Japan Trip 2010 #6 ~ Shibuya & Concert!

When you think of Japan what do you think of? Shibuya, Harajuku etc right? And since there was a H!P official shop in Shibuya how could we have not gone?

While Stef was doing something, I entered this bookstore called Tatsuya. It was 6 stories high so I thought I would find a lot of H!P stuff? To my disappointment, there was only a small section. And the place was blasting AKB songs @@ Whenever I see AKB posters in the train stations and that AKB lorry driving about I get annoyed. It should be MM damnit!!

I wasn't sure if photos were allowed to be taken in the shop. And just for the heck of it I took pics of the back of cover of Eri's DVDs XD

Me and Stef were walking around Shibuya trying our darnest to find the shop. Armed with just the address, we found the building. But after going up all the levels we still couldn't find it. So I wondered if there were two buildings with the same name but one being a newer building and the shop was in the older building. Don't ask me why I thought of such a thing cuz on hindsight, I think it was riduculous too ^^; Maybe Risa's building talk got to me XD

We finally found the shop in the basement level!

I took these before I noticed the 'no photography' sign :P

Look at the walls and walls of photos!!! I could go nuts in here. And I did too. My bill was @@ A word of caution. Please, please, please check and double check your order list before going to make payment. I don't know how I did it but I miswrote the number for an Eri item and ended up with 8 of Maimai's pop card??

OMG I was so freaked out when I saw the staff taking all those Mai cards. I kept thinking in my mind "Is that my order? But I didn't buy any Maimai and WHY ARE THERE 8 PIECES!?!?!!?" ^^; Those cards weren't exactly cheap and if I had gone ahead and paid for them I would seriously die.

There was a TV monitor playing the latest PVs of MM, Berryz, C-ute and Mano Erina. Was there S/Mileage? I can't recall. Gomen ^^;

And look! The actual costumes of the girls. I would have liked to see Morning Musume's too but I guess they display the outfits on rotation? Maybe. Somehow the clothes don't look as small as I expected them to be? I thought the girls were tiny?

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Our concert tickets ^^

We started out real early on the day on the concert just in case we couldn't find the place and needed to spend time queuing for the goods. This is what the nearby building near the concert hall looked like.

Crap! As usual I forgot to take pics of the actual venue. Although photos are prohibited at the goods area, I should have taken some pictures of the fans waiting in line. ARGH!!!

This is the box where MM collects funds for the Dog Assistance program. Doesn't it look sad with so few coins? I wonder how filled the boxes were during the earthquake fundraiser. The Eri goods at the bottom left corner belong to Stef :D

Now onto the actual concert... (I can't comment on every song as everything was mostly a blur. When you are being that star-strucked, it's a miracle I even remembered to breath :D)

Morning Musume Concert Tour 2010 Spring ~Pika Pika!~


01. Moonlight night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~

I didn't feel this song when I first heard it on the album. But damn! It was an awesome choice to start with. The girls in bunny outfits and that image of a wolf right in the center of the stage didn't really fit but the energy brought about by the song got the crowd all riled up and excited. With all 8 girls on stage I didn't know who to look at ^^;

02. Kimagure Princess

With this being Eri's song, my eyes naturally landed on her first and this was when I realized she had cut her hair!!! OMG kawaii~~ This shorter style really suits her and the turtle was so amazing throughout. Her moves were so fluid and she was just ultra sexy :P

03. RR21

Sorry I couldn't remember much about this. I was probably staring at the girls while being surprised that such an old single was performed :P Oh and I had to decide whether to gawk at Risa, Eri or Sayumi with just two eyeballs. If there was anytime I wished I had more eyes, this was it XD

MC 1


04. Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun

I always liked this c/w song even from the first listen so I was really looking forward to seeing what the dance was like. There was this part where the girls all laid down on the floor? Damn, it was hawt *explodes*

05. NR


06. SYO

Remember the part where two girls face each other and their hands kinda go around the other person's waist? They paired KameMame here! Which made me giddy with joy obviously ^^

MC 2: 6kkies

07. Ano Hi ni Modoritai

This song sounded a little boring in the CD but it wasn't bad and I still liked it. However, when watched live, the entire thing was so beautiful that it's indescribable. As all of you would know by now, TakaGaki were clad in long dresses with a denium jacket over and the dance incorporated umbrellas. Ai had this headband thingy that made her looks so hobo. Flower power era!

I think Ai was the better performer in the sense that she was excellent with her facial expressions. And her singing was good too. For Risa, her voice was so filled with emotion that I was almost brought to tears. Tee hee, do I sound as though I'm exaggerating? Unfortunately she tends to overdo her expressions and I wanted to laugh out on a couple of occasions :P

I would have liked for the dance between leader and sub to have more interaction instead of focusing solely on the prop aka brolly. But I guess I can't complain as it could have been worse.

08. Osaka Oshiinen


The 8th gen song isn't that bad live but on the album it was.... I guess it's true that everything sounds better with visuals?


09. Ookii Hitomi

OMG this song just blew me away!! I liked it on the disc but when the Rokkies performed it, it was all sorts of win! The girls were cute, the singing was right on cue, the outfits were a mixture of cowboy and frills which means it was erokawaii (?). Ha ha, Eri's special term has stuck on me so I'm gonna use this to describe cute + hawt from now on. And of course the dance was adorable. I loved the little action where they encircle one eye with their thumb and forefinger. Too sweet for words :)

The turtle wore her cowboy hat in the afternoon concert but not in the evening. I thought that she had forgotten it or she didn't have enough time to put it on and secure it. But Stef thinks that she didn't wear it on purpose. Perhaps it was in the way of her dancing?

I couldn't decide if Sayu or Kame was better here since they were both so gorgeous. I think the usagi won out just by a little. As for Reina, I'm sorry I couldn't watch her much since I had my eyeballs full with KameShige. But there is one thing I noticed. Why doesn't she sweat? Reina looks the same right from the beginning and stays the same till the end @@

10. RB


MC 3


Risa with VTR of Souda We're Alive [In the evening it was Eri with Ai Araba It's Alright]

Gaki's choice is hmmmm to me but Kame's was awesome! I love Ai Araba. I even have both the single and Single V. The girls mentioned their reason for choosing the respective songs which were of course lost on me. Curse my non-existent Japanese skills :(

11. Medley


[Love Machine - The Peace! - KT - Koi no Dance Site - Roman My Dear Boy - Koko ni Iruzee!]

This was the part where the girls burst out in the blue kimono like outfits right? In the evening concert, Sayumi pinned her bangs up and woah! She looked fab that way. She should seriously consider doing her hair that way more often.

Needless to say after her mesmerizing appearance, I couldn't take my eyes away from her. Badsaints totally agrees with me on this as she couldn't say anything else other than "Sayu is hawt" after the concert. XD

12. Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou?

This was supposed to be entirely in Chinese and I expected the girls to all get a line each. But it was more like a JunLin song with the rest acting as backup.

MC

13. Onna ga Medatte naze Ikenai


The best pose for the dance has to be the pointing bits. Where they point in various directions in accordance to the best of the music.

14. 3,2,1 BREAKIN' OUT


I didn't expect this song to be sung since it was the Anime Expo theme but it was alright. Another song that is better with visuals :P


15. Mikan

Obviously Tsunku finds this song great for concerts. Why else does he insist on including it everytime? I don't mind this song since the lyrics are meaningful. But if I was given the option of Onna ni Sachi Are vs Mikan, I'll pick OnSA. I love the kicking bit and the interlude portion. Woot~

16. Genki Pika Pika

Besides the 5th and 6th gen songs, I like this one the most. Happy, genki and chirpy. One should listen to these types every now and then to keep yourself in a good mood ^^ All of the member were super happy during this song and it rubbed off on me. I kept smiling to myself. I must have looked stupid :D

17. Loving you Forever


This was the perfect ending to the concert. It's almost as if the girls are telling the fans that they would love us forever. Yeah it's clique but if it works why not?



Encore

18. HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN

Oh dear lord, GAKI-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!! This is the part where I can't look at anyone else besides her. O---k, I did catch glimpse of Eri now and then. But it wasn't my fault! She was dancing so vigorously that it was impossible not to look her way. That said, I can honestly say that Risa was the best here.

Her clothes were so cool and she had a hat on. I'm a sucker for hats. Her actions were a little boyish but still sexy. And then her singing. Has there been any doubt that this song is MADE for her. How do you like Japan? More like how do you like Risa? Yes, I wub you omame. I'm your faithful fan till the end of my days :P

MC

The afternoon talk was hilarious. Someone commented on Eri's hair, calling it the 'Aho-ge' standing up. And she was desperately trying to smoothen her hair down from flying all over the place but failed. So she said something like "my hair isn't the point of this talk!" Everyone LOL-ed at how comical she was and I distinctively recall Gaki-san laughing so hard that she fell on the floor XD

In the evening concert, this was Kame's section again :D Fans like to jump and jump when their fave member is talking right? A couple of Eri's fans started jumping as she stepped forward to speak and the Erien told them to stop cuz it distracted her and she couldn't think of what she wanted to say properly. In response to that, more of the turtle's fans started jumping XD Omg it was so funny XDDDDD

19. Namidacchi

I still want to laugh when I hear Risa's long speech camouflaged as a rap but this song is nice so I'm okay with it. I really didn't want this song to end as it would mean that the concert is truly over :( It wasn't long enough!! I was standing throughout the concert but I don't mind standing for a few more hours. It was that good!

There were a number of TakaGaki moments and at the end there was some too. The leader and sub are always the last to leave the stage and they hold onto each other before running off. During the afternoon concert, Ai did this mini jump as she ran off and her straw hat flew upwards and fell onto the floor. Risa laughed and I smiled too because it's TakaGaki, no matter how small the interaction :)

My Stash

If only I had exchanged more yen. Then I would have bought even more stuff. Waving glow sticks is so much fun despite your arms aching ^^;

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This last portion I didn't know where to stuff so here it is.

I tried the Nissim Foto noodles where Ai, Risa, Sayu and Jun visited the Sumos filming the CM. They weren't available at every convenience store so I bought two cups when I found them XD

And this brings to the end my Japan trip happenings. I really hope I can go to Japan again and this time I'm gonna make sure I attend more concerts. I wanna go to the BUONO!, C-ute and Berryz ones too :D

I hoped you enjoyed reading and gained some insights on what it was like going to Japan for the first time and watching a real live concert (^_^)

Japan Trip #5 ~ Asakusa & Ueno Part 2

Asakusa, the place to go when you are in Japan. Badsaints said this area was a place we couldn't miss. And I'm glad we came. The temples I see where I live sure aren't as pretty. I'm also interested in finding out if this was the temple Sayumin went to film the 'Senkou Hanabi' PV for the Best Shot 3 DVD? It sure looks like the place doesn't it?

See the people crowding around? It's where you go to pray for a luck lot. Are those called luck lots?

You put in 100 yen then shake the canister and wait for a lot to fall out. The wooden drawers are where you get the strip of paper with the number obtained from the stick. I don't know why I was extremely thrilled to try this. It could be because the Aho pair of KameShige did this on one of their HM@ outings no?

After that we walked to a batting center which was nearby. Again this was something that H!P girls tried before. Yossi and someone else? I can't remember who ^^;

This is where your friends etc can sit and watch you bat or pitch while smoking. Yep, it's okay to smoke here even though it's indoors.

Crepe spotted!! Reminds me of Eri in her lollita outfit and how she got cream on her lips :P The rest of the MM girls ate this too. Stef thinks this could be the exact same place where they ate this but I'm not sure. I'm not good with recognizing places ^^;

You order by slotting coins into a machine and pressing on the flavor of your choice. After the card slips out, you pass it to the man who will begin making the crepe.

I picked strawberry. Yummy~ This definitely tastes better than the ones I've eaten in my country. And nope, I'm not being biased here XD

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Ueno Part 2

The only reason why we came back again was for the Hello! Pro shop in Ueno. *jumps about excitedly* This shop is located in the YokoAme building? Argh, I forgot the name. But I think I should remember how to go there if I ever went to Japan again. We aren't supposed to take photos so I didn't. *sigh* I should have broken the rules and did it! Why am I such a law abiding person? XD

The sales person asked for my name and while I was contemplating what to say (cuz I figured she wouldn't be able to understand any non Japanese names?) Badsaints who was beside me offered gleefully. "Hammy!" Surprisingly she caught it. She even repeated with this bewildered look "Ha-mmy?" You know how the Japanese speak English right? It was funny :D It was as if she couldn't believe this was a real name? Well, it wasn't but I use it online right? So it's as real as it can be :P

Later we got to play this little wheel of fortune thingy. I could pick one photocard from the MM set. I should have taken Risa's but her pic wasn't very nice? So in my best Japanese accent, I said "Michishige Sayumi-san." I don't know why but I was nervous saying her name out loud to a real Japanese person. I kept running Sayu's name in my mind first before saying it cuz I always stumble and it ends up as "Mishichige" ^^;

Isn't this machine cool? I played it 4 times and got Maimi, Chisato, Risako and Reina respectively -_-; No Gaki-san *boo hoo* It didn't help that the one on exhibit was Risa's. And she looked fab in it! Drats! I forgot to take a pic of that!??!?! Hammy baka!! *slaps self*

We walked past this sign on the way to the train station. I think the shop sold concert tickets? I wish I could grab this board and run. I also wish I could watch the Pika2 concert again. It was too awesome. And I'm still in love with GakiKameShige :P

Final post about the trip and all about the concert coming up in entry #6 ^^

Japan Trip #4 ~ Yokohama part 2 & Ueno part 1

After returning from Chinatown, we arrived at the hostel quite late in the night. I can't remember what time it was ^^; But we were the last few to check in as our luggage were all still in the lobby. There was this metal bar with a chain and lock where we could secure our stuff. We had left them there when we first reached the 'Port Yokohama Hostel.' We couldn't keep our belongings in the room in the day as it wasn't check in time yet @@

A shot of the corridor where the rooms were situated.

The hallway leading up to the bathroom and toilet. Doesn't it look creepy? That door with the cracked glass panel is the shower. I kept thinking that a hand will appear all of a sudden and strangle me or something. XD And the last scene in that movie, 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' kept flashing in my mind. *shivers*

The sheets and towel return area. The door you see is where my room is. Imagine opening your door and coming face to face with this red light in the dead of the night. No wonder I had a nightmare^^; It didn't help that we had an encounter with a big, tall and drunk man. He knocked on our door and when we opened it, he just stood there staring at us while mumbling some incoherent words. Badsaints was the bravest among as all. She calmly asked the man "Yes? Can I help you?" all the while without flinching. A true heroine indeed :D There were more stories to this but I won't write it here :P

This is how the interior of the room looks. Isn't it neat? Well that's cuz this is Badsaints and Estrea's room XD Mine and Stef's throughout the trip always look as though a tornado has hit it :P Another reason for not using my room is cuz I forgot to take a picture of it before locking up and dropping off the key in the key return box when we had to check out ^^; Hence I had no choice but to run back upstairs and barge into BS and E's room to take this shot XD

A picture of the train that we took to the place we did some shopping. I took this because it reminded me of a scene in Risa and Koharu's PB. You know which ones I'm referring to right?

Woman's only carriage. There are specific times for this. Too bad we didn't board the train at those times. I would have liked to see how the men are kept out XD

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We ate MacDonalds for lunch. You're probably thinking "What?! Why have fastfood in Japan?" The menu here is totally different from that in my country so I'm alright with trying it. I had an ebi burger. It's not that good though. But then again, I'm not the greatest seafood fan ^^;
The Japanese are really thorough when it comes to recycling. Not only do you clear your own table and trays, you even seperate the trash before dumping them.

Is it a coincidence that Yokohama has so many pier themed places?

If you like shopping, you should really visit this place. I didn't have enough time to finish walking the whole building! :(

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On the day we went to Akihabara, me and Stef also went to Ueno. Oh and there was Shibuya too. But I'll talk about Shibuya in another post :)

At Ueno Park, the Sakura flowers had bloomed. There were two rows of Sakura trees and when you walked on the path in between, it's like having the most romantic experience *dreams* How nice if Risa / Eri / Sayumi was with me. What? I can fantasize can't I? :P

Sakura petals on the ground.

At this temple, I sounded the bell with that rope hanging from the ceiling.

Outside was this place where you could tie the fortunes which you have prayed for. I think you do this if the lot wasn't a good one? Then you could wish it away or something. It was a pretty sight when the breeze blew and the papers fluttered in the wind ^^

Again another possible romantic scene. Buy a small wooden block and write down your wish. I bet some smart guy or girl would have tried confessing this way. Bring their partner here and innocently show them the piece with the wish of them being together forever written on it. Okay okay, I admit it, I'm a sucker for such things XD

Part 2 of Ueno and Shibuya will be in the next entry. Wait for it (^_^)

Japan Trip 2010 #3 ~ Yokohama Part 1

Maybe cuz it is Yokohama, Gaki-san's hometown that's why the number of pictures I took here greatly outnumbered the other places :P

I took this picture on the train travelling from Tokyo to Yokohama. The journey was over in a flash. (It takes approximately 12 minutes to arrive) No wonder Risa can continue to live in her family home and travel to work daily.

This is the mall that is next to the themepark. You know the one with the ferris wheel that the bean talked about in that old episode of Music Fighter from the Osaka Koi no Uta days? I wonder if this is the ii building :D

The roads outside the possible ii building. The flowers from the Sakura trees started to fall in doves when we were standing outside waiting for the bus. The view was incredible! Too bad I didn't have a proper camera and can't take a pic of that beautiful scene.

Oh and we had lunch in this mall. This was what the dessert looked like. Ultra kawaii ne~ Especially the usagi (^_^)

I really wanted to ride on the Ferris wheel when we went to the themepark. But sadly no one wanted to sit on it because it wasn't exciting enough :( Why am I such a kid? I'll rather go on this and the merry go round :P

Everyone else being more adventurous opted for the haunted house and this scary roller coaster called 'Vanish.' We managed to enter the ghosty place but not the roller coaster as there were too many people in the queue for it. Thank god! Cuz I would probably have puked out my lunch if I went on it.

This place is huge. Cuz on the opposite bank there are even more rides.

The sun is setting with the light reflected on some random building :D Oh beautiful, beautiful~~ *tries to sound like a hotshot photographer* :P

Nightview of the bay. See the Ferris wheel in the distance?

It was freaking cold up here. I think it was cuz we were practically at the sea. But the view was worth it. The ground was made up of all these wooden planks. Really gave the place the feel of a pier.

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Since we are in Yokohama how can we not go to Chinatown right?

Remember Morning Days 2? Where TakaGaki07 went around to eat...and eat? XD This is the panda bun they tried! Erm...it's not exactly the same cuz I didn't buy the meat bun. But it's still the same store ^^; Ureshii~~ I'm standing in the same spot where Risa once stood! *jumps around excited*

Part 2 of the Yokohama experience will be coming up later tonight, or within the next few days...I hope ^^;