events, but Wild-san, one of Wasamin's long time supporters, keeps detailed notes on every event, as well as which songs she sings. (According to Wild-san, this was her 184th performance of Saba Kaido) At one point they asked me to carry one of the bouquets, but they ended up asking quite a few people, so I let someone else do it. However, I lined up along with everyone carrying flowers, so I was "sort of" in the procession...

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    Wasamin asked me why we were doing a "prayer" pose, and I told her that I had not found a full-time job yet and that I was getting worried. I didn't want to have to return to America. She was like "No, don't go, stay in Japan!" I told her I was doing my best, and that I have a couple of interviews lined up next week, including one in Kashiwa (which is near where she grew up) Surprisingly, she was familiar with the company. I told her that I would love to live in that area, and she started laughing. I didn't specifically mention it being where she grew up, but I think she kinda knew what I was getting at. Anyway, after watching all the hoopla over the flowers, I went back downstairs to hang out in the Choco-cro until the next performance. I could've reserved a seat before I left, but...whatever. I'm fine with standing.

    I returned around 10 minutes before the next event, and grabbed pretty much the same spot as I had for the first show. However, I noticed a bunch of little old ladies standing behind me, so I let them all go in front of me, and went to the very back. I could still see the stage just fine. As for the late setlist...

    Setlist 15:30
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Niji wo Watatte
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    This was one of the few times where the late crowd seemed slightly larger than the early crowd. Once again, Wasamin spoke at length about her association with Chiba Prefecture, again bringing up her "I <3 Chiba" T-shirt. She also brought up the fans' celebration of her 600th event, and she was glad it took place in Chiba. She also thanked everyone for coming out in the rain, but then we all notified her that rain had stopped hours earlier, LOL. Of course Niji wo Wattate is one of the songs that we do a "Wasamin call" throughout the verses, much to the amusement of the local fans in attendance. Afterwards she made reference to us doing the call, which is something she has just started acknowledging recently. This brought up the subject of her nickname, and she was pointing out that it is Wasa-"min" as opposed to Wasa-"bi" which was quite nostalgic for me since I own a Wasamin "Wasabi Power" T-shirt, which is something she designed for B.L.T. when she was an AKB48 kenkyuusei. In fact, I wanted to bring it up, but it slipped my mind when it was my turn to see her...

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    Rock and Roll pose, kinda referencing our interaction at her Sangenjaya Party last weekend. Wasamin stated that she hoped I get my visa all taken care of. I told her that my visa isn't the issue. In fact I just got my visa extended a few days ago. I said the issue is "Okane" She was like "Oh, money?" "Yes, I need money!!!" I exclaimed in English. She repeated it back to me, as she gets a kick out of me saying things in English like that, especially when she understands. Anyway, those were my two visits. I hung out until the end of the event, kicking back in a chair and playing Wizards Unite.

    Interestingly, as she was leaving (and waving to us) one of the regular fans went right up to her to try to shake her hand. In these instances Wasamin usually puts her hand out, which she did. However, Ichikawa-san (Wasa-manager) jumped in-between and blocked the guy off. It was odd because that guy should know better. I half-understand when some random person we have never seen before tries to pull that, but this guy has been to quite a few events, and should be aware of the etiquette. Anyway...

    Apparently Wasamin had a free weekend, since next Friday through Sunday is filled with events around the Kanto Region; Tokorozawa and Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, as well as Moriya in Ibaraki Prefecture. So lots of opportunities to hang out with Wasamin next weekend. I plan on taking advantage!
     
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  7. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    The covers of the re-release versions of Koi no Owari Sangenjaya have been posted on Wasamin's official Tokuma page...

    wasaa.jpg
    Type-A (This is Wasamin's current promotional photo)

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    Type-B (Still shot from the MV)

    So pretty much the same as the last single, they are using leftover stuff to create the new versions. But I'm not complaining since we are getting three new recorded cover songs, including her brilliant rendition of Fuyu no Riviera. And I do like the Type-B cover very much.
     
  8. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
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    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
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    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Mini-Live at Aeon Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture (2019/07/13)
    (A Wasa-Holiday Weekend, Part I)


    It wasn't too long ago that I was lamenting about the lack of Wasamin singing events in comparison to previous years. It's not like she is slowing down though, since she has a big television presence these days, as well as regular radio appearances. However, her management seems to be quite busy lately, since the past two weeks has seen a huge number of mini-live events scheduled for the next six weeks or so in promotion of her 8th single re-release, many of which will be in the Kanto Region.

    This is a 3-day holiday weekend in Japan since Monday is Marine Day, a day of giving thanks to the Sea and its importance to Japanese culture. Wasamin has scheduled three events, one for each day of the weekend. She sent out a tweet late last week hoping that her fans would consider spending the holiday weekend with her. Personally, I was "all-in" on that plan, kicking off on Saturday in Tokorozawa.

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    Commemorative of Misaki-chan's February appearance

    Tokorozawa is probably most famous for being the site of Met Life (Seibu) Dome where the Seibu Lions play their home games. Of course it was also the site of AKB48's first "Dome" concert in July 2011, as well as a few SKE48 handshake events. To me it is also known as the hometown of a really good Japanese microbrewery, but you would need to read my Facebook to find out more about that. Since Wasamin would only be performing one late-afternoon set I headed out around 2:45, giving me plenty of time to get there. I almost hit a snag when I tried to make my transfer on to the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. The train was absolutely packed. WTF??? Was there a game at Seibu Dome? I didn't see anyone wearing any baseball gear, but I found it hard to believe that this particular train would be so packed in the middle of the afternoon unless something was going on. And there was no freakin' way I was not getting on. So after cruising the entire length of the train looking for a spot, a forced myself into Car #2. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable ride, but it was only twenty minutes or so.

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    Bump of Chicken

    When I got off at Tokorozawa I noticed a couple people wearing Bump of Chicken T-shirts. Then, as I left the station I noticed more Bump of Chicken. Jeez, they were everywhere! This explained it. I checked the concert schedule and sure enough, Bump of Chicken 2019 Tour opening night at Seibu Dome. I made my way toward the mall down a narrow shopping street filled with bars, clubs, izakayas and all sorts of other food options; definitely the place to be in Tokorozawa. Approaching the mall I met up with a couple other Wasafans at the traffic light who guided me to the event location on the 4th floor. It was a huge stage area adjacent to the Vanda Records location hosting the event. Judging by the big "wall of fame" inside by the sales table, they host events here quite frequently. In fact both Wasamin and Minyo Girls have performed here on multiple occasions, so it's surprising this was my first time there. Anyway, the line was too long for purchasing CDs, so instead I camped out a spot, put on my Wasa-Happi, and filled out a pre-order form to turn in a little later. After an eventful soundcheck where they almost blew out everyone's ears, it was time for the event. Here's the setlist...

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    Part of their "wall of fame." It is actually a pretty big wall.

    Setlist 16:30
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Toshishita no Otokonoko
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    By the way I forgot to mention it was really hot in this venue. Everyone was sweating, including Wasamin. Probably one of the funnier parts of her MCs was after Toshishita no Otokonoko, she asked if there was anyone dating a younger guy (or vice-versa) in the audience, and a young couple standing off to the left raised their hand. The girls seemed kind of embarrassed, although the guy was pretty enthusiastic, LOL. Since I was standing very close to the sales booth, I took advantage of there being no line during the first MC and quickly bought my CDs and grabbed my handshake tickets. I had three, two for a shamekai, and a third for a regular handshake. As an added bonus, throughout the event quite a few people wearing Bump of Chicken gear came over to watch Wasamin sing. Some of them just came over, checked it out for a minute or two, and then left, but a few stayed, which I thought was pretty cool.

    The line got big very quickly, but after toweling myself off I headed to the end of the queue. It seems that when they aren't using this area for performances it is the location of discounted used vinyl, as well as a bunch of gacha machines, all of which were next to impossible to win since they offered some nice prizes (all day Disneyland passes, airPods, PSP's, Nintendo Switch) A few of the fans gave the games a try, and of course nobody won. Eventually my turn to see Wasamin came, and while I waited for her to finish with her previous guest I was practicing the hand motions to 'Otokonoko.' After confirming with Ichikawa-san (Wasa-manager) that I was going it correctly, I suggested it to Wasamin.

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    I told Misaki-chan that I was excited to be spending the entire weekend with her. She replied "Honto, you are coming to all of the events?" Yes. "Moriya too?" "YES! And afterwards we are going to the Wasamin club room in Sangenjaya!" I emphatically explained my plans to her. Yatta!!! I promised to return, grabbed my bag, and went for a walk. The line was still pretty long. After pretty much touring the entire mall, I returned to find the line still fairly long. I sat down for a few minutes before finally queueing up.

    (Handshake #2) The moment I greeted her, she immediately inquired to my current situation in Japan adding that she was worried about it. I replied I still haven't nailed down a full-time job yet, and was seriously thinking of leaving. But after talking with my father I decided to stick it out a while longer, and see if I can make something happen. She pleaded with me to do my best, and I told her I was. At the end, just as I was leaving, I exclaimed to her "Wasamin help me!!!" LOL But wasn't that sweet? She is sincerely worried about me. That's why she is my #1 girl!!!

    Anyway, I stuck around for the end of the event, then walked with the rest of the fans back to the station. I grabbed a quick dinner in Ikebukuro before heading home. Sunday's event is also in Saitama, but on the other side of the prefecture. I have been to Nittoh Mall a few times before, which is connected to the station, so Sunday's forecast for rain shouldn't be an issue.
     
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  9. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Iwasa Misaki Mini-Line at Nittoh Mall, Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture (2019/07/14)
    (A Wasa-Holiday Weekend, Part II)

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    After a fun afternoon with Wasamin in Tokorozawa, it was time to do it all over again. This time I would be heading north on the Nakasendo route to Kumagaya, and a mall I have visited a few times before. Nittoh Mall is located in Saitama Prefecture along the Takasaki Line route, around 30 minutes past Omiya. Since I live semi-close to Akabane Station, it makes for an easy ride, especially if I can get on an Express Train. Not to mention the mall is connected to the JR Station. Well, not directly connected; you need to walk through a few corridors and through another small mall, but you technically never need to go outside. I was running a little late and concerned about getting there on time. Fortunately my bus to the station arrived a bit early, and I was able to make the Express Train and get out to Kumagaya with over 30 minutes to spare.

    Like on Saturday, this was a one-performance event as opposed to when she does two at each location. (Jeez, I remember the good ole' days when she would do three performances at each venue!) It turned out she was sharing the stage with a new boy band called TFG, who did two performances earlier in the day to promote their debut single. The only other time I remember Wasamin sharing a stage with a boy band was over three years ago when I saw her at Shimotsuma, and she was alternating performances with a group called exist†trace. By the way, I looked them up as well, and they are still performing, although their image has drastically changed since I saw them. But back to Wasamin...

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    TFG

    There were plenty of seats available when I arrived, but I instead decided to fill out a pre-order form and queue up to make my purchase and get handshake tickets. The guy manning the sales booth was a bit slow, causing the line to become extremely long. Eventually they had another staff member help him, and the line began to move much more quickly. In any case, I made my purchase of three CDs, and now I have three of each new version of Wasamin's re-release coming to me in the mail.

    Once I completed my purchase I debated grabbing a seat, as there were still a few available. But I decided to hang out in the back with most of the Wasa-Happi crowd. It's a small mall, but there were plenty of people there, as well as lots of people watching from the 2nd floor rafters. At 5 p.m. Wasamin took the stage. Her setlist:

    Setlist 17:00
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ihoujin
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wasamin wasn't sure whether to say "Konnichiwa" or "Konbanwa," so she took a vote. Although she ultimately said both. She also commented on this mall being a regular stop on her mini-live schedule. Yes, I know. I have seen her there many times, as well as Minyo Girls, Hayabusa, and I know Mizumori Kaori performs there too. It is definitely on the Nagara Group shortlist of performance venues. It's a good size stage and spacious viewing area right in the center of the 1st floor. Those of us wearing Happi coats in the back were garnering a lot of attention from the locals, especially during the song calls. But I also caught quite a few people looping behind us to see what she had written on the back of our coats. Later on she asked if anyone was going to the beach for Marine Day (Beach? In Central Saitama???) It was her queue to invite people to her Monday event, instead of the beach of course. After the performance I immediately queued for my first of two visits. I decided instead of doing a vertical 2-shot, I would ask for a horizontal close-up for a change...

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    Wasamin immediately noticed my Matsumura Kaori T-shirt, and I told her it was from her concert. She said that she was happy that I was coming to all the events this weekend, and that she is enjoying spending the weekend with me. (my heart melted from the way she said it too!) I basically responded I was happy to come out to Kumagaya to see her, and that I am continuing to work on solving my employment issue. Wasamin gave me an encouraging "Faito" before I left the stage. I decided to grab a cup of coffee and relax for a little while at the adjacent cafe before using my last ticket.

    Since we were on the subject, I decided to relate a Kaotan story to her. But which one would I choose? Before I figured that out Wasamin asked me if I was hot, noticing the perspiration on my brow. I said it was nothing compared to the previous day's event, which she wholeheartedly agreed with. Anyway, I decided to tell the story about when I went on Wasamin's bus tour to Shizuoka, and the following weekend Kaotan told me that she saw all the pictures from the event, including the ones with me in it. That was also the time when Kaotan asked me if she was my ni-oshi, conceding that Wasamin was my true oshimen. Wasamin then asked who my kami-oshi is. Huh? Like she needs to ask? I told her of course she is my #1 girl. She then countered that she sees me talking about other idols on Twitter sometimes. But I told her that they ALL know that Wasamin is #1 in my eyes. She seemed satisfied with that. And truthfully she knows she is my #1. She was just playing with me a bit.

    After that I did a little window shopping before sitting down for the end of the event and Wasamin's farewell. I couldn't figure out if the group was planning a dinner, or just train routes, or what. So I eventually excused myself to catch the next train back to Akabane. We have a post-show party planned for Monday after her mini-live in Ibaraki. And then next weekend is her boat cruise event. So that should be a lot of fun!
     
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  10. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Mini-Live at Aeon Town Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture...and the Wasamin Club Room at BIG ECHO Sangenjaya (2019/07/15)
    (A Wasa-Holiday Weekend, Part III)

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    For the finale of Wasamin's three-day performance extravaganza, I headed out to Moriya in Ibaraki Prefecture for her mid-day performance. As with the other venues she appeared at this weekend, she was sharing the stage with other performers, specifically two enka artists, Sakurai Kumiko and Matsuzaka Yuuki. Despite the event being all the way out in Ibaraki, it wasn't too far from Tokyo, just 35 minutes from Akihabara via the Tsukuba Express. I headed out early to grab some lunch before the show, arriving in the middle of Sakurai Kumiko's set. The stage area was packed, which made me realize that the locals had staked out the seats for the entire day. So it would be virtually impossible to get a seat for Wasamin's show.

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    No matter, I hung out in the food court until it was close to the start time, then grabbed a standing spot just beyond the seats. I noticed an elderly couple behind me, and offered them my spot. It turned out the man spoke reasonably good English, and we ended up talking for a few minutes until the show started. He told me it was his first time seeing Misaki-chan perform, but he and his wife watched some of her videos on YouTube before before coming out. Finally Wasamin took the stage. Here's the setlist...

    Setlist 14:00
    1. Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara
    2. Ginza Kan Kan Musume
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

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    By the way, they were playing the new c/w tracks from the upcoming release before and after her performance, including Tonde Istanbul and Fuyu no Riviera. These are the two songs I am really anticipating, so it was nice to get a preview. (BTW, I think they both sound great) Moshisora is probably the least performed of all of Wasamin's singles, so it's nice to hear her pull it out once in a while. Ginza Kan Kan Musume is always a crowd-pleaser too. Her MCs were quite interesting, Wasamin spent the first MC talking about the holiday. Once in a while a few fans will respond to her with "Sou Desu ne!" Usually it is one or two people, but this time it sounded like a dozen people shouted at her in unison, which totally cracked her up. She was also promoting her October concert with Hayabusa and Tatsumi Yuuto. In fact, they were selling tickets on-site. However, I stuck with purchasing two CDs for one 2-shot and handshake.

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    Wasamin once again brought up the whole Wasamin/Wasabi thing. So I decided to reminisce about her old T-shirt. But before that I again asked for a close-up vertical 2-shot, since I really liked the one we took on Sunday. I usually ask for something that emphasizes her pretty smile. Anyway, I asked her if she remembered the shirt, and she responded "Natsukashi!" I told her that I still have the shirt, but I have never worn it since it is too small. (It was one of those infamous Japanese 'free size' shirts, which is technically a 'medium') Wasamin countered that rather than the shirt being small, it is because I am a big guy. Well...yeah. But thanks for reminding me Misaki-chan. I also thanked her for playing the new tracks, and told her I would see her next at her boat cruise event next weekend.

    I went for a walk around the mall, waiting for everyone else to finish so we could head out to Sangenjaya together. Our reservation was for 6 p.m., but we would be done a lot earlier than that, so we called ahead to move our reservation up an hour. In the meantime as we were walking back to the station we stopped at these random vending machines about a block away. I never knew this before, but apparently these machines offer tickets for the Tsukuba Express at a considerable discount, like almost 20% off. Quite the deal. So despite all of us having an IC card, we took advantage and purchased one-way discounted tickets back to Tokyo. I'm not sure if every station has them, but there were a bunch of these machines in the vicinity of Moriya station, so there's another pro-tip for ya...

    The Wasamin Club Room at BIG ECHO Sangenjaya

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    Sangenjaya is pretty far from Moriya, but surprisingly it only took us two trains and about one hour to get there. We arrived at BIG ECHO around 5 p.m. and the fans asked if I brought a single with me. (I did) It turned out if you presented a copy of Koi no Owari Sangenjaya they gave you a free clear file and coaster. I received these items at one of Wasamin's previous events, so now I have two of each. We headed upstairs, and into the anticipated Wasa-room.

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    I never noticed before, since the only other time I saw the room the door was open, but there is a not quite life-size picture of her on both sides of the door. Once inside, the back wall is adorned with pictures of her, and various things she likes. The two tables have photos of all of her releases. BTW, I'm not sure why, but the floor was really sticky. I asked the other fans why this was, but they merely shrugged. So we were in the room, ready to have fun, and then came the next surprise...

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    First of all, the room has two gigantic screens, taking up the entirety of two walls all the way to the ceiling. So the viewing and karaoke experience were incredible. The other surprise was the existence of six exclusive Wasamin mini-movies. The first was a "welcome" video with Misaki-chan explaining the features of the room, and why it came to be. The second is a 'making-of' of the photoshoot they used for the posters, clear files, and wall decor. The third was a "how-to" do the hand motions Wasamin does when she performs Koi no Owari Sangenjaya; something all of us Wasafans are already familiar with.

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    The last three videos were select performances from Wasamin's January concert at Tokyo Kinema Club, specifically Sado no Ondeko, Koi no Owari Sangenjaya, and Tomonoura Bojou. We watched all six videos while sharing two rounds of beer. The came karaoke time. It turned out everyone there had accounts with LIVEDAM. I tried to make an account, but my internet was running too slow, so I gave up and sang on Shim-san's account. We mainly sang Wasamin's songs, including Seikaku ga Warui Onna no Ko, which is the song she centered for Future Girls on the Kokoro no Placard single. Interestingly, we dutifully did the Wasamin calls during the songs, despite her not being there, LOL.

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    Eventually our two hours were up. We paid our bill, received out clear files, and headed out in search for dinner on the famous restaurant street nearby. Originally we were going to eat motsuyaki, but that particular restaurant was packed. We eventually found another Motsu restaurant mid-block, which was able to seat us immediately. The motsu stew, daikon soup, and motsuyaki were all wonderful. I would definitely hit this restaurant again given the chance.

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    It was a long day, filled with food, booze, karaoke, and Wasa-fun. Next weekend is Wasamin's fan club boat cruise, which if it is anything like the last one, should be a blast. I am really looking for ward to it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2019
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  11. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
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    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Fan Club Lunch Cruise, Tokyo Bay (2019/07/21)

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    It seems like Wasamin special events are happening a bit more often lately, as this is the fourth special event I have attended in the past two months. Granted, for two of those events I had to apply and win via lottery. But still, it amounts to a lot of up-close and personal time with Misaki-chan, which is one of the things that makes her fan club so great. This was not the first "cruise" event she has offered. Back in December of 2017 we did a lunch cruise aboard a Yakatabune, which is one of those traditional-looking boats you see quite often on the Sumida River. And let's not forget her performance on the ferry boat from Niigata to Sadogashima. Both wonderful memories. This event would be aboard the Vingt Et Un, a much larger ship specializing in meal cruises. The route goes from under the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay out past Haneda Airport, then turns around and comes back via the same route. I had no idea how the food would be, but spending a Sunday afternoon with Wasamin aboard a cruise ship would surely be a fun time.

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    I arrived at the passenger terminal just after 11:00 am, check-in had just started, and our boarding would be between 11:30 and 11:45. I received my boat ticket and a personally signed photo. Some of the fans I am friendly with were comparing their seating assignment, and it seemed we were all seated at different tables. We were called into the boat by which room we were in, the Wasamin group being called in last. It was a bit of a walk from the terminal to the ship, but eventually we got a glimpse of it from the back. The banquet-style room we were in was directly to the right of the ship entrance. Everyone scurried around looking for their table. My assigned table was toward the back on the left side. However, we were next to a window, so that was nice. We were immediately offered a choice of soft drinks, I chose oolong tea, and a short time later the boat left the dock. We were off!

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    wasa59.jpg
    The Stage

    A man took the stage who identified himself as Wasamin's manager from NagaraGroup. Huh? Has Wasamin changed managers? All of her staff were different too. I'm not sure if this is a permanent change or not, but Ichikawa-san has been Wasamin's manager for almost six years, and has developed quite the rapport with the fans. I guess we'll find out in the coming days if it's a permanent switch or not. In any case, he led us in a Wasamin chant, and she came out wearing a light-blue one-piece dress. She looked very fresh. After a few introductions, and finding out who traveled furthest for the event, she announced she would be spending time visiting each table during the lunch. She had 19 tables to visit, and she sat at each table for around five minutes, so this took up most of the cruise. Speaking of lunch, this is what we were served...

    The Grub

    wasa54.jpg

    Assorted Appetizers

    wasa53.jpg

    Cold Sweet Potato Soup

    wasa52.jpg
    Veal Cutlet 'Washington Style'

    wasa51.jpg
    Lychee and Pink Grapefruit Cake

    wasa57.jpg
    My place card


    To be honest, the food was just okay. The highlight of the appetizer was the eggplant, which had a spicy and tart sauce. I'm not sure what was in the cup, it may have been squid, but it was nice. The tuna/egg thing is not something I go for. The cold sweet potato soup was actually quite good. As for the main course, it had been quite a long time since I have eaten veal, and from what I gather it is not a common entree in Japan. In fact, I saw a lot of plates go back with the veal barely eaten. It just seemed to me like the veal was overcooked. At the end of the day it wasn't the greatest meal. But we were there mainly for Wasamin, the food was secondary.

    Since I was at Table E, we were the fifth table she visited. (She went in alphabetical order) They pulled up a chair for her, which by the way was right next to me, and she sat down to visit with us for a few minutes. It turned out that of the six of us seated at her table, three were going to one of her fan club events for the first time. Ha, I was wondering why I only recognized one person at our table. Wasamin pointed out that by comparison I had been to every fan club event. But I corrected her, pointing out that I missed the first fan club meeting and the first bus tour since I was out of town, but I had been to every one after that. She also asked if anyone had been on a cruise ship before, and I was the only one to raise my hand.

    Quiz Time!

    She finished visiting the tables during dessert, and it was time for the Wasamin quiz. This time she would be shown a photo which she would need to draw, and we would have to guess what it was. Five winners would get a signed cheki. I am notoriously bad at these quizzes, especially with the language barrier, but I gave it the ole' college try. The answers were Sakamoto Ryoma (historical figure) Tokyo Sky Tree, Lupin III, and Sazae-san. I got zero correct, although I am familiar with all four. I guessed Oda Nobunaga for the first drawing, and I thought about guessing Sky Tree for #2, but she drew it so strangely like it was a Russian Onion Dome. I had no idea for #3 and #4, but I thought #3 looked like James Bond, LOL. Ultimately 16 people got all four correct, so they decided to quickly take eleven more chekis for her to sign so everyone could get a prize. After that it was time to sing. And like at one of her concerts, this portion of the show was "Camera O.K." and she would roam the room so everyone could get good photos. Here's the setlist...

    wasa66.jpg

    Setlist
    1. Niji wo Watatte
    2. Toshishita no Otokonoko
    3. Natsu no Tobira
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    wasa60.jpg wasa61.jpg wasa62.jpg wasa68.jpg wasa64.jpg wasa67.jpg

    She did two laps around the room, and stopped in front of each table more than once, so everyone got a lot of good closeups. Plus the lighting in the room was nice, so the photos came out quite well. By the time she finished the boat had already docked, and we were the last group set to disembark. So Wasamin thanked us all for coming, and hoped we had a good time and a nice lunch. I was pretty close to the door, so I was one of the first people off the boat. I headed straight for Hamamatsucho Station and Komazawa Koen, where I was meeting a friend at Oktoberfest.

    Summary

    Despite the food being just okay, it was a really nice event overall. I mean the main point is spending quality time with Wasamin, and despite there being 116 fans aboard, I think she did a great job making sure everyone got to talk with her for a while, and got good closeup photos. Ultimately if she scheduled another one of these events tomorrow I would go in a heartbeat. As for the cruise itself, it is a really nice boat, and I am sure in nicer weather, and in the evening it is a very scenic cruise. But Sunday was quite dreary, which took away from the views. Not that it was a big deal since Wasamin kept us busy pretty much the entire time. So if I were to recommend this cruise I would say 1) take the twilight sailing, it's the same price as the lunch cruise. (Dinner cruise is considerably more expensive) and 2) don't order the bargain meal, go for either the Rainbow or Gold meal. Their menus are online, and you can tell just by looking that they have nicer entrees and appetizers.

    With her 'special edition' of her 8th single coming out in early-August, Wasamin has quite a few live appearances coming up over the next three weeks, with quite a few events in Kanto. Plus, she has a special "talk and photo" event on August 4th. So lots of Wasafun on the horizon.
     
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  12. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Fan Event 'Wasamin Greeting Vol. 1' at GA Hall, Tabata (2019/08/04)

    I'm not sure why they are calling this event "Volume One" since she did a similar event in Ebisu back in May. This was announced a few weeks ago, with tickets available exclusively on CN Play Guide There would be no singling, instead fans would be treated to talk, games, and photo-ops. It was virtually identical to the Ebisu event. Personally, I have a lot of trouble using the CN Play Guide, and after a few failed attempts I pretty much gave up unless like in Ebisu they made tickets available 'on the day.' Sure enough, staff made the announcement on Friday afternoon that if you showed up to the event they would sell you a ticket. Cool, I was good to go...

    Tabata is relatively close to where I live. It's a 9-minute ride on the Mita Line, followed by a two-stop ride on the Yamanote. The real challenge was the walk to the venue. It was about 10-minutes away from the station and much of the walk was uphill. Oh, and let's not forget that this has been the hottest weekend of the year. I arrived at Tabata Station early, and decided to retreat to the local Beck's for a cold lemonade. I had over 45-minutes until the doors opened. After quenching my thirst, I left the station for the venue, and after about 5 minutes of walking nothing looked familiar to me. I was almost sure I was going the right way since I double-checked the map before I left. But when checked on google maps it looked totally different. In fact, everything was the opposite from what I thought. I had been walking Northeast from the station, when I should've been walking Southwest. Luckily, I remembered seeing a McDonalds in the distance as I left the station which I remembered from Google Maps, so I doubled back and went the other way. I immediately spotted a few landmarks I recognized. Not only that, I noticed someone walking a block in front of me with a Wasamin jersey on. So I was good to go. Good thing I left extra-early.

    wasa3.jpg

    I arrived just as doors opened. The llne stretched into the alley, and I asked the staff member from Nagarapro if I had to go somewhere special to buy a ticket, but he informed me to just go through the regular line, and then tell the ticket-taker that you want to buy one. After storing my shoes in a locker (no shoes allowed!) I received a ticket for the third row on the far right side. I was also given one 2-shot ticket as a bonus for being a fan club member. I spent the next 10-minutes toweling myself off from the walk and drinking a bottle of water I purchased along the way. Despite my shirt being sweaty, I was otherwise cooled off and ready for the show. In the meantime I checked the goods table. There was nothing new, but I did pick up one additional 2-shot ticket.

    wasa1.jpg
    From Wasamin's blog

    Wasamin had posted what she planned to wear the night before, and boy did she look cute! It isn't often she wears shorts like that, showing off her cute little legs. And I loved the Orion Beer T-shirt! After complaining about the excessive heat, she asked if there was anyone not yet in the fan club. But it turned out every single person there was, so she turned her fan club promotion into us enrolling our friends, LOL. After that they immediately started the Wasamin quiz. I am notoriously bad at these, especially since I sometimes don't understand the questions. However, she announced that this quiz would be multiple choice. So perhaps I had a chance, even if I had to guess on some. The questions were as follows...

    1. What was the first thing you ate after arriving in Hokkaido? The answer was salad, I guessed Genghis Khan.
    2. What something you recently treated yourself to? The answer was a visit to the 100 yen shop. I got this one right.
    3. What was your Jr. High homeroom teacher's teaching subject? The answer was Japanese Language, I answered music.
    4. What was the color of your first smartphone? I answered this correctly, pink.
    5. What is your favorite ingredient in Miso soup? The answer was clams, which I got right.
    6. I didn't understand this question at all. It had something to do with anime. I guessed wrong though.

    One person answered them all correctly, a fan from Osaka who apparently took the overnight bus to get to the event. Three people got five of six right, and 10 people got 4. The people who got four correct played janken for the last six chekis. I had three correct, so I just missed. The next segment was a Q&A segment. Questions were submitted through the Nagarapro website beforehand. I couldn't think of anything to ask, so I didn't participate. Although per usual, during the event I was coming up with all sorts of questions. Wasamin answered around a half-dozen questions. Some of the things we learned...

    • She wants to go to Hawaii and swim with dolphins.
    • Wasamin watches a lot of dramas on Netflix
    • Wasamin rarely goes swimming, and when she does she usually "dog paddles."
    • Her favorite Japanese regional cuisine? Motsunabe from Kyushu.
    • When she cooks, she decides on the main ingredient she wants to eat and then searches the net for recipes.
    • Lately she has been listening to a lot of Morning Musume, both the classic and new stuff.
    wasa2.jpg

    After that the talk portion of the event was over. It went by rather quickly. The remaining 90 minutes were dedicated to 2-shots. We had a choice of shamekai or cheki, and they assembled a sort of 'beach scene' complete with various beach related prop like rafts, inner tubes, snorkels, and balloons. They were calling us up by section and row, but they were doing it in a really strange way, almost like the manager (Yes, she has a new manager!) was randomly calling people up. He was trying to do it in some sort of order, but kept skipping people. At one point a couple people tried to re-queue for a second visit, but one of the staff ultimately stopped them. After doing every row but mine the manager said "so everyone has gone once already? NO! The guy next to me (who I was also next to on the boat cruise) both raised our hands, so we were the last two to go.

    A few of the fans, upon hearing that Wasamin would be wearing an Orion Beer T-shirt, bought their own Orion shirts for the occasion. One of them brought Orion beer too, and left them on stage for anyone to use. Naturally this was going to be my choice, and when Wasamin asked what props I wanted to use, I said "Of course, the beer!"

    wasa4.jpg

    After telling Wasamin about getting lost on my way to the event, I asked her about the Spicy Yakisoba she bought in Hokkaido. She said it was good, and asked if I liked spicy food. (Wasamin, we have had this conversation so many times!) When I mentioned Mouku Tanmen Nakamoto, she was like "Oh yeah, you love spicy food, right? And you like Akakara Nabe!" I'm glad I jogged her memory.

    I had one other ticket, and I was really thirsty. All the beer talk had me in the mood for a pint as well, so I didn't waste too much time before heading back to the queue. There were a couple other props I was interested in using, including one that hardly anyone had used yet. By the time I got to the front I asked for the snorkel, and then asked Wasamin to grab the beer...

    wasa5.jpg

    YES! This got a great laugh from everyone. I didn't have time to adjust the strap, but I knew that if you put a snorkel on your face and inhale, it will suction itself to your face, which is what I did. Sp yeah, it came out almost exactly as I planned, except I didn't put the actual snorkel in my mouth (for obvious reasons) After that I told her I am really looking forward to her new single release events this week. She has a whole bunch planned over the next 10 days, and I plan on going to a bunch of them!

    And with that I was done. I grabbed my shoes and headed back to the station. I had plans to see Minyo Girls at Sunshine City in the evening, but that was almost three hours away. I contemplated going home and changing into a different shirt, but instead headed straight to Ikebukuro and The Hub for a cold beer.
     
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  13. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Release Event Mini-Live at Ario Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture (2019/08/09)

    Among my favorite places to see Wasamin perform is along the Nakasendo corridor through Saitama Prefecture. She performs in Saitama probably more than any other part of Japan, including Tokyo. In fact, if you take the Takasaki Line north from Akabane, you will pass close to 10 different locations where Wasamin has performed in the past, many of which she has appeared at on multiple occasions. The frequency in which I have traveled throughout that region to see her is probably the biggest reason why I have fallen in love with Saitama as a potential place to live.

    The special edition of Wasamin's 8th single released this week with three new tracks, two new jacket covers, and a pretty crazy tour schedule in support of the release. She began the tour with a furage event in Northern Ibaraki Prefecture, not far from the Tochigi Prefecture border. Then after a day off she performed in Tokyo, then at this event in Northern Saitama. This weekend she will be in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures before returning to Kanto to perform twice in Saitama and once in Yokohama. After that she flies to an event in Kyushu, then finishes the promotion with two events in Yamagata. Oh, and did I mention she was just in Hokkaido, Kagoshima, and Aichi last week? Three weeks of hopping all over Japan, including a 13-day, eleven location whirlwind promotional tour. It is tiring just to think about...

    wasa6.jpg
    The glass elevator going up and down above Wasamin's head was funny to watch.

    I skipped on the furage day since PolePole City in Ibaraki Prefecture is pretty far away. But I had planned on going to both the Tokyo and Saitama events this week. That was until I won the AKB48 Theater show on Thursday. I decided since Wasamin is doing quite a few events I would skip Tokyo, and go to Saitama. Ario Fukaya is on the Northern end of Saitama Prefecture, not too far from Gunma. It's about a 90-minute train ride from Central Tokyo on the Takasaki Line. However, since I live near Akabane it is not quite as far. In fact if I catch the once-hourly express train I can get to Fukaya in 58 minutes. The other nice thing about Ario Fukaya, despite it being fairly far from the train station, is that they run a free shuttle to and from the mall every 20-minutes. I ended up getting there just before 11 a.m. There were a few seats still available, so I grabbed one and then went to lunch. When I returned a queue had formed to purchase CDs, so I jumped in, picking up two copies of each version. This would afford me a 2-shot for each performance. I grabbed my seat and waited for the event to begin. Oh, the shows were scheduled for an hour earlier than usual, which is why I had to leave so early. At first I thought it was to give her more time to get to Ishikawa Prefecture. But I found out later that there was another event scheduled after her. Here is the first setlist...

    12:00 Setlist
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Gakusei Jidai
    3. Fuyu no Riviera
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    It didn't dawn on me until after I got there that she would be singing the three new tracks from the single, and she led off with my favorite of the three. I knew Fuyu no Riviera was coming since she teed it up by talking about covering male artists. I just love every time she performs it! Wasamin was wearing her navy blue kimono, and her hair back in a ponytail. It is among my favorites of her various hairstyles, and I do like that kimono. Luckily this was an indoor performance, as she surely would've been suffering in the stifling outdoor heat with that outfit on. She also had a good sync going with her fans, as we did the "Sou desu ne" bit, the "ehhhhhh!" bit before the last song, followed by the faux surprise bit when she announces the 2nd performance of the day.

    wasa7.jpg
    It's a cute pic, but the angle makes Wasamin appear to be huge.

    I immediately queued up for my 2-shot, figuring I would get it out of the way quickly and then have a longer break between shows. BTW, I ran into Wasamin's new manager in the morning when I first arrived at the mall. I wasn't sure it was him until he said hello to me. Hopefully he is treating Wasamin well. I know a lot of us miss Ichikawa-san, who treated us as if we were part of the family. The new manager is still getting his feet wet with us, so hopefully he will continue to develop a relationship with the fans as he gets more settled in his new role. Anyway, it was my turn. We did a "love" pose and then went to the table, where I gave Wasamin a bit of an update on what's going on with me right now. She wished me luck, and said she really hopes everything going on turns out well. And with that I left to take a break.

    I had almost two hours to kill, and I wasn't hungry since I had lunch before the first show. I decided to walk over to a park across the street from the mall where I could play Wizard's Unite for a while. (For those of you who play, the park had three inns and a fortress) It was still really hot, but I found a shady spot to sit for a while where I wasn't too uncomfortable. After that I retreated to the Dotour for an iced coffee and a cool place to sit for a while. It was then that I noticed that this mall has a few transients hanging around. Mind you, it wasn't nearly on the level of Kishiwada Talk Town in Osaka, which is an a really impoverished neighborhood. But as I learned in Kishiwada, the oddball crowd are ALWAYS drawn to the music when there is a live performance happening. In any case, I returned for the second show, and took a standing spot on the left side. The late setlist...

    Setlist 14:30
    1. Tomonoura Bojou
    2. Ginza Kan Kan Musume
    3. Yarazu no Ame
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Despite this being the first week she is performing the three new songs from the single, most of her regular fans have seen her perform them at her concert earlier this year, as well as a couple of special events. Still, it is exciting to hear her add new songs to her mini-live rotation. Frankly, I was hoping she would sing Tonde Istanbul for the second show, but instead she sang Yurazu no Ame, which is the 2nd track on both versions. Wasamin mentioned how often she performs at this particular mall, and in this area in general going on to promote her Monday event in Ageo and her Wednesday event in Kamisato, both of which I am planning to attend. But she also regularly performs in Konosu, Kumagaya, Urawa, Kita-Toda, Warabi, and Omiya. She was also promoting the full set of her 8th single, including the original three versions plus the two new versions.

    I decided to take a break before queueing up since I only had enough for one visit. I figured I would stay all the way to the end anyway. When I returned there was a huge queue next to the stage. Who were these people? Was there a rush on Wasamin CDs? It turned out this was the pre-queue for some ikemen volleyball group who were performing at 4:30 p.m. Eventually I found the comparably shorter Wasamin handshake line and queued up. And a few minutes later it was my turn...

    wasa8.jpg
    Me shortly after my lobotomy

    Wasamin immediately started engaging me in conversation while the staff member taking the photo kept asking me to pose. She kept turning to me, until eventually the guy said he was taking the shot, which is why both of us have odd expressions on our faces. Well, at least ONE OF US has an odd expression, LOL. It's my "in the middle of talking" face. Not the first time, or the last time for that to happen. What Wasamin was trying to ask me was about my aversion to sunlight. This subject came up between us a few years ago at an event, and then again on her Yokohama Bus Tour. I am fair-skinned, with light eyes, so in many ways I am ultra-sensitive to the sun. In America I wore dark sunglasses, but that isn't really a common fashion in Japan, so I have never worn them here. But yeah, the bright sun causes me quite a bit of eye discomfort, which Wasamin had remembered me mentioning before, so she asked how I was coping with the current heatwave.

    I told her I would see her at Ageo before I left. I checked the bus schedule and the train schedule. If I left in the next five minutes I would be able to catch an express train back to Akabane. However, if I waited until the event completely ended I would have to wait for the next bus, and the catch a slower train back. I decided to watch the end of the show, and wave goodbye to Wasamin. By the way, one of the local crazies who I had seen around the mall all day went chasing after Wasamin as she left, but she fended him off quite well while remaining congenial and nice. Normally, Ichikawa-san (Wasamin's previous manager) was really good at blocking these sort of intrusions, but her new manager didn't seem to notice, or react to the situation. Nor did any of the mall staff. Ultimately everything turned out okay.

    Then just my luck, one of the fans offered me a ride to the train station. I ended up getting there just in time to catch the express train after all, and was back in Akabane before 5 p.m. So everything worked out in the end. Here is Wasamin's complete release event schedule, for anyone who might be in town and wants to see her...

    Tuesday (08/06) PolePole City Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Thursday (08/08) Ario Kasai, Tokyo 13:00/15:30
    Friday (08/09) Ario Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture 12:00/14:30

    Saturday (08/10) Al Plaza Kashima, Ishikawa Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Sunday (08/11) Plafa Shopping Center Himi, Toyama Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Monday (08/12) Ageo Shosen Plaza, Saitama Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Tuesday (08/13) Tressa Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Wednesday (08/14) Aeon Town Kamisato, Saitama Prefecture 13:00/15:30
    Thursday (08/15) Kudara no Sato Festival, Miyazaki Prefecture 16:50
    Saturday (08/17) Aeon Mall Yamagata Minami, Yamagata Prefecture 16:00
    Sunday (08/18) Aeon Mall Tendou Gurume, Yamagata Prefecture 13:00/15:30

    I will most likely go to both Saitama events. As for the Yokohama show. Well, that's another mall that is nowhere near a train station, and a bit of a pain to get to. So I'll play that one by ear.
     
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  14. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Release Event/Mini-Live at Ageo Shosen Plaza, Saitama Prefecture (2019/08/12)

    Wasamin was finally back in town after spending the weekend on Japan's West Coast, performing in Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures. I had been looking forward to her three release events this week. Well, at least two of them. I still haven't completely decided about her Yokohama event on Tuesday. However, my experience this weekend almost made me consider a total change in plans...

    After seeing DESURABBITS in Yokohama this past June, I have really become a fan, and have been wanting to attend more of their shows. I finally had the chance on Sunday in Akihabara, where they held a mini-live in support of their upcoming new single. You can read that event report here on my blog. I had such a great time, and enjoyed the show so much that for a moment I considered going to their live event on Monday in Kawasaki. The problem was that it completely conflicted with Wasamin's event. So I thought maybe I would go to see DESURABBITS on Monday, and then see Wasamin on Tuesday and Wednesday. But then I came to my senses. For one, I had already told Wasamin that I would see her in Ageo. And I would feel really bad about Wasamin losing an event face-off with a group I have just started to get into. So as much as I would've loved to see DESURABBITS, I couldn't do that to Wasamin, so off to Saitama I went.

    Ageo is an easy commute from where I live. From Akabane Station it's five stops on the Takasaki or Shonan-Shinjuku Lines (Three stops if you catch the hourly express train) I left my house to catch the bus to Akabane, and when I turned the corner I saw the bus sitting at the stop. I started running for it since that bus only comes every 10-15 minutes. Luckily the bus driver saw me, and just as he began pulling away he stopped, and then opened the do to let me on. I have seen bus drivers in Japan do that for people before, and it's a very nice gesture. Nobody likes just missing the bus. As a result I was able to catch an earlier train than expected, and arrived at Shosen Plaza an hour before the event.

    wasa11.jpg
    By the way, that girl mopping the stage was really cute!

    The mall is actually connected directly to Ageo Station. Once you exit the station, you merely walk across a short bridge which leads directly to the mall. I walked over with another Wasafan who I met up with on the train. He had never seen Wasamin at this mall before. That surprised me since she performs there all the time. In fact this was my 4th time seeing her there. When we got to the event space the seats were roped off. It turned out they were limiting the seating area to those who bought CDs. It's interesting since this is one of those malls that attracts a lot of older people who come to watch the events, but rarely buy anything. Yet they come early and camp out for the best seats. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it discourages people from coming who may have been inspired to buy a CD after seeing Wasamin perform. And one of Wasamin's goals is to expose her talent to as many people as possible. On the other hand, it's sometimes annoying when most of the seats are filled with people who take off the moment the performance ends, and don't participate in buppan. In any case, I made my purchase, and was allowed into the seating area. They also asked me if I was staying for both performances, and gave me a pass for the second show too. I grabbed a 4th row center seat, and then went to lunch since I had tons of time.

    I returned to my seat around 15 minutes before the event, and spent most of that time discussing Minyo Girls with the Wasafans sitting next to me. It's funny how many of us were encouraged to follow Minyo Girls based on Wasamin and (former Wasa-manager) Ichikawa-san's encouragement. There are probably around 5-10 of us who are fans of both. It was getting close to showtime, so I put on my Happi Coat. Wasamin was wearing the same Kimono she wore on Friday. Here is the early setlist...

    Setlist 13:00
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ginza Kan Kan Musume
    3. Yarazu no Ame
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    I'm not completely sure why, but the crowd was smaller than usual for this venue. Perhaps the reserved seating had something to do with it, or the fact it was a holiday and many of the stores were closed. I also noticed the entire neighborhood, and the entire mall was really quiet. So it may have been a combination of factors. Among the things Wasamin talked about during her MC's was the incoming typhoon that's supposed to hit Kyushu this week, at the same time Wasamin is supposed to be traveling to Miyazaki Prefecture for a festival performance. Needless to say many of her fans are worried about her safety, and she asked the crowd if anyone was planning on traveling to the event. (two people raised their hand) She advised everyone to be careful, but I got the feeling she is a bit nervous about it too. (The Miyazaki event actually did get cancelled around the time she was doing this MC, so good news) Later she commented on the Kimono she was wearing. I thought since it was a dark-colored material that she would be hot in it, but Wasamin said the opposite. It does seem like it's a lighter material, and perhaps because of that it breathes better. Oh, and there was a guy in the audience who kept holding up signs and frantically pointing at them throughout the show. I thought I had seen him before at this mall, and thought for a second that perhaps he was deaf? But no, he's just another quirky fan. Occasionally fans show up to her events who have strange idiosyncrasies. Most of them are good-natured. (Although to be honest there is one who really annoys me, but I won't get into that)

    wasa10.jpg

    After the event they announced that they would be calling us up for handshakes and 2-shots by row. Since I was in the 4th row it would be a little while before my turn. I decided to pose next to the flower stand, just because it was something different. I hadn't really planned on anything to say, so I asked her how Toyama was. I went on to say that I would've loved to have traveled with her this weekend, but it was too far. Wasamin was basically laughing at me the entire time. I mean I could've talked about DESURABBITS, but then I would've had to hear her lamenting about me liking other idols. I would have to come up with something better for the second show.

    I decided to go for a little walk, first through the supermarket on the basement floor of the mall, and then around the local neighborhood. I came back a little while later to hopefully hear Wasamin's end of show speech, but just missed it. However I did catch the announcement that they would be re-opening the seating at 3 p.m. for people with purchase tickets. I retreated to the local Choco-Cro for an iced coffee, returning just after 3...

    Well it seemed as if everyone came back early and pre-queued for seating, as it was about 80% full when I got back to the event space. However, there was a spot available in the first row on the far right, so I grabbed it. This would also mean that I would be the first to do buppan after the performance ended. Here is the late setlist...

    15:30 Setlist
    1. Mujineki
    2. Gakusei Jidai
    3. Fuyu no Riviera
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Hmmm, so it turned out songs #2-4 were exactly the same as from the events on Friday. I was hoping to hear her sing Tonde Istanbul today, since it's the one new song I have yet to hear her perform this week. But I am happy she performed Fuyu no Riviera again since I personally think it is her "homerun" song from this release, and again she didn't disappoint. Once again she was promoting people buying the "full set" of her new single to have all of her new songs, and she promoted her 2nd album as well since it contains Gakusei Jidai. She also mentioned that she loves Mondays, which drew an "ehhhh" from the crowd. However, she went on to say that it's because T-point offers bonus points when you shop on Mondays. After that she was taking suggestions on other good point cards. Ha, no shortage of those in Japan. As I said, I was slated to go first in buppan, and they wasted very little time ushering me to the stage. Wasamin immediately walked over to pose for a photo with me, but I only had one ticket for a handshake only. She was slightly surprised...

    I basically had a conversation with her about the point cards I like. I mentioned I don't have T-point, nor do I have a JRE point card, which is also popular. The main point cards I use are my Aeon Card, my D-point card (which I still haven't figured out how to cash out) and my Hub/82 Alehouse card, which I had accumulated so many points on that when I cashed half of them out earlier this month I received 15000 yen in Hub cash. Wasamin wasn't familiar with The Hub, which surprised me since they are so omnipresent around Tokyo. But that was probably for the best since it's a bar, and the fact that I have so many points on a bar card might be amusing to her. LOL. In any case, I was done early, and I hoofed it over to the train station and was back in Akabane probably before the event even ended.

    When got home I noticed a whole bunch of fresh mosquito bites all over my legs. The mosquitoes have been biting me with a vengeance ever since it warmed up a couple weeks ago. I first bought an insect repellent for the house, which helped when I was home. But whenever I leave the house they are all over me. So tonight I finally bought some body repellent and bite relief medication, and I feel so much better. In the meantime Wasamin has two more Kanto events; tomorrow in Yokohama and Wednesday in Northern Saitama. Technically, both of these malls are a pain to get to since neither is near a train station. At Yokohama the mall is a 10-minute bus ride from the closest station. As for Saitama, there is a shuttle bus, but it only runs first thing in the morning, and there are very few taxis. I have a friend in Gunma who always comes to see me when Wasamin plays at Kamisato, so I don't want to disappoint him, even if I have to walk 2km in the rain (according to the forecast) to get to the event. The last two times I went to Kamisato I arrived with a bunch of other fans and we were able to find transportation to the mall. Hopefully I will be just as lucky on Wednesday. And at this point I am thinking of going to Yokohama too. So more Wasa-reports on the way!
     
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  15. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Release Event/Mini-Live at Tressa Yokohama (2019/08/13)

    Wasamin has probably performed at over 100 different malls across Japan in her almost eight years as a soloist, and most of those malls are conveniently located near major train stations. However, some of her performances have taken place at locations that are difficult to access unless you are coming by car. Aeon Shimotsuma in Ibaraki Prefecture comes to mind, as does Tressa Yokohama, which is where Wasamin's event took place on Tuesday.

    Wasamin has performed at Tressa at once before, and I ended up skipping the event since I didn't want to go through the pain of having to get there. However, we are in the middle of her big promotion for the new version of her 8th single, and to be honest I didn't really have anything else to do. Moreover, Tsunashima Station is relatively easy for me to get to via the train that stops by my house. It was just a matter of researching which bus I needed to take to get to the mall. After figuring that out, I was on my way.

    I arrived at the station relatively early, and knew that my bus was outside the east exit at stop #7. I found Stop #1, and walked all the way to Stop #6, and that was it. Huh? Where was stop #7? I checked the map, and it said my stop was somewhere a block or so away from the station. Jeez, just my luck. I went the wrong way at first, but eventually doubled back and found where I needed to go, and whaddya know, the bus was just pulling up. The bus was scheduled to leave in two minutes, and it was a 12-minute ride. Why we sat at the stop until seven minutes after departure, I have no idea. The other odd thing is that there is a Tressa Yokohama Stop on the bus line, but it is a block after you pass the mall. Meanwhile there's a stop actually in front of the mall, but it's called something else. Weird.

    So I finally made it 45 minutes before the show. I reserved a seat, and took off to explore and grab some lunch. It's a big mall, but it's not because it has a ton of stores. In fact, half the mall houses car dealerships. I had never seen an indoor mall quite like it. I mean it's an indoor mall, and it's filled with cars from pretty much every Japanese automaker. The other half of the mall was primarily food. On the first floor there was a big supermarket, rows of specialty shops, fast food restaurants, and a food court. The 2nd floor was mainly sit-down restaurants. Despite the mall looking relatively old from the outside, the interior looked to be recently remodeled into a classic French theme, not unlike Venus Fort in Odaiba. Anyway, Wasamin would be performing outside the Shinseido and the Starbucks, just opposite the Toyota Dealership. There was a huge overhead screen looping her latest MV, and there was also a big television nearby showing the Summer Koshien tournament. The entire setup of the place was interesting.

    wasa19.jpg

    After enjoying a quick lunch at the kaitenzushi, and returned to the stage area and took my second row center seat. Shortly before the show, staff informed us that while doing Wasamin calls was okay, they requested that we mute ourselves a bit so not to annoy the nearby businesses. What that usually means is that when we cheer, we do it in a low octave, almost mocking the request. Wasamin usually gets a kick out of it too. When she took the stage she was wearing a brand new kimono, lavender with black & white print. It was really pretty, and I couldn't wait to take a picture with her wearing it. Oh, here's the early setlist...

    13:00 Setlist
    1. Mujineki
    2. Blue Light Yokohama
    3. Tonde Istanbul
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    I finally got to hear her sing Tonde Istanbul on this tour, yatta! And of course 'Blue Light' is a standard whenever she performs in Kanagawa Prefecture, for obvious reasons. During her MCs she brought up the heatwave we have been dealing with all month, and thanked everyone for braving the heat and coming out. She also spoke about her cancelled event in Kyushu on Thursday. I am pretty sure everyone was relieved Wasamin wouldn't be flying to Miyazaki in the middle of a typhoon. Finally she brought up her new kimono, which received a rousing approval from the fans. As I mentioned, we all did a good job keeping our cheering to a dull roar, but thankfully the volume of the performance was enough to draw people from all over the mall. The audience was small from the outset, but grew as the show went on. Afterwards they quickly set up for buppan, and I was around 10th in line...

    wasa17.jpg

    Basically showing my approval of her outfit. I mentioned that the moment she came out I knew it was brand new, and thought it was really pretty. Funny story, last night I went to my local Welcia Pharmacy to pick up mosquito repellent and bite relief medication, and when I got home I checked Wasamin's blog to find out she also wnet shopping at her local Welcia at the same time. So I mentioned to her that funny coincidence, and showed her all the bite marks all over my legs. She was familiar with all the products I bought since they are evidently the most commonly used for mosquitoes throughout Japan. But she was surprised to see my right leg has close to 20 bites on it. With that I excused myself and went to look for a nice place to hang out before the second event.

    wasa18.jpg
    My trusty bottles of 'Skin Vape' and Muhi S bite relief

    I wasn't hungry, but I was really thirsty. I noticed that pizza counter in the food court offered a "Jumbo" soda for only 150 yen, so I got a big Coca-cola, only to find that they filled the cup with so much ice there was barely any soda in it. I ended up going to the mall conbini and picking up more drinks, which I kept refilling into my ice-filled jumbo cup, LOL. Since the mall was mainly food and cars, I couldn't find too much to do, so I eventually went back to the stage, grabbed a first row seat on the right, and vegged out for close to an hour until the 2nd event began. Once again we were to not to overdo the calls, and with that Wasamin came out. Here is the late setlist...

    Setlist 15:30
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Niji wo Watatte
    3. Yarazu no Ame
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    They forgot to turn on Wasamin's mic, which she didn't figure out until she attempted to start the first verse of Hatsuzake and nothing came out, LOL. Niji wo Watatte was an interesting choice given our admonishment not to be too loud. In fact, Wasamin even made note of it when she introduced the song, saying she understood that we had to keep the noise at a certain level, but let's have fun with it anyway. Once again, during the MC she talked about the heat, and her new kimono. Oh, and somehow she accidentally turned off her mic on the last chorus of 'Sangenjaya,' oops! I decided to take a short break when buppan started, coming back around 10-minutes later. The line was still fairly long, but it cycled through quickly...

    wasa16.jpg

    Ahh, the "Gets" pose. Wasamin immediately started laughing. "Why GETS???" I dunno Misaki-chan, it just came to me. I guess I like Dandy Sakano. "But why GETS?" I first saw it when I saw Matsuura Aya's soccer movie, and Dandy Sakano was in it. "Ayaya was in a soccer movie?" Yes! (I couldn't remember the movie's title at the time, it's "VICTORY: Futto Girls no Seishun") Dandy Sakano was a coach who taught Becky to "GETS the ball." Meanwhile both Wasamin and her manager were laughing. But my time was up. I told her I would see her tomorrow. I will give her the name of the movie when I see her in Kamisato.

    I stuck around until the end of the event. I wasn't sure where the bus stop was, so I figured I would just walk with everyone else. It was perfect timing, as I was able to catch an express train to Hiyoshi, and then a direct train all the way home. I even managed to grab a short nap on the ride. Tomorrow is another mall that isn't near a train station. Not to mention Kamisato is a long ride north, all the way to the Gunma Prefecture border. there is a shuttle from the station to the mall, but there is a 2+ hour void in the late morning when no buses run. So I will have to either get there extra early, or find another way to get there. I figure as long as I make the 9:35 express train from Akabane I will be good to go. So that's my plan for tomorrow. Hopefully like today I will avoid the scattered showers lingering in the area.
     
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  16. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki Release Event/Mini-Line at Aeon Town Kamisato, Saitama Prefecture (2019/08/14)

    This event was the last scheduled in Kanto for the current single promotion. So despite Kamisato being fairly far from Tokyo (it's technically in Saitama Prefecture, but you can walk from the mall to the Gunma Prefecture border) most Wasafans, as well as I decided to make the trip. In order to catch the irregularly scheduled bus from Jimbohara Station to the mall it required me taking a train early. But what the hell, I got to Akabane at 9:15, and caught the express train north.

    By the way, it was pouring when I arrived at Akabane Station, and for the entire 80-minute ride north, despite the rain being off and on, the entire Western sky will filled with ominous black clouds, as was the sky behind us. What kind of weather would be run into at Kamisato? Well, as I exited the train the rain was coming down in sheets. There were three other Wasafans on the same train, and I suggested it would be pretty cheap if we split a taxi. But two of them mentioned the bus was coming in 10-minutes, so we might as well wait. Around 5-minutes later a bus arrived, which we boarded. At was around 5-minutes into the trip that I noticed something was amiss. We weren't getting any closer to the mall. In fact, we were going in a different direction. I asked Kentaro-san if perhaps we got on the wrong bus? Sure enough, when we asked the driver he informed us he wasn't going anywhere near Aeon Town. Luckily we had done a complete circle, and were back at Jimbohara Station. Unfortunately we had missed the last bus to the mall, so we ended up splitting a taxi after all, and still made it to Aeon Town around 90-minutes before the show.

    Surprisingly, there were a lot of Wasafans already at the event. They must have taken trains in the early morning? There were still a few seats available, but they were all in the back, and the chairs were tiny. I decided I would stand for the early event, and headed off to lunch. When I got upstairs I quickly realized how anemic this mall's food choices were. The Food Court contained a Ringer Hut, Sukiya, an off-brand Takoyaki stand, and a random Ramen place. Downstairs was a Burger King, Mister Donut, a Nepalese Restaurant, and a Baskin Robbins. That's it. After lunch I headed back downstairs to look for my friend Tanaka-san from Gunma, who always shows up at this mall to see me when Wasamin performs. Sure enough, he and his mom were sitting at a table near the Supermarket. Tanaka-san and I caught up (it had been a year since we last met) while we waited for the show to start.

    wasa22.jpg
    From Wasamin's blog. Her new Kimono. I didn't notice the "goldfish" pattern until she pointed it out.

    Eventually we went back to the stage area, I donned my Happi coat, and got ready for the show. Except a few minutes before a strange guy, who smelled really bad took the spot right next to me. I don't know what it is, but I seem to attract these guys wherever I go. I decided I wasn't going to spend the show with one eye on this person, so I went for a quick walk, and upon returning took a spot on the opposite side. Finally Wasamin took the stage. She was wearing another brand new Kimono, off-white with pink & black trim. Very cute. Here's the setlist...

    Setlist 13:00
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Fuyu no Riviera
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wasamin thanked everyone who braved the rain to come to the event. She went on to talk about her cancelled event in Kyushu on Thursday, and how she got a lot of messages from fans who were worried about it before it got cancelled. And of course she modeled the new kimono, which got roaring approval from the fans. I took a look around during her performance of Fuyu no Riviera to check fan reactions, and I saw a lot of smiles and people nodding in approval. She does such a great job with that song. I was in the middle of putting some of my electronics on my charger when the queue came by me, so I jumped in. I figured Tanaka-san would want to hang out with me more, so I should get my 2-shot done early. Her manager (I think his name is Shinohara?) took the photo, but after examining it said it came out blurry, and wanted to take another shot. Oh well, this gave me an extra-long interaction with Wasamin, so I'm not complaining, although the second shot he took came out slightly fuzzy as well.

    wasa20.jpg

    Yoroshi....Q! If you read my report from the Yokohama event, I mentioned talking about an old Hello!Project movie featuring Matsuura Aya as a soccer player. And whenever she met someone new, she would stylize "Yoroshiku" as "Yoroshi...Quuuu!" and make that hand gesture. So as promised I told Wasamin that I looked up the film the previous night, and found the title (VICTORY: Futto Girls no Seishun) and that it starred Ayaya, Becky, and a few Morning Musume members. I also informed her the entire film is available on YouTube. When I mentioned the title, she kinda tilted her head "Victory?" The movie was put out in support of Morning Musume's 20th single, "Koi no Victory" Since Wasamin is an H!P fan, she immediately lit up, and said she hadn't heard of it before. She asked what year it came out. (2003) Hopefully she will check it out.

    So I was done with my early Wasa-greeting, and was off to the side with Tanaka-san, when I noticed the strange guy I saw earlier was in queue to meet Wasamin, ticket in hand. Uh oh. I didn't like the looks of this. I told Tanaka-san I was concerned about this guy, and walked over to the side of the stage to see what would happen. When the guy was on-deck to meet Wasamin, he walked onto the stage and all the way over next to the guy currently talking to her, and the staff did nothing about it. Weird. Anyway, he got his turn, and Wasamin looked a bit confused over what he was saying, but she took it in stride, and he left without further incident. I retreated to the market to find a cold drink.

    Tanaka-san and I further caught up, he brought a scrapbook of old photos he had taken at concerts he went to while in High School. He's a big fan of American Rock, and had photos taken at the 80's era concerts of Santana, Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney, as well as a bunch of old N.W.A. photos, since he is also a fan of pro-wrestling. Eventually it was time for the second show, and I found the exact same place to stand. In the meantime I could see outside that it was still raining pretty hard....

    Setlist 15:30
    1. Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara
    2. Toshishita no Otokonoko
    3. Yurazu no Ame
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    For the eight performances I saw over the past six days, she performed her new songs, Yurazu no Ame four times, Fuyu no Riviera three times, and Tonde Istanbul once. It turned out that Yurazu no Ame was performed at each venue, I guess since it is the main c/w track on both new versions of the single. It's just that I love the other two songs so much more. Wasamin brought up the frequency in which Nagara Group artists perform at this mall. Minyo Girls perform there monthly, However checking the schedule, Mizumori Kaori, Tegawa Toshimi, Yamakawa Yutaka, and Hayabusa are all scheduled to perform there later this month. Wasamin exclaimed she would love to attend the Mizumori show as a fan. Well, she does have a day off now, LOL. At the end of the last song the rep from Tokuma immediately took the stage, but Wasamin waved him off saying "Hey, I haven't done my closing remarks yet!"

    Tanaka-san and his mother waved goodbye to me just as the show ended. He's a cool guy. It's too bad he lives in Takasaki, which is a bit far from Tokyo to hang out. Eventually I queued up for my second 2-shot. Something strange happened with the person in front of me in line. The guy took a 2-shot, and then after going to the table for a handshake he abruptly jumped off the stage. Wasamin and her manager looked confused, as the guy stood a few feet off the stage. I asked what was going on, but she eventually shrugged it off, and came over to me for the 2-shot. I decided to go with the same pose I did the previous day in Yokohama...

    wasa21.jpg

    Once again i mentioned that I knew immediately it was a new kimono the moment she hit the stage. She asked what I thought, and I told her it was beautiful, and looked very comfortable for the summer. I went on to tell her that I received an email earlier in the day with some very encouraging news. I was happy since I have been worried lately. Wasamin said she was worried too. And with that I was out of tickets, and would either have to wait an hour for the next shuttle bus, or hopefully bum a ride from someone back to the station in about 45 minutes. Just then I noticed Kentaro-san grabbing his bag and leaving. He told me he was taking a taxi back to the station as he needed to catch a a Shinkansen to Osaka. So instead of waiting around I offered to split the taxi, and caught a much earlier train than I originally expected.

    After two days off from performing, Wasamin will finish the promotional tour with two events in Yamagata Prefecture, which is just West of Sendai. Part of me would love to go, but it would be an expensive trip, and I really need to save money at this point, so I probably won't go. However, Wasamin has two joint-live events next week with Minyo-Girls, and just announced a Mini-Live in Tokorozawa on the 31st. So not as much pressure to do the road-trip after all.

    Oh, and I found out the reason for Wasamin's recent change in managers. It turned out that Ichikawa-san, who has been Wasamin's manager since late-2013, has been promoted to being a manager supervisor. So that's good news, and she will still be involved with Wasamin's promotion. It's just that we won't be seeing her at events. Well, hopefully she will make the occasional appearance, since all the Wasafans adore her.
     
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  17. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2015
    Oshimen:
    Takayanagi Akane
    Promotion pays off. She was 2nd on the Enka chart for the week ending August 11.

    Screen Shot 2019-08-15 at 9.29.28 AM.png
     
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  18. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    ^ She also finished in the Top 40 of the Oricon pop chart, which isn't bad considering this is technically a re-release.

    And....

    wasa0.jpg

    For the second consecutive week she finished at #2 on the Oricon Enka chart. She has an active schedule over the next couple weeks, so there's a chance she will remain on the Enka chart for a little while.
     
  19. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Another Wasa-Weekend Part 1: The Minyo Girls/Iwasa Misaki "Fighting Battle Concert" at Akihabara Zest (2019/08/24)

    wasa41.jpg


    Minyo Girls have been doing these "Battle Concerts" for a few months now, which are sponsored by Utanavi (The show Wasamin co-hosts) In reality, they are not so much a battle as they are a 2-man live concert. It was announced quite a while ago that Wasamin's first appearance in the series would take place in late-August, and I would've purchased a ticket quite a while ago, except I wasn't sure if I would be able to go. Once I was certain I could make the show, it was a matter of getting a ticket, which is where things got slightly complicated...

    Minyo Girls regularly sell tickets to their future concerts at many of their events, the only exception being their new release mini-live appearances. The advantage of buying a ticket directly from them is 1) you get credit on your point card, 2) you get two handshake/2-shot tickets for each ticket purchased, and 3) you get priority entry. Wasamin, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as aggressive in hand-selling tickets for the show. Sure, she promoted it during MCs, but that was about it. The majority of Wasamin fans bought their tickets through the various ticket websites. For me, it should've been easy to get a priority ticket from Minyo Girls, but I had missed all of their recent events where the tickets were on-sale. Ultimately I bought my ticket through Lawson.

    wasa45.jpg

    On the day of the show I wasn't too concerned about arriving early since I knew I would be among the last to get in. I got to Akihabara Zest just a few minutes before doors, and sure enough the queue was top-heavy with Minyo Girls fans, while most of the Wasamin fans were standing across the street waiting for their number to be called. By the way, I have been to Zest a couple times before. It is fairly close to the AKB48 Theater, on the other side of Chuo Dori (hehe) a block behind the Belle Salle Building, and next to another notable Akiba live house, Twin Box Akihabara. It's a relatively small venue, and I was concerned with how they were going to fit everyone inside. However, once I got in I saw there was plenty of room. In fact if I wanted to I could've stood aroud the middle of the room. However, the back of the venue was on an incline, so you have an unobstructed view. With that in mind I went out to the lobby a few minutes before the show to purchase 2-shot tickets and get my prerequisite cocktail. I returned to find my spot still empty, so I was good to go. I was wearing my Minyo Girls T-shirt and Wasamin Happi since I support both of them. Minori did the kage-ana, and off we go...

    Minyo Girls

    Minyo Girls took the stage as a 6-nin unit. Missing were Matsuri, Rio, and Yuua. Matsuri and Rio miss a lot of the Tokyo shows since they live far away (Matsuri lives in Hokkaido, Rio in Osaka. The rest of the members are from Kanto) I'm not sure what's going on with Yuua. It seems like she has been missing a lot of the group's promotional events. Her absence is notable since she is widely considered to be co-center with Miyabi. I don't keep track of their setlist, but the performed for almost an hour, and were mainly doing their most intense, high-energy songs, which is something I always enjoy. On the other hand, their set was marred with technical issues, most of which I believe were the fault of the mixing board operator. For one, he had the music much too loud in comparison with the girls' microphones. He seemed to be fiddling with the mix throughout the show too. The other problem was with the girls' microphones. I'm not sure if he was turning them off, or if the mics were malfunctioning, but throughout the show certain members would begin talking or singing and the mic would be off. The girls were switching mics mid-song, and during the one song Ramu actually sings in her microphone was significantly hotter than everyone else. Since I was right next to the booth I kept giving the board-op the 'stink-eye,' LOL.

    All that said, I think the girls themselves did a great job. Their choreography is spot-on, and they chose a great setlist to promote themselves to the Wasamin fans. They finished the set with their new single 'Happy Days,' and they preface the song with a lesson of how to do the hand motions in the chorus. This time it was Ramukyun doing the instructions, which was a total hoot. She has that baby-girl delivery, and she always seems like she is slightly confused. But it's completely adorable, and at the end of the day she clearly communicated the instructions, and seemed like she was having a great time doing the MC. Ya know, I think she gets how endearing her shtick is to the audience.

    And with that it was Wasa-time! Many of the Minyo Girls fans retreated to the back (actually, many of them left for the lobby) allowing the Wasamin fans to come closer, which meant the ticket issue I described in the beginning kinda worked itself out.

    Iwasa Misaki

    Wasamin took the stage almost immediately after the Mingaru set ended, wearing her light, floral-patterned kimono. I was concerned about the board guy messing with Wasamin's set, but her music/vocal mix sounded perfect. I guess it's easier with one microphone, as opposed to six. Let me begin with the setlist...

    Setlist
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Hatsuzake
    MC 1
    3. Natsu no Tobira
    4. Koisuru Natsu no Hi
    5. Ajisaibashi
    MC 2
    6. Niji wo Watatte
    7. Toshishita no Otokonoko
    8. Watashi no Kare wa Hidarikiki
    9. Gakusei Jidai
    MC 3
    10. Tonde Istanbul
    11. Fuyu no Riviera
    12. Yarazu no Ame
    MC 4
    13. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya
    MC 5
    14. Koisuru Fortune Cookie (Enka ver.) with Minyo Girls

    Wasamin seemed to be in a really goofy mood, as she kept laughing at all of our 'call and response' gags we usually do. In fact at one point she asked who among us had alcoholic beverages from the bar. Seriously though, the main crux of her MC was how she was worried about the setlist, as she didn't want to risk boring the Minyo Girls fans with an hour of her Enka stuff, which is why most of the songs in the middle of the setlist are some of her most fun. She got all four of her 'Wasamin call' songs in, which she obviously gets off on.

    By the way, sometime around the first MC all of the Minyo Girls came into the room to watch the show, giggling and smiling at me as they passed. I let them all go directly in front of me to watch, but then wondered if it would've been better to let them stand on the incline, since they are all shorter than most of the fans. But they seemed to be having a good time. At one point a few more people left, and the crowd shifted forward, leaving a big space. Miyabi then turned to me and asked if I wanted to go down to the floor, which I did. I just love that Miyabi was thinking of me. She's very young, but she's very thoughtful that way. I saw that when I read the letter she wrote me, and I got another example if it at their event today (which I will write about later)

    wasa40.jpg
    From Wasamin's blog

    Wasamin said that Sangenjaya would be the last song, but then admitted she lied and called for Minyo Girls to come onstage so they could perform a song together. I was wondering what they would choose to sing since there are a couple songs they have both performed (Valentine Kiss, Moshuu Omimai Moshiagemasu) Ultimately they sang Wasamin's version of KFC, which makes sense. The Mingaru members, especially Minori seemed to be thrilled to be performing with Wasamin. Minori began tearing up at one point.

    Buppan

    wasa42.jpg

    The clay models from Wasamin and Minyo Girls' YouTube show on Monday


    if the video does not show watch the video here
    And here's the show!


    Management told everyone to clear the stage area while they set up for buppan. I retreated outside where it was less crowded. I had already taken photos of the flowers and the clay models the girls made on YouTube earlier in the week. However, when I returned the line to see Wasamin was huge, almost extending out of the club. I had also made a slight tactical error. Since I didn't have too much cash in my wallet I decided just to do buppan with Wasamin, and bought two tickets for a 2-shot. However, I learned later that 2-shots only cost one ticket, which meant I would have to brave her line twice. I should've instead gotten one ticket for Wasamin and one for Miyabi. But oh well. Nothing wrong with two Wasamin visits. I finally made it to the front of the line, and suggested the KFC pose...

    wasa43.jpg

    Wasamin immediately exclaimed that she noticed me standing all the way in the back. I told her that I was back there watching the show together with Minyo Girls, and that the raised step made it easy to see. Since the line was long Shinohara-san (Wasa-manager) was moving us through quickly, so Wasamin asked if she would see me on Sunday. I said yes, but that I also had one more ticket. I almost forgot my bag as I left, turning around to retrieve it. I then immediately re-queued.

    The queue was somewhat shorter the second time around. Miyabi's mother came over and talked to me for a couple minutes, and once inside both Rinacchi and Ramukyun were smiling and waving to me. I was at a loss for what pose to suggest, and was trying to suggest a different 'KFC' pose, but Wasamin should I was doing something else and immediately suggested this...

    wasa44.jpg

    Beer mug? Thumbs up? Not sure, but whatever. It's cute. I told Wasamin that I really loved the setlist, and that I always like when she sings 'Hidarikiki.' She replied, "I did the setlist myself! Did you know that?" I replied yes, because you mentioned it during the MC. She was like "Ahh, you understood!" Yep, and with that I told her I would see her on Sunday. I left the club, and was on the hunt for dinner. Despite the show beginning fairly early, it was almost 8 p.m.

    wasa46.jpg

    It's interesting, but not totally surprising that Wasamin arranged the setlist herself. We learned earlier this year that Ishikawa-san (wasamin's previous manager) has historically been the brains behind Wasamin's bigger setlists. But she isn't managing Wasamin anymore, and this was the first long show she has performed sine Shinohara-san took over. It will be interesting to see if there is noticeable change to her setlists going forward. Anyway, after dinner I headed straight home since I needed to get out relatively early the next day. Both Wasamin and Minyo Girls were performing at the Sancha Latin Festival in Sangenjaya. Yep, outside on a hot Tokyo summer day. Good times!
     
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  20. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Another Wasa-Weekend Part 2: Iwasa Misaki & Minyo Girls at the Sancha Latin Festival in Sangenjaya (2019/08/25)

    There wasn't much time to relax since the previous evening's festivities, as I planned on heading out relatively early to again see Wasamin and Minyo Girls, this time at a local festival in Sangenjaya. I wasn't sure how big, or how crowded the event would be. According to the festival website, 30,000 visitors were estimated to attend, but I think that included both days, and the entire parade route. (Yes, the event also held a parade through the neighborhood) I arrived a good 45-minutes before Minyo Girls were set to perform. Wasamin would sing right after...

    min22.jpg

    Being that I had been to Sangenjaya quite a few times over the past couple months for Wasamin events, I am fairly familiar with the neighborhood. As I walked down the street I was waiting to find a huge open space. But to my surprise I came across a small, semi-roofed park with about a dozen booths, a big stage, and a bunch of picnic tables filling the center. 30,000? There were less than 1,000 people there! Being this was the 'Latin' festival, I was disappointed that there was ultimately just one booth serving Latin-inspired food. The rest of the booths were peddling standard Japanese festival grub; meat skewers, yakisoba, kakigori, kebab, motsu, fried potatoes, and plenty of alcohol. There was a Wasamin booth set up right next to the stage, but I had no idea where Minyo Girls' sales booth was hiding. I'd figure it out later. Since I was early, and it was lunch time, I grabbed a bowl of motsu stew and a beer. I love motsu, but it probably wasn't the best choice since it was quite hot out. Not to mention all the tables were taken (surprise surprise!) so I had no place to sit. I quickly finished my soup, and then roamed around the event until it got closer to showtime.

    min21.jpg

    Many of the Wasamin and Mingaru fans had already staked out all the picnic tables near the stage. The rest of us had to find random places to stand in the aisles, which caused problems with keeping the areas clear for people who wanted to enjoy the rest of the event. I found what I thought was a decent spot, but I kept getting smashed into by people, one person causing me to spill 1/4 of my beer on my shirt. Jerk! I moved to a different spot, luckily finding a heavy-duty cold fan which kept me completely cool for the rest of the show. The first act was some sort of martial arts exhibition, which I barely paid attention to. They were immediately follow by Minyo Girls...

    Minyo Girls

    min25.jpg


    Once again, Mingaru performed as a 6-nin group, only this time Yuua was there. (Yayy!) I had been worried about Yuua since she has been missing quite a few events lately. However, it was Ramukyun who was not in the cast (Boo!) While most of the fans were in the shade, the stage was completely exposed to the hot sun, which I'm sure was uncomfortable for the members. But it was nice to see Miyabi and Yuua performing as dual-center again, which is something I haven't seen for at least a couple months.

    min24.jpg
    Yuua

    One interesting thing happened at the show. Minyo Girls have recently started attracting some younger fans. When I say younger, I mean guys in their 20's since they were originally being promoted to the Enka crowd, and developed an older fanbase. Anyway, some of these younger guys have begun mixing in wotagei and the intense "Tiger Fire" style chants and mixes during Mingaru's shows. It seems to me like these guys save their most intense calling for shows in public spaces and events like this. I have seen on two previous occasions where security has told them to calm down, and on this day they were being so loud and intrusive that security had to come over and tell them to stop. Look, I have no problem with fans doing calls, cheering, mixing, and whatnot. But sometimes you need to read the atmosphere. And in a small and quaint festival like this where not everyone is paying attention to the entertainment perhaps doing intense calls like that is not the best idea.

    min23.jpg
    Miyabi (and Ryo)

    Unlike Saturday, the setlist contained more of Minyo Girls' traditional sounding songs as opposed to their more rock and pop selections. This would be an example of their staff properly reading the atmosphere. In a festival like this it is probably best to be more cultural than idol. It's also a better route to show off Miyabi and Yuua's vocals. Of course they did perform their latest single, which is very J-pop sounding. Ultimately they did a 30-minute set with around six songs. Oh, and at the end Yutori announced that she will be collaborating on some wrestling event with Antonio Inoki. The idea of tiny Yutori and Inoki working together already has me laughing!

    Iwasa Misaki

    Since some of the Mingaru fans left, I was able to move a bit closer to the stage, but still stay in the shade, and within the line of fire of that heavy-duty fan. There was an MC who introduced each act, and before Wasamin came on the MC announced that for her set there was to be no photography. However I did see a few people taking photos, and staff did nothing about it. Wasamin was wearing that black yukata she wore a couple times during her release promotion week. I would think a dark outfit like that would be the last thing she'd want to wear in the hot sunlight, but she has said more than once it is a summer yukata. Go figure. Here's her setlist...

    Setlist
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ohisashiburi ne
    3. Blue Light Yokohama
    4. Tonde Istanbul
    5. Koisuru Fortune Cookie (Enka Version)
    6. Heavy Rotation (Enka Version)
    7. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    With a 30-minute set, Wasamin had to throw in 2-3 extra songs to cover the time. However, she still did her normal three MCs (Songs 2-4 and 5-6 were song consecutively) It was an interesting setlist, and I wondered if she chose these songs because she felt they somehow conveyed a Latin vibe? I guess Hisashiburi, Blue Light, and Istanbul are kind of exotic. But if she really wanted to sing a Latin-esque song she should've performed Naraiuchi. To me that's the most Latin sounding song in her library!

    wasa50.jpg

    As for the MCs, Wasamin spent a lot of time talking about the heat. She also made a few comments about the cicadas, which are prevalent around Tokyo in the summer months. In fact there was a tree rising over the stage, and it must have been full of cicadas as the entire event was being serenaded by a loud chorus of chirping. I think she was saying that she's apprehensive about them. I dunno, they are really big bugs, and extremely noisy, but they are quite harmless.

    Despite already having two drinks, I became overwhelmingly thirsty. Finally during Wasamin's 2nd to last song I walked over to the other side and ordered a melon flavored-kakigori. The good news was the kakigori booth was really close to the stage, and since I was eating their product I could stand there and watch Wasamin, with virtually nobody around me. I don't know if she noticed me standing over there eating shaved ice, but I'm sure she would've gotten a kick out of it if she had.

    Buppan

    When I bought the kakigori, I found where the Minyo Girls booth was. It was hiding behind the stage, next to a children's area. I knew I wanted to talk to Miyabi, so after Wasamin's set ended I went over to the table to check out what concert tickets they had. Unfortunately almost every concert they were selling tickets for conflicted with Wasamin events. I decided that I would purchase a CD for one ticket, but their manager told me I could just purchase a ticket without any goods. That was easy. I immediately lined up to see Miyabi. In the meantime Wasamin walked right by me to the table they had just set up for her buppan. The line wasn't long, but I had to wait a few minutes to see Miyabi as one of the fans who brings all sorts of professional photography equipment was doing a session with her. Eventually she came and found me, asking which benefit I wanted. I said 2-shot shamekai, and she enlisted Rinacchi to come over and take the photo.

    min26.jpg

    After the photo Miyabi asked me something which took me aback. It's kinda private, so I can't really mention it right now. But it hit me that she and her mother must have had a conversation about me since this was something I confided in her mom. But suffice it to say that it totally tugged at my heart because Miyabi was so thoughtful and sincere. I almost wanted to cry. But I kept a stiff upper lip, thanked her for the kind words, and told her I would see her again soon.

    I immediately queued up to buy Wasamin CDs, and score tickets for a 2-shot. Both the goods line and the handshake line were long. But it only took 5-minutes or so to get my tickets, and I was off to the other queue. The handshake queue was partially in the sun, so I began to sweat. Good thing I brought two towels to dry myself off. Eventually they moved our queue to make room for the cast of one of the later acts, an-on stage children's ballet class. Finally it was my turn, and Wasamin immediately complained about the heat. She then asked what pose...

    wasa51.jpg

    It's our 'complaining about the heat' look. Wasamin's manager didn't really give us much time to talk. But I asked her about the Yukata, and she confirmed that it is quite cool despite the dark colors. There were a couple other things I wanted to say to her but I got pushed out too fast, so I'll save them for next week if I remember.

    min27.jpg

    The parade was going on outside the event, so I went out the back way to avoid the crowd. Although the backstreet ended up being the parade staging area, so I saw a lot of scantily-clad girls hanging out back there as I made my way back to the station, but not before grabbing a cold drink from a vending machine. Wasamin has two mini-live events planned next weekend, both in Saitama Prefecture. At first I thought I might not be able to make the Sunday event, but I was able to change my existing Sunday plans and clear the day. So it will be another Wasa-weekend next week. Yatta!
     
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  21. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 3rd Album Announced. Misaki Meguri ~Dai 2 Sho~ to be released November 6th.

    Title: Misaki Meguri ~Dai 2 Sho~
    Kanji: 美咲めぐり~第2章~
    Rlease Date: 2019/11/06

    Limited Edition
    CD+DVD / TKCA-74853 / \3,273+tax

    Regular Edition
    CD / TKCA-74854 / 2,818+Tax


    Tracklist

    1. Mujineki (1st Single)
    2. Tomonoura Bojou (3rd Single)
    3. Saba Kaido (6th Single)
    4. Sado no Ondeko (7th Single)
    5. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya (8th Single)
    6. Cosmos (Yamaguchi Momoe 1977)
    7. Tamashii no Refrain (Takahashi Yoko 1997)
    8. Ame (Moritaka Chisato 1990)
    9. Machibuse (Ichikawa Hitomi 1981)
    10. Watashi no Kare wa Hidarikiki (Asaoka Megumi 1973)
    11. Senbon Zakura (Hatsune Miku 2011)

    <Bonus Tracks: Limited Edition>
    12. Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara (Live Concert Recording)
    13. Hatsuzake (Live Concert Recording)
    14. Gomen ne Tokyo (Live Concert Recording)

    <Karaoke Tracks: Regular Edition>
    12. Mujineki (karaoke ver.)
    13. Tomonoura Bojou (karaoke ver.)
    14. Saba Kaido (karaoke ver.)
    15. Sado no Ondeko (karaoke ver.)
    16. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya (karaoke ver.)

    DVD
    1. Saba Kaido (MV)
    2. Sado no Ondeko (MV)
    3. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya (MV)
    4. CD Jacket Cover 'Making Video'

    Dedicated album thread in the soloists section
     
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