Keep in mind that the artists documented fall in the "Plus" section of the blog and they are exclusively aidoru. I didn't really explore the "Kayo Kyoku" side, but I plan on doing so in a next opportunity.
1. First live show impressions
Our first and foremost priority in this trip was to see live idols. We thoroughly decided which lives to see (I spent some months beforehand compiling all the options for our dates), and the rest of the schedule would be winged out as the days went by. We had some destinations in mind, but it would depend on the live shows we had for each day.
In the first day, still not fully rested from the plane trip, we mustered energy to go to our first live show. It was a two-man show by EMPiRE and BILLIE IDLE, two groups linked by the history of the WACK agency, as three of BILLIE IDLE's members were part of the the first iteration of BiS.
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| My first cheki, with MiDORiKO EMPiRE |
These days, almost all medium-sized idol groups do a photo session sometime during the live event. If you buy records, a piece of merchandise or simply a ticket, you can take a polaroid picture (cheki) with your idol of choice. This is easily the selling point for most live performances, as many fans attend them to have a little chat and collect pictures from their favorite idols, rather than exclusively to enjoy some music.
The system that leads to purchasing these cheki is sometimes a bit tricky and we were fortunate to meet some online friends in our first live shows, who helped us with that process. A big thanks to them! Honestly, once you get the hang of it, it's not very hard.
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| My first cheki with Rio Hidaka from Benjamin Jasmine |
In our second day, I discovered my new favorite idol, a girl called Rio Hidaka from the group Benjamin Jasmine. Though the group debuted last year, it borrows some fame and songs from other groups from the same agency. Since "Benjas"' cheki session was simultaneous with other live shows (most times, several groups perform in the same event - this is called taiban), I sprinted away and figured out another cheki purchasing system.
I wonder if all this talk sounds too confusing for someone who isn't aware of this, but I swear that once you do it a couple of times, it gets a lot easier, and it's very nice to talk to idols. The girls are very kind (it's their job, after all), it's a very good Japanese practice and you get to take a little souvenir home.
2. Shibuya
Shibuya is the idol hub of the 2010 decade and we managed to spend a lot of time there, starting with Hachiko Square, where we often went to eat some breakfast. It's bad manners to eat while walking in Japan, so we would go sit there for a while and watch all the tourists take pictures with the famous dog statue. Since it was Obon season, there would be both national and foreign tourists lining for a shot.
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| The tilted Hachiko statue in front of Tower Records Shibuya |
Early in our trip, we paid a visit to the local Tower Records store, which is very big (6 floors, if I'm not wrong). It was amusing and somewhat time-consuming (but well spent time!) to explore the whole store, seeing all the exclusive goodies all kinds of groups had left (autographs, pictures and whatnot).
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| Former BiS members left a picture and some Ultraman figures in Tower Records Shibuya |
Even at night, it's a place bustling with activity. We managed to visit more pop culture stores and even spotted some idols handing flyers on the street. My recommendation for someone who likes music and unique products, besides Tower Records, is Village Vanguard. Though a really cramped store, it has a bit of everything you can't really find anywhere else.
3. August 11th
The special thing about this day is that it is my birthday and it was also the most eventful day of the trip. We basically watched live shows from morning to evening.
By morning, we travelled to Shimokitazawa to attend "the propagation", a show featuring several groups me and my boyfriend love very much. The one that led to us going was Wyenra. My boyfriend is really fond of this group and insisted on seeing them live at least once, hence why we attended two live shows instead of the usual one per day. After seeing them live, I also became a really big fan.
Wyenra is a self-produced group inspired in Japanese folklore, with visual themes such as smoke, forests, youkai and ghosts. The leader Misato Miira is also an illustrator and produces many of the group's visuals, while the other two girls, Hikari Takiguchi and Kirara Takiguchi, are sisters. I might expand on them in another post, but I really recommend their mini-album KEMURI.
The second show we attended was the one we had tickets for longest. It was the anniversary live of RYUTist, a local idol group from Niigata. I usually call them Negicco's successors, and it seems like they have been gaining more fame outside of their home prefecture, which is great. I love their soothing songs and cheering atmosphere and it was totally worth it to run from one show to another.
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| The finale of RYUTist's concert. Can you see me doing a heart with my hands? Hint: I'm really at the back |
I honestly couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday.
4. Meeting Michelle and Haru Hinata
When meeting idols, I usually went for my number one from each group and only after that, if I had time and funds, I would go for my second favorite. This was what happened in the two cases I will elaborate upon, and it proved to be very fulfilling.
Michelle is a member of Necronomidol, a metal-inspired idol group that has gained considerable fame outside Japan, even managing to perform an European tour earlier this year. Michelle is a girl who loves fashion and adopts an "idol AI" character, which makes her a distinct presence in the group. It was very fun to talk to her, as Necroma's staff provides plenty of time (more than the usual for other idol groups). She complimented my clothes and encouraged me to pay a visit to Harajuku, Tokyo's fashion hub, which I ended up doing a few days later.
I have previously written about Dance for philosophy and I was more than happy to be able to see them live. It was a really good show and they are one of my favorite idol groups of all time. After taking a picture with Mariri Okutsu, I went for Haru Hinata, the red-haired member with a very powerful voice. Her impactful stage presence contrasts with her fun and cheerful personality, always speaking in a exciting tone and smiling a lot. I was really happy to see my Japanese being complimented and acknowledged, since this trip was my first chance to have conversations in Japanese with locals.
5. Meeting Pour Lui
Closer to the end of the trip, we ended up seeing BILLIE IDLE again. This is a group I really enjoyed seeing live. I love their music since they have a very vintage rock style. All members have good, distinctive voices and confident stage presence.
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| My gratitude: Go Zeela (gifted by a friend), Chibi Godzilla and Pour Lui |
I went to take a cheki with Pour Lui, the former leader of BiS. She is an idol I love very much and also the one person that allowed me, through her social network accounts and YouTube vlogs, to see my beloved Go Zeela after she left BiS and retired from the entertainment world. I have a lot of respect and gratitude for her, thus, I was quite nervous upon meeting her. But you can tell how experienced she is, as she looked me in the eyes and stroked my hand the whole time we were talking. I had bought a Godzilla T-shirt earlier in the day and she noticed it, but it was nice to focus the conversation on Pour Lui herself.
In the end, I took two pictures with her. I had time to tell her I watched her YouTube channel and left feeling quite confident and happy with the interaction. It is, without a doubt, one of my best memories.
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| Akihabara's Kanda Shrine at night: the end roll of our trip |
I returned home with a bunch of cheki, merchandise, and character goods - but especially with irreplaceable memories. I finally accomplished my dream trip and I can't wait to go back and add more experiences. I hope you enjoyed reading this post!
Hello, Joana.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting up your article about your dream trip to Japan. I was also keeping up with your Twitter feeds during your time there, and I was hoping that you would be able to talk about your experiences in Tokyo and at the concerts.
It was good to read that you were able to visit my old haunt of Tower Records in Shibuya. I usually visited that place almost once a week on average and then I started going to the Shinjuku Station branch as well. By the way, where did you have breakfast there? Was it McDonalds?
Also, did you happen to visit Harajuku during the weekend? It must have been crazy crowded.
In addition, I appreciate the education on the aidoru industry in terms of the groups and the different activities that go into promoting them. One thing I was wondering...you use a good bit of the jargon such as "oshi" and "cheki", and to be honest, I'd never known what those meant. Would there be a lot of such vocabulary in the aidoru industry? If so, perhaps in a future article, you can give us a brief glossary on the necessary terms to know when going to an idol event.
Thanks very much on this great article. Always enjoy those "you-are-there" reports of yours, Joana!
Hello, J-Canuck! Thank you for your comment.
DeleteWe usually bought our breakfast in a combini (mostly Family Mart since it was closer to our hotel). In order to save some money and since I have a fish allergy, we relied pretty much on combini food, lol.
We didn't visit Harajuku during the weekend, if I remember correctly, but Takeshita Street was crowded nevertheless. I believe it's because it was Obon holiday season. We visited Meiji Shrine and also strolled by Laforet and some other streets to drink bubble tea. I basically enjoyed everything besides Takeshita Street, lol. I feel like it's too much of a tourist trap.
There are quite a few terms in the idol world, you're right! I would be willing to write a glossary when I have a chance, it's a great idea. There are a few songs I can present while I'm at it.
Thank you for the feedback! I really enjoy writing these kinds of reports.
Hello, Joana.
DeleteI've never actually bought anything on Takeshita Street, except for a crepe. However, I can understand the tourist trap tag, although it's still fun to walk through...as long as the crowds aren't too dense, of course. :)
The combini is a truly wonderful thing, isn't it? No offense to the local restaurants but sometimes the combini bento can rival some of the dishes that I've had in the restaurants (and those were good, too).
Looking forward to that next report then, but no hurries.