The AKB48 FAQ

I created this for convenience of others.. (since some questions are asked over and over) Mostly for the new members. Also, because some of the information in the other threads are outdated (alienpyon's).

If there's any more general questions you think should be added, PM me or leave a message and I'll put it here in the first post.

AKB48 Frequently Asked Questions.

These are the questions that are generally repeated by people. If you have a very very specific AKB related question, ask in the Question&Answer thread.

Q: Who is AKB48?
A: AKB48 is an all girl idol group created by producer Yasushi Akimoto (Aki-P) in 2006. AKB stands for Akihabara and the 48 is supposedly the amount of members within the group. AKB48 consists of three different teams, A, K, and B, each with 16 members. They have a theatre in Akihabara where they perform on a daily basis. Teams switch off on which days they perform during the week.

You can view the official site here.

Q: Is there a discography of all the singles and albums they've released so far?
A: Yes, on the official site here.

Q: I don’t know any of the girls, is there any place where I can see all of them?
A: You can see them in the hallway at the Theatre if your in Japan. If not, then you can see all of the here.

Q: What is a Kenkyuusei?
A: A Kenkyuusei is also known as a research student. These members are not actual members of the AKB48 group yet but they are in training to become one. The management AKS holds auditions for girls occasionally and the ones that are selected become the Kenkyuusei. The Kenkyuuseis will substitute in for the current members in AKB48 that are absent during the day of a her Team's performance. Currently, the producer Yasushi Akimoto is in the process of forming a Team with the Kenkyuuseis that will recycle the previous stages by the teams A, K, and B.
If you want to audition, check here.

Q: Why are girls under different management?
A: Agencies are continuously scouting the girls in the theatre. If a girl performs well enough in the theatre, shows talent, and gains enough popularity, the agencies will sign a contract with the girl. There are different types of agencies that help promote the girl's talents: acting, involvement in television, gravure, and singing for example. Agencies help AKB48 by promoting them to the general audience.

Q: What is graduation and why do they do it?
A: Graduation is when a girl declares that she is ready to move on from AKB48. The girls usually announce their graduations at the end of a stage or within a month from the day that they are graduating. In some rare cases, the girls declare their graduations abruptly on the same day they decide to graduate. The reasons for a girl's graduation is usually because she is ready to move on to the next stepping stone in life such as studying in school or taking up a career. A kenkyuusei will then be promoted to fill in graduated member's spot and start performing in the theatre as a regular AKB48 member.

Q: How much is a ticket for a show?
A: A ticket for males is 3,000 yen and a ticket for females is 2,000 yen. The male ticket is a blue ticket while the female's is a pink ticket as shown here.

Q: Do the girls lip-sync?
A: Yes and no. On TV shows, such as AKBingo and Music Station, majority of the time they are lip-synced. On stage, they usually start out lip-syncing if the stage has been fairly new, but as it progresses, the girls begin to sing live, most of the times in the unit songs. Same applies for majority of the large concerts. If a girl is subbing in for another member, usually the sub's part is lip-synced.

Q: During the shows, I hear the wotas chanting. What are they saying?
A: The wotas are doing the chants, also known as mixes, that add to the song. It helps build up the intensity of the show. The chants are usually done at the beginning and pauses during a song. The chants go like this:
＃１ CHANT
よっしゃ、いくぞー！　(pronounced: yosh iku zoh!!) [meaning: HERE WE GO!!!!]
Tiger
Fire
Cyber
Fiber
Diver
Viber
じゃーじゃー (pronounced: jya jya!!)

＃２ CHANT
もう　ー丁いくぞー！　(pronounced: moh iccho iku zoh!!!) [meaning: HERE WE GO ONE MORE TIME!!!]
とら
ひ
じんぞう
せんい
あま
しんどう
かせんとびじょきょ！！！　
The pronunciation of the Japanese version is "torah, hee, jinzoh, sen-ii, ah-mah, shin-doh, kasentobijokyo!!!!"
Credits to Tatami Mats

Q: What is a 98中 (98-chu) & 100中 (100-chu)?
A: The 98-chu is a ticket that guarantees you entry to any normal show, with the exception of the first and last show of a Stage. There are two kinds: 福袋98中 & regular 98中. 福袋98中 is sent 4 days before the show you want to see and the 98中 is sent 2 days before the show you want to see. Here is an example. The 100-chu is similar except it can get you into the first and last show and even some specials shows that allow it. The 中 tickets only guarantees a regular 'ippan' ticket though so you could end up being first or last into the theatre.
Credits to Mr Waffle & Tatami Mats.

Q: What do I have to do to get a ticket?
A: You have to send e-mails to AKB to win a ticket by raffle. There are five different ways to get a ticket: FC, Enpou, Family/Couple, Girls, and Regular. Here is information on rules and how you should send your e-mail.
Credits to Tatami Mats.

Q: What is FC and how do you join it?
A: FC stands for Fan Club. Being in the Fan Club, you can view member’s blogs and you also get special privileges when trying to win a ticket. For information on how to register for an FC ticket, check here.
Credits to ecwx

Q: Some of the girls have public blogs, where are they?
A: You can find them all here: here.

Q: What is Enpou and what's special about them?
A: Enpou is considered as a person who comes from a far away distance. Basically if you do not live in Japan, you are considered an enpou and are eligible for the enpou tickets. Enpou ticket holders get specified seating in the AKB Theatre, which is the last row of the middle seats.

Q: Where is the AKB48 Theatre?
A: It is in Akihabara, on the 8th floor of the Don Quijote. The building of Don Quijote has a gigantic penguin outside of it. If your coming from the Akihabara Station, exit from the south of the station (which is a right after going up the stairs/escalators). From there, make a left till you hit the main street. Then from there you will make a right and keep going. You will cross one street and keep going past it and soon enough, there will be the theatre on your right side. If you can’t see the top of the building, look for a store called Lamtarra (it has a flashy bright store sign) and Don Quijote would be on the left of it. You’ll know you are at the building once you pass a pachinko casino (gambling machines). On the other side of the wall to it, there is an escalator. If you pass by a crepe store, you have gone too far. Take the escalator up to the 8th floor and tada! You are at the theatre!

For more information (map included), check here.

Q: What do I do when I get to the theatre?
A: Walk up to the counter at whatever time the tickets are being sold (From 11:00am – 6:30pm) Usually starting an hour before the show. Tell them who you are and show your ID. The guy at the counter understands a little bit of english, but should know that your here for a show if you ask the right way. For example, "Here to watch show at _:__ (time), pick up ticket?" Then you will pay for your ticket and they will hand it to you.

Q: What do I do after I receive my ticket?
A: As the clock nears the show time, the staff will put numbers on the floor indicating the numbers for each row. On your ticket there should be a number displayed. Find your number and line up in the row that you belong to. (Usually lining up takes place in the AKB48 Lobby area and the hallway). After you line up, they will begin calling people in. First the special seating ticketholders go in (enpou, female, couples, etc.) then the regular seats. When they reach the regular seating, they will begin a lottery of which rows get called in. Listen carefully for your number. If you don’t understand Japanese, just follow the other people in your row if they start moving.

Q: Where do I sit after I enter the theatre?
A: If your one of the special ticket holders, you have assigned row seating. 8th row is the couple/family seats, 9th row is female seats, and the 10th row is for enpou. If your a regular ticketholder, you can sit or stand anywhere you feel like in the theatre, as long as there isn't anyone else taking the spot. For example, if you enter the theatre last and there is a spot in the front row, you can take it. If you know where your favorite member's position on the stage is most of time, it would be best to sit in that area because if you sit somewhere else, most likely your view would be blocked by one or both of the two pillars (a.k.a. the pillars of death).

Q: Since they do not allow bags into the theatre, where can I put mine?
A: Before they start organizing all the lines and the lottery call, there will be a table set up next to the Theatre entrance on the right. They will provide you with large plastic bags for 200 yen to put your stuff in as long as you don't rip it. It will stay behind the table and the area is sealed off. If you feel insecure about it the bag idea, they also have lockers provided for you to use for a price of 200 yen for a regular sized locker and 300 yen for a large sized locker across AKB48 Lobby from the AKB Theatre. A regular sized locker can fit a regular sized backpack.
Credits to Youkokurama.

Q: Where can I purchase AKB48 items?
A: In the theatre, right when you walk through the hallway, there is the AKB48 Shop straight ahead to the left. Right next to the AKB Theatre. They have items behind the glass-windowed counter. Ring the bell and one of the cafe girls will come out to help you. Tell them what you want to buy and they will get it for you.
Credits to Youkokurama.

If you are in Japan, you can also order items through their official shop here.

Some stores in Akihabara also have their CDs and DVDs, like the store Lamtarra right next to Don Quijote.

If your not at the theatre or in Japan, then look at here.

Q: I'm still confused on how to watch a show because your guide sucks, what should I do?
A: I'm sorry that it sucks, but if you need a guide look here.

Q: What is LoD?
A: LoD stands for Live on Demand. Just like pay-per-view, it is a site where you can pay to watch the daily shows that are performed in the theatre. They have cameras in the theatre to record the shows at every performance except for the special events (such as Christmas). Live on Demand comes in two different quality videos, 1M (480x270 resolution) and 3M (640x360 resolution). 1M is usually around 1 Gigabyte while the 3M is around 2.5 Gigabytes. The pricing per show is 525 yen for the 1M and 840 yen for the 3M. You can also pay for a whole month for a price of 4,980 yen. Payment requires you to have a Japanese Credit card.
For more info and purchase, visit the Live on Demand site.
Credits to Mr Waffle & makistar.

Q: If I want to send a letter to a member, where do I send it?
A: You send them to the theater.

This is the address (with an example of course):

秋元才加様 (Replace this with member's name in kanji)
〒101-0021
東京都千代田区外神田4-3-3
ドンキホーテ秋葉原８階
「AKB48ファンレター係」
JAPAN

Akimoto Sayaka-sama (Replace with member's name in English)
〒101-0021
Tokyo to Chiyoda ku Sotokanda 4-3-3
Don Quijote Akihabara 8th Floor
AKB48 Fan Letter kakari
JAPAN

The staff receives the letter and/or present, they read the letters, check the present and then, after a couple of days (or three) the stuff is handed to the girls.

There are presents that are not allowed, like money (gift cards, etc), make-up, perfumes, live things, food, and things big enough that cannot be carried by the girls.
Credits to Ange

Q: What is a 2-shot?
A: A 2-shot is a polaroid picture taken with you and a member of the team. The member will then decorate the polaroid and you will receive it. You can win these through gacha prizes and other ways. 3-shot, 4-shot work the same way, except you can either bring a friend or choose another girl for a total of the number indicated, including yourself.

Q: What is SL?
A: SL stands for Second Life, an online social program. It's a 3-dimensional virtual world where you can travel around. Office48 and Chocolove have their virtual buildings in the world where people can access it and watch videos. Second Life sells gachas to fans monthly with prizes and points.
For more info and the program, look here.

Q: What is a gacha?
A: Gacha are balls that are sold at the theatre towards the end of the month. They are sold for 300 yen each and contain random prizes and points. Random prizes can include member events, vacation trips, gaming consoles, and more. The points can be used at the theatre in exchange for items such as 2-shots and member photos. There is no limit to how many you can buy so you could buy two bags full of gachas if you wanted to.
Credits to makistar.

Q: What is B.L.T.?
A: B.L.T. stands for Beautiful Lady & Television. They collaborate with AKB48 in magazines such as the original B.L.T., B.L.T. U-17, and the special AKBxB.L.T. issues. From the AKBxB.L.T. issues which can only be purchased at the theatre or bought online, are collectible photos. It usually comes in four versions, and are sold at different times. One issue at the beginning of the week, second issue during second week, and the rest on the web. The B.L.T. photos that come with it follow the weeks respectively, 1st week - A, 2nd week - B and also C (which can only be ordered through the web)
The official B.L.T. site here.

 

Isn't that what this thread is for, though? XD

 

Lol, did you read the top of the first post?

This is Frequently Asked Questions, not Questions & Answer.

I think, with a lot of people asking questions like, if I wanted to send mail, where should I send it to? It should be put here cause it's been asked for a lot of times now.

It's mostly for the new members since they usually don't know a lot... and this should help them get started on some basics.

Besides, some of the other stuff have been outdated.

But if a mod thinks this is just repetitive, just remove it then.

 

^ even if others say there is already a Q & A, you do bring up an excellent point, in that there are a mass number of repetitive similar questions as i have witnessed, so great job in creating this thread, i do find it quite useful/helpul. It is cool forum members ,that others so often overlook, create threads such as these, and i personally would like to say keep the thread if possible and thanks for the work you put in to help others.

 

Thanks qilver

So yeah, if anyone spots or knows a question that is constantly asked, just notify me and I'll put it into the first post.

I'm still thinking of some that are frequently asked still... so yeah.

 

i'll be sure to look over your FAQ on this thread, and if i have more questions, i will let you know. -thanks.

 

@hahaxwill: please update the part regarding the AKB48 Shop.

as of a few months ago, the cafe has been turned into the akb48 shop. cafe girls no longer serve food, ice-cream, etc. the whole place is now the akb48 shop. the place where the store used to be is now occupied by lockers, and the really really old spot for the akb48 shop is now occupied by the servers and equipment for the on-demand service. so for those who want to buy akb48 stuff, just approach the new akb48 shop, ring the bell at the counter because the cafe girls don't hang-out in that area anymore, and when they come out to greet you, tell them what you want to buy.

and they don't call it the akb48 cafe area anymore. they now call it the akb48 lobby (or just the lobby).
source: cindy's mc.

edit: oh and one more thing, you might want to include the question "What are research students?" in your faq. i've heard that one asked by so many people, even the japanese fans.

edit2: and lockers are priced at 200 yen for normal sized ones, and 300 yen for pretty big ones.

 

EDIT.

ok nevermind

 

Thanx hahax. I think a thing to be done now is that someone stick and lock this or it will become a new Q&A thread. But you can keep editing it with new frequent Q&A's.

 

Huh?
haha.

Alright, I updated it and credited to the respective person.

Thanks for the updates Youkokurama!

I added the Kenkyuusei question along with some others. Extended the how to get a ticket a little more.

And used an example for the mailing a member

If you can, just go over what you addressed and tell me if there is any incorrect info. Thanks for the help guys!

 

Good FAQ. Some questions I suggest are added.

Why are girls under different management?
What is LOD?
What is graduation/why do they do it?

When it gets big enough, an index should be added, and perhaps the questions grouped under like General, Tickets, etc.

 

^ I was totally thinking of the LoD thing, but I forgot to add it

Anyways, I added all that you mentioned, so read it and see if it's right. Thanks Jasey!

 

I was trying to find the dimensions of the videos for the 1M and 3M instead.. that would be better to put than whatever crap I put for it xD

 

^ Tell me about it, sometimes I can't even see who's who lol.

I wish they had it in the quality that akbingo usually is released in 1280 x 720 (whatever it's called... HD DVD? LOL.) Blu Ray would be godly.... but the LoD files would be humongous xD, probably around 6 GB each.

Anyways, I updated it. Thanks!

 

On AKB48's LOD, 1M = 480x270, 3M = 640x360

 

lockers 300Y for the large ones eh, will it fit a regular sized backpack?
I have yet to see the cafe-turned-bigger akb lobby/shop area, its been a year since i've been back. Thanks for the updated info, now i know what to expect.

 

Ahhhh I can't believe I didn't see this thread before... cool thread Hahaxwill