Your AKB48 Experiences

There you go.

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Thanks!

 

If you didn't catch the New School Kaidan one-off Japan Trip podcast from 11/13, here is a report of my first time at a handshake event. Better late than never, and at least I'm getting this in before next handshake event...

So sometime during or shortly after last year’s Tokyo Dome trip, Dave from NSK, Hiro and Greg from Selective Hearing and I started our discussions about attending our first AKB48 handshake event together. and after more than an entire year of planning, the long-anticipated handshake event had happened. We attended the AKB48 32nd single [koisuru fortune cookie] kobetsu akushukai at Yokohama Pacifico on 10/19/2013. Along the way, we met up with notable AKB48 fan community members Frank and Daryl, who provided a ton of useful advice, and NSK’s infamous Anthony N. (monkeyto). Unfortunately, we caught Daryl on a brief hiatus, so he did not attend the actual handshake event with us, but major props to him for helping us out with just about everything.
With at least 20 members to handshake spread across all 7 schedule blocks per person, we had a decently packed day ahead of us. We arrived at Yokohama Pacifico around 8:30AM, just in time for the pre-line lineups to start the day. After double-checking our schedules and reviewing the lane assignment charts, we all parted ways to get down to business. Below are my experiences with the members as I worked through my schedule. (Spoilered due to length)

Spoiler

Block 1
-Takahashi Minami pt.1
I started off the day with my oshimen, Takahashi Minami. Your first handshake experience should be with your oshi, right? WRONG. I was a nervous wreck and went in totally unprepared. Following some anecdotal advice, I said to her "hajimemashite" to let her know it was my first time meeting her, and she just stared at me with expectations to continue the conversation on my own. I was partially starstruck and partially dumbfounded on what to say next, but eventually I mustered enough to tell her I was from America and that she was my oshimen. I didn’t get much of a response aside from a polite “thank you” and “please come again,” but being a high senbatsu member, she probably hears that all day every day. Little did she know I actually had more tickets and will be coming back within the hour.

-Aigasa Moe
Her lane was empty at the time, so she was excited. Got a pretty warm greeting and a good response from telling her I was American. But that all went sour as I went directly to the adjacent lane right after to see Mogi Shinobu. The stink-eye I received was well deserved on my part.

-Mogi Shinobu
Went nearly the same as Aigasa. By now, I learned using the canned greeting of “Hi, I’m from America” is somewhat a useful crutch for handshake noobs, especially for girls who are not in senbatsu. But in return, the members kinda give you a canned response with varying levels of excitement.

-Takahashi Juri
After greeting Juri, she quickly followed up by asking me if i thought she was pretty. I didn’t understand the context at the time because she said it with such a straight face. It was like a really bad fishing attempt. After having her clarify, I was able to tell her “yes, very pretty” as I was getting pushed out the booth.

-Takahashi Minami pt 2
On a side story, the OJS48 guy in her booth recognized me from the first visit and tried to strike up a conversation with me as I waited. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, but he started pointing at my torso and started flexing and complimented me on my physique. I told him that I wanted to be an OJS48. He got a good chuckle out of it, then let me proceed.
With Takamina this time around, I tried to give somewhat of a conversation a shot since I’ve already used up my America card. I asked her if she knew any English, and she said only a little. I then mentioned that I saw her English skills on Mechaike and that it was very funny. She looked a little confused by this, so I re-enacted her “Oh big oh! Tokyo Dome big!” which she then repeated in character. I then complimented her on her height by telling her she looks taller in person, and tried to think of other things to say. She didn’t really offer any help in progressing the conversation aside from an encouraging smile hoping I can magically become fluent enough in Japanese to keep talking. But alas, time was up, and she waved to me and gave me a “ganbatte!” as I’m going sideways out the booth.

Block 2
-Matsui Jurina
J was wearing a jaw-dropping devil outfit, which was enough for me to exclaim in English “DAMN! YOU”RE CUTE!” as I stepped up. She even responded with a “Thank you!” in English. I then congratulated her on her janken win. And I got more thanks and a “please come again” as I was getting pushed.

-Kawaei Rina
I fell back to my canned greeting and told her I was from America. She wasn’t too impressed. Not unlike how she was during the Washington DC event.

-Morikawa Ayaka
I gave her the America greeting and complimented her costume. Ayaroid was wearing an outfit from Shingeki no kyojin, and proceeded to let me know that. I kinda interrupted her letting her know that I was aware of what it was. She asked me if I watched it, and I told her ‘no’ which triggered a puzzled look. But I mentioned it’s very popular among my friends.

Block 3
-Furukawa Airi
Dave went immediately before me and had used up the fact that we were going to see SKE in Kobe, so I had to say something different to her. I gave Airin the America greeting and told her I was a big fan, and I liked her drawings. Overall a warm response. The pusher guy in her booth wasn’t very motivated to push people, so it felt like I had a lot of extra time to just stare at her.

-Kotani Riho
After seeing the clip from the NMB documentary(?) where Ripopo cutely requested for a fistbump from Yui, I went into the handshake event hoping to get a brofist from her. As I put out my fist, she responded by telling me that she isn’t allowed to accept gifts. I then had to demonstrate it to her, and finally got her to do it. I told her I was from America, and she started to introduce herself to me in English. I interrupted her and told her I knew who she was and that she was my NMB oshi. She got extra excited and thanked me and followed me out the booth and as she finally let go, she gave me a loud “I LOVE YOU!” which I gladly returned.

Block 4
-Yokoyama Yui pt.1
After my brofist success with the popes, I thought I would do the same with Yui. Unfortunately, Yui didn’t understand what I was trying to ask for, and gave me the head tilt of doom.

-Oya Masana
Coming off somewhat a downer, I ended up giving Oya the canned America shtick and I got the fairly canned response.

-Shimazaki Haruka
Due to the schedule, I was rushing back to the team B lanes, and accidentally entered Kojiharu’s line for a good 15 minutes before realizing where I was. Didn’t matter anyways because Paruru’s line was already closed due to her feeling ill.

-Oya Shizuka (unassigned ticket)
With the little time that was left, I looked for lanes with no wait. I noticed Oya Shizuka’s lane being empty, and she was there dancing by herself to the music over the loudspeakers. I entered her lane trying to match her dance and danced along with her for the duration of our handshake. Overall, she was excited about hearing my America greeting, but it was probably the fact that somebody came to her lane more than anything.

Block 5
-Furuhata Nao
Nao did her usual hop and follow. I took Frank’s advice and complimented Nao on her sax playing because of how much they’ve been trying to push that lately. I also told her I’ll be seeing SKE in Kobe the following week, and she lit up with excitement and gave me a loud “arigatou!”

-Sashihara Rino
I heard she was feeling under the weather that day, so she was sitting down the entire day. I congratulated her on her sousenkyo ranking and even falsely told her I was in the NSK fan video. She didn’t give much of a response at all, kind of like a “gee…. thanks.”

-Tanaka Natsumi
Boss was the one member who greeted me first. As she grabbed my hands, she said “HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” I asked her “where is your costume?” which I had to rephrase a couple times before she understood, and replied with “I’m not wearing one yet.” She also gave me a thank you for coming on the way out.

-Omori Miyu (unassigned ticket)
Once again, I was looking for members with empty lanes. Miyupon was it. Not knowing what to say to her, I asked her if she is ok with doing a brofist. I had demonstrated on myself by touching my fists together, and she imitated it on her own, which was very cute. I corrected her by holding out my fist in front of her and as soon as she followed, I gave her the bump and made it explode. She let out a big “WAO!” so I asked her to do it once more. She bumped and made it explode along with this time while letting out another “WAO!!!” I thanked her for it, and she told me to come again as I got pushed out.

Block 6
-Yokoyama Yui pt.2
With more time to spend than the first time, I gave Yui a handshake and said hello again to her. Then I asked her if she would be willing to try the brofist again. I demonstrated like I did with Miyupon, but Yui didn’t bite. She once again gave me the head tilt of doom and a “wakannai.” Being somewhat frustrated, I spent the rest of the time apologizing to her and telling her this was a common greeting in America. Definitely would’ve been a better experience if I had just tried talking to her instead, so the downer experience was solely on me.

-Suga Nanako
I initially expected to give her the generic America greeting. But when I got face-to-face with her, in a brain-fart moment, I didn’t recognize her and thought I was in the wrong booth. We exchanged awkward stares the whole time.

-Muto Tomu
Generic America greeting, and received a fairly generic thank you that was like senbatsu-indifferent. She is really easy on the eyes though, so I probably would’ve been ok with just staring at her awkwardly.

-Sasaki Yukari (unassigned ticket)
Yukarun is someone who never was on my radar, but while waiting in lines, I caught glimpses of her in her booth and thought she’s a lot prettier in person than in photos. So, I went to her lane to give it a try. Her lane was full of hardcore fans all spending at least 10 tickets each. And by the time I got my turn, I still hadn’t figured out anything to talk to her about. I gave her an awkward greeting, and got an awkward reply. And for some reason, she was wearing an eyepatch which she wasn’t wearing earlier. weird..

-Oba Mina
Oba was greeting everyone with “HAGE!” which was how people were cheering her on during the janken tournament due to her bald professor costume. It caught me a little off guard as someone who doesn’t have a lot of hair. I pointed to my head and was like “hage?” and she shouted “HAGE!” again while pointing too. I told her that that hurt my feelings in english. She didn’t quite get it. As I was about to explain to her I’m American, I saw the lightbulb in her head go off and she realized it before I got a word out. She then kept pointing at me screaming “EIGO?!?! EIGO!?!?” And as I was getting pushed out of her booth, I confirmed that I was American. Really wish I followed up on that handshake with another visit, but I only had 1 unassigned ticket that was already spent.

Block 7
-Abe Maria
Abe showed up about 15minutes late, so they really rushed people through her lane. I told her I saw her in DC. She thanked me, and I followed up with how I sat next to her grandma in DC. Abe gave kind of a puzzled, “Really?” look, but I was already way outside her booth before a real response.

-Nakanishi Yuka
After greeting Nishishi, I told her that I thought she was cute. She gave me a really big smile and a “honto ni?” I told her of course. I was scrambling to say something else to her, but she leaned in closer with her smile and was like “nani? nani? nani?” as if she wanted me to keep complimenting her. As I got pushed out, she followed me still expecting me to shout out something at her from outside her booth, so I told her I’ll see her again.

-Sato Mieko
I was eyeing Sato Mieko’s lane for a while and was seriously considering using my unassigned ticket from block 6 on her first, and follow up again in block 7. And in retrospect, I wish I did have more tickets to use on her because she was probably my favorite handshake because I talked to most naturally with her than any of the other members. I congratulated her performance of “anata to christmas eve” for SKE request hour #1. I also told her I’ll be seeing coming to the SKE concert in Kobe just to see her perform. And finished off by telling her I’ll always support her. She was very happy to hear this, and I think she loved seeing a new fan which is probably very rare for her.

-Yakata Miki (unassigned ticket)
for the final two handshakes, Dave, Anthony, Hiro and I planned to hit up the same member all in a row. First up was fake-Mikitty. Dave went first. I went second, and Hiro third. I didn’t know what Dave said to her, but apparently he said the same thing I did. I gave her the america greeting and told her about going to Kobe. She let out a very loud “YAY!!!” and by the time Hiro got to her, she was like “3 americans in a row?! YAY!”

-Sato Seira
We did the same strategy for Sato Seira. Instead of the generic America schtick, I told her that she’s very pretty. And she gave me a warm thank you.

By the time we were all done, it was roughly 8:30PM. We were all malnourished and sore from being on our feet all day. All in all, it was a real eye-opener on how we view members, and a fantastic learning experience on so many levels. Many thanks again to all the fellow fans we've met up with along the way. I hope we get to do this again soon!

 

Thanks for the story. Your exchange with Miyupon sounds very hilarious. Seeing Miyupon bumping her fists together not knowing what the heck is going on must have been really funny

 

Individual Handshake- Pacifico Yokohama Nov. 23 (saturday)

I *only* had 5 tickets today, compared to 9-10 I usually buy, but I was a little short of money. However, this handshake has the best one I have assisted to.

Slot 1: Kojiharu- She was very surprised to see me and I told her I was happy she was the center for Heart Ereki. She replied with a big "arigatou" and told me I was "kawaii" [blush]. She quickly asked me where I was from, which she replied with a big "OHHH", she told me she wanted to go to Mexico and thanked me for going to the event. I was really excited to meet her since it might be soon before she graduates, so I really appreciate Nyan Nyan for being so nice.

Slot 2: Miichan- Last time I met Miichan I felt she was a little emotionless, but maybe it was just because her scandal was very recent. However, this time she was really happy and with a big smile. I didn't know what to say and she was laughing telling me I was "kawaii", I just told her I was happy to be there and she told me my Japanese was good . I feel a little about it, but it's ok, I was just a little nervous. She looked cuter this time also.

Slot 3: Kitarie- Last week I saw her at the Team K show, so I was hoping she would recognize me. Unfortunately, she didn't, but she was really happy to see me and when I told her I went to the theatre and that her performance "moved" me, she was really happy and yelled "THANK YOU, MATA KITE NE, PLEASE COME AGAIN" hahaha.

Slot4: Annya- I am seriously oshihening to her. She remembered me from last time. She was super excited to the point that when I was lining up after they checked my ticket I could hear her mentaikos and laughs loud and clear. When I entered, she jumped and I was like "do you remember me?" she was "YES! I DO!, THANKS FOR COMING AGAIN". I was so happy, I can now say an idol recognizes me. After that, I was so happy I could only do a mentaiko with a BIG smile on my face.

Slot 5- Yukiko- I was wondering about if I should speak Spanish as I greeted her since I was not sure about her skills. However, I only had 7 seconds so I decided to give it a try. Since she had an open booth, I could see other members and saw her entering the tables hugging another member (sorry, I don't know who she was, maybe ishida anna, but I am not 100% sure). When the guard let me in, I was like "hola", and she replied with an "hola", and she quickly asked me in spanish "do you speak spanish?", which I replied with a big "yes, of course, I am from Mexico". She looked so surprised and told me she didn't really speak it fluently but she could fairly understand it, in response I told her I decided to do it since I knew she was half-spanish, which seemed to surprise her. When I left she shouted "chao", which is a really weird way to say bye in Mexico, but anyways, I talked to an idol in my mother tongue. -all the conversation was in Spanish btw-

Overall, it was a nice day, the guards weren't as pushy as the last time and I was happy with this experience. I hope I can upload my other experiences too. Btw, I got some views of Mocchi, Saho, Akicha, Mariyagi, Natsuki and some other members. Oh!, I also got to see how members picked their lottery for the gravure in young magazine, I think the results might be posted somewhere, but I was happy to see their reactions of the ones who won; however, I am not too sure about some members who got in it... but oh well...

 

29/11/13- Music Station performance @ roppongi hills arena

I received an email some days ago I was chosen to be part of the audience in AKB's performance for the Christmas special of the 55th anniversary of Music Station. Unfortunately, it was only for the AKB performance, so I knew it was going to be very short, but hey, it was completely free.

I could find the place easily thanks to a friend that has been to shows on the Asahi T.V. studio, but if not, I think it would have been quite difficult to find it since it is a little hidden between the main street in Roppongi. Anyways, when I got there it was still early, so I waited until the AKB group was called... I had no. 571 (of 600 in the first group) so I thought I would be far away... I was about to be proved wrong. But before that, when they called our group numbers I could not hear well, until I approached to a staff member and she checked my name in the name list and gave me the ticket and told me to go through the building directly to the other part where there were people also waiting for the live.

I went there and during that frame time there was a band performing, but I had no idea who they were... it sounded kind of rockish :music: So while we were waiting, a staff was pissed at people blocking the entrance while waiting (where do he thinks we should wait?), so he was shouting a lot and was kind of rude, but actually, he was the only harsh staff during the event, the others were very helpful. After waiting in the place near the stage's backstage for like 10 min, a guy from the AKB staff told us to follow him. He took us around the stage and outside of the protected area (which was worrying me a little, since literally anyone could have joined), and made us wait in front of the stairs that took to the main stage.

The staff told us to line up according to our number section (mine was 501-600); however, some moments later other staff approaches and tells us to line up according to our number, which made everyone to chuckle. So anyways, they started to let the people walk one by one; each of us needed to show the ticket (which was given to me by the staff in the waiting place) and the winning email that we received (on our phones).

After arriving to the arena, I was so surprised to found out I was in the front pit of the stage, I was so excited, I knew I would be taken by the cameras if they took a shot facing our side of the stage. Then, when we were waiting and all of the people entered the stage, some staff showed up and started to give us instructions when to shout and what not to do, I thought it was amazing, the amount of order is incredibly shocking. Finally, a lady showed up and told us the show would be aired in 4 minutes and that AKB would be soon passing through some of the barriers, so she asked us not to touch them (meaning, high five or handshake), because it could slow down the process and seconds were very valuable for the TV.

At the 2 mins of the start of the show AKB entered and everyone got very excited. I was really shocked how close I was, kind of like the close-ups you get at the theatre. When 10 seconds were left everyone kind of did a New Year's countdown Immediately they started with flying get, then the janken song and finally, koi suru fortune cookie Everyone looked so pretty, but they had excessive make up, but I understand it is due to the lighting used and to not look like a light bulb in the TV.

Performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ1aAbZp ... e=youtu.be

At the end they thanked everyone for their cooperation and they left.

It was a short experience, but a fun one.

If anyone wants to look for me I can be seen 3 times, but of 3, 2 of those is kind of difficult to see, but the notorious one is right after Sasshi is saying onigiri (4:40), just under the 3 cameras at the back, I am wearing glasses and doing the onigiri, of course.

 

Wow - great read on the Music Station event. Sounds like it was a very fun time and a great experience (unique too)

I applied for that and Best Artist but wasn't able to get either. Funny thing is that our office in Tokyo is right there. I had 3-4 people text or email me on Friday night as they were leaving, saying "I think AKB48 is playing outside the office! Are you there?"

 

This will be my writeup for the SKE48 national handshake for Sansei Kawaii. Which in turn is also my first HS event.

Spoiler

I was actually going to be attending another event the same day but I decided this would be a smarter choice down the road. So up I was early the next day and heading for Yokohama Arena where they would be holding the HS. Now remember that this is the national HS event so there is a live before the handshaking occurs. When I got there they were lining people up for the live. I ended up with with pretty decent seat and waited almost 3 hours until 11:00 which is when the live was going to start. Basically you exchange one HS ticket(ones that come with the singles) for a live ticket (which doubles as a HS ticket after the live ends)

The lights dimmed and the Sansei Kawaii senbatsu members appeared( but not full senbatsu from what I could see). They performed previous single songs like Aozora Kataomoi, Kiss Datte Hidarikiki etc then switched out for what I take it was a group formed by the rest of the Idols at the HS. They did some theater songs (including one of my favorites Koi wo Kataru Shijin ni Narenakute) followed by a MC. Then the Sansei Kawaii uniformed group came back to perform the title track. I think it was seven songs total if I remember correct. Sorry I was too excited


Anyway once this ended you basically did whatever you wanted until 1:00ish where the handshaking starts. You can't stay in the Arena though since they need to dismantle the stage and set up the lanes. Once the time passed they started letting in people who had attended the live and had their tickets. I went straight to Dasu's lane for obvious reasons (She is my SKE oshimen). There also wasn't too much of a line because my section was the first to be called after the (Mothers,Elderly,Children etc)

Handshake with Suda Akari
Moment of truth as the line got closer I heard her voice, which was super excited and loud as always
I on the other hand, was super nervous but I kept it together and as I moved closer to the booth I saw her! Which you do when your down to one person. She had twintails (curled) which I have a weakness for and seeing her up close I noticed how videos don't do justice. When my turn finally came and our eyes met I told her that she was my SKE oshimen and how I was a huge fan along with where I was from. (This has to be done fast because you have mere seconds) She responded to the first part with saying she was happy and then to the second (Which I said in English rather then Japanese) With a English “I Love You” while holding my hand and following me all the way to the end of her booth and beyond if that blasted wall wasn't there. This made me smile so wide I had no idea where I was even walking. You just can't prepare yourself for the awesomeness of Dasu . It made me realize all the many reasons why she was my SKE Oshimen

Handshake with Matsui Rena
Once I snapped out of the daze I was in (This took considerable time) and the staff said it was ok for those who had additional HS tickets to go in, I surveyed the lanes. Basically Rena had a huge line (almost double Akarin's) It must have been wrapping around like six times. The other members who had solo lanes (Churi and Yuria) never really had more then one line and and usually half that. I decided rather then lining up for Akarin again I should HS Rena now and Akarin again after. So I lined up and waited and waited and waited (They were airing the dvd bonus material from Sansei Kawaii on the big screens so I watched that and thought of what I wanted to say to her in my limited Japanese) Eventually the time came and I saw Rena(Who might I add really does look like a princess out of a fairytale) The OSJ48 singled me in and when Rena noticed me she was slightly surprised (Gaijin effect) I told her I love reading her blog and where I was from. To which I got a ohhh(you know that ohhh she does) followed by a English thank you and wave. This exchange was shorter since Rena doesn't follow you out. Regardless, I was very happy and pleased. Again video does not to justice and Rena looks so wonderful in person.

Handshake with Suda Akari(second one)
I went right to Akarin's lane after Rena. At this point it was wrapping about two and a half times so it wasn't too bad. That being said I noticed that her lane stopped moving. Not sure if it was a break or what but Rena was also MIA and I think Churi too (Airin's multi member lane was also not moving). Yuria's lane was still going though.Not sure how long I waited. Maybe 25-30 minutes ? Anyway after that the lane started moving and fast. Before I knew it I saw her again the OSJ48 guy said I could enter her lane as she was following the person in front of me out of her booth So I got a good look at her while she was doing that. That in turn made me forgot what I was going to say When she turned around and saw me she instantly remembered me and said "ahh" in her cute voice. I responded by pointing at her twintails and saying that they were cute. To which she agreed She said something after as she was following me out but I couldn't catch it. She then waved me off with her amazing smile. I entered the daze I was in from the first time and I basically wondered the lobby like a zombie until that wore off. They were probably thinking, “Why is the guy wondering around with a huge smile on this face ?”

Handshake with Kizaki Yuria
Before this I took a short break and then when I came back Yuria's lane had grown along with some of the other ones (I guess more people were arriving later in the day) Yuri was certainly a member I follow so she was the logical choice after My Oshimen and Rena. When I saw her I was really amazed by just how totally cute she is. Told her that I liked her smile and where I was from. She responded with thank you in Japanese and then “ohh” followed by one in English. She also had that slightly shy look she has sometimes. Again this was very short since Akarin is really the only one that follows you. But I kinda preferred these. I might have blacked out if they lasted any longer

And that wraps up my experience for this event. It was my first and most likely not my last. Idols are just too amazing for words and the joy the bring is priceless.

 

Thanks for writing about all of your great experiences, everyone! Cristafari, it seems like so much fun to go to fan events in all of those places and hang out with other fans. By the way, basashi is actually not bad. It's pretty popular in my area and I've been in a few situations where it's been offered to me... I just try not to think about where it comes from.

Anyway, this is pretty old already, but I went to the national handshake event in Fukuoka on November 4th. I actually wrote up a report pretty soon after and meant to edit and post it and never got around to it. Today I applied for handshake tickets for the next single and suddenly remembered and figured someone might still want to read it, so here it is:

Spoiler

I had been to one individual handshake event but this was my first national one. I have to say that I definitely preferred the individual event- you really only get about 2-3 seconds to handshake at national events. Still, it was a fun experience. It's really quantity over quality- you get to meet a lot more members but you get less time. It's actually nice for members who you don't really follow but still want to see.

When I first found out who would be attending, I was honestly a little disappointed since none of my favorites other than Yuko and Takamina would be there (and in the end Takamina wasn’t there either). Still, I’d bought a bunch of tickets online, so I decided to make the best of it and hoped that I’d end up liking the girls I met better. I also made an effort to learn more about the new Team 4 beforehand, since I still didn’t know most of the members. Before I went I already knew that I liked Moe and Mogi, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.

First up was the performance. A group of the more popular members there did So Long, Sayonara Crawl, and Heart Ereki, which was centered by Yui. They might have done one more but I can’t remember. Umechan did the MCing since she’s from Fukuoka. They also brought back the “Yuruyuru Karaoke” competition, but only for two songs. Okada Nana, Okada Ayaka, Aigasa Moe, and Maeda Mitsuki did S/mileage’s “Yume Miru 15” and it was pretty good. They said they did it because they were all 15 except for Ayaka, whose birthday was two days later. Then Myao, Suuchan, and Harukyan did a song I didn’t know and kept trying to hit balls with a baseball bat but couldn’t really do it and ended up just throwing them into the audience. The other girls judged if they passed or failed (I think there was a batsu game or something planned if they failed) and both groups passed. Then everyone did Koisuru Fortune Cookie with Rie as center.

After that was a really cool part- Takeuchi Miyu did a short piano concert. They brought out a grand piano and she came out in a pretty dress. She played and sang Shonichi first. I’d seen it before online but it was still awesome, she doesn’t have the strongest voice but it’s pretty and I think she does well with the key changes and high notes. Then she talked about how she had wanted to go to a certain university since her first year of high school and announced that she had been accepted. She talked about working hard and getting chances and then said she would play a song about chance, which was of course Chance no Junban. Again, I thought she did a good job; I was really impressed.

My first handshake was with Yuko. Since I had gone into the women and family line, I got a good number for my first handshake (500-something) and could join the line pretty quickly, so I didn’t have to wait for too long. After that though her line was always way longer than everyone else. Like I said, I really only had time to say hello and that I support her. She has a really gorgeous smile though. After that I had to wait awhile for the numbers to go up (after the first one the rest of my tickets were in the 16000s), so I walked around for a bit. Most of the lines moved fairly quickly though, much faster than I was expecting, and soon I could go again. My second lane had Umechan and Reina. I didn’t get much of a reaction from either of them but it was still fun.

Then I decided to try a Team 4 lane. I randomly picked one (they were split into two lanes of 8 people each, I chose lane 9 first) and ended up in the lane with Moe, Saho, Nakkii, Umetan, Naachan, Ayaka, Sakkii, and Miichan. I told Moe that her dancing is really good and she looked surprised more than happy. Saho’s really pretty and has such a great smile. Umetan didn’t react much. I just told them congratulations on their opening day as Team 4. Nakkii saw me and immediately pointed out that I have dimples like her- it was really cute, she seemed so excited about it and kept pointing to her own dimples. Nana and Sakkii seemed excited to see a foreigner. Nana said “Thank you,” in English and then Sakkii said, “Thank you very much.” Sakkii’s English pronunciation was really good so I told her so (in Japanese) and she seemed really happy. I think she lived in England when she was little so I wonder if that’s why? It was cool to meet Miichan, I just said I’d support her and moved on.

After that I wanted to go to the other Team 4 lane but they had closed it for a break so I ended up waiting in Suuchan and Yui’s lane. However, it had been closed and I ended up the first once outside the tent. While waiting I ended up chatting with an OJS48 guy for a couple minutes, which was kind of cool. We didn’t talk about the group but he asked me about living in Japan and just general stuff and seemed like a nice guy. Finally the tent opened again and I went in. I told Suuchan that I like how she’s always smiling and then I told Yui that she did a good job with Heart Ereki and she made a cute pose.

Then all of the lanes closed for a break and Team 4 had a mini performance. Before, I had been on the second floor in the women/family section, so while I could see the girls I wasn’t very close and no one around me was doing the MIX or anything. This time security for the standing areas near the front seemed to be nonexistent so I could get closer and have more of a concert experience. They did Seijun Philosophy and Chime wa Love Song. After the performance ended they announced that Paruru wouldn’t be shaking hands anymore because she wasn’t feeling well. Hers had been the only other lane to move as slowly as Yuko’s numbers-wise (they were both at 8000 before the break, while I think all the others were at least at 16000, even Yukirin and Mayuyu) so I never had the chance to see her. Maybe next time!

After that I went to the second Team 4 lane (lane 10), with Kojimako, Ayana, Yuurin, Miki, Hikari, Mitsuki, Yuiri, and Mogi. Kojimako is adorable! Ayana didn’t say much but held my hand for a longer time and more tightly than most of the girls. Miki had really cute Mickey Mouse style hair that day, so I complimented her on that. Hikari has an awesome smile. Mogi seemed much more quiet than the other girls, and just thanked me for coming.

Next was Rie and Myao’s lane. I told them that I love Team K. Honestly, before this, I never really liked Myao very much. I didn’t really have a reason but she was one of the few girls I didn’t like. However, my opinion of her totally changed. She was the only one of the older (non Team 4) girls who actively tried to engage me. She seemed excited to see a foreigner and asked me where I was from and even told me my hair was pretty (I have curly hair, not so common in Japan). The handshakes are really short so she was still talking to me on my way out. I think my opinion of her before was that she was kind of stand-offish and negative but she seemed really nice! I had actually read somewhere that her handshakes weren’t always good so I was especially surprised.

The Team 4 lanes had been the most fun so I ended up going back to both, again lane 9 first. This time the girls were all like “We remember you!” and seemed happy that I went back. I told Saho “Yahhoo!” and she said it back and seemed happy. Some of them tried thanking me in English again. Sakkii told me that my Japanese was good and that she was surprised. In lane 10 I mostly just said hello again until I got to Hikari, who asked me if I spoke English (which I think is the first time a Japanese person didn’t just assume that I did?). I told her I did and then her and Mitsuki wanted me to say something. I think I just said “Hello, I’m happy to meet you,” or something like that but they got really excited. Mogi was last. In videos she had already reminded me of Akimoto Sayaka, my oshimen, and in real life I saw the resemblance too. She seems more quiet and serious than the other girls and definitely came off as more mature. I told her I liked her and she seemed really surprised.

Next I went to Annin, Rena, and Ricchan’s lane. Honestly, none of them made much of an impression on me, but it was cool to see them in real life. I tried to tell Ricchan that she was funny on Nanimo Soko Made but there isn’t really even enough time for that. After that I headed to Yukirin and Miyu’s lane. I actually like Miyu a lot but had figured that Yukirin’s lane would move too slowly so I hadn’t counted on seeing her. Since the lane was moving along I was excited. Besides that, I was excited to meet Yukirin in a kind of backwards way. I don’t especially like her (although I don’t really dislike her either) but was hoping that she would change my opinion like Myao had. She’s also famous for being good at handshakes so I thought it might be fun. First was Miyu, so I complimented her on her piano performance. She was still wearing her concert dress and had her hair done in a really pretty way. Unfortunately, Yukirin just looked tired. She said thanks and that was about it.

Since Mayuyu and Harukyan’s lane was also moving along, I went there next. I didn’t get a big impression of either of them, although Mayuyu said “Thank you,” in English to me.

For my last two tickets I decided to go back to the Team 4 lanes again. For my last time in lane 9, Nakkii said, “I want you to teach me English!” in English to me. She made a big impression on me, honestly. She’s adorable and energetic and really made an effort to communicate to me every time I saw her. Although I didn’t know a lot about her before, she moved up in my ranking a lot. I had read before about how Tensai had changed his oshimen to Nakkii, and I can understand it. Umetan was kind of funny, she said I was pretty but then when I tried to say that no, she was pretty, she was already focused on the next person and totally ignored me. Moe still had little to no reaction. The other girls were all adorable and energetic as usual. Again, I tried to tell Miichan that she was funny on Nanimo Soko Made but there wasn’t really time.

Last of the day was lane 10. I told Hikari in English “Your smile is beautiful!” (and then translated it into Japanese) since she had asked me to say something before and her and some of the other girls were really excited about it. I have to say that I came to like Hikari a lot too. Last was Mogi again, who gave me another serious thank you.

My next handshake event is the one on July 5th at Tokyo Big Sight, if anyone else is going. It might be my last one while I'm living in Japan. I might also go to the one in Fukuoka in February if more members I like are there. Hopefully I'll have more experiences to write about in the future!

 

Hi guys,,

According your experiences (or whatever you ever saw in their G+ or some variety shows), which members that can speak (or at least, understand) English? Among AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and HKT48.

Except Hirari and Rena Nozawa of course

Thanks

 

Maybe Annin or Rie can speak a little bit? Since these two girls has good grades, so it might be possible?

 

Ahh.. Annin.. I heard that from some people too.. Thanks for the info

 

I also learned recently from NMB team talk that Saeppi can understand a little english. She also said she loves english. Keira is also learning english because she's a 1D fan

 

Everyone, thanks for your write up!

If i understand correctly, Suda Akari is the new alternative for Nuclear Energy in Japan?

Jigs and Sunny write up comfort me in going to japan to see the girls. It looks definitively worth it.

 

I definitely would have gone to the one in Fukuoka if I had known about it! I like Wasamin a lot, but I haven't really followed her events. If there's another one near me that I know about in advance I'd definitely go. As for motsunabe... I agree that Hakata ramen is the better choice when you're in Fukuoka.

Gocchisama, the events are really fun. Meeting your oshimen is awesome. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy the national handshake event as much as I did because my favorite members weren't there, but it was still great and I found new members to like. I understand that not everyone is able to get to Japan but if you ever have the chance I would say go for it!

 

Oke, thanks for the info

 

I dont know if this counts because it wasnt a theatre show - I went to Japan in september and applied for the shows but got nothing. However, there was a thing called Girls Award on when I was there (a fashion type thing) I dont know if anyone on this forum went >_> I didnt go too far back on this thread.

Kojima Haruna was a model (she was on first, and I cried omg she is gorgeous in real life!) Sayaka Akimoto was a model too! And Mariko was there advertising an airline i think :O Kasai Tomo performed and Itano as well! I love tomochin so yea X3 that was good for me

I went for Koda Kumi originally, because I am in love with her haha XD But the added AKB48 girls really made my night! I loved it! It was an 8 hour long thing, fashion and everything I got a free bag when i left with flyers and one had yuko in it! So that was good >3<

So i didnt get to see a show but I saw a few of my fav akb girls