Your AKB48 Experiences

Reading reports about Sayanee makes me squirm because I want to see her so badly. Like, ASAP. But life's been a b*tch and I know I can't sooner. The last time I did HS was, like, 3 years ago?
But I'm happy she seems to really enjoy doing HS and 2shots considering all the kamitaiou. Ppl still wonder why she sells out so fast lol.

And I'm not even surprised about Paruru. I'm convinced if she goes on like this, she will be another Tomochin. Is really popular and well-received in public but doesn't have a big fandom to support. If she keeps this up, she won't just not gaining new fans anymore like someone said, there's a big possibility her fans may get annoyed to the point they will get over her.

 

I guess I'm "old fashion" like @Cristafari since I agree with him. I see a lot of 2shots people trying to be "cool". I guess they want to be remembered since they will be forgotten after they leave the booth.

@Cristafari is proof that his Oshi will never forget him.

 

thanks for clearing things out. I now understand your point.

Still, i want to keep @Neve impression on 2shots as great experience and put priority on them, as this event is rarer than handshake events.

 

You can't generalise all Paru's fans that they actually do accept her for not being 'nice' at them. Like @Sakuraism said that there was not one happy person walking out from the 2shot and even the Paru's big fan who actually met her a lot of times @Voightkampff said she didn't even bother to look at her fans which is not exactly 'nice'. I have always amused at her being salty and I love when she gets it on 755 but simply being rude towards her fans in an event to meet fans is not nice. There's a line between being salty and rude.

 

@Togasaki
"we dont care what people say about her". You obviously cared enuf to come bring this up no? lol
ego of wotaku rofl. Here's some vaseline.
Didn't like what you read? Probably shouldn't have opened that spoiler.

I don't think you deserved any serious response.

 

As expected from the level of sensitiveness in this forum

 

That was before the incident no? I read that she was fine and salty before but since the incident she became pretty rude dont you think? I get that she feels even more uneasy but at least have some manners, take a glance to see who is taking photo with you and dont just pretend they dont exist.

 

The over analyzing of someone's "character" is hilarious. Glad to see "Kayfabe" is still REAL to people.

 

Thanks for reading!
I hadn't really looked for meetups on the forum, since I was already there with my friends, but I ran into @SunnySK42, who I'd met at a previous event, and she said she was meeting a whole bunch of other people from here. I'm sure there'll be lots of other people there next year, too!

 

Ahhhhh, I see. I misunderstood and thought you were commenting entirely on appearance, and I didn't understand why taking time in that regard was a bad thing. I didn't consider the way fans were acting/posing in photos since I don't get to witness that. Thanks for clarifying, and I can see your point now!

 

@Neve the pose you were asking about with Yuihan is a Kawaei pose from "Haste to Waste".

Nice write-up, btw, and I'm so happy you went to see Mogi ... she's the best!

 

May 5th AKB 2-shot event at Pacifico Yokohama

This event is why I decided to go to Japan. Every year I get jealous of seeing everyone's shots with the members so I decided to take my courage with 2 hands and get my ass to Japan.
So it was my first AKB event and my first time in Japan.

I went to the Nogizaka HS 2 days prior so I already knew how to go to the venue.
For the setting it was SKE to the left, HKT and AKB to the front and NMB to the right. The security check was just a search of your bags, metal detector and they made you take a sip from your drink.

My goal for this event was to see at least once all the members that I like and take a personalized photo showcasing a side of their personality that I like. Everyone gave great reactions so even if I forget to say it every time, everyone was amazing!

Slot 1 :

Goto Moe : 2 tickets
Really great reactions and super cute!! She's waiting for you standing up and is really beaming with energy!
Her staff kept messing up with my phone so I had extra time with her too, lucky!!

First pic, I asked for the 'Namai Kids' pose and she was very happy. It was my first picture and I messed up the pose lol.

Spoiler

Namai Kids

Second pic, I wanted a picture with an angry expression cause she's super good at it!

Spoiler

Why so angry?

So yeah I'll definitively go back to see her if I can, and a great one to begin the event! Told her I thought she was a great singer and wished her good luck in TeamB.

Shimada Haruka :
So... that's the pic that got me in a bit of trouble lol... I've always been a fan of Shimada and I wanted to take a fun pic with her.
Shimada and Paruru's names are very similar in kanji : 島田晴香 and 島崎遥香 so you could easily make a mistake when applying for 2-shot event or election.
I remembered an old election video where she acted like a Paruru fan that made a mistake and voted for her instead so I went with the same pattern.

She was super genki and I asked for a Paruru Monomane (and she was great at it too!). I then acted like a disappointed Paruru fan that made a mistake.

Spoiler

Paruru monomane

Thing is, the joke was a bit too realist and it caused some funny situations later on...

Slot 2 :

Okada Nana :
I didn't really have anything planned for Naachan. I wanted to congratulate her for the vice-captain position. Nearly went for the sleeping pose but I ended up with a classic one.

Spoiler

Pretty Naachan!

Iwatate Saho :
Saho had a funny costume, don't really know what it was lol. I said 'Bonjour' entering the both because I wanted to test a little her french skills. She handled it great.
I asked her to say 'Saho!'.

Spoiler

Sahoooo!

Slot 3 :

Matsumoto Chikako :
For those that don't know her, she's the draftee from TeamS and one of my favorites of SKE.
Really cute, energetic girl with a hint of KSGK. She's not really known so i knew I would get a great reaction from her. Her smile is absolutely incredible so I didn't even think about a funny pose and just choose something that showcases her smile.

Spoiler

Niiiii!

Very simple but it may be my favorite pic and one of my best encounter. The girl is a ray of sunlight, definitively go see her!

Azuma Rion :
Favorite encounter of the event hands down and it's really unexpected.
My favorites are usually funny, genki girls but for Rion, I really love her voice, facial expressions and music skills. She's on the calm side and people make fun of her low-tension introduction MC. I don't think I ever met someone that actually handshaked her too so I really went with no expectation.

She really has an aura around her, like she'd break if you touch her lol. I couldn't think of any pose for her and a friend on Twitter saved my ass by proposing an Air Key-tar pose (so obvious too, facepalm!).

Spoiler

Escape!!

After the photo, she REALLY squeezed my hands and looked at me really close with almost a pleading look and asked me to come to see her again. DAMN!! She fished the hell out of me!
I felt horrible that I only had one ticket for her, can't forget that look!!

Slot 4 :

Furuhata Nao : 2 tickets.
She was ill that day and had a placard saying that she couldn't talk too loud. One of the staff was coming to see her every 5 minutes to check on her and Nao-chan was telling him she was fine.

I wanted to showcase the 2 different Nao-chan, the super cool one and the cute as hell one.

My first pose was too difficult and she didn't understand cause it's more of a personal thing. I wanted her to do the expression she does while performing Utsukushii Inazuma.
So yeah big fail on the pose for me but Nao is super beautiful on the pic!

Spoiler

Fail Inazuma

Second pic, I went for a ET pose. She didn't know what it was cause I'm old as hell!

Spoiler

Nao is definitively a must-see, she'll blow your mind. I congratulated her for her win in Zero Position and she beamed with joy!

Slot 5 :

Tani Marika :
Time for my HKT->SKE oshi!! Many traps during that encounter.
First, when I entered the booth and told her I was a 'Tani oshi', she thought I said 'ni(2) oshi' so she asked me who my oshi was ROFL!! So I was "no you!! it's you".
Then she got me with another trap and some members do that. They have a planned pose if you don't specify one and she had set up some balloons. So I couldn't do the pose I wanted and just had the time to do the TeamE sign!

Spoiler

TeamE!

I was prepared for the second time and I asked for the 'Aya-chan no tame ni' she likes to do during TeamE performances.

Spoiler

Aya-chan no Tame ni!

Tani goes pretty crazy so it's hard to have an actual conversation with her lol! Enjoyed every second!

Slot 6 :

Nagao Maria :
The stunning NGO was extremely pretty as usual! I asked for the 'Gao!' pose and she did it to perfection!

Spoiler

Gao!!

Slot 7 :

Kitagawa Ryoha :
Another girl I wasn't sure about going to see her. There is low-tension TV-mode Ryoha and genki theater-mode Ryoha.
But it was definitively genki Ryoha and it was a great encounter. I asked for my favorite expression of her!

Spoiler

Snif!

Thoughts :
So as said previously on that thread, 2-shot events are definitively easier for a foreigner like me who's not going to come a lot and have lacking japanese.
I was less nervous for that event compared to the Nogizaka HS where I bombed a lot!! I really had a great time, I'll post my report for the 6th later!

 

May 6th 2Shot Event Report
On May 6th, I attended the “Koko ga Rhodes da…” 2Shot event. It was a fun full day, and a literally unforgettable experience, as I got photos.

I feel a little antsy about putting personal photos online, slightly concerned about privacy and more concerned that I look like a huge doofus in some of the photos. But you can’t do a 2shot event report without them, and blurring part of them out looks creepy and weird in my opinion. So please enjoy.

Prologue

Spoiler: Goals

Goals. They’re an important thing to have in life. I truly believe that setting ambitious goals and earnestly striving to meet them can take you to great places in this life. Granted, it’s probably more worthwhile to use them for career or educational pursuits rather than recreational ones, but I set goals for my hobbies just the same.

I remember at my first AKB event I attended (a Team K theater show), I saw the Hall of Fame placard, honoring those truly dedicated fans who saw 100 shows in the theater. I was inspired. I wanted to be on that plaque. But let’s get real. At the pace I’m going, it’ll take me at least 20 years to get there. Not going to happen. But I do set some more realistic and achievable ones for myself. I want to complete what I call the “AKB Event Pentathlon” (attending a theater show, dome show, special event [e.g. SSK, Janken, musical], handshake event, and 2shot event) and the “AKB Theater Grand Slam” (seeing every AKB team perform in the theater). I made good progress towards those in 2014, but there were two ones that were stuck. I have yet to see Team A perform, and 2shot events are rare. Today, I can say I completed my first goal. The AKB pentathlon. Awesome!

Winning the Tickets

Spoiler

Let’s go back in time, before Green Flash was even announced, 5 months ago to early December 2014. I had only been to one handshake event at this point, and I had recently made a disappointing bid for the Kibouteki Refrain tickets, winning zero senbatsu members. With the news that a new album was coming out, many people complained that it was “too soon”, but I was having none of that. All I could think about was “That means there will be 2shot events!!!!” “I can gooooo!” I’m excited. I check the chari-ana website every day to make sure I don’t miss any news. After a couple weeks, I see it. The big pink button, Round 1 has started. Finally, I’ll be able to do this right. Finally, I have a good shot at seeing my favorite members.

I made the mistake at the last event application of not applying for enough slots for popular members; they’d sell out and I’d lose. I won’t make that mistake this time.

Application Round 1. 5 slots. I do two for Mayuyu, the girl I want to meet the most. And 2 for Yukirin, the girl I want to meet the second most. I use my last one for Sayanee, she’s maybe #5-6 on my list, but I know she sells out fast. I win both Mayuyus and both Yukirins, losing only Sayanee. I’m thrilled at the news! I’ll finally get to meet them!

Round 2. 10 slots. I apply 3 for Takamina. I’m 0 for 6 in trying to meet her. 2 for Haruna Kojima, 2 for Jurina Matsui, and 3 for Milky, who has already sold out a lot. I win 1 of my NyanNyan bids, and all 3 of my Takaminas. Shocking. I only wanted to win one, but after learning of her graduation announcement the same day, I guess 3 won’t be so bad. There definitely won’t be a next time.

Round 3. Who else do I want? Definitely Sae-chan. I feel a little gypped after she wore a mask at our handshake, need to meet her again. Apply for 2. I also apply twice for Naachan, she can sell out. Of course Myao, still in love with her from the August handshake, definitely Kitarie, she’s super cool and cute. And why not Miichan? If you’re meeting no2b, might as well make it no3b. And I put one last one in for Paruru. I don’t want to meet her for another handshake, but she can take a good picture. I win all of them except for Paruru. Went a little overbudget, but I’m satisfied. It’s not like 2shot events come every day. And I’m meeting so many good members!! Hallelujah!

A month later, it’s resale round time. 10 slots. I go big for Sayanee (6 slots) and Jurina (3 slots), and I try for Milky with my last one. I expect to lose most of them and I do, but I do get one with Jurina Matsui! Score.

Next resale round. I try again for Paruru. I also put one in for Miki Nishino. Miki has always been on the threshhold. I definitely like her more than your average AKB member, but do I really like her enough to spend money on? At first I thought no, but then I see a 2shot with her from one of Sakuraism’s reports, where she looks unbelievably adorable. I change my mind to yes. I win Mikichan but lose Paruru. I’m not disappointed. When all is said and done, my wallet is reeling, but my heart is happy. Now, we wait.

Before the Event
I had over a week off of work for the Golden Week holiday. I decided to begin and end it with AKB events. The 4/26 Handshake event I went to was nothing to write about, kind of a pitiful event, as I only had 2 tickets for the whole day. Literally ran into the building at 7:11pm, doesn’t merit a report.

May 6th comes. I have just come off a delightful week of vacation. I never get a lot of sleep the night before these events, but waking up at 7:30 is much easier after a week of relaxing vacation than after a stressful week of work. I don’t even need the Mountain Dew. The weather is perfect and the sun is shining. I arrive at the event totally prepared and 40 minutes before my first slot starts. Get all my tickets stamped, everything is ready to go. I was a little worried about line management; I have 2-3 members in every slot and didn’t give myself time for a break. I also have Mayuyu, Takamina, and NyanNyan in Round 8. But everything was fine. 2shot lines move fast, and a little bit of pre-queuing solved all my problems.

Event Venue and Atmosphere
Pacifico Yokohama is a pretty good venue. It’s right in the heart of Minatomirai, a tourist-oriented port attraction in Yokohama. It’s very close to a subway station and there is ample signage to get you where you need to go. Wasn’t sure whether they’d be in the ‘Exhibition Hall’ or the ‘General Conference Hall’ but that was easy enough to figure out. (Exhibition Hall, btw). Plenty of space inside. Only complaint is I wish they had some more seats and amenities within the secure area. AKB48 Cafe was your only option in the drink or seating department. Though I did appreciate that they had a charging station for your phone. Running out of battery could ruin your day at an event like this.

As far as the people, I really didn’t notice that many foreigners, but then again, I am sort of myopic at these events, zoning out in my own little world. I totally missed Sakuraism, drazaar, Neve, SunnySk42 and everyone else who was there. My bad. It would have been nice to chat and say what’s up. Next time.

Though after seeing @tkmnwen’s profile picture I now recognize that we were in line for Takamina at the same time. I hope you don’t mind if I say hi next time.

I did get the sense that a lot more casual fans showed up to the 2shot event. There did seem to be a lot of fans who didn’t quite know what was going on. I remember a Japanese fan was arguing with the event staff about the rules, and I saw this one guy totally face plant when he tried to sit on a flimsy bar between cones. Also, there were a smaller percentage of absolutely decked out super fans. I even saw a few people wearing Babymetal shirts. What was up with that? Nothing against Babymetal, I like them, but I wouldn’t wear an AKB shirt to their concert.

The Event
Given the importance of the photos and the fact that I had a lot of repeats this time, I’ll try going by girl and not chronologically. Though I put the slot numbers where I met the girls so you can follow in order if you want.

Minami Takahashi
Slot 2
Time to start. Takamina is the first girl I queue for. Takamina has a medium-sized line, moving fast. When I see her, omg does she look tired. I don’t mean that as a criticism, just as a fact. I look tired when I’m exhausted too. Poor girl. She must be working very hard. Or maybe it was someone’s birthday the night before and she had a wild karaoke party all night long.

I’m up. It’s nice that Takamina’s hairstyle is in the classic style with the ponytail, just how I imagined. She says hello and asks for the pose. I really have no idea what I’m going to do with three photos with her, so I figure I’ll ask for her recommendation for the first one, see how that goes. “How about this?” she says, and makes the pose. “OK”. Hai-cheese.


I guess that turned out all right. Though gosh that shirt is tacky.

Slot 5
Back again. I know what I want to do for this one. I like Takamina’s funny faces, especially one she did on AKBingo not that long ago. So I want us to do a funny face. Thankfully, Takamina has changed out of the shirt, looks cute in a semi-fitted white hoodie. I say hello, Takamina still looks tired, asks for the pose.

Me: Omoshiroi kao! (funny/interesting face)
Takamina: [distressed look] Omoshiroi kao?!? Nani??

I guess omoshiroi is a bit of a vague word in Japanese, but she strikes a pose before I get a chance to clarify, so here we go.


You know, that face wasn’t that funny, a classic Takamina fail, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Slot 8
Head to Takamina’s line, which has gotten short. I feel like I’ve been a bit of trouble for Takamina today, with my lack of or ambiguous directions. I’ll make it easy for her final slot and just go with the heart pose. It was a little bit difficult to make, her nails are crazy long, but it was kind of an intimate thing to carefully place my fingers so our fingertips are touching.


Poor girl. I say a final good-bye with an “otsukarasama”. And I really mean that in every sense of the word. She says otsukarasama too. I’m glad I got to 2shot with you while I still could. I hope she takes a long vacation after she retires.

Minami Minegishi
Slot 3
Miichan has way more of a line for autographs and photos then she does for regular handshakes. Interesting. A little nervous about this one, as my last handshake with her was disastrous and I’m not sure if the pose I want to do with her will work out. I really liked Miichan no Heya, an interview talk show segment she did on Shuukan AKB, and I want to pretend like we’re on that show and I’m the special guest. I’m on deck. You know, if I had 3 wishes, I think a good first one would be to instantly be fluent in the language of whoever I’m talking to. I’m up. I take a deep breath.

Miichan greets me.
Me: I love Miichan no Heya…
Miichan: Thank you!
Me: Can we pretend to do a television interview?
Miichan: Interview?
Me: Yes.


Love how this one turned out. I didn’t mean for it to be a funny picture but it definitely turned out that way to me.

Rie Kitahara
Slot 3
Next is Kitarie, always love meeting this cool chick. The last thing she said to me at our last handshake event was “I can speak English.” Oh really? So I thought I’d test that out. A treasured memory I have from my interactions with Kitarie is these cute little arm pumps she does when she is excited. She was my first high touch and was at my first handshake event, and did it both those times. So I want her to do that in the pose.

Rie: Konnichiwa!
Me: Hello, it’s good to see you again.
Rie: Hello. Thank you. Pose?
Me: umm…Genki no ude. (energetic arms) [I demonstrate]
Rie: Ok


Rie is consistently a cutie, and of course takes a great photo. Is it just me, or has she gotten quite the tan lately? I like it.

Miho Miyazaki
Slot 4
Not gonna lie, I had lost some enthusiasm for meeting Myao after the autograph event. But I gained a lot of it back this morning, while watching a sexy, sultry dance performance by her on the big screen while in line. Anyone who says that Myao is fat either hasn’t seen her lately or is insane. She has the body of a real woman, and those curves drive me wild.

Another nice thing about visiting Myao is you never have to wait, her line is always empty. I stroll right up. I remember watching last year’s janken tournament on TV, and I loved Myao’s excited arm movements she made after every win. Let’s do that for the pose. Myao looks relaxed as I enter.

Myao: Hello
Me: Ohisashiburi..ne! (long time, no see)
Myao: ohisashiburi. Pose?
Me: [In Japanese] Do like you just won janken.


That wasn’t what I wanted; it was better than what I wanted. Wasn’t expecting to see so much skin. Love the bonus midriff I got.

Ok Myao, I’m officially over being butt-hurt. I’ll come meet you again.

Jurina Matsui
Slot 4
Shortly after Sae-chan, it’s back to SKE land to meet another energetic SKE member. I’ll try a pose closer to what I was intending to do with Sae. The energetic peace sign.


This is alright. @Sakuraism I’m jealous of your photo. And you don’t even like her that much. Not fair.

Nana Okada
Slot 3
Thrilled to be in line to be meeting my o…..ffiical vice-captain of Team 4. When she sees me her face perks up, honestly, she and Mayuyu were the only ones who acted like they gave a d@mn to be seeing me, they’re not making my decision easy.

Naachan: konnichiwa.
Me: konnichiwa
Naachan: Hello. Pose ga?
Me: Cho majime pose. (very serious)

I was worried that might be too vague of an instruction, but Nana immediately assumes exactly the pose I had in mind. It was an intoxicating moment, drunk on the thought that the power of my word is enough to make Nana Okada do exactly what I want. Sugoi! Anyway, I quickly sober up in time for the shot.


Perfect. Thank you so much Miss Okada.

Slot 5
After a lunch at Subway next door, I’m back in the game. Nana’s line is marginally shorter than Takamina’s so I see her first. I’m in line when…d*mn it. It hits me again. That familiar, awful wave of sleepiness that tends to happen to me at these events. I felt fine earlier, but I guess the food coma did me in. Should have had the Mountain Dew this morning. When I meet Miss Okada I can barely keep my eyes open. She looks tired too. I don’t remember our interaction at all, but I do have the photo:


Oh no! We fell asleep! Of course, I’m joking. In reality, I did have the Mountain Dew in the morning and Nana was her super-perky self, giving me an extra perky greeting when I came back, I obviously requested the sleeping photo. A fake-sleeping Nana photo isn’t quite as cute as the real thing, but is still super adorable. You know, if I had 3 wishes, I think my 2nd one would be to be invited to a sleepover party with Nana Okada, that would have to be the most adorable thing in the history of the world.

Sae Miyazawa
Slot 4
Round 3 is almost over, and I notice that the pre-queue has started for Sae-chan. Might as well join it. It was a good idea. Gave me time for lunch. I mostly got the tickets because I want to see Sae’s face from up close. And what a relief it is to see her without a mask on, though she is wearing something silly on her head. I’m not quite sure what I want to do with her, but I want a pose that captures the energy of the Genking. When she asks for the pose. I say do a “guts pose.”


Not quite what I envisioned, but not bad. Saechan tells me to come again, and I say I will. Little does she know it will be very soon.

Slot 7
I go for a bit of a costume change from this point on. I’ve been wanting an AKB sport shirt for a long time, and they finally have one at this event’s AKB shop. I don’t love wearing pink, and it’s a little small for me, as most clothing everything is in Japan. But I buy it. I want my next shot with Sae-chan to be a tribute to the AKB49 theater show, and wearing this will be perfect. (During the AKB49 show, two members served as comic relief by wearing AKBaseball shirts and acting like obsessive wota). I meet Sae. They’re always a little happier to see you when you come back. She asks for the pose, and I go “kimi ni…” in the aitakatta melody (she performed that song during the play’s encore)



Miki Nishino
Slot 6
Her line is short. I know I want one where we’re looking at each other, and not the camera, but I can’t decide what we should do with our arms. After mulling over some ideas in my head, I say screw it. When she asks for the pose, I just say, let’s look at each other.


Yes!

Yuki Kashiwagi
Her line is long. Though I had fun, because her line is next to Natsuki Uchiyama’s.

Spoiler: Awesome Nakki-ness

Nakki’s line is sparse, while I’m queueing for Yukirin, nobody is visiting Nakki, so she walks out into her lane, wearing an adorable school uniform and starts playing a recorder. It sounded like it does when a 3rd grader plays recorder. She ends with this self-satisfied look, and motions for applause. I’m happy to give it to her. Darn, I wish I had bought an unreserved ticket. I hope Nakki gets popular. She really is trying so hard.

So I’ve had absolutely zero personal interaction with Yukirin, so I have to go with what I’ve seen on TV. I thought she looked delightfully gorgeous on her recent drama, and ideally, I’d take a picture that looks just like it’s promotional poster. I considered wearing a suit for it, but wearing it all day would have been hot and unnecessary, and trying to change in and out of it would have been a huge hassle, plus I doubt she’s going to be wearing a sparkly evening dress, so I nix that idea. Still, I try and classy it up a bit for the photo. When she asks for the pose, I say “like Kurofuku Monogatari”. I was aiming for something like this:



I ended up with this:


Oh geez. Let’s just say I’m glad I have another one with her.

Slot 7
Back in line for Yukirin.

Spoiler: Nakki is great again

She has a fake fishing pole and as a lone fan walks done her lane, she casts and reels him in. Funny. After that, she keeps beckoning fans to come to her lane, and they do. I missed out.

Another great TV memory I have of Yukirin is from the janken tournament. I loved the adorable facial expressions she made when she won and the funny fake crying when she lost. I would love to have her adorable winning smile in my photo, so my idea is to have her beat me in Janken.

Yukirin: What pose?
Me: Let’s play Janken…
Yukirin: Ok! [she starts going for it] Jan! Ken! Po!
Me: No..No..Yukirin wins.
Yukirin: Ohh Ohh. Ok.

She then sticks out two fingers, making scissors. I put my out a flat hand for paper. Click.


Yukirin gives me an enthusiastic “ii ne” (good one) after that. I’m happy. It seemed to be an enjoyable pose for her.

Haruna Kojima
Slot 8
In NyanNyan’s pre-queue right when it opens. Pre-queuing would be better if the members showed up to their lanes on time, (most don’t) even still it can drastically cut your waiting time. Out of there in 15 minutes. Not bad. I want NyanNyan to blow me a kiss with her wonderful lips. I had to google translate how to say that, unfortunately.

Nyan: Pose?
Me: Blow a kiss


Crucially, I didn’t say “Blow me a kiss” (My Japanese ). What are you looking at NyanNyan? I wanted her to look at me, but I learned quickly not to expect NyanNyan to do what I want her to. I actually love this pic. She looks smoking hot in it, and I end up looking like the scorned would-be lover, a much more accurate representation of our relationship.

Mayu Watanabe
Slot 2
I am soooo excited to be taking a picture with Mayuyu. I like her so much. I’ve always been more of a fan of AKB48 as a group than a fan of any individual member, so I don’t like using the o-word, but it doesn’t feel wrong to use it with Mayuyu. I have liked her for a long time. Back when I could only name a handful of members, Mayuyu was one of them. Long ago, before I found out about this forum, one of my main sources of knowledge to learn more about the group was Wikipedia. I looked at Mayu Watanabe’s wikipedia article. You can bring that page up now if you want. I’ll wait. If you do, you’ll notice that the picture of her there looks kind of weird, she’s making a heart pose with some white dude who is cropped out except for a few fingers and an arm. Following that trail, I learn that this photo was taken at a 2shot event. I remember being so jealous. I want to take a picture with Mayuyu. Today, a dream is about to come true.

Seeing her in person today is amazing. She is absolutely as beautiful as she looks on TV. Heavenly. I am 2nd in line when they unfold the partition and she goes on an infamous 15-minute break. I wish the staff would have said that’s what she was doing. I was totally confused and anxious during that time. 15 minutes later, the partition folds back up and we’re starting.

I’m up. She says hello with a bright, perfect smile. I’ve had a cute pose in my head I want us to do, so I show her and we take the picture.


She didn’t quite do the pose right, but it’s all good. It’s great just to be with her. Being next to Mayuyu is like when you’re a kid who’s afraid of the dark and someone turns on a nightlight. Everything is fine now, you have no cares, everything is safe and cheery and wonderful and perfect, just like Mayuyu herself.

Slot 8
Saving the best for last, a final photo to be taken with my oshi…ri sister. Mayuyu!!! I’m so glad to be seeing her again. I take sneak peaks of her from line every chance I get. She looks so beautiful. Totally kirei. It’s my turn.
She gives me a bright greeting with a bright smile. Hello again.
What pose? I gotta go with the oshiri. “ok” she cutely says and puts out her hand.


And obviously from this picture, I am too busy fawning over Mayuyu to bother looking at the camera or even place my hand correctly. I am overjoyed in this moment. I enjoyed my interaction with Mayuyu today even more than at the handshake event. She’s not much of a talker anyways, and today she is bright, welcoming, and engaging. She looks like an angel. And I just melt when she gives me direct eye contact and a smile from a few feet away. A final handshake and goodbye. “saigo wa saiko” I say, a crude attempt at saying “best for last”. She gives me a warm handshake, an even warmer smile, says thank you and asks me to come back. May I be so lucky.

So which is better, handshakes or 2shots?

Spoiler

You know, I was a little irked by the assertion that some voiced on this forum that 2shot events are inferior to handshake events. And I was more than a little irked by the (perhaps unintentional) implication that 2shots are only enjoyed by novice fans or selfish fans. Taking a picture was quality time with my oshi, however short. And creating something together with your oshi can be a meaningful type of interaction.

The venue looks like a handshake event, as far as their are lanes and timeslots and what not, so it’s tempting to think of it as another type of handshake event, but I feel that’s a mistake. It’s important to understand that 2shot events are not the same as handshake events. As has been said before, you are not here to talk to them. You are here to take a picture with them. If you want conversation at a 2shot event, you will be disappointed. But if posing for photos with your oshi sounds like fun, then you’re in the right place, and they’re a great event. It’s helpful to keep that in mind beforehand. Granted, I did find it slightly disheartening to see members who usually act happy to see me and recognize me give nothing more than a business-like “hello. pose. bye.”, but considering these girls do qualify as professional models and are at a paid photoshoot, why wouldn’t they act professional?

That said, I didn’t really walk away feeling like they were “a completely different level of awesome” than a handshake. In short, I wouldn’t say a 2shot is better or worse than a handshake. They’re different, and they’re both fun. My advice to fans would be to go to both. But if you can only do one, I think you’re the best judge of what would be the most fun for you. If you ask me, theater shows are where “the real gold” is at. But every fan is different. Don’t take someone else’s word for it.

The End
I want to end on a high note, so I leave the venue right after Mayuyu’s handshake. What a great day!

No more meet and greet events until July. Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen a performance from the girls. I hope I can report on one of those soon.

 

Nice reports,love reading them.

Someone have any experiences with komiharu?

I really wonder how she is in person.

 

@hobolic Thank you! Mystery solved

@USA48 I think it also depends a little on how much money you want to spend per event. Three or four tickets overall is usually what I can reasonably afford, so I found that I had about the same length conversation before the photos as I normally would in my six seconds, plus I got a photo. But if you're in the habit of buying 5-20 tickets for each member you like at a HS event, I can completely understand that you'd get a lot more time with them, and it'd in some ways be a more valuable experience.

 

Since we're all doing write-ups here's mine, also from the 5/5 and 5/6 events. Fair warning up front, this is a long report. Even if you decide to skip the rest though, I'll be thrilled if people read the part about Nakky; it was really an amazing experience and I'd really love it if more people went to meet her! I’m going to group these by member rather than by slot, but if anyone cares, heart stamp/heart shirt = 5th, star stamp/dress = 6th.

Spoiler: Haruu

I started my first day with two tickets for 2nd block, Sae and Shimada. To be honest I was seriously nervous about meeting Sae since she’s been the one member that I’ve wanted to meet for years and couldn’t, so I started with Haruu. It was pretty fast but I got a “long time no see!” which was a great way to start the day. It’s been almost a year since I’ve met her so I was thrilled that she remembered me. Had to start with the Team K pose of course!



Then since Sae’s line was long I used another unassigned ticket to see Haruu again. Pretty fast again, I congratulated her on becoming co-captain and said I’d be cheering for Team K in the sports fest and she made the K pose and cutely repeated “Team K!!”



The second day I had two tickets with her, so I started with a “fighting” pose for the sports fest. I told her that she looked really cool and she was like “yeah I do, right?” and kind of showed off the jacket.



After that I waited for her lane to get closer to closing time to use my last ticket, and ended up talking to her fans for like half an hour. They were all really cool people and we even ended up making a LINE group! One guy even remembered me from last year when we spoke briefly. They also wanted me to join the birthday committee but since it’s hard with me being abroad I’m not sure it’s possible. Plus it turned out that some of them also really like Sayaka and Sae so we had lots to talk about. When they heard who else I was seeing the general reaction was “You’re so devoted to Team K! All the members you like really have that K feeling huh!” No accusations of being a DD, it was really cool that they understood. Really nice people, definitely introduce yourself if you ever go meet Haruu. I’ve talked to some in the past but was always too shy to really get into it, so this was really nice.

Anyway, I asked for pose suggestions and they taught me “mitsumeau” (staring at each other) and collectively decided that I needed to do that. So in the end we all went as a group and I did it. Guys, if you don’t love extended eye contact (it takes like 6ish seconds to take the pic, which is longer than it sounds!), this is not the pose for you. It was fun even though it was a little awkward, and we both kind of giggled after. I think that it turned out really cute though! I told her that I was going back to American and didn’t know when I’d be able to see her again and she said that she’d wait for me. A nice way to end things.

Spoiler: Sae

And then the one I’d been waiting for. Ugh, Sae is so gorgeous, it isn’t fair. Amazingly pretty in person, with such a bright smile and just a joy to meet. I’ve been disappointed by very few members but it’s definitely nice when someone that you’ve been supporting for 4 years lives up to all of your expectations (she's been my ni-oshi from pretty much day 1 and a big part of committing to this trip was to finally meet her while she's still in the group). She thanked me for coming and of course I wanted to do the tebasaki pose. Then after she made pointer fingers at me and said “cute!” in English. Which was of course pretty much the cutest thing anyone could possibly do.



The second ticket with her was later that day. I’d wanted to do the Team K pose but wasn’t sure if she’d be okay with it, but I saw on Twitter that she’d done it with someone else another day so I decided to try. I asked and said that while of course I like current Team S, I really loved old Team K. She said that she understood and gave me a nod and look that confirmed that she really did and was fine with it, so I felt better about it.



The next day she definitely recognized me, so that was cool. She told me that I was skinny (lol, thank you medical compression stockings? Also why my legs look so weirdly pale in all the dress pictures, whatever) and I decided to try mitsumeau with her too since I'd done it with Haruu the block before. Holy crap, staring into the eyes of a member that you really like and haven't really met much yet is intense. I was honestly kind of flustered after Too cute, amazing smile, it was… a lot, lol. I somehow finally remembered to tell her my name, which she repeated back to me.



The next block I saw her with a friend who she also knew from previous events, so she asked me if we were friends and said she was happy when I said yes. After the last time I went with the simpler heart pose. For my last ticket with her I tried doing nagekiss and while she’s cute, I failed miserably. I told her that I’m going to the SKE event in a couple weeks and then tried to tell her that I was seeing Sayaka’s play the next day but I don’t think she heard the last part, they were pushing me out (it turns out that she saw it the same day too- but the earlier showing XD). I’m beyond thrilled that I finally got to meet her!

Spoiler: Nakky

While meeting Sae was incredible, I have to say that my experiences with Nakky really made the events for me. She’s the only member that I actually got to talk to, and I’m already really hoping that I’ll be able to meet her again one day. It’s so funny to me, since she’s not the type of idol I usually follow at all- cute instead of cool, not big on singing, etc. I probably never would have met her again if I hadn’t briefly seen her at a national event, in a lane with 7 other members. But I’m so glad that I did, because she’s amazing.

My first ticket with her, she immediately bounced over and said, “It’s been a long time! Um… Sari, right?” This was close enough for me to be thrilled right off the bat- it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen her, she’s allowed to forget a syllable (I’m Sarah). I told her she was close and corrected her, and she grinned and said, “I’m amazing right?” She did exactly the same thing last year when she made the same mistake, super cute. The theme for the day was “Nakky’s Island” and she offered me a couple poses- I chose kanpai (you can’t really see it unfortunately) and she said “cheer!” in English and asked me if it was right. I corrected her and we did “cheers” together. We stood up and she said something that I didn’t quite catch; she quickly got that I hadn't understood so she gave me the cutest look and patted my head. Then I said hi for @Tensai and she got excited again. Yes, this was all one ticket. Nakky keeps you there as long as possible; we seriously got to have actual short conversations, it was so nice. Her staff is not as much of a fan- there was some tug-of-war happening between her and the peelers at times (not that I was creepily trying to stay there past my welcome, she actually holds onto you and keeps talking ).



For the second ticket that day she greeted me by my real name (and did so every other time I saw her). This time I got the plastic banana treatment (it’s in her g+ video from the 5th if you want to see). Basically she had a plastic banana (for the island theme) and asked me what I thought was inside- I was so confused lol. The answer was "her love"- or a paper heart with 愛 written on it, at least. Then she asked if I became happy (to go with her catchphrase) and of course I said yes. Very corny but still cute. She suggested taking a picture with the banana and I was just like… okay? Then she asked me if I moved back to Japan and I misunderstood and thought she was asking if I came back and was like yeah, yesterday. She was like “you moved back yesterday!?”. I corrected her and she was still shocked that I’d only arrived the day before. AKB events, the best way to get over jetlag.



For the first ticket the next day she asked me how long I was in Japan for and where I was staying. I said two weeks and that I was at a hotel, and she said, “You’re staying in a hotel for two weeks? You must be rich right?” in a teasing way. I explained that I was only staying in a cheap hotel for a few days in Tokyo and then with friends etc. She was being cheeky and asked me about my parents etc. before deciding that I was probably rich... if only lol Then she suggested a studying pose since that day was “Nakky’s School”. When we stood up she showed off her outfit and asked if she was cute; of course I agreed.



Next time I saw her it was PE class at her school. I told her that I’m helpless at sports and she said that she said we could just pass the ball, so we did and then took that pose. Then she said my phone case was stylish and asked where I got it and I told her Amazon, lol. As I was leaving she told me that I smelled good (first in Japanese, then English as “You have… good smell?” and then self-corrected to “You smell good!”).



At this point I'd decided that I was going to stick around all day to see her lane close, so I’d saved one last unassigned ticket for her 8th block and still had another ticket for 7th block (this one). Now it was after school and she had transformed into a gyaru (by adding the traditional loose socks and an earring thing). When it was my turn she said (In English) “I am gyaru! Do you know gyaru? It is Japanese culture! I want to be a gyaru!” I said that I knew what it was and was like “really?” She doesn't exactly seem like the stereotypical gyaru! I chose a pose we did last year too, the first time she actually asked me to think of one instead of having one ready. She asked if it was my last ticket with her and I told her that I had one more, then she asked if I had any more tickets for anyone else after and I said no, which made her really happy. She also specifically commented on my “Amazon case” again- this was a few hours after the last ticket, pretty impressive!



While all of those were really great, the last time I saw her was really special and one of the best experiences I’ve had with any idol. I’m so glad that I decided to stay for this. During this block, to stick with the school theme, she’d posted an English essay that she’d written right outside the booth entrance. A guy two in front of me had a few tickets so I had time to quickly read it. It was honestly so, so impressive. It was all about how important studying abroad and cross-cultural communication are. Yeah, there were a few mistakes, but this was a legitimately good essay for someone learning a second language. I’d thought that it was for college but in the video after she said that it was from high school. I taught English at Japanese high schools for two years- this was something like what my highest-level students wrote. She may be adorable and bubbly, but don’t forget that she’s a Keio student and seriously intelligent. Her spoken English not being as good is really common due to how they teach English in Japan but she really tries, although we primarily speak in Japanese.

Anyway, I was seriously moved by this; because it was so good, because it was about studying abroad and other cultures, because she was clearly working so hard in school and at English in particular. So that’s what I told her when I got inside, and she excitedly exclaimed, “Oh of course you can read it! No one else reads it!” and then actually gave me a hug. Yeah, definitely against the rules- I was shocked but somehow the staff didn’t kill me. She asked me why I was moved and when I explained she was so happy. I told her to come to America too She chose “yatta!” for the pose- one of my favorite pictures, I think. Then we stood up for the handshake; as I left I told her that I’d be going back to America and didn’t know when we’d be able to meet again, and she actually physically pulled me back inside the booth and wouldn’t let go. I said that her smile makes me happy and I'd keep supporting her and she smiled a lot and told me to comment on her g+, and I finally got pulled away by staff. She kept looking and yelled “I like you!” in English. I yelled back that I like her too and we waved goodbye. I’m so glad that I got to say goodbye to her properly. These experiences made me want to support her more than ever. I was honestly a little teary by the time I left her lane. I really hope that someone reading this will decide to go for the Nakky experience. Seriously guys, if you're looking for a fun idol to meet, go meet her. Is she fishing people? Yeah, maybe, but to me it honestly feels genuine, and that's what matters.

Spoiler: Mogi

Mogi wore similar clothes for both days. She’s just so pretty in person, really gorgeous. I got a “chou hisashiburi” from her right away which was awesome. I let her choose the first pose so it was a basic peace pose, but I told her that we’d be doing hengao the next day and she eagerly agreed. So the next day we did just that and I think it turned out pretty darn well- much better than last year where she made me promise to do a real hengao and then trolled me with a cute one. She also badgered me about whether I’d really done one after we took the picture. Another fun thing was that I was one of the first ones in her lane that block and she walked out together with Sakkii, and they hugged a bunch before splitting up to go to their lanes. Super cute.

Spoiler: Moe Hijinks Part 4

My next picture needs a little backstory. You can find the full experiences in my past write-ups if you want, but basically Moe gave me an… interesting nickname at a national handshake event last year, and I followed it up with a related 2-shot last year and a handshake, during both of which I was once again reminded of it. So while I didn’t get a ticket with her, I’d been debating trying this again just for the hell of it, and finally decided to use an unassigned ticket. Here’s how it went:

Moe: Ah! I gave you a strange nickname, right?
Me: Yeah…
Moe: Oppai-chan!!
Me: You still remember! What pose do you think we should do?

This was her idea. I was cracking up, the staff were cracking up, it was absolutely worth the embarrassment for this memory.

Spoiler: Hinana, Komari, Naachan, Jurina, Takamina, Sakiko

I’d really wanted to meet Hinana again after meeting her briefly last year, she was so excited to see me and so darn cute. When I went her lane was empty cry but she waved at me a lot as I was walking down. I told her that I really love Team K and we did the K pose. Then she told me that I was cute… I wish “shut up you adorable little angel creature” translated better…



I used my last unassigned ticket on the 5th on Komari, who I always like meeting. Her fans are great, they go all out with costumes and stuff. There were some that day dressed up for ラッスンゴレライ. I got a “long time no see” from her too, always nice. I decided on the ponkotsu pose because of her janken costume, and then we had a short conversation:

Me: You look so cute today! Well, of course you're always cute.
Komari: (Eng) Today! Everyday! Have a nice day!
Me: (Eng) You too, have a nice day!
Komari: Thank you!

Very cute and I’m really happy with how the photo turned out.



Naachan greeted me with a “Hello! Pretty!” Thank you and all but dude, very few people in this world look pretty next to you lol. We did doyagao and I told her that I really like her majime character and that I’m supporting her as co-captain, she was super smiley and sweet. Definitely a member that I’d love to meet again if I ever get the chance.



Jurina is super cute and energetic, just like I’ve heard from other people. A friend suggested the Oogoe Diamond pose so I did that and I really like how it turned out. She even called out “daisuki!” when they took the picture (although I have to admit that I was hoping for “Mariko-sama!”). I really like her shorter hair, it suits her I think. Another member who told me that I was pretty… Jurina, no…



I’d been wondering what to do for my picture with Takamina all day. She’d had a very… interesting… shirt on that morning, so I’d been trying to consider that. I heard that she’d changed by my block so I decided on a Nyaachan pose. I still can’t decide if I’m happy or sad that she changed. On the one hand it would have been hilarious but on the other hand it’s my only 2-shot with her ever, so maybe this is better. Her line was the fastest all day, they were really pushing people in and out. Her staff in general were also the most strict by far, that was the only time I had my ticket questioned even though it had been stamped. I didn’t have time to say anything besides the pose and they didn’t even check my picture after. It was so short but I'm still really glad I got to see her again, even briefly, before her graduation. And since it seems that she's sick today it makes a little more sense why they were hustling, hopefully she feels better soon.



I used an unassigned ticket on the 6th for Sakiko, since I used to meet her pretty regularly. And she remembered me too! She’s always pretty chill but very smiley and seriously gorgeous. We played piano together, obviously she’s the pro!

Spoiler: Bonus: Yuasa and Shinobu and talking to Sally

On the 5th, people could line up and take a picture/briefly talk with Yuasa. I think it was the longest line I waited in all weekend! At least 45 minutes. But still really cool, he was impressed that I came from America. Seems like a cool dude.

[

Some friends and I were talking about how much we hoped Shinobu would be there the next day and… she was! I got a message from a friend and almost bolted across the hall to get in line, and we got there soon enough that we barely had to wait. Guys, Shinobu is amazing. I would honestly buy multiple tickets to meet her. I was with some other friends and she told us that she loves America; she went to Los Vegas recently and also she likes that that there are people who are bigger than her there XD She’s seriously so nice and was so excited about us foreign fans being there. I’m honestly so happy that there’s someone like that in management that the members can rely on. I told her that I love her costumes and thanked her for taking care of the members and she was like “no, thank you!” But no seriously, Shinobu, thank you. Actual angel right there.



At one point while waiting in line for Sae (lane 2) on the 5th, Sally (lane 3) waved to me and some other fans from the next lane over. Then on the 6th she actually talked to a friend and I for a minute or so, all in English. She was so so sweet and trying so hard. She would kind of cock her head to the side and think for a second before saying anything, very cute. Just basic stuff like “How are you?” and she ended with an excited “Communication!” I really want to meet her for real now if I ever make it to enother event.

And just to put it out there, here’re my thoughts on handshake events vs. 2-shots. Which is “better” really depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to actually talk to the members and try to make a "connection," so to speak, absolutely go to a handshake event. If you want a memento and don’t mind only having ~3 seconds to talk (if you don't feel comfortable with Japanese this could also be a good thing I guess), go to a 2-shot event (except for Nakky, where you seem to get more time at a 2-shot event ).

Personally I would have preferred to go to a handshake event, especially since I’d already done the 2-shot thing once. However, these were the events that worked out with my schedule, so that’s what I did. To be honest though I’m really glad that I have handshake tickets for Sae next week or I’d be pretty disappointed that I couldn’t say more to her, and I definitely wish I'd had more time to actually talk to Shimada. But I'm still pretty happy with my photos! Oh, and it turns out that having the tables there actually makes it 0% less fun than it was before- yeah, you’re more limited in poses, but I suck at poses anyway. Still a great time and I love how most of my pictures turned out.

Additionally, I had such a nice time seeing you other fans at the events! I’m sorry if I ran off on you (particularly @Neve, sorry I never got to say goodbye! I'm glad you spotted me, it was nice to see you again )- I spent both days running around during most of the slots but I feel really bad that I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to a few of you guys. I totally get that some people feel differently, but I always love meeting other fans at events and hanging out with cool people from all over the world. And @Jeff86, I was the girl at Anta Dare on 5/8. It was really nice to meet you, always glad to find another fan that likes Haruu.

And I'm really enjoying reading peoples' write-ups! Especially since I saw most of you there, it's so cool to see your experiences. I don't always reply, especially when this thread has been moving so fast these last few days, but I generally read everything and really appreciate time you all put into writing these up. That said, there are some things that I'm seeing that I wish we could keep a little classier. I'll leave it at that.

 

I went to see Paruru on Wednesday, 2nd slot. It was as everyone said : she doesn't look at you when you arrive, she already has her hand up doing a peace sign and is staring at the camera. They take the picture, push you away, and if you are lucky, she turns her head a bit and looks at you for half a second with a bored face. No talking, no handshake.

Except that when she gave me that quick look from the corner of the eye after the picture, she saw my sukajan :
http://www.yokosuka-jumper.com/v-3345-shinryu.htm
and recognized instantly it was Yui's in MGS4 (but in black rather than red). She jumped on her seat, pointing at me, with a huge surprised smile. She turned to the staff on her left to see if other people noticed it too, then turned back to me right away, and gave me back my smiles and waves.

The staffs seemed so surprised to see her reacting that they didn't really know what to do, and waited before pushing the next guy in, so I took my phone, turned back to wave at her again, and she was still smiling at me, super excited, and waved back. I confirmed the picture, and we waved at each other a last time before the staff pushed me out of sight.

So for me it was a great experience, I absolutely love her smile, maybe because it is so rare, and I'm probably one of very few guys who managed to get any during this event . It is definitely one of my best memories from these two days.

 

you are the true MVP