Your AKB48 Experiences

@USA48, wow I really enjoy your live write ups. It's pretty awesome reading someone's point of view who doesn't know Team 4 too well. Really fresh and exciting,
kept me on the edge of my seat like I was up to the climax in a novel! and dayum you just made me love Naachan even more that performance level, that kami fan-service
and of course how gorgeous she is. I can't wait to read more of your reports! Although they do make me die of jealousy

 

At first I was like tl;dr, but once I started I couldn't stop. It was indeed like reading an exciting novel. It's always interesting to hear the 'real life' impressions of the girls.

 

On Saturday I went to one of the Suzukake Nanchara individual handshake events. I had decided to go at the last minute and only bought tickets through resales, but I pretty much ended up getting all the tickets I wanted and I’m really glad that I went. Since I only did resales, I had tickets for seven members (Shimada and Mogi over two blocks each, and Karen, Hikari, Sakiko, Nakkii, and Komari) and then five unassigned tickets (which I used on Shimada, Ranran, Masanya, Haachan, and Abema). If you’re not interested in any of those members feel free to skip this.

Spoiler

My first handshake of the day was with Shimada. I had two tickets for her for 1st block and, since I hadn’t met her at an individual event before, I decided to split them up and just use the first one to introduce myself. I told her my name and she confirmed it and then I congratulated her on the marathon, and that was about it. I went back for the second ticket pretty quickly and since I was the only one in her line she started calling my name and talking to me while I was still walking over, so I kind of got extra time. She said my Japanese was good and asked how long I’d been here, and I told her almost two years and that I’m American. She asked where I’m from in America and I said Michigan. I figured she probably wouldn’t know it so I started to say that the Great Lakes are there since most Japanese people have heard of those, but she immediately said “Oh! I know that!” I was shocked and just told her that was amazing, and she seemed really excited about it.

For the next block I had three tickets with her, so I split it up and used two at once at first. Again, she called my name and waved at me as I walked over. Since I was really curious about how she knew Michigan, I asked. She said that she had studied in Canada and knew since it was really close. I’d vaguely remembered reading somewhere that she had studied in Canada but here’s confirmation. She said that she loved it there and wants to study in America if she has the chance. I said that was really cool and to definitely go.

For what was supposed to be my last ticket with her, I made a mistake that ended up being a fun experience. For the individual events, you check in at a table in front of the lane by showing your ticket and ID, and they check that everything matches up and scan the ticket(s) into the computer. They give you back your ID first and write how many tickets you’re using on each one. When they gave me back my ID I wasn’t really paying attention since Shimada was already waving at me so I forgot the tickets and went to the entrance. I went to show my hands (they check your hands before you go in) and realized what had happened and awkwardly ran back as the ticket guy ran after me. It was pretty embarrassing but Shimada was really cute, she kept making a “tehepero” face at me (that's the best way I could describe it, you can Google image search "tehepero" and see what I mean) and laughing at me in a nice way while I laughed at myself. So once I actually got in I immediately told her that I’m clumsy and she said it was okay. I told her she was cute and she said to come again, so I told her that I’d be at the event in Fukuoka on Tuesday and she confirmed that she’d be there.

However, since I’d had such a great experience meeting her so far, I decided to use one of my unassigned tickets for her during the 3rd block. At this point she did have a small line, so that was nice. I said that I had loved Oshima Team K but that I would support Yokoyama Team K too and she was really happy. Then I said, “Let’s meet on Tuesday!” and she said, “I’ll be waiting for you!” and as I was leaving she made the Team K sign with both hands.

I know that Shimada isn’t popular but she’s really sweet and enthusiastic and easy to talk to, and this whole experience made me like her even more. I wrote it in her thread as well but she might be my new oshimen, which is a big thing for me. I'm really looking forward to meeting her again today (at the event I mentioned before).

I had two tickets for Karen during block 2 and I decided to split them up. For the first one I said congratulations on the shonichi and that I love her singing voice. She asked me if I was half Japanese (even though I really don’t look like it at all) and I said that I was American. She said that I was pretty in Japanese and then said “Beautiful! Beautiful!” in English while I said no and waved goodbye. For the second ticket I asked her if she likes Snow White since she was wearing a shirt with the seven dwarves and she said that she loves it. I said that it was cute and that I’d support her and that was about it. Karen seems pretty serious on the whole, she didn’t smile a lot but still seemed pretty enthusiastic.

For Mogi I had two tickets during the 2nd block and then three during the 3rd block. She had the longest line of any of the girls that I met that day, with Nakkii a close second. Mogi was also making up for a previous event that she missed when she was sick so there were probably a lot of people with tickets from that too. My first impression is that Mogi is SO skinny. She posted on Google+ after that people had told her that she looked like she had lost weight but she hadn’t, but seriously she’s tiny. She was wearing a really pretty lace shirt and a pencil skirt, which wasn’t quite what I expected but very pretty. For the first ticket I introduced myself; she kept getting my name wrong so I tried explaining that it was the same as the word “plate” in Japanese using gestures and then she got it . That was about all the time I had for that one; I felt like it was a bit shorter than usual, maybe because her line was so long. For the second ticket she said she was happy that I came again and that I was pretty, and I said that she was pretty and that I thought her clothes that day were pretty too. I told her that I met her in Fukuoka before and that it was fun. She asked me how long I’d lived in Japan and then told me my Japanese was good.

For the next block her line was still really long so I almost used my three tickets together but at the last minute decided to do two and then one and it ended up working out well. For the two tickets I congratulated her on the shonichi and said that I thought she was really cool in Itoshiki Natasha and she complimented me on my cool pronunciation of "Natasha" . She told me to come to the theater and I said that I wanted to and that I’d support Team 4. For the last ticket I said that it was my last that day but that it had been fun to meet her and she seemed happy. Once again she told me to go to the theater and I said I’d try to.

Mogi definitely wasn’t as enthusiastic as Shimada but she seemed to warm up when I kept going back. She’s more reserved and even though she looks young she also seems mature, although maybe that was because of her clothes. I also noticed that her habit seems to be to shake peoples’ hands with her right hand only and use her left to make gestures.

I had three tickets for Hikari in block 3, which I again split into one and two. I had met her at a national handshake event in Fukuoka last year and she seemed really enthusiastic and happy, and tried to talk to me even though the time was short. At the individual handshake though I unfortunately didn’t have the same experience. I’m not sure if she was tired or something but she didn’t respond to people as much; I could see the same thing when she was talking to the people in front of me and even saw her kind of looking away sometimes. For my first ticket she said “Hello!” in English and asked if Japanese was okay (which was the opposite of last time, when she asked me if I spoke English). I said yes and that I had met her in Fukuoka and became a fan and then time was up. For the second two tickets I said that she was funny on the recent AKBingo episodes and she thanked me. I asked her if it was fun since it was her first time and she said that it was. I said I’d be at the event on Tuesday and that was it. I’ll also add that she had lost the Young Jump raffle right before this block started so maybe she was a little down because of that or maybe she’s just more shy when she’s in a lane on her own rather than with her friends at a national event. I’ll see what happens tomorrow and if it’s any different. I also have tickets for her for a couple future events so I'll have a chance to try again.

Since I won a 2-shot ticket with Ranran in May I wanted to meet her again before that, so I used another unassigned ticket. She said “Hello!” in English and I said it back, then I congratulated her on the shonichi and the marathon and she seemed happy about that. I kind of stumbled on my words a little for whatever reason and she just kept smiling and nodding patiently at me and let me finish. Then when my time was up and I let go of her hands she blew me a kiss, it was pretty adorable.

I had met Sakiko last year (and very briefly at a national event) but had only had one ticket then, so I didn’t have a chance to say much. This time I had three tickets, so I split them again. For my first ticket I congratulated her on the shonichi and she thanked me. She asked me if I was studying abroad and I told her that I was living and working in Japan. Time was about up and she told me to come again. When I did, with two tickets, she said “Oh, you came back!” Since I had recently been to the AKB Café in Osaka and had her “pancake carbonara” (seriously one of the weirdest things I’ve ever eaten, it was a cut up pancake topped with whipped cream, bacon pieces, parsley, and I think nori bits; I'll try to remember to add a picture later) I mentioned that. She asked me how it was and I said that while I wasn’t sure that the flavors went together it wasn’t bad. She was happy about that and then asked me a terrible question… who my oshimen was. I felt awful and it probably showed on my face but I said that I hadn’t decided yet but that I love Sakiko. She said “Oh, you’re still looking then,” but seemed happy enough with my answer. She asked me my age and when I told her she got excited that we’re the same age. Then time was up and we said bye. For whatever reason I feel like they gave me extra time here, I’m not sure why. She didn’t have a huge line but there were other people waiting. I definitely didn’t get that much time with any of the others, so that was pretty cool. Sakiko isn’t as animated as some of the other girls but she’s easy to talk to and asks questions/responds instead of just waiting for me to speak, which can get awkward sometimes. Definitely a good experience, except that I still feel bad that I had to tell her she’s not my oshimen.

I decided to use another unassigned ticket on Masanya, since I really like her and I really like the new Team S. She said “hello” to me in English and I said it back, and then congratulated her on the shonichi (that was kind of my go-to topic of the day for the teams that had started). I said that I thought Mangekyou is a really pretty song and she thanked me. She asked me if I was half Japanese (2nd time that day haha) and I said that I’m American and live in Japan. She said that was cool so of course I gave her my dorkiest smile. She’s seriously so pretty and really sweet.

During the 6th block I had three tickets each for Komari and Nakkii, and I suddenly realized that I had a problem. They were in lanes 40 and 41, directly facing each other. Nakkii had a very busy line so she probably couldn’t see who was waiting in Komari’s line, but Komari’s line was fairly empty so I knew that she might see me in Nakkii’s line. I decided to go to Komari first with one ticket. I told her that I think she’s funny on Andare and other shows and she was really happy and thanked me. Maybe it was because she was across from Nakki who’s notorious for this, but she held onto my hand for as long as possible and told me to come again. I said that I would. Then I did one ticket for Nakkii and kind of hid when I got close, haha. For my second two tickets she said “You came again!” and was really happy about it. I said congrats on the shonichi and that although I wasn’t able to watch it yet I really wanted to. She told me to definitely watch it and that she was performing in another one soon (Wednesday I think?) and to watch that too and I said that I would. Once again she held my hand until I was pretty much out of the lane. I definitely want to talk to Komari again, I wanted to tell her that I’m supporting her as co-captain but didn’t have a chance. Also while I was in Nakkii’s lane I saw a guy in Komari’s lane take a plastic lobster out of his bag and suction cup it to his shaved head, and we were both trying so hard not to laugh. Her fans seem fun!

For my first ticket with Nakkii, I said hello and she pointed out my dimples and I said she was really cute (she did the same thing when I met her in Fukuoka, it was adorable both times). I told her that I’d met her before in Fukuoka and became a fan and she thanked me and asked if I spoke English. I said yes and she complimented my Japanese. Komari held my hands for a long time, but Nakkii’s on a whole other level. She WILL NOT let go until the last possible second. The staff were really trying to shove people out, it was kind of hilarious. When I got there for my second two tickets she said, “Thank you! I want to speak English!” in English so I responded “Your English is very good!” She said “No, no,” in Japanese and then “I want to study abroad!” I confirmed her meaning in Japanese and she said yes and seemed so happy. I was seriously impressed; she spoke a little English to me at the national event but she was so confident and spoke very clearly. I’m really surprised that she knew the term “study abroad” especially. She asked me if I was half Japanese and where I lived, and I gave the usual reply and told her my prefecture. As they tried to pull me away and she continued to not let go of my hands I said I’d see her at the event on Tuesday and she said she’d be waiting for me. Nakkii’s really fun to meet at these events, I’m so glad that I have tickets for her for future events. Seriously she would probably be my #1 recommendation if someone wants a good handshake experience, she never stops smiling and is so sweet. Plus, like I’ve said about some of the others, she makes an effort to talk to you rather than making you lead the whole conversation. Talking to her and Shimada were definitely the highlights of my day.

At this point I had two unassigned handshake tickets left and was deciding between Haachan, Abema, and Mikitty. I went with Haachan first since I really wanted to meet her before she graduated, and then ended up going to see Abema since the lanes were closing for 6th block in a few minutes and her lane was close while Mikitty’s was way on the other side and I didn’t want to wait the hour before they’d open 7th block to unassigned tickets.

For Haachan I congratulated her on her graduation and said that even though it’s sad I’ll continue to support her in the future. She thanked me and complimented me on my Japanese and that was about it. I’m really glad that I got to see her though. Abema was wearing some sort of metal necklace that looked like a collar so I told her that it was cool and she said “Isn’t it?" (「かっこいいでっしょう？」) in a funny, mock narcissistic way, and then grinned at me. I told her that I loved Oshima Team K but I’d support the new Team K too and she thanked me and asked where I was from. I gave the usual response and then time was up.

Besides the members that I actually met, I could see a lot of other members while I was waiting in lines and noticed some things:

Tsuchiyasu Mizuki was in the lane next to Mogi and has an amazing smile and smiles all the time. She looked SO happy every time I saw her, it made me want to meet her in the future.

At one point I was walking out after a handshake and saw Miyupon. She was practicing dance moves by herself since no one was in her lane and had a serious look on her face. I kind of wanted to use one of my unassigned tickets to go meet her after I saw that but I wasn’t sure what I’d say to her since I don’t really follow her. She’s adorable though.

On a similar note, I saw Morikawa Ayaka dancing along to the background music and jumping around later in the day. She seemed to be joking around with a staff member but it was super cute.

Ryoka kept turning around to talk to Karen since their lanes were back-to-back even though Ryoka was pretty busy. It definitely seems like they’re good friends.

Moe was next to someone I met (either Mogi or Hikari) and really looks like Tomochin, it’s kind of scary. I think she lightened her hair so that may have contributed to it?

Mion is TINY. Seriously, she’s so short. Very cute though!

While it they aren’t in the group exactly I saw Togasaki and Yuasa when they were meeting with fans and it felt almost like seeing a member, I was kind of starstruck . Togasaki looks much younger in real life!

It was a long day and my feet still hurt from so much standing but it was really a blast. Part of what made it fun was getting to meet up with some other Stage48 members. It’s always interesting to hear what other people think about the members and all the stuff going on in the group. I went out to dinner in Yokohama’s Chinatown with some other people and it was really fun, so thanks to you three if you read this!

 

Thanks for posting that handshake report Sunny. It was a great read. It's nice to hear what meeting certain members is like.

And lobster guy...

 

Your report is amazing. Especially since it's members i don't know or met, it makes it even more exciting!

I posted my experience on HKT thread, but since it talks about AKushukai as a whole, i want to put the link here as well
Suzukake Nanchara Handshake event live report

And as Sunny's, it's very, very long. But that's because the event was awesome!

 

Sunny and Gocchisama, thanks for the write-ups. I always love reading people's handshake reports, especially when it's their first time.

PS: Lobster guy was there on Sunday too, looping Tanamin's lane. He also had a shark or tuna on his head at some point too. LOL

 

Thanks! Honestly, I write them because I've enjoyed reading other peoples' reports so much, it's a fun way to live vicariously. And now my new goal is to go make friends with lobster guy if I ever see him again Gocchisama, thanks for your write-up as well. I'm glad that we both had a good experience that day. And here's my next write-up:

On Tuesday the 29th, I went to another national handshake event in Fukuoka Marine Messe. This was my third one, but it was a bit... different from my other two experiences. The first reason was that the event didn’t start until 1:00, two hours later than usual. I’d been a bit worried about the time since the previous event had been SO packed, but as soon as I got there I could see that this was different. There was absolutely no line to get in, for one thing. Once I got in it looked like there were a decent number of people there, but actually everything moved MUCH faster than at either of my two previous events. Within an hour or so of the handshakes starting at least half of the lanes would accept any ticket number. The second reason was due to lane 9, but that'll come later.

Here's the performance report:

Spoiler

Since I went in alone I got a ticket for the female and family area. These are for the second level seats (everything on the ground floor is standing) that go around the outside of the room, but the real benefit is that you get a way lower number to start with (mine was in the 700s, while the normal tickets around this point were in the 6000s). The bad part is that people in that area don’t get as into the performance. I ended up being fairly close to the stage but unfortunately there was some kind of hanging machinery that blocked a good chunk of my view of the screen, so I missed out on seeing some things because of that.

The first song was Heart Ereki with Yui as center, which they’ve done like that at all three national events I’ve been to. Next was Juuryoku Sympathy. Then they said that Ricchan was the MC that day and they talked about Fukuoka. Next they had the two draftees in attendance, Takita Kayoko and Kawamoto Saya, come out and talked to them a bit. They had them wink at three different cameras in succession and then tried to have Ricchan and Takamina do the same thing, even though those two are awful at winking. Ricchan just kept blinking and Takamina looked super awkward and gave up and just batted her eyelashes. Then the draftees talked about some training camp that they were going to (I think through Nemousu) and Takamina mentioned Sayaka and the campfire at a previous camp.

Next they announced a relay race. The girls running were split into four teams to correspond with four sections of seating. They would run and then people sitting in the winning team’s area would have a chance to win a pair of premium sousenkyo tickets. My team was the tsuki (moon) team, which was yellow. Each team talked for a little about how they would definitely win.

Before the race itself they did units; first was Confession with Shimada, Naana, Aamin, and Chiichan. Although everyone was great, Aamin particularly stood out to me as a great performer; I think she’s really good at the “cool” songs. Then was Tonari no Banana with Tomu and Abema; unfortunately the sound wasn’t great during the speaking break and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was very cute. Last was Junjou Shugi with Moe (center), Hirari, and I think Yumoto Ami. As I said the machinery was blocking the screen and I never saw her face clearly, only her hair. Moe was great as always and Hirari is a really fierce dancer. I guess she’s doing that unit in Team B now but she did a really great job. After the units, the senbatsu members of the day came back out and did First Rabbit and, after the usual talk about the Dareka no Tami ni project, they sang Tenohira ga Kataru Koto.

Finally it was the relay. The blue team (I don’t remember the other signs) had a big lead at first with Shimada. Actually although most of the girls only went halfway around the arena before handing off the baton Shimada had to go all the way around because I think they had one less member. She was still way faster than the other members though, I was really impressed. Unfortunately for the blue team, it was downhill from there. Their last member was Myao, who even started walking partway through her turn. At the end the other members of the blue team went to finish with her. Abema was really slow too, I think she was on the red team. She was just kind of jogging. The green team was second and… my team won! It had Sakiko and Nozawa Rena, both of whom were pretty fast.

So now I had a chance to win sousenkyo tickets. To decide how many pairs of tickets they would give away, they had the senbatsu girls do kendama. However many girls got the ball to land on the stick part would be the number of pairs of tickets. Unfortunately the first time no one could get it, so they changed it to one of the flatter parts and then five members did. Yui picked seat numbers out of a box. The very first one was my section, my row, and… 10 seats down. I was 14 and the winner was 4. That was as close as I got, but it was still fun. They ended with a Tano-centered Mae Shika Mukanee.

Even though the short show during the break was later on, I’ll put it here before my handshake reports. First was Tsundere with Moe in center (of course), Hikari, and Ryoka. Next was Temodemo with Mion and Naanya, and last was Seifuku Resistance with the Three Musketeers (Naachan center). All three songs were great and the Three Musketeers in particular are really good performers. It actually sounded like some singing parts at least were live for both this and the first show (particularly Yui’s part at the beginning of Heart Ereki), so that was cool.

On to the handshakes:

Spoiler

The first lane that I went in was Takamina, Kawamoto Saya, Takita Kayoko, and Miichan. I told Takamina that I respect her and support her and she thanked me in a really cool way. She’s so tiny but still has a big presence I think, especially next to the new draftees. Saya and Kayoko are both really pretty, I basically just said hello to them. I told Miichan that I love Team 4 and she said that she was happy. She’s always been kind of businesslike when I’ve met her at events like these and didn’t smile much but it was still nice to tell her, since I do love Team 4.

After that I went to exchange the rest of my tickets and got kind of lucky. For some reason the line that I was in was giving out tickets in the 9000s, while I could see that the line next to me was getting tickets in the 16000s. It didn’t end up mattering a ton since most of the lanes were taking higher numbers pretty quickly but it was still pretty cool.

I’m going to do some of these handshake a bit out of order, since I had an… interesting experience in lane 9 and want to put those together. So at some point I went in lane 7, with Harukyan, Wasamin, Tanamin, Chiichan, Aamin, Sakiko, and Myao. Harukyan and Wasamin told me “hello” in English so I said it back. I told Tanamin that her hat was cool; actually there was something that I’d wanted to say to her but totally forgot at the time, so I might try to meet her again someday. Sakiko immediately remembered me from the handshake event a few days before and thanked me for coming again. Myao was hilarious though. She first said “Thank you!” and I said it back and went out of the tent since she was last in line. After I stepped out and couldn’t even see her anymore I heard a really loud “Thank you so much! I love you!” I yelled, “You’re welcome!” back to her. It was especially funny because she would have been yelling this while shaking hands with other fans… sorry, other fans.

I went in lane 2 with @ithebigc to see Shimada, Paruru, and Mariyagi. Shimada told me thanks for coming; she seemed happy but I initially wasn’t sure that she had actually remembered me since the time was really short. I was focusing on greeting her and barely got to see Paruru, but as expected little reaction there. I said hello to Mariyagi and that was about it.

Later on I went to see the Three Musketeers. I told Naachan that her singing and dancing is good and Kojimako said “Thank you” in English. Miki is really adorable, she kind of made a pose when I said hello.

@ithebigc convinced me to go in lane 10, since I hadn’t met any of those members yet (Ichikawa Manami, Naanya, Fukuoka Seina, Mion, and Yumoto Ami). I’d seen Mion and Naanya from other lanes at the recent event and thought it would be cool to meet them. Actually though when we got there the lane was kind of backed up for some reason and I ended up getting extra time with Ichikawa Manami. She asked me if I could speak English and Japanese and I said yes to both and she said that was amazing. Then she said “Nice to meet you!” in English and I replied “Nice to meet you too!” Honestly I knew very little about her before this but she seems nice, she made a real effort to talk to me. Next was Naanya, who asked me if I was American (I think because @ithebigc had been talking to her so she probably assumed that I was from the same country). I said yes and she was really happy that she had been right. Fukuoka Seina had a cool necklace so I complimented it. I got to Mion and couldn’t help saying that she was so little and cute and she smiled at me. I just said hello to Ami, I still don’t know much about her either.

Okay, on to the really weird part of the day. I’m honestly a bit hesitant to post this since it’s pretty embarrassing and in a way a little more personal than I’d generally want to get on a forum. In the end I thought it was hilarious and I’d already tweeted about some of it so I figured I’d post the full story. That said, I may come back and delete this part at some point in the future.

On the Saturday before, I had met both Nakkii and Hikari at an individual handshake event so I definitely wanted to go to their lane, lane 9. It was those two, Oshima Ryoka, Umeta Ayano, and Aigasa Moe. As soon as I got in the lane they were both excitedly telling me that they remembered me and thanked me for coming. As I’d kind of expected, Hikari is a lot more energetic in national handshake events. I think she just might be a bit shy without her friends in the individual events; she was smiling so much more at this one. Anyway, after that Ryoka said, “I’ve seen you before!” I did meet her at another national event but only briefly, I’m not sure if she saw me there or while waiting in line on Saturday or what. Umetan is quieter and smiled and said hello. Then, suddenly, Ryoka (while shaking hands with someone else lol) looked at me and started yelling “Oppai! Oppai!” The other girls and I cracked up and Moe told me “It’s okay because you’re cute.” I… had no idea how to possibly react to that other than to laugh, it was so out of the blue (I’ll refrain from giving any actual details about how I look, haha).

I later decided to go back to their lane because I wanted to see Nakkii and Hikari again. This time all the girls were in on it, saying that they were happy that I came back and yelling about my boobs. I said that it was embarrassing and Ryoka asked me if they should stop, but they didn’t. I couldn’t stop laughing though, I probably encouraged them more than anything else. Finally at the end Moe looked me straight in the eyes, gave me a shit-eating grin, and called me “Oppai-chan”.

After an hour or so had passed I decided to go back one last time, hoping for a more normal experience. I wanted to at least tell them my name and hoped that they would remember that instead of my new nickname. Nope. This time they all yelled “Oppai-chan!” as soon as they saw me. I immediately said “No, I’m not Oppai-chan, I’m Sarah,” and some of them repeated that instead. Umetan, trying to make me feel better, said “It’s beautiful!” in English and made me crack up again. It was really adorable, she was so over-the-top about it. Finally I got to Moe again who called me by the nickname she had given me. I corrected her again and said, “No, no! I’m Sarah!” so she called me… “Sarah-oppai-chan”. She was very adamant about it, so I gave up. Honestly while embarrassing and kind of shocking, it was really funny. I’m not sure if I hope that they remember me or not anymore, haha. Still, I keep randomly remembering them yelling at me and cracking up (and/or facepalming) so maybe it was worth it? Either way I have complete confirmation that Ryoka is totally a KSGK and Moe is very obstinate when she gives nicknames.

So, onto the last part of my day. @ithebigc had discovered last time that at the end of a national handshake event it turns into a sort of individual handshake event. You can stack the tickets to use them like those events but you can only meet one member, and for the popular members you may only be able to stack a certain number. After the last event experience I definitely wanted to use them to meet Shimada again, so I saved four. They brought out signs for most of the members (some didn’t stay for this part, the members were posted on the blog beforehand) and you chose one and got in line. The most popular members stayed in the tents while the rest had an open-lane system; Kojimako and Miki had closed tents but for some reason Naachan was in the open area. Next to me was Takita Kayoko’s lane; there was only one guy but he had a stack of what had to be at least 30 tickets. While we waited in line I talked to another Shimada fan. She showed me a bag that she had made and decorated with pictures of Shimada, it was really cute; I later overheard Shimada telling her that the pictures were really nostalgic and that she was really happy. The girl said that she had been afraid that she would be the only one in line (it was us two and a guy) and I said that I’d had the same worry and we were both happy that that wasn’t the case. We chatted a bit more and then the members started to walk out.

We all kind of stood there awkwardly once the members were there but before they had started, since we were pretty close to each other. I’m not sure if we weren’t supposed to do anything but I waved awkwardly and Shimada smiled and waved back. Finally they started and I waited for my turn. As soon as I walked forward she called out my name, and I told her that I was really happy that she had remembered. She said, “Of course! It’s only been a few days since the handshake event!” I had thought about it and decided to tell her that she had become my oshimen and she was really happy about it and thanked me. She asked me where I lived and I told her my prefecture, and she was kind of surprised since it’s pretty rural (and probably not a place you’d generally think of foreigners living). Then time was about up and I said that I’d support her and she thanked me again and told me to come meet her again. So once again I had a great experience; even though it was only a few days since I had seen her last it was cool that she had remembered my name. This and the previous experience have really made me want to support her a lot. I mean there are a bunch of members that I really like, but it’s different. It was a pretty big thing to say that she was my oshimen (well, my favorite member still within the group) but I’m still glad that I had the chance to tell her.

I was on my way out when I saw Karen, who had finished her handshakes and was walking back. She spotted me and said “Oh!” and waved to me and I waved back. I feel really bad about this though, I had met her a few days before too but didn’t go to her lane that day. I really wish that I had now, I don’t really follow any of the other girls that had been in her lane and was running out of tickets but she clearly recognized me and I hadn’t gone to see her. I have tickets for her for future events so hopefully she doesn’t remember me by then I guess. Bad move on my part.

On the whole, it was a fun day and fun event, even with the weird girls in lane 9. It’s definitely not something that I’ll ever forget, haha. Between the Yokohama event on Saturday and this on Tuesday, it’s been an intense week of traveling and standing in lines but it was worth it.

 

Ah, so you might have been the foreign girl I saw near the commitees area on the saturday at Pacifico! Haha at Moe giving you a nickname..Sunny Oppai-chan

 

Yep that was probably me! I wrote birthday notes for a few members so I was over there at some point. If you see me at another event come say hi!

 

If you're going, I'll be there on tuesday but only for the first two slots as I need to pack. Flying back the following day.

 

No sorry, I'm going out of town for Golden Week and missing all the events this week. My next event is the 2-shot on the 24th. Have fun though!

 

Wasn't gonna double post so I just thought I'll share here that I went to AKB48's Tsugi no Ashiato first 2shot event at Intex Osaka!
However, my fan experience is related to only NMB members, so if anyone's interested, please check it out in the NMB48 Experiences Thread.
http://stage48.net/forum/index.php?threads/your-nmb48-experiences.6991/

 

Wednesday 30th April was team A stage performance, and also the seitansai (birthday performance) of none other than the Soukantoku herself, Takahashi Minami. While you would expect a 1/400 winrate ratio for this special event, i had the opportunity to obtain the "super enpou" status in order to attend the show. As i was leaving tomorrow to France (flight at 10 AM...), Takamina Seitansai was indeed the perfect event to end my AKB48 journey in Japan.

Part 1 : The Theater, where everything begin....

Don Quichotte, the building where the AKB theater is located, doesn't particulary stand out from the psychedelic atmosphere of Akihabara, and almost fade into the maze of concrete and buidings that surround it. A little bit naive of me to expect something big; this place existed since their beginning and not when they were the actual phenomenom that we all know. When i entered the 8th floor, i was surprised at how little it was. You are directly next to the cash register to get your ticket, and the hallway (which was narrow) directly lead you to the gate of the theater. Nothing more. However, the hallway was full of the member picture that i hastened to take picture of. The humble character of this place reminded me that AKB48 used to be a group of idol like any other, and that nobody climb to stardom without starting at the beginning of the ladder.

"On the left, Fan hall of fame who managed to attend 100 performance. In the middle, the gate of AKB theater. On the right, a sample of the hallway with the girls profile picture"​

I was really amused by this Hall of fame. I remembered that it was @Cristafari wish to be on the plate, and i realized how impossible it must be for a foreigner to put his name on it. I mean 100 stage...you must have started since the very beginning, because now the lottery makes it very hard to win a performance. Even team 4 sold out every time now. Actually there's two plate full of name; some fans really do love AKB48 Ahah.

In the main hall, fans who get there early join to discuss or watch a video of every member's profile that loop indefinitively on 2 screen. There's also a little space where was displayed birthday box so you can send a message for your oshimen. The boxes were put on where Shinoda Mariko used to hold the AKB little cafe during first gen era. Ah, such nostalgia.

"Takamina birthday comittee already here, posing with her bouquet. In the middle, Close up of Takamina Bouquet. On the right, my super enpou Ticket."
​

I was actually 1h30 hour early because i wasn't sure if i could get a ticket or not (i had no mail of confirmation nor Official Number). Fortunately, the staff remembered me and they let me pay one ticket. I have to admit i was super Happy/Surprised because if they didn't remembered me, i had nothing proving i was actually Super Enpou. Being relieved of the stress of not attending the show, i started wandering around Don Quichotte.

Takamina's birthday comittee was super busy preparing the glowstick and flyers for the show so i hadn't the chance to talk to them. But interesting to notice is that the leader was a female fan around the same height as Takamina, looking pretty reliable and managing perfectly her troop. It's always funny to see that fans look like their oshi, somehow. Before the show started, Staff asked people who haven't won any ticket to leave the floor as they were starting to count those who won. When people are lining up according to their numbers, staff start another lottery to determine who get the best seat. But don't get me wrong, all seats are good because the theater seat are raised from the ground proportionally to how far you are from the stage, so everyone can see everything. The farthest seat will be better than the best seat in a concert, i bet on it.

Super Enpou is kind of a big deal. No lottery, you are automatically sent to the front row, next to the left pillar. The only seat that beat mine was the front row in the very center of the theater. But i had a perfect view from the whole stage so it was kind of godlike to me. To be able see the girls this close, i was already breaking a sweat just thinking about it. Still, the inside of the theater look small to me. Hard to believe you can put 250 fans in that, but nevermind. The "most sophisticated show on earth" started, and i was there to witness it.

Part 2 : Show must go on

being Takamina's seitansai, i was 100% sure to get a great line up. Unfortunately for me, i hadn't some girls from team A like Yagura Fuuko, Miyawaki Sakura and Nakanishi Chiyori ( most likely sister group activities commitment), but Paruru, Ricchan, Annin, Kojiharu and Takamina were more than enough to make this show unforgetable. I think Stage performance are on a whole different world than concerts ; the two have fairly different appeal and complete each other. That said, i had the chance to be very close so i put a lot of attention about the dancing skill and stage presence (or stage charisma). Those criteria are impossible to evaluate in concert, and i was happy to see things differently. Renai Kinshi Jourei ( love ban rule) is not a Stage that i know very well, i didn't checked the setlist before coming so discovering the song was going to be exciting. Of course i know unfamous stage songs like Kuroi Tenshi and Heart Gata Virus, but not the others.

"The crowd had only eyes for Takamina, smiling brightly at us"​

M01. Nagai Hikari (長い光) : the show started with Takamina solo'ing the first 2 line of the song. She got nice and trained vocals. Sasuga Soukantoku! At first i thought it would be a ballad, but it ended up being a classic idol song. The song was catchy and the choregraphy cute. But damn...I WAS SO DAMN CLOSE. I tell you, i had to put my head back because on how much i was scared to be too close (and get arrested by staff). Really that was beyond impressive. I was lost, incredulous on what was happening, because Idols is something that i always followed from very far away, you know? Who actually meet their favourite singers/group this close? From there started a festival of awesomeness non stop : the first portion of the song i had Kawaei Rina in front of me. I like her easy going character and i genuinely believe she's cute, but seeing her in performance make me strike on one thing : she's smaaaaall.

And without any recovery from my meeting with Ricchan, she switched her place with...Kojiharu. NyanNyan started making those cute footstep from the choregraphy. Kojima Haruna, the AKB48 member that every famous brands battle each other to get her in their advertisement? One of the prettiest girl in AKB group? Even better, Takamina joined her in the left side of the stage and i saw them singing along the song. At that time, everything looked like a dream to me.

Maybe the most scary thing, that can only happen in Theater, is the eye contact. It must be just an impression, but since i was front row, i believe i did eye contact with every senbatsu member. Paruru gaze was empty (as expected), but looking at Kojiharu or Ricchan amused face really freaked me out. I unconsciously switch my stare to another point to avoid their's. I was not prepared for this *nosebleed*

M05. Kuroi Tenshi (黒い天使) : Kojiharu was center. This song was only performed by 3 members so it was mainly in the center of the stage. I decided to watch the member the closest to the left side, and it was fujita Nana. I didn't know this girl at all but i felt she was really into it, and put a really good performance. And she is actually quite pretty! Of course i watched Kojiharu too, but she didn't overwhelmed the 2 backdancer of her presence. The performance was pretty balanced between the 3.

M06. Heart Gata Virus (ハート型ウイルス) : Aah, the infamous Shimazaki Haruka centered Heart Gata Virus. I was really curious on how Paruru would do with this unit. And actually, she did quite well! I heard so many times that Paruru is Salty, no expression, no reaction, so i was expecting a big failure. But i was positively surprised. I really think she was having fun on stage, and her smile wasn't forced at all. That aside, i really wonder if going to team A (and stay by Takamina's side) will help her get the Ace "flavor", that Acchan and Mayuyu previously obtained in team A. Paruru will always be paruru. If she change her personnality (salty character), will she loose her appeal? But if she keep it, can she be Ace of AKB48? Such a lovely and cheerful song, and suddenly i put a serious face watching Paruru dancing...Ahaha i'm sorry Paruru! You did great though.

"I always loved Takamina funny character. She is hilarious!"​

M08. Tsundere! (ツンデレ！) : My favourite performance of her Seitansai! Takamina wore this tiara that featured perfectly the "queen" character during the song, as well as a big strip saying "happy birthday" in japanese. It really made people laugh when she appeared, especially the fan next to me. It was almost not dancing, because all the mimic she did was in order to make people laugh! Terribly funny. Takamina, known for being serious and very hard-working, let loose for one song and really enjoyed performing. After all this year we can say Takamina mastered theater performance in outstanding fashion and doesn't feel anymore, making her extremely reliable for her kohai. "Asobina Asobina" never have had more meaning than this moment!

M09. Manatsu no Christmas Rose (真夏のクリスマスローズ) : Nothing particulary about this song, just that i thought it sounded great live, and made me want to listen to it again when i got home. Draftee member and KKS were backdancers, acting like cheerleaders. They were energetic in their dancing. What hit me that time was Iriyama Anna. I remembered the first LOD i got was her seitansai because i thought she was pretty. Annin, in real life, is GORGEOUS. I couldn't take my eyes away from her slim, tall, elegant silhouette. She doesn't express a lot with her visage, but she truly have beauty on her side, like a silent "bishoujo" (pretty girl in japanese). She is like a beautiful painting that we enjoy just looking at it.

MC : If you really want to enjoy a theater performance to the fullest, it's easy. Learn Japanese. Because if you don't, you miss a lot of fun during member's MC. I was desperate to read the mood with my little japanese knowledge while everyone was laughing out loud of Karen's joke. I believe Iwata Karen has a lot of "presence aura" when it comes to MC, and naturally lead the MC to funny moment. Her "Attack on Titan" impersonation was really hilarious. Makes me sad that such a talented in singing/MC girl like her is not popular. I hope she will rank, because this theater performance wouldn't be as cheerful if she wasn't there. Her funny character is similar to Takamina's. When it comes to this part of an idol, Karen is truly Takamina's successor.

M13. Ano Koro no Sneaker (あの頃のスニーカー) : I didn't know this song. But that wasn't what moved me during the performance. It was interactions between the members. There's 3 bond effective in AKB48. Generation bond ( Shokyuu members, ori Team 4) Team Bond ( Spirit of team K, ori team B) and Pairing (Atsumina, Mayuki). This song truly displayed a team bond, where every member look close to each other. I really felt Takamina was looking at everyone with Motherly eyes, like looking at her family (even kojiharu? lol). The song was slow paced, so i could carefully watch Riichan laughing with Kojima Natsuki, Karen joking with Tomu, and of course Kojiharu and Takamina looking at each other. But Takamina gave love to everyone in team A. I remember Takamina playing along with Fujita Nana during the song. It was so sweet. Popular members are portrayed being all the time with fellow popular member. But Takamina care for everyone in AKB48.

M14. AKB Sanjou! (AKB参上！) : I like epic songs like UZA, River, Pioneer, and Korogaru ishi nare! So i really enjoyed this one. During the whole performance i didn't really felt a "theater aura" from Ricchan but she really went all-in for this song, which was great. Kind of "unleash the kraken" mode and i felt a lot of energy coming from her. As expected Karen was really into it as well, Tomu put her serious team K face and joined the fray. And LOL at Paruru who didn't break a sweat even though the choregraphy of the song was energetic. Seriously, how did you do that, Paruru? Is it the unfamous Energy-saving dancing technique created by Acchan herself?

M16. Oogoe Diamond (大声ダイヤモンド) / Birthday MC : Nice choice to put an A-song for last, because the crowd went climax and the wotagei/Mix never been that loud before. Perfect way to end Takamina's seitensai. I'm happy because after many mistakes i managed to do a perfect mix + the song mix. I was praised by the fan next to me! *proud*. In fact, we had to do a scrupulous pattern during the show : 3 different glowstick, 2 flyers timing, 2 different mix. That was hard! lol. That aside, the moment to bring the cake finally came. Oshima Yuko wrote the letter for her "war buddy" Takamina and of course she cried while Kojiharu was reading the letter. The japanese was too hard for me but i can tell that what Takamina said was very meaningful as many fans in the attendance cried along. A speech which she claim again her dedication to the new generation and AKB future. She hinted something about her graduation, saying it would be certainly her last team. But considering a change of team occur in each shuffle, it might be in 1/1.5 years, which is during AKB 10 anniversary. So i was absolutely not surprised. But for the moment, let's enjoy to the fullest while Takamina is here!

Conclusion : ...And where everything ends.

"Before the curtain fall, Team A bid farewell to the crowd with big applause"
​

I talked with the fan next to me, who was a Takamina oshi and he told me that Theater performance hold something special from all other AKB event. You can call that "intimacy" or "being in the confidence". That's why so many people come to watch a show, again and again. You are never bored watching, because there will never have the same identical line up. Maybe an under member can catch your eyes? AKB48 is such an overwhelming group in the japanese music industry, selling millions of CD and appearing in a lot of variety show. Everyone knows the group, from far away to the closest wota.

I'm living my life as a fan to the fullest because i perfectly know our time is short. Someday, all of our oshi will eventually graduate and we will loose interest in the group. The hype lived during the 3rd Sousenkyo between Acchan and Yuko won't be able to be overcome and multiplicating big concert will not increase their popularity anymore. AKB48 will not be eternal in their glory, as Morning musume before them and Seiko Matsuda even before. What we live, is a Cycle. AKB48 is a cycle too, with the old gen making way to the new one. It is the old gen duty to teach new gen of their knowledge, and it is new gen duty to carry old gen legacy.

But this little Theater, hidden in the vasteness of light and concrete of Akihabara, is the heart of AKB48. Even if AKB popularity fall, as long as there will be fans coming to the theater, AKB will never die. That's what i think. This place is filled with memories from influential members like Oshima Yuko, Shinoda Mariko and Akimoto Sayaka, giving the theater a feeling of invincibility. That's what make this place awesome. Why do you think Aki-p never changed AKB location? There's two huge pillar blocking the way, after all, and i believe he has enough money to buy the whole building if he wants. Akimoto Yasushi never changed because he is perfectly aware of the meaning of this theater. Even if you don't come for a show, you should come just for the meaning, like a pilgrimage. Just to feel the warm, the atmosphere that has been built up by 15th generations of Idols.

It might be the first and last time i see Kojiharu and Takamina on stage. I have done Handshake events, concert in Arena, live streaming in theater and met many fans in Japan. I won't stop being a fan any time soon (the next generation look promising!), but If i had to choose a place where everything ends, it would naturally be a stage performance in the theater. Where the true essence of AKB48 belong, and where every member finish their career, from the eternal Ace maeda Atsuko to the Kenkyuusei you never knew about. The theater is the place where everything begin, and where everything end.

"Bonus : AKB48 Shop in Akihabara. Thanks for reading!"​

 

"Super enpou" ticket!!!
Haven't heard anyone getting it for so long!!!! And this big event of Takamina's birthday!! Big Lucky you!!

Thanks for all the sharing. A very nice read.
And have a safe journey back home!

 

Great report, thank you very much.

 

That was really nice to read gocchisama!

 

Thanks for the write-up Gocchisama. Glad you were able to see a show (and a birthday one at that) before you left.

PS: Super Enpou technically isn't limited to one seat. The staff only marks the number of seats necessary for each show. If 3 people win it, then they'll have the placards on 3 seats. If 1 does, then there will only be 1.
(I still wouldn't hold my breath on winning it either)

 

So forthe super enpou, they only draw out one email!

Omg, no wonder it's so hard to win...

How many days in advance did they contact you that you won?

 

^ That wasn't what I meant.

There can be any number of people who win Super Enpou for a given show. When the staff selects the winners, they then set aside that number of seats in the front row (left hand side). Technically, according to the original post that announced it, this can be up to six seats for any given show. But it's up to the staff to decide if and how many will win. The show I won was myself and another fan, but someone who applied with them did not win.

I received my email about 5 days before the show (but that was a long time ago).

But again, I wouldn't really expect to hear anything at all. I'm at 20+ entries, and I know other people who have applied many times with no win either. I can't believe these are all going to fans from other countries, especially since I've been to shows where there are no Super Enpou winners at all. Do not rely on this as your only method of applying for AKB48 theater tickets, use the Ticket Center.

PS: I really wish they would work Super Enpou entry into the actual ticket center, so you at least know that they've received your application and whether or not you've won for a show. But it's been over a year and the site still isn't set up for international addresses.

 

I thought I would write this up fast while its fresh in my mind. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed living it.
May 17th 2shots with Paruru.

Spoiler

Well to start I had 4 tickets total in 2 slots. 2 in the 6th slot and 2 in the 7th. All with just Paruru. Those that know me should find this as no surprise. I worship that girl. Anyway this was my first AKB event so not knowing the ins and outs about everything was a little nerve wracking. Heck I wasn't nervous about meeting Paruru at all it was the process of getting to her that had me stressed. We got to Yokohama a little early and took in some sites and rested up about a block from the event. Sitting there and my son notices that Pxm walked by who I met earlier in the week and is a Paruru Army member so I flag him down. He had been to a few slots of other girls earlier so knew the process so we walked over to the event together and he showed me the ropes. He had a ticket for Paruru in the 5th so I just waited for him in the area outside the lanes.
I wore my Paruru Army shirt with Voightkampff written on the front for the first slot of tickets. I must admit I felt a bit out of place. Not that anyone made me feel that way at all I'm just a 6'2" White American with blue eyes and it was just scary. I never did see any other white people there. I know Drazzar who had lunch with Pxm and I earlier in the week was there but I never found him. So Pxm had come out of his 5 slot with her and told me his experience and said she had picked herself the pose to do. I had nothing in mind so decided if she did to just follow suit. Anyway I queued up and was on my way. When they pulled that curtain back and I saw her in person for the first time I mean words cant describe the feelings that well up. She did look surprised to see me. I put my backpack on the table turned around and said "Hello Paruru" and she shook my hand and said hello. We did the 2 poses she wanted I got up told her "thank you very much" she shook my hand again and said arigato. Walking down the exit corridor I though to my self what the hell just happened?? It was like I got knocked senseless for a bit. All these questions were running through my mind.
So for the next slot I went to the bathroom and changed into my Paruru birthday shirt that we had made for her project. Now this is where the feeling out of place really steps up. This shirt is not something I would wear normally. Its a light tan shirt with pastel colors and a cartoon Paruru on the front. But I decided to take one for the team lol. Standing in line with that thing on was brutal. Again curtain opens we shake hands and I say to her "Your birthday shirt". She looks it over for a sec and says ahhh and smiles a bit. Then she starts doing the "pressure" pose but I'm sure she remembers me that we did it last slot and tilts her head a bit to question it. I say "heart-o" to her and put my hand out and we do that. She picks other pose and then I shake hands with her again and tell her she is very beautiful. She says Arigato.
Overall it was a awesome experience. She was very friendly to me. Always looked me in the eye and smiled when we addressed each other. Amazing girl and everything I thought she would be and more.