Your AKB48 Experiences

^Thank you for taking one for the team!

Not jealous at all here! lol

 

This is my first experience, which is odd since I've been enjoying the group here in Japan since 2006. But, I will say, that it was worth the wait.

So, here's a write-up on the photo event from Yokohama Pacifico on the 17th of May.

Spoiler

Due to a little snafu, I was running behind to get to the event. I hadn't ridden the train in ages, so I was quite happy to be able to purchase a Suica card and not waste time getting ticket stubs during the trip.

Anyhow, I made it to the site with about half an hour before the cut-off time for my first ticket. Mocchii was first up, so once in the line, I dropped my bag and proceeded to change into a Kobashi Kenta 20th Anniversary TShirt for her. Going through the line was extremely hassle-free. The staff process was down pat and everyone in the line was content and kept to themselves. Oddly enough, everyone was so stone-faced while waiting in line. I was like a little kid and just had a silly smirk on my face the whole time. When it was time to go in, they opened the curtain and it felt like it was a prize-reveal on a TV game show. An absolutely stunning woman was just waiting there to greet you.

She welcomed me with one of those double-hand grab handshakes and chatted a little before asking what pose we should do. I requested her favorite reverse knife-edge chop, and she obliged. I couldn't be happier. Afterwards, she started asking about my body and asked if she feel it. Being dumbfounded, I mumbled something before she starting grabbing and rubbing my chest and arms. As the staff started escorting me out, she noticed my shirt and popped her head out of the booth yelling "Kenta! Kenta!". Now that, sir, is how everyone's first AKB experience should be.



Up next, I had Lemon for my next photo. I got into line while the staff was setting open to re-open and start changing into my Fresh! Lemon shirt. After a few dirty looks and a better look at the numbers, I noticed that I was in Sayanee's line, instead of Miorin's, which was one over. I got into the right line, and Lemon greeted me with a double-hand grab handshake and also started jumping up and down pointing to my shirt yelling "Fresh! Fresh!". I asked to do the Fresh Lemon pose and we did it together. She kept it tame and didn't fully extend her arm. I was expecting to fully extend so I'm kinda floating somewhere in-between. She gave me another double-hand grab handshake on the way out and that was that. She was simply adorkable and tiny as the dickens. Her head was like the size of a grapefruit. Her proportions are so well that you never really notice how short she is on TV.



Amina was up next. As with all the members I visited that day, I've liked Amina for a long time. Once they let me in, I started talking and was cut off with a "Thank you" and a dead fish handshake. She went immediately into a "peace" pose and I asked if we could at least do the Team K sign. She obliged, and we took the photo. Afterwards, I went to say a few more things and extended my hand for a handshake only to be given the cold shoulder. It was a bummer, but I guess she wasn't having a great day.



Umechan was up next. Her outfit was cute and she makes you feel like you've known her forever. I actually introduced myself this time around and asked her to help me out with the pose. We took the photo and after she was like "It's Superman!". And I was like "Yeah, I like him" which she took as "I like you", and she gave me an English "thank you" and did one of those "hands on the cheeks blush" poses. If I was keen enough, I would've said "Darn, my secret is out. Yes, Superman is an Umechan oshi."... but, you know what they say about hindsight. The staff escorting me out and I gave her a little "I'll be cheering for you" first pump which she replied with a little crinkled-nose smile.

That definitely made up for the downer with Amina.



Last up was Micha. This was the last block, so the venue was pretty empty. There was a large group waiting around to wish Kana a happy birthday and short lines at the remaining booths. I got into the line and it was maybe 15 people deep. Once in, the curtain-opening reveal was just breath-taking. I've always viewed Misato as one of the most beautiful ladies in the group. Her and Mocchii definitely took home the number one stunner award tonight. Anyhows, I congratulated her on her Graduation and thanked her for the last 6 years. She was happy and then asked about the pose. I asked if we could interlock arms, like when you escort someone. She started doing it, but then stop and asked the staff and they shot us down. Not knowing what to do, I just said, "well, I guess we can just do this" and went into the "peace sign" pose. Oddly, living in Japan for 10 years, I've never once done a "peace sign" pose. Micha was my first .

Gave her another handshake on the way out and gave her a heart-felt "お疲れ様でした" as she'll be leaving the entertainment business. I didn't look too hard at my picture when they asked me to review it and it turns out that I blinked. That's a shame, but it didn't ruin the experience.



I really liked that the atmosphere was laid back. You could come and go from the venue as you pleased and the staff wasn't at all harassing. A few fan booths were around collecting messages for members and the actual official goods booth was never crowded. I always hate the overly crowded goods booths at other artists' events. I didn't really see anything creepy as the stereotype goes, but there was some rancid body odor by the end of the evening. I swear, I almost collapsed going through some B.O. in this one area near the convenience store on the ground level. After a while, I was beginning to wonder if it was me. I started sniffing my clothes, and all the other clothes in my bag to make sure it wasn't me. I even had my wife inspect me once I got home to make sure it wasn't me. I did sweat a bunch, but thank the lord I don't have any issues with body odor. The only sad thing was that I went to the event solo. I didn't mind, since it's nice to have some "me" time, but it would've been fun to share the joy with others.

It took me seven and a half years to finally make myself attend an event and it was definitely worth the wait. Sadly, with most of the members I like fading away, this may be one of the last times I go. Regardless, it's a memory that I'll treasure even if I don't attend another fan event.

Thanks for reading

 

Thanks, Hikki. Great write-up and definitely awesome members to meet.
(have to figure out myself whether to try to see Micha and Amina this weekend or at the end of June)

 

Thanks for doing the write-ups, everyone! I always really enjoy reading them. I'm glad that so many foreign fans are able to go to these events. I'm getting so excited for this weekend!

 

So you do get an email with Super Enpou ~5 days before the show if you have "won" then? Is it clear that you have done so and exactly what shw it is for.

 

Nice idea of pose! Especially the super man one! You have the body for ^^

I hope you find a new member to look up for as your original oshis are leaving one by one.

 

You will get an email, and it will specify what show. It will be in both Japanese and English, and the instructions are very clear.

 

AKB48 Grand 2Shot Event (DaiShashinkai)
May 17, 2014 at Yokohama Pacifico
May 24, 2014 at the Tokyo Big SIght


summary

i only had a total of 5 tickets for both of the events. since this was a 2shot event, there wasn't really that much talking that went on... just the usual greetings, pose, and that would be it. and for an old fan like me who has pretty much half-retired from this fandom, there wasn't really that much that i had to say to the girls either. the pics turned out awesome, and i'm just happy i still get to attend events like these.


yokohama event

for this event, i had only 2 tickets, and both were for haruna. i was kind of excited since i haven't met haruna since 2010, and at the same time was kind of sad that this might be the last chance i have for meeting haruna before she graduates (although ofcourse she's saying she won't). i had been thinking of the pose for quite sometime, and finally decided what they should be just a day before.

the time came for me to finally meet her again, and running up to her lane i was suddenly terrified with what was in front of me... 4 rows of people all waiting to have their tickets verified. and beyond the girl who was checking the tickets were another 3 rows of people all waiting for their turn to go into the booth and have their picture taken. it took me about 45 minutes before it was my turn to take a pic, and during that time i noticed that it was exactly 12 seconds from the time the curtains of her booth closed to the time it opened again, calculating for the time you would need to give your phone to the staff member, walk to the spot, and walk out afterwards, i assumed that i had around 5-7 seconds to talk to haruna and describe the pose.

i was dead wrong when i entered the booth though. the moment i handed my phone to the staff member, i was almost immediately pushed by another staff member to proceed to haruna's side while my stuff was taken by another staff member. then came the weird part: haruna was already doing a pose (V sign), freaking ready to take the pic already. good thing i still had my wits to stop haruna even if the staff was already counting down and tell her a modified version of the pose i wanted to do with her (which would have taken me at least 10 seconds to explain with my japanese skills). haruna was quick to respond and we were still able to take a decent pic together. all i heard from haruna afterwards was "nani sore?" (what's this supposed to be?) referring to the pose we had just done. i blurted a quick "juliet", and i was pushed out afterwards without even a handshake from haruna. and that was it for the first pic.

for the second pic, the situation was the same, but this time i was prepared. again i had to do a modified version of the pose i wanted. i lined up early for haruna hoping not to take 45 minutes before it was my turn. about 20 people before it was my turn to take a pic, they suddenly stopped the line, and 2 OJS48 guys stood in front of her booth. WTF!?! i thought she would cancel her 2shot event just as matsurena did an hour earlier. after 5 minutes of no activity, things finally resumed. i went inside the booth and at least this time she greeted me, and even asked for a pose this time. i told her that we do the bunny pose, and i was glad things turned out okay. she thanked me afterwards, and although i really wanted to tell her "sayonara" in preparation for her graduation, i just smiled and waved and said "bye bye".

my reaction on haruna

the very first thing i noticed even if i was only in front of haruna for a few seconds was how mature she has become. having met her quite a few times when she was just 19 years old, what i saw in front of me today was definitely a woman, even with all the cutey make-up and the idol type dress she wore.

i would say that meeting her again today felt both like a fail and a success at the same time. i was happy that i got to take a pic with her again, but at the same time missed that care free aura she had once upon a time, something i don't think i can describe in words. overall, the experience was awesome as usual.


tokyo big sight event

for this event i had 3 tickets, one for tano yuka, one for matsuoka natsumi, and one for reinyan. this bunch of tickets i had was more on just having fun.

non-senbatsu girls definitely have a shorter line. on the average, people had about 20 seconds i guess, with the longest given to one guy (that i have witnessed) was about 35 seconds, but then there's the double ticket stuff so i guess 20 seconds would be pretty accurate.

tanochan was the first member i had a ticket for today. though not as empty as non-senbatsu lines used to be, i was able to just walk straight to the girl verifying the tickets, i still waited for about 20 minutes before it was my turn. i guess this was also due to the longer times given for people to take pics with the members. i decided to use the generic gaijin greeting for tanochan. after exchanging hi's and hello's, we proceeded to do the pose that shoudou and i discussed the day before. camera click and things were done.

next would be natsu. having the same family name as my oshi, i thought it would be fun to have a pic with her and have her do the pose of my oshi. explaining the pose was not a problem, but not looking at natsu the whole time was. the girl is really pretty in person, but omg she was soooo thin. she has got to eat something. it really felt like i was taking a picture with half-a-girl. i should have told the staff members to take 2 pics since there's practically only half of her in one. XD

and lastly, reinyan. just like haruna, this girl has definitely become a woman. having met her when she was only 14 (or 13, i forgot), how she has turned out to be is just incredible. just a generic pose after a generic gaijin greeting, and things were done.


the pics






meeting friends

i guess another highlight for me for these events were meeting old and new friends. i was glad to meet waffle again after... 5 years? then mihi, and even received a gift from arsen. i was also glad to meet tensai in person for the first time . and it was also awesome to meet old jap friends and acquaintances of mine (maecchi, shisho, shining, and hide).

conclusion

that's it for me for the shamekai of akb, unless i will be lucky enough to have more in the future and with me still here in japan. the events have definitely evolved into a different kind of crazy.

 

May 24th 2-shot at Tokyo Big Sight

Feeling better now that both Annin and Ricchan seem to be on the mend, so I’ll try to report my experience from last Saturday.

In my two and a half years of being a fan, I’ve watched a few live concerts (both at the theater and in massive Domes) and have participated in several smaller-scale events in Hong Kong, but have never been motivated enough to brave the daunting Chara-Ani application procedure for handshakes until this event. Big thanks must go to all the veterans on the forum (HRP, Tensai, Waffles, etc.) for providing information and answering questions to guide me through the process. I’m also thankful for all the support and camaraderie provided by everyone in our meet-up group: SunnySK42, sikanwan, luckyone, naruse, KashiwagiYukirin, AIDOLMayuyu, Pollinic, FilipinoMarco (and later ithebigC), it was very nice meeting all of you!

Slot 2 - Tano Yuka

Spoiler

I’ve really enjoyed watching Tano-chan on AKBingo lately and decided to use my 1st unassigned ticket on her after realizing that her lane was accepting them.

As soon as I got into her booth, I told her I am from Hong Kong and that I love watching her on AKBingo. She is very pretty in real life, and a lot friendlier than I had expected. After thanking me with her beautiful smile, she asked me what pose I wanted. Since I hadn’t known I would be meeting her until that morning, I wasn’t really prepared and simply asked for the default ‘heart’ pose. It was also my first photo of the day so my posture and expression were a little rigid.

Slot 3 – Kawaei Rina

Spoiler

I’ve been a huge fan of Ricchan’s obaka character / smelly feet since Mechaike, and Haste & Waste was one of my favourite songs of 2013, so I was really excited when I won a ticket for her in the resale rounds.

I knew something wasn’t right though as soon as I got into her booth, because there was already a bag on the table where I should be putting mine. Turned out the fan before me had a problem with his phone and was just outside the exit trying to fix it. Ricchan was distracted by that, so although I was already in the booth with her, she basically ignored me and just kept talking to the staff about the guy outside. My feeling of being unimportant and underappreciated then was a bit of a letdown after all that built-up excitement.

When she finally turned her attention to me, I told her where I am from and that I like her character a lot. She’s as cute in person as she is on TV, though taller than I had expected. Her smile had healing properties, and it helped remove some of the sting of being ignored earlier. For our photo, I asked for the ‘Kawaei’ pose in Haste and Waste, but the staff messed it up and managed to blur the picture despite the anti-shake and high shutter speed settings on my phone. Luckily, it was my only blurred picture of the day.

Slots 3/4 – Mogi Shinobu

Spoiler

Since watching her perform live in a KKS Pajama Drive stage last year (report here: Your AKB48 Experiences), I’ve been following Mogi-chan (and Miki-chan) actively on Google+ and other (admittedly limited) media. She is one of the three girls I voted for in sousenkyo last year, and a potential candidate for oshimen after Yuko’s graduation. I had 2 + 1 unassigned tickets for her, and decided to use them all separately to maximize my time with her. Her queue was unexpectedly long and slow that day, and I guess I must have lined up for least two hours altogether to use the three tickets over two slots.

1st ticket – She had been quite cool and reserved the previous two times I had met her at post theater concert high-fives, so I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be like that day. As with the other girls, I started with where I’m from as soon as I got into her booth, and told her that I read her G+ posts every day. She seemed genuinely happy as she thanked me, and asked what pose I wanted. I told her I love one of her hengao selfies on G+ (my avatar) and that’s what we ended up doing.


2nd ticket – I had originally wanted to tell her that I’ve been her fan since watching her perform at the theater as a KKS, but that lined proved too difficult for my crappy Japanese, and all I got for my clumsy effort was a look of confusion. Oh well … For the photo, we did a shinobu/ninja hand sign like the one on my t-shirt.


3rd ticket – I congratulated her for ranking in the preliminaries and got a big, beautiful smile in return. Her catchphrase is ‘Anata no heart wo mogi mogi’ so we did a ‘heart’ pose for our 3rd photo. As I left, I wished her good luck in the elections, and told her I’ll be voting for her.


Compared to some other members, I guess Mogi-chan can appear shy and reserved (maybe even a little salty) in person, but her hengao (funny faces) and hentai (perverted) character are really funny, and her rare smiles are really sweet. I hope she can be given more chances on variety shows and gain a bigger following.

Slot 5 – Kato Rena

Spoiler

Renacchi is fast moving up on my list of favourite girls, and has become one of the frontrunners amongst my post-Yuko oshimen candidates since our meeting at the Hong Kong handshake event back in February this year (report here:Your AKB48 Experiences ). I think she’s absolutely gorgeous with her new hairstyle, and am really happy for her to rank 23rd in the preliminaries this year.

Compared to Mogi-chan, her line was surprisingly short, and it didn’t take long for me to get into her booth. She is as delicate as I remembered, and although I keep saying how I like all these other members’ smiles, hers is probably the most potent for me and the only one that can seriously affect my heart rate. After telling her I’m from Hong Kong and that we had met in February, I congratulated her on her excellent preliminary results. She looked really touched at the mention of her ranking, almost like she was about to cry, so I quickly told her that I will support and vote for her in the coming elections. Her responding smile was so radiant that if we had been characters a movie, everything around us would have been swallowed by blinding, bright, white light. For our pose, I suggested a ‘23’ to celebrate her rank.

Slot 5 – Nishino Miki

Spoiler

Of all the members I met last Saturday, Miki-chan was probably the one I had most looked forward to meeting. Similar to Mogi-chan, she was basically unknown to me until I watched her KKS Pajama Drive stage last year. I remember walking into the theater not knowing a single thing about the then Team KKS, and walking out with Miki-chan’s energetic dance moves, giant smiles, and proactive hand grabbing (during the high-fives) burned into my brain. She was one of the three members I voted for last year, and another of my oshimen candidates for after Yuko’s graduation. I had a total of four tickets for Miki-chan that day (two for slot 5; two for slot 7) and had decided to use them separately again to maximize meeting time.

1st ticket – After letting her know I’m from Hong Kong, I tried to tell her that I had been her fan since watching her perform at the theater as a KKS, but similar to my earlier failed attempt with Mogi-chan, I just couldn’t wrap my tongue around that line and have no idea what I ended up blurting out. When it came to posing, I had wanted to do a number 4 with her like she had done with Naachan in Heart no Dasshutsu Game. Unfortunately, neither my wild gesticulations nor flawed Japanese were getting through to her, and after a bout of uncoordinated choreography, we ended up making a very awkward diamond shape with our arms. As I was leaving the booth, I noticed the baffled look on her face like she had no idea what to make of our encounter.


2nd ticket – As soon as I entered her booth again, she immediately recognized me from earlier and asked what pose I had wanted. I tried to explain it in my broken Japanese again and was getting nowhere when I suddenly noticed her arms were at an angle. I thought I could complete the shape by looping my arm under her armpit and up again, so I just went for it. Problem is, I probably broke a rule when I got too close and almost brushed her torso with my elbow. Her reaction was immediate, and I could tell straight away that I had made a huge mistake. “Sore wa dame desu! (That is not allowed!)” she chastised me with a pout and a glare that would have been cute if not for the fact that her anger was directed at me. I apologized profusely, but she ignored it all and ‘commanded’ me to put my arm out at an angle. I meekly obliged and she completed the shape herself with an Ultraman pose.


In the end, I got the picture I had wanted with Miki-chan, but at what price … the look she gave me as I was leaving her booth made it clear that I had made her shit-list. I don’t know if anyone here has had a similar experience, but earning the scorn of one of your favourite members is probably the saddest thing a fan can ever experience.

Slot 6 – Oshima Yuko

Spoiler

During the first lottery of this event, I put in 3 applications for Yuko and told myself that if I didn’t win, I would simply give up right there and then and forget about the 2-shots. Since winning this Yuko ticket, my emotions had been on a crazy roller coaster ride: from amazement at receiving the winning notification email, to depression at her New Year’s Eve graduation announcement, to gnawing anxiety over her possible cancellation, and finally to unadulterated joy upon realizing that I would be able to meet my kamioshi in person for the first time at her last ever fan meet-and-greet event.

Knowing that her line would be huge, I lined up well before the beginning of the slot and went over all the things I had wanted to say to her. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to say everything, and that my Japanese would likely trip me up in my moment of nervousness, so I finally settled for something I knew I could handle.

When the curtain finally opened, I was greeted by an OJS who took my bag as another staff took my phone. Yuko looked really relaxed, and was all smiles as I took her hand and told her I was a huge fan from Hong Kong. I told her to ganbare and promised that I will continue to support her as an actress by watching everything she’s in, even if there are no subtitles. She laughed a little at the subtitles part, and thanked me for coming. She then looked me in the eye and said quite seriously, “Korekara mo yoroshikune! (Please continue to support me!)” During this conversation, the staff with my phone asked us to pose, and without skipping a beat (or even thinking about it, really), I held out half an oshiri and Yuko completed it like it was the most natural thing in the world.


Looking at the photo again now, I am still a little in awe of my whole experience with Yuko and am really grateful for this opportunity.

Slot 7 – Nishino Miki (Part 2)

Spoiler

I decided to lump my last two tickets with Miki-chan together as I checked into her lane, because a) I was already very tired by this point, and b) I was actually a little sacred of the angry 15-year old girl behind the curtain. My trepidation was justified because, just as I had feared, she remembered me from before. Her reception was a little icy, and before I could say anything, she cut off any chances I had of starting a conversation by asking what pose I wanted. I was really saddened by this unfortunate turn of events and had resigned myself to the fact that I was despised by my idol. She was professional enough to entertain my requests for a ‘big heart’ pose and a ‘chu’ pose, but her smile never reached her eyes. I tried to thank her as I was leaving, but she was already greeting the next fan who was coming in.

Slot 8 – Iriyama Anna

Spoiler

I had a total of five tickets for this final slot, and as Annin’s line was very long, I decided to use my two tickets with her together. After greeting her and telling her I’m from Hong Kong, I told her that I look forward to watching her new movie Ao Oni and drama Kekkon Sasete Kudasai. She seemed much friendlier in person than the cool beauty image I had in mind, and was a great sport in playing along with my pose requests – ‘looking scared’ for her J-horror debut Ao Oni, and ‘proposing to her’ like her drama title suggests.

Slot 8 – Takajo Aki

Spoiler

Akicha’s line was probably the shortest amongst all the lines I had been in that day, so I decided to loop around her lane twice and use my three tickets in two separate goes.

1st ticket – Akicha had recently cut her hair short for her role in the drama Savepoint, and the new style looked really good on her. I started our meeting by saying I’m from Hong Kong and that we had met at the ANA x AKB48 event back in March this year (report here: Your AKB48 Experiences). She thanked me for coming and asked what pose I wanted. I suggested that she pretend to arrest me as per her policewoman character in Savepoint, but she said she plays an SP (Special Police?), not a policewoman, and that her character doesn’t arrest people. I asked her what her character does, and she mimed holding a gun, so on instinct, I pretended to get shot. She complimented me on my ‘nice reaction’ after the photo was taken, and told me she loves me (wo ai ni) in Chinese as I was leaving. I told her I had 2 more tickets for her and that I would be back soon.


2nd & 3rd tickets – Akicha recognized me the second I entered her booth, and after another handshake and greeting, I told her how much I love B Garden. She then started to sing and dance the chorus part of the song and suggested we pose with the ‘korafuru furawa’ hand gesture. I was only too happy to oblige. For our third photo, I mentioned how I had seen her learning to surf in a recent episode of Nemosu TV, so that’s what we ended up doing.


I must say of all the members I met on the day, Akicha was the one I had enjoyed talking to the most; she was chirpy and attentive and patient with my poor Japanese – exactly what an idol should be like. By the time she bid me farewell after I had wished her good luck in the coming elections, all the gloom from my Miki experience had dissipated. Thank you, Akicha! I’m pretty sure I’ll be giving you a vote this year as a token of my appreciation.

 

really sad to hear what happened to you with Miki. I hope your whole experience was still satisfying for you. ( Kato Rena must have raise up your experience i believe)

 

Nice write up, interesting to hear about each experience and how they were different ^^
I'm sure Miki will get over it, even Naachan has talked (and reacted in kind) about how she's been kind of a brat lately and needs to grow up

 

Thanks for the write-up, and it was really nice to meet you (and everyone else)! I'm sorry about your experience with Miki, I'm sure that it really sucked. Hopefully she'll get over it if you meet her again. At least you got some good pictures I guess? I'm glad that you had nice experiences with some of the other members though. Your picture with Akicha is awesome! I've noticed that for Mogi she seems to warm up if she sees you more; I definitely had a better experience with her this time than I did last time. She might just be a bit shy/reserved. I agree that her character is really funny though.

I'll try to post my report in the next couple days and I'm looking forward to reading anyone else's!

 

Thanks for the write up! wow I never knew Miki was like that, I would feel pretty down if my Oshimen reacted like that...

 

wow. That's a lot of 2 shots. My favourite is Sayaka's, of course

 

Amazing reports, guys! Still thinking about Miki´s reaction...so sad...

 

Good stuff naruse, I'm still amazed by the number of tickets you had ...

Love your shots with Mayuyu & Sayane!

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

On Saturday, May 24th, I went to the 2-shot event at Tokyo Big Sight. I had made a very last-minute decision to go but in the end I’m so glad that I did, I was able to meet a ton of other fans and had a blast. Here’s my write-up:

Spoiler

My first 2-shot of the day was with Hikari. When I walked in she said that she recognized me and confirmed that we’d met before. I told her that I liked Kabutomu Chu (“rhinoceros beetle kiss”, the group her, Nakkii, and Mitsuki made to “compete” with Tentoumu Chu) and wanted to do their pose. She was really happy that I knew about Kabutomu Chu. When we finished she asked me where I lived and I told her and that was all the time we had. She definitely seemed more cheerful than the last time I met her at an individual event, so that was nice.



Second was Ranran. As soon as I got in she made an X-mark over her throat, shook her head, and made a sad face at me to show that she had lost her voice. I ended up just talking to her while she made cute gestures and smiled a lot. I said that I like Omoide Ijou, which she seemed really happy about, and told her to get well soon. I had planned to ask her for a pose so I just said that we should do a peace sign. After the photo she grabbed my hands again and I thanked her. She tried her best to use gestures and things like that so it was still a really good experience; she’s really adorable. She seemed fine besides losing her voice (she wasn’t sitting or anything) but she ended up cancelling her later blocks.



For the 3rd block I had two tickets with Mogi. I said before that she seems to warm up the more times you meet her, and it’s definitely continued to be true for me. As soon as I walked in she said “Ah! It’s been a long time!” and thanked me for coming again. She seemed less serious than when I’d met her before and more like we see her on TV/in stages. I congratulated her on the preliminary rankings and she happily thanked me again. I asked her to do the pose from her catchphrase and we did.



For the second picture I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to do hengao, since it’s kind of her thing. She had written on Google+ the day before that she likes handshake events better than 2-shots since she thinks she’s bad at smiling, so I opened with that:

Me: I read your Google+. Smiling is difficult right?
Mogi: Yeah, isn’t it?
Me: So… since you’re really good at it, how about hengao?
Mogi: Okay! But you have to do it too. You have to do it properly. Will you really do it?
Me: I’ll… try my best.
Mogi: If you don’t do it I won’t forgive you! You really have to do it too!

She was really adamant that I do a real hengao. I promised to do it and… made a really terrible face. And hers was a cute one! I’ve seen her do a lot worse faces. Still, it was fun, and nice to see her being more talkative. I told her that I’d done it properly and that I’d see her next week (which isn’t happening anymore, for obvious reasons), and she said she’d see me then.



Also, Mogi’s line was really long, definitely the longest that I waited in that day. @hobolic went a bit later and the line seemed to still be just as long. Hopefully this (and her ranking, of course) mean that she’s getting more popular.

After these blocks I met up with a whole group of fans, which was really cool. Thanks to everyone from the meet-up thread, it was so nice to talk to all of you!

I had been planning to use an unassigned ticket on Komari, and was relieved to find out that her lane would be accepting them. I had had a pose in mind as soon as I saw her sousenkyo poster, so I was prepared. When I went in she said hello and kind of looked at me strangely. I realized that she was squinting. She had glasses hanging from her shirt, and she put them on and immediately said, “Oh you came again! Thanks!” It was really funny and it’s cool that she kind of remembered me from last month. I said that I think her monomane are really funny and asked if we could do the Kintaro “Flying Get” pose. I did it the opposite way from her (probably should have done it the same way but whatever) and somehow managed to keep my balance while they took the picture. She told me to come again and I said that I would the next week (again, not happening after all).



Next was another unassigned ticket for Shimada, even though I had two for her in the next block. She definitely recognized me and was happy that I came back but I don’t think that she remembered my name this time, oh well. She thanked me for coming and I told her that since I love Team K, I wanted to do the Team K pose. She repeated “Team K pose!” in a cute way with a kind of English-like pronunciation. She was really upbeat the whole time. She was also much busier than she had been when I saw her before, there was always someone in her line. Unfortunately this photo came out a bit blurry and I didn't notice until after.



After that I was still thinking about who to use my last unassigned ticket on. I had two more at this point and had already set one aside for Nakkii. I had debated going to see Moe to see if she would remember me from last time, and after going back and forth about it I decided to go for it since I thought the pose would be fun. When I got in her booth I greeted her and asked if she remembered me. She looked unsure for a second until I told her that she had given me a nickname and then it clicked. “Ah… Oppai-chan?” she asked hesitantly, and I said yes. She was kind of embarrassed for a second, but then got right back into it and called me it a whole bunch of times. I said that it was okay and that it had been funny, and then explained the pose; she would point to me and I’d make a batsu mark and an unapproving face. She thought it was hilarious and I think it turned out pretty well. Of course she left me with “Thanks for coming, Oppai-chan! Come again, Oppai-chan!” As I left I heard the staff crack up. I mean definitely embarrassing but it’s a funny memory now and I’m glad that I did the picture. If I ever have the chance I’d like to meet Moe again, she seems really sweet.



For block 5 I had two tickets for Shimada. Once again she cheerfully greeted me and asked me what pose I wanted to do. I asked for her suggestion and at first she said the Team K pose, and then stopped herself and was like “Wait, we did that already, didn’t we?” She decided to do the heart pose, so we did that.



The third time I went after another fan (@sikanwan ) who I had met that day, and told her that I had met him and been able to make friends with other fans too through AKB. She was really happy to hear that and kept excitedly repeating “Tomodachi!” It was adorable. She asked for the pose and, since I didn’t have anything specific, we just went with a peace sign. I told her that I’d come the next week (again, postponed) and she said that she’d wait for me.



Something kind of cool happened the last time I was walking back out of the lane. The staff stopped me and other fans coming and Harukyan walked out to go to her tent right in front of me. She had a really serious, not that happy look on her face, but it was still cool to see her up close. Me and another fan kind of looked at each other and after they let us through we excitedly chatted about it. Later on I went to the trading area and saw him again and he told his friends that I had seen Harukyan with him and we all talked a little about how serious she looked. Kind of a fun experience!

After meeting Shimada I hung out outside of her lane for a bit. I had seen her fan group at a previous event but hadn’t gotten up the courage to talk to them, but I finally did a little. They thought it was really cool that a foreign fan likes her and were preparing a bunch of props and stuff for the photos. One guy mentioned that he had seen me at the event before too. They seemed a bit busy but hopefully I can talk to them more in the future.

Then I had a lot of free time so I hung out with some other fans again. If you read this, you know who you are and it was really fun! Getting to meet other fans was really a highlight of this trip. I’ll really miss getting to meet the members when I leave Japan, but I’ll also definitely miss having the chance to meet up with the friends I’ve made at various events. Hopefully if the next two events I’m lined up for get rescheduled/not permanently cancelled I’ll be able to meet some of you again.

During 7th block, I used my last unassigned ticket on Nakkii. I have to say that meeting her was one of the best parts of my day. She’s so energetic and enthusiastic and I pretty much can’t NOT smile whenever I see her. Seriously, everyone should go meet Nakkii if you ever get the chance, you won’t regret it. Even if you don’t know what to say she’ll just babble excitedly at you. She also always tries to speak English if you’re foreign, so that’s kind of cool. Probably the best part of meeting her is that you end up getting a bunch of extra time. In handshakes she just physically won’t let go of you, and for the 2-shot she just kept talking and ignoring the staff, who kept telling us to choose the pose. Anyway, here’s our conversation:

Nakkii: It’s been awhile! Oh, you’re not wearing something sexy today. (for reference, read my last write-up… )
Me: Ah, you remember me then, haha.
Nakkii: Yeah! Your name is something like Eri, right?
Me: It’s Sarah…
Nakkii: I was close! (not at all but oh well) Are you half Japanese? Where are you from? (then she asked me where I was from again in English while holding a pretend mic to me)
Me: I’m American, but I live in Oita.
Nakkii: That’s the same as Sasshi. You must be supporting Sasshi then, right?
Me: No, I’m supporting you.
Nakkii: Really? Thank you!

She was really excited to hear that. This took a lot longer than one ticket is supposed to be, and the staff kept saying to choose a pose. She finally held up her hand to do a heart even though we hadn’t talked about it and I wasn’t thinking about it and just did it too. After we took the picture she started talking to me again, once again ignoring the poor staff. She thanked me again and pointed out my dimples (which she always does) and I suddenly remembered that I had had a pose that I’d wanted to do. I said I’d come back and finally left.



For block 8 I had two tickets for Sakiko and one for Nakkii, so I decided to save hers for last and went to see Sakiko. Sakiko seemed kind of out of it that day, like she was really sleepy or something, but was still very nice and smiley. She was really pretty and, standing next to her, I realized how tall and skinny she really is (although she had heels too). She would be a really good model I think, I wish she got more work like that. She immediately recognized me and said that it had been a long time. We decided to do the heart pose, although I kind of messed it up by trying to do a peace sign too since I thought that's what she was doing, and now it looks like I have extra fingers growing out of my hand. After the picture she commented on my phone case (it’s a kind of retro-looking Sailor Moon case) and we talked a little about how nostalgic it is.



The second time I went in I asked her for a recommendation on the pose and she suggested the Team A pose. She had to teach me what to do with my hands because I’m an idiot, I’ve seen it before but never really thought about it or tried to do it myself. Anyway we did it successfully and I told her that I’d support her in the sousenkyo. She asked “Really?” and I said yes and she thanked me. Like I said she seemed a bit out of it but she was still nice to meet as always.



Last was Nakkii again. Actually I met up with @Tensai first outside her lane and got to meet some of her committee members, including the man in charge, who spoke really good English. It was definitely cool to talk to other Nakkii fans, especially ones who have met her and understand that whole experience. Eventually the two of us went to meet her, Tensai going first. After he finished they stopped me and said that she was taking a break, but after less than a minute the curtain opened… and Nakkii herself came out into the line. She turned to me and said “Appeal! Appeal!” and spent like a minute waving to fans, in her line and in other lines. She was right in front of me and I was really wondering what I was supposed to do because I’m pretty sure that that isn’t allowed. The staff seemed bewildered too but somehow she got away with it. Finally she went back in and I could go in. She called my name and I told her that I had become friends with the person before, and she said his name and got really excited about that. I explained that since we both have dimples and she always points them out we could do a pose where we both point to them. So we did… and she kind of leaned on me while we took the picture, which again is definitely not allowed. She was almost totally out of her box for both of the photos that we took. I guess it’s easier to get away with since I’m a girl, haha. After we took the picture she asked where I lived again and when I said “Oita” again she immediately said, “Oh right you said that already! You’re not supporting Sasshi, right?” and I said yes. “Will you support me?” and I agreed again. She confirmed again that I was NOT supporting Sasshi but was instead supporting her (not in a malicious way at all, she knew she was being kind of cheeky and was playing around) and thanked me a lot. I said I’d come the next week (postponed) and we said goodbye. I do wish that I’d had a chance to congratulate her on her preliminary ranking, she talked so much that I forgot. Although I’d been thinking of voting for her before, this confirmed it; I really really want to see her rank in.

Overall it was an awesome day. Now that I’ve been to a number of events in a relatively short period of time, the members remember me somewhat and we can talk and joke around a bit more. Especially considering what happened, I’m so glad that ended up going (and I literally submitted my applications in the last five minutes of them being open, it was really back-and-forth). I understand that it's a difficult road ahead and obviously the safety and peace of mind of the members comes first but I do hope that I'll have the chance to go to another event someday.

 

Thanks for the write up, SunnySK42! It's really great to read your and naruse's reports; I feel like I'm reliving my own experience last Saturday when I'm reading them. I guess sikanwan's next?

I'm sorry about how things didn't work out for you this weekend, and hope they'll hold the replacement events for you and other fans who have bought tickets soon.

Your photos with Mogi-chan are great ... kind of kicking myself for not thinking of doing a hengao pose with her when I had the chance ...

 

Can't help but feel a bit (read: very) envious while reading about everyone's wonderful event experiences. Cheers to all for the write-ups!

 

2shot dump:


5/24 2shot event at Tokyo Big Sight

Watanabe Miyuki - Always a treat for me. Put on my Milky shirt. She remembered me from the week prior when I shook her hand in Osaka. I carried her invisible bags, even though it looks like I'm thrusting into the air. My friends made many ridiculous photoshops of me. Much fun was had.

Fujie Reina - Changed into a generic AKB48 polo (realized that the dark shirt and dark blue jeans blended into each other too much :\) and asked her for a matching selfie (asked her if she knew what selca means LOL is it only a Korean thing?). She is gorgeous in person. Happy with how our 2shot turned out. Easy to talk to.

Iwasa Misaki - Name dropped Cristafari. Asked for "singing enka" pose. Not quite sure what I got. Easy to talk to.

Ishida Anna - Gorgeous in person and really responsive. Told her I'm Tensai's friend LOL. Dem name drops. Too bad the photo turned out blurry. Was basically basking in awe of her image. Easy to talk to as well.

Hirata Rina - #AMERICA to the max. Always easy to talk to her due to English. However, I still stumble because well... idol aura and all that. Told her I was glad she got the Thanksgiving/Xmas card we made for her. Then we played janken and she had to win because she likes winning.

Kotani Riho - Ripopo is a sweetheart as well. Tried to talk to me entirely in English. Did the Ripopo thumbs up + face.

Maeda Ami - Such a cutie as well. The mayuge was strong with the two of us.

Uchiyama Natsuki - Name dropped Tensai. She was really happy. Asked her for a fun pose. Not bad, though my arm almost covers her face!

Furuhata Nao - Getting late into the day, I can understand the girls' feelings. Nao was an okay experience. Went straight for heart pose when asked for a fun pose.

Minegishi Minami - Also tired looking. Asked for a pose immediately. The idea was she would do propeller dance and I would do gao gao instead. In hindsight, maybe too much of an inside joke.

Overall a fun event as always. Meeting the girls is great and getting a neat photo with them is cool. I opened almost all interactions with, "nice to meet you" or "nice to see you again" in English, since last time I did the whole, "I'm from America" spiel in Japanese and didn't like the results too much.

Also, very jealous of all of you who got Mayuyu 2shots Thanks for sharing!