The Nogizaka46 Experience Thread

I'm back with another report

20th Single NHS at Port Messe Nagoya 12th May 2018

Nogichans were divided into Halls 1 and 3 to probably reduce congestion.
It was fortunate that Maiyan and Reika were in Hall 1.


~8am : Started to queue for Hall 1. The waiting area was not covered so it became uncomfortably hot.
Should have brought my laundry to dry.

~2pm : Reception opened and after security check, went to our target lanes.

Original plan : HS with Maiyan and Reika.

Actual : Maiyan and Reika lanes only allowed 1 ticket/pass so I decided to go meet other Nogichans instead of going back again and again on Reika's lane though it crossed my mind.


Nogichans met :

Maiyan :
Had been practicing my line "Ya-ho, nice to meet you". I overheard others in the lane practicing what to say like hyokkori, even asking zukkyun or beam
But since it was fast, like 2 -3 seconds per person,it was Hi and Bye instead.
Anyways, Maiyan was so bubbly, shaking hands and saying arigatou to everyone.She really is charming.

Reika :
Said Nice to meet you and Happy Birthday! All smiles Reika answered arigatou ...


From hereon , decided to use "Nice to meet you" as my greeting.


Pair of :
Kaz :
So genki even with a dehumidifier in front of her. She really is dorky .

Kotoko:
She's really pretty but muhyoujou


--
Pair of :
Renachi :
Commented my shirt was kawaii

Rentan :
Replied nice to meet you too

Maybe it's just me but these 2 seem to have that cool vibe

--
Miona :
The person in front of me asked for a mabataki(eye blinking) from Miona and I too was witness to that
Commented Ah! <cartoon character name> pointing to my shirt.

--
Manatsu:
She doesn't shake hands but instead clasps both of your hands, she's tiny , cute.
Should have asked for zukkyun

--
Pair of:
Denchan: Held both my hands firmly and replied nice to meet you too.

Hinachima: Managed to only shook a hand and she waved and said arigatou as I was dragged-out.

Managed to get a glimpse of Yuttan and Mukai. Mukai's cute.
The other lanes were fully covered that it was impossible to get a glimpse of the other Nogichans.

Everyone of the Nogichans I met were really kind and pretty. They looked vibrant and fresh in those new unis.
I want to meet them again!

--

End of my HS with Nogichans.
Went out of Hall 1 and went to buy some 20th goods.

Time: 9hrs 46min 31sec



Notes:
By 4pm receptions for Maiyan,Asuka and Nanase closed. Other Nogichans had scheduled rests (~15min)

This time CDs did not sell out for obvious reason, this is the last of the NHS.
The posters though sold-out (ticket X poster exchange).

There was a separate entrance and lane for disabled.

I think it was good to limit to only 1 ticket for popular members ,fair game .
I do not know if it was the same case for other members.

The 2 Nogichans/lane has an advantage of seeing 2 in one go but a disadvantage of being dragged-out if you spend a bit more time with the first Nogi.

If I continue doing this I might as well invest in a comfortable folding chair.

For train, there's only the Aonami line (Nagoya<->Kinjofuto). The station master temporarily suspended entrance to the platform since it was very crowded (going home time).

Photos : Guide, Hall 1 queue, Train notice,Hall 1 crowd

 

So, this week I watched Nogizaka46 ver of Sailor Moon musicals each team twice at TBS ACT Theatre. They will be having live viewing over various cinemas in Japan , Hong Kong and Taiwan over the weekend, and also over TBS Channel 2.
But after watching it 4x at the theatre, here are some thoughts of each role. I don't want to put an argument of who was the better one, just my thoughts.

Spoiler

There's a very noticeable level difference between the nogi members and the actual musical actresses casts.
Characters other than usagi and mamoru(who was sublime) have a relatively shorter screen time compared to the 2 main characters. So they have to make a deep impression whenever they are on.
Usagi/Moon: Sayunyan probably has better singing voice and performance. But Mizuki does get into the role with more Usagi-like reactions(maybe too much one may think)
Ami/Mercury: hmmm.. I still can't decide which I prefer. Ririan is probably very young and a bit inexperienced so tends to be good in parts but underact in others, also has some barely noticeable mistakes. Whilst Miria was just normal in her role, her singing was not bad though.
Rei/Mars: Calm but fiery and elegant , it's all about presence. So I thought Kazumin edged it naturally with her voice and expressions. Ranze is not bad though but I sometimes think she tends to force it.
Makoto/Jupiter: Makoto is the tallest and strongest among them, so in regards to that, Minamin looks the better fit especially when emphasizing her height. In terms of her performance, she doesn't try anything out of the ordinary. Nojo however does seem to have a tad better singing and expressions.
Minako/V/Venus: the leader of the senshis with an idol like presence, but also the shortest stage time among the 5, her role peaks in the 2nd half. Hinachi fits it with her girl/idol like looks ,actions and expressions. Kanarin has maybe the better acting when it comes to the serious parts.

Also if you watch a bit more in detail, there are some subtle differences between both teams . Some were intentional and some not or just bloopers.

Spoiler

1) probably a blooper, Ririan forgotten her mirror shine part for a while during the "kirakira hirahira" opening sequence. The 2nd time I saw team moon, she was ok.
2) mizuki couldn't seem to open her bag for her bento the 1st time, another blooper. Not really noticeable though
3) rei's scene has a few differences. 1st, when Rei sticks a talisman on Usagi's forehead, Mizuki just got too surprised and then Kazumin apologized and mizuki/ririan likewise. Sayunyan however says she can't see a thing , then said she could see after all.
4) the 2nd time I saw team moon, mizuki did not give back the talisman to kazumin. So kazumin said sore ageru wa... lol, maybe just a blooper
5) at the bus stand, both mizuki and sayunyan respectively have a different way to make their Ami counterparts irritated. Watch out for it
6) also just directly after, when mamoru appears(hilariously), mizuki and sayunyan has different ways of arguing with mamoru; and their respective ami counterparts reacts slightly differently.
7) at the ballroom/exhibition scene,when Ami and Rei meets up dressed in their gowns, the short conversation here may be different. I remember Ririan saying her dress is water proofed and kazumin reacted saying "ki ga haitta ne" , everyone lol'ed
8) when naru said that umino is not popular with girls, umino had different ways of explaining to the crowd that he is. Not according to team it seems.
9) when usagi cuts her long hair, during team moon, rei(kazumin) was the one that picked it up; whilst during team star, makoto(minamin) was the one.
10) the serious scenes mostly same and consistent
11) at the end, minako says how she would like a boyfriend too, hinachi grabs on to kazumin like a boyfriend for a while , while kanarin just says it cutely and goes on her way

There are others too but I'll just leave it at that

update:
well, I watched both the TBS Channel 2's live of the final performances of each team , making it 3 times each team this week for me. Each had a double bravo for their final performances. and also instead of one or two persons giving a speech at the end of it, every member of the cast gave one.

 

Nogizaka daitai zenbu

Spoiler

Daitai Zenbu

Went to the Sony Music Roppongi Museum for the Nogizaka Artworks

Went to the museum an hour ahead of my schedule (I have 2pm-330pm ticket) and there was already a short line outside.
But after around 15 minutes we were already ushered inside. Waited for few minutes to present ticket to the reception.
At the reception, they checked tickets and gave us a bookmark-like ticket which in turn get stamped by a staff before entering the waiting area.
Wait few minutes.
Entered theater area (I think it's zone A). Short Nogi MV of MV behind the scenes and written comments from designers,directors,etc.
Next are photos,sketches and other items related to CD jacket designs and this is also where you will see that giant Maiyan Girls' rule CD jacket.
Next is the crying room, Kiduitara Kataomoi photos of crying Nogichans, it was an interesting room.Taking of photos isn't allowed so no photo.
Next some artifacts from MVs.
Next uniforms.
Next 6th BD live Synchronicity N46 edit version. very large HD screen, but sound system is mediocre.
Next, the Shop , kaChing! The geniu$e$ at Sony didn't anticipate the demand for that DoiyaSan shirt is great, we are still on the 4th day and it's already sold out? Or it's a tactic so that we'll go back to that museum. One could only enter the shop and cafe by going thru the exhibit.
There also is a gatcha cd jacket design magnets,300 each and max 10 per person. There is also a complete set for sale but where's the fun in that?
Next Zaka cafe. Long line, maybe next time.
Next exit.
There is a truck outside selling tapioca milk tea (the only area you can enter without a ticket)
2 normal flavors and 2 Nogichan-inspired (Manatsu and Ringo).

Those planning to visit just temper your expectations.
Weekdays may have fewer visitors,less crowded,less wait time, have enough time to appreciate the exhibits.

--------------------------------
Add:
2nd visit, and I must say it was better than the first.
Took the 10 am slot and I highly recommend going there at this slot. You'll be the first group
not crowded at all! I felt like I had the museum all for myself I was even the first customer at the cafe Again it is really a small museum, mostly artworks.


Some photos
bookmark ticket

waiting area

giant maiyan

inochi uni

gactcha coins

 

Here's my take on the Nogizaka ArtWorks exhibit, as I went there earlier today. Some of my info might overlap with @JuriRena 's report, I do apologize for that.

Spoiler

Outside
- I'm not sure if more will come in, but there were two sets of flowers, one from the Koujichu staff.


The lady who took my ticket at the front desk brought out the English sheet of the explanation for the theater, even though I got the gist of it with my super mediocre Japanese knowledge.

Theater 1
- A small movie starting with quotes from various members, then showing making ofs from a few of the singles along with comments from directors, then comments from costume designers, and I think one of the art directors as well. That's probably why I had written "art" in my notes that I took.

Zone A - No photography
- This area contained concept art for logos that could have been used for the group before they settled on the triangle we all know and love. There were quite a number of logos they had tossed around, maybe 20-25 total?
- Tons of offshots from two of their singles, I can't remember which ones though since I didn't write them down.
- One point of interest for those who like to do pilgrimages to places the girls have been, they had a map of Shibuya and surrounding areas to pinpoint where some of the photos were taken for various singles.

Zone B - No photography
- This area contained concepts for MVs. They rigged a few of the boxes with monitors to have some of the MVs playing.
- They had storyboards, some props, manga illustrations of the Nigemizu senbatsu, a piece by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto that was done for the Sayonara Imi single.
- Fukugawa Mai and Kawago Hina had stopped by on the 15th and added their autographs in the Kataomoi room. (This might have been part of Zone A)

Zone C - Take all the pictures you want
- There were five main dresses/costumes featured, Inochi wa Utsukushii, Jikochu de Ikou, the 67th Kouhaku, the Midsummer National tour 2018, and Nandome no Aozora ka.
- They also had the dresses from all of the members from Ima Hanashitai Dareka ga Iru set up in their formation.

- In the back, it looked like every dress/costume from all of their songs, down to each individual member for units.


Theater 2
A Nogizaka AW cut of Synchronicity from the 6th Birthday Live. I wonder if that might be included in what I hope is an upcoming BD/DVD release. It also looked really nice on the giant screen they had it playing on.

Merchandise
- As soon as you leave Theater 2, you're in a small room were there are address sheets you can fill out if you're interested in ordering the Nogizaka46 ArtWorks book that will be released in April. There were no sheets for international orders, at least I didn't see any, so I'm hoping that one of CDJapan/HMV/Amazon.jp will carry it.
- Lots of stuff in here. I only picked up a T-shirt, a pen, and a birthday keyholder. (Kazumi) I also did three rounds of the gashapon machine, but I somehow lost one of the magnets in between leaving the museum and getting back to my hotel. I'm not sure how, either. I'm thinking it ether fell out when I was taking my sunglass case out of my merch bag, or that I completely just missed tossing it in to my bag. EDIT: Found it, it somehow fell into an opening in the zip-loc bag the T-shirt was in.
- I somehow didn't make the connection for the pricing for the gashapon tokens. One token was ¥300, but my brain came up with three tokens for one try. I had asked to buy 10 tokens thinking I'd get three tries and I'd keep the leftover token. Seeing that it was going to cost me ¥3000 quickly made me change it to three tokens.
- It somehow worked that the lady who checked me in at the front was also working the register when it was my turn to purchase my items.

Cafe
- I skipped the cafe.

I enjoyed my short time at the museum. I hope it's a success for Nogi.

 

Report on Nogizaka46's first 2019 concert @ Taipei!!

First of all song list!!
「乃木坂46@台北小巨蛋」[Nogizaka46 Live in Taipei 2019]
1. 裸足でSummer
2. おいでシャンプー
3. 走れ！Bicycle
4. 太陽ノック
5. 夏のFree&Easy
6. ガールズルール
7. バレッタ
8. 今、話したい誰かがいる
9. ぐるぐるカーテン
10. 逃げ水
11. 何度目の青空か？
12. 君の名は希望
13. きっかけ
14. 悲しみの忘れ方
15. Threefold Choice
16. 僕が行かなきゃ誰が行くんだ？
17. せっかちなかたつむり
18. 言霊砲
19. 制服のマネキン
20. 世界で一番孤独なLover
21. 僕だけの光
22. 命は美しい
23. いつかできるから今日できる
24. サヨナラの意味
25. シンクロニシティ
26. インフルエンサー
27. ロマンスのスタート
28. ハウス！
29. ジコチューで行こう！

ENCORE
1. 転がった鐘を鳴らせ！
2. ダンケシェーン
3. 乃木坂の詩

A whopping number of 32 songs, it was very hype and fun! However there were many points were management failed the logistics.
1. The line of concert goods - officially, the line was supposed to be ordered at 12:30, and goods start selling at 1:00. However, some dedicated people were their either very early or from the night before (crazy). This led to the line having up to thousands of people by the time it was noon. It wasn't even funny, I lined from 11:50 am to 6:30 pm before I was able to buy anything.
And right before it was me, the dreaded words of "all member related items are sold out" was spoken. I was only able to cop a T-shirt, light-stick, bracelet, and a generic towel. (pictures will come soon) Only 6 cashiers were available, which was clearly wayyy too less.
2. The amount of concert goods - I'm not even kidding people were spotted carrying off BOXES of towels and other goods in one go. Not only did the workers there not have a limit rule (ok it was 3 personal items per member but still) on the total goods, they did not care for the people who just cut either. Very annoyed when 1 person turns to 5 then to like 20. Like ???
Honestly there must be a better way to control a line and not have people just cut and buy the shit out of the goods, leaving people in the back who also lined up for more than a few hours something to buy. Not only that, the stock of each member was also hilariously low. Only Asuka's held out to the very end (I guess management only thought asuka was popular).
For example, 3rd gen people had their stuff almost sold out only like 1-2 hours in the line (Momoko be so popular but I guess Management is underestimating a crap ton). Very annoying.
3. Concert Itself - no complaints here. 1st nogizaka concert experience, and not going to lie it was surreal to see the people I watch on Youtube and Nogizaka Variety to be right in front of me. Truly something else. I was also blessed by the luck gods to secure a seat semi-close to the stage.
The Nogichans really brought the energy out and hyped everyone up. Based on their MCs they were pretty shook that we still did the chants in Japanese (Minami pointed out specifically that we did the "Chouzetsu kawaii ____" stuff). They were ofc nervous it being the first concert of the year + overseas, so big respect to them.
Some big impact moments were for example when they sang Sayonara no Imi, the whole hall switched to green on the lightsticks ( :'-( NANAMINNNN).
Ok lowkey I was kind of sad Nanase wasn't here, especially when they did songs she centered. But oh well. I guess I'll never see her live.
4. The Encore - the moment the halled dimmed and turned into the welcome screen, the hall started chanting "NOGIZAKA" "FOURTY-SIX". And we chanted that for 5+ minutes straight until they ran out from backstage. A real cult like experience. The songs in the encore did not fail to disappoint and served as an amazing ending. The Nogizaka no Uta hit me in the kokoro.

Overall, this concert showed me why people love attending concerts, especially idol ones. The energy that is brought out through the calls and lightstick waving was amazing, and I have no other experience that can even come close to the level of hype it got in there. Nogichans were beautiful per usual, and performing to the best of their capabilities, truly professionals.
They got real hinting at some overseas concerts to come, so hopefully they are successful there! Peace out! I'll try to get the pictures out ASAP!!

 

Did you buy the tickets for the Nogizaka ArtWorks exhibit in advance or at the venue? I will be in Tokyo for a couple of days and definitely want to go in there.
viagogo.com sells some tickets online but I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to buy there?

 

^ there are still a lot of open slots for this month's link [Feburary] so i think it's fine to buy on the day (but advance is cheaper by 200 yen) it's recommended to take the 10am slot as it's the first , less crowded
there's new menu in the cafe and the MV will be changed from Synchronicity to Hadashi de Summer this month.
But do check the site if you have some goods to buy as these easily get sold out.

 

Can I ask some questions about N46 Artwork exhibition here or should I use another thread?

 

Hi, do you think you can upload a pic of the shirt you bought? I wanna know how big the shirt is to decide if i wanna buy it off from YAJ

 

I went to N46 AW on 18 Feb. There is a small change in exhibition.
- The dresses from senbatsu members are Kimi no Na wa Kibou single.
- 4K Crystal 6th BD LIVE AW Edited is ''Hadashi de Summer''
- 5 main dresses are changed.

 

Hello, i'm going on my 1st handshake next week and I just wanted to ask a couple of questions, if im going to see Miona how early should I be there? also I read above that the girls are divided into different halls, are there different lines for each hall? or will one line be divided upon entering the premises? thank you in advance ^_^

 

Nice! Port Messe Nagoya, right?
I think it will be 2 major lines to at least divide the crowd a bit, if we base it on last NHS in Makuhari, it will probably be similar, (1) Misa + 4G, (2) The rest ,
once inside each hall, divided into lanes already. Miona is quite popular too so expect long line.
As early as you can if you want to visit the other sections like goods or meet other Nogi-chans, they allow lining-up as early as 630 am but there probably are fans already camping and do take note there is only one train line (Aonami line) between Nagoya and KinjoFuto, + Legoland, that could really get very crowded.
Good luck, enjoy and share your NHS experience Expect the worst but hope for the best

 

thank you

 

So I went on my 1st ever handshake event in Port messe nagoya, I got there around 7:45 it was raining so I was actually near the front. They divided the girls equally between hall 1 and 3. I did not know they posted who is in what hall in their website so I just walked in blind thank fully I got into hall 3 where miona was.

The halls opened 12:45 i went straight to miona's lane.
My experience:

• Miona-i think I scared her during my 1 handshake I was so excited I jogged to her while rolling up my sleeves, she got surprised and dropped her hand cream, thankfully I calm down after the 1st encounter and she was very welcoming the other times I went. In total I went back to her lane 9times.
• Tamami/Yuri- I only used 1ticket here, I actually did not know much about Yuri so I blacked out and was not even able to say hello
• Yoda- her lane closed @15:00 so I had to run to hall 1, the line was really long around 10 lanes and she took a break in between but it was worth it as she had the best reaction out of everyone I met.
• Ranze/reno- they did not have a line and the fans were looping. I spent the rest of my tickets here. Reno was a lot better than I though. I was expecting a salty/gloomy response but she was actually very bright and welcoming.

The event finished @16:00 I went to hall 2 to buy goods and to my surprise only the photo album was sold out, so I went crazy the bought a lot.

Around 17:00 I went to the train station and It was so crowded that there were non-stop trains prepared by the station, but still everyone got stopped at the ticket booth, so I decided to eat 1st after I went back in around 40mins there were only a few people left. I also noticed that around 2pm people could already freely switch halls, if you are not going to meet Erika, ashu, maiyan, yoda or manatsu you don't need to line up early.

Sorry for the long post I was just excited

 

answering my own question, yea you CAN get good tickets for NHS Mini live even if you are late-ish.
I came at 9am today and got the 1st block infront of the stage! I'm crying


so yeah pray for good luck when you exchange the ticket at the entrance

 

5/1 Makuhari Messe 4th Album Handshake Report

This was my first-ever meeting with Nogi-chans although I’ve done several 48G events. As this was my first time and I wasn’t sure how things would work I only applied for tickets for the first three slots.

Inoue Sayuri
Sayuri was as pretty as I hoped but she was rather quiet. A nice start but otherwise nothing much to report.

Yoshida Ayano Christie
Ayatii was also rather quiet but still pleasant to meet. I was hoping for better though but these two girls are of course not among the most popular members.

Ito Junna
But my meeting with Junna was much better - she was very friendly and lovely. I told her that ‘Blanco’ which she’s in is my favourite Nogi song and she thanked me and touched me on my arm.

Kubo Shiori
Kubo was the only one of the top 3rd Gen members who I won a ticket for but I think she’s the prettiest. I told her that she was my favourite member in Nogi (a little white lie but she was my favourite of all the girls I saw today lol) and she was very sweet and said ‘thank you!’ in English. (But on reflection I really do think she might now be my favourite Nogi member )

Wada Maaya
I’ve always liked Maaya and I’ve never understood why she’s not more popular - and I still don’t understand! I got the loveliest welcome from her and she spoke English like she does in Nogieigo which is not that good but still very nice! She has such a warm smile and personality, and we high-fived as I left.

During the lunch break there were birthday presentations for Maaya and for Yoda Yuki. Both had very brightly decorated lanes.

Ito Karin
I applied for Karin before she announced graduation and I’m very pleased I did because she was very friendly indeed and probably the nicest member I met today. I wished her well for the future and she waved me goodbye for a long time. I’m genuinely sad now she’s leaving.

A very nice half-day for me and next time I’ll definitely do a full day of HS!

 

Not a direct experience with the girls, but I just bought my very first CD (finally, after 2 years getting into the fandom)
Certainly not the photo-card that I was expecting, but it's still great.
And now I don't know what to do with the CD/Blu-Ray since my laptop got no CD player whatsoever...

 

2019/10/20 Makuhari Messe, 24th Single National Handshake

So well... I'm really a late comer at this Handshake thing, but just gonna share my very first experience here.
In general, I spoke in Japanese and tried to do the "foreigner appeal"
The venue was quite packed that even for the lanes without much visitors, we're given like 6-8 seconds at most.

I intended to visit Sakura - Rei (21st lane) at first, but just some hours before the event start, it was announced on the Nogi website that Rei got health problems, so Sakura got a solo lane instead.
In a way it might be a good thing for me, because the queue in Sakura's lane was so long, that I may lost time to visit other lanes.


Lanes that I visited :

Kakehashi Sayaka - Yakubo Mio (24th lane)
This is one of the most packed 4th-gen lane, next to Sakura solo lane, and Seira-Ayame
Told Sayaka that I'm from Indonesia and always reading her blog. She looked so confused to hear a 3rd-world country name, I guess
What's even more funny and made me stunned is that she replied with "Xie-Xie" Oh well, maybe I should just speak in English next time.
Mio showed her shocked-face as well which is really funny.
It was short, but they were pretty energetic.

Ito Junna - Iwamoto Renka (17th lane)
When I lined up here, there was almost no one queuing behind, but when I got close suddenly so many people followed. Kinda decrease the time I got to be in the booth.
Junna was stunning IRL, and the foreigner appeal worked well here too . Told her I loved her performance in Sailor Moon and the way she answers was cute.
Renka was looking really tired and didn't talk much. Told her congrats to be under-center this time.

Shinuchi Mai - Ito Riria (15th lane)
Kinda same thing with Junna-Renka lane, people started queuing a lot when I'm about to reach the booth
Mai-chun didn't talk much, and she's not new to seeing foreigners, ...
Riria was kinda looking tired as well but gave a nice smile.


Sneak-Peek on other booths :

• I looked in Seira's booth when she was doing some moves for the guy inside, and it made him really mero-mero. I can say she's a real pro at this.
• I also got to see Ayane, Reno, and Kii-chan. Ayane sold-out this time which may explain why she looked pretty tired. She was wearing some kind of red-robe.
• What surprised me was that Ayame moved to another booth next to Mai-chun's for some reason when I queued. She indeed is cute.

Additional Info :

• There was a guy reported to spend around 450.000 Yen worth of tickets to speak about 25 minutes with Maiyan. No wonder the lane stopped.
• Matsumura's lane was closed mid-way because she apparently had health problems as well. God bless her, may she get well soon.
• Konno-san had his own handshake lane Well, it is actually a place to collect donation for those who suffer due to the typhoon Hagibis recently. But people who are donating were shaking his hands too. I think he's a cool guy.
• There were Curry Breads on sale, to raise donation for Chiba prefecture, which was promoted by Kazumin. I moved around the venue helping my friend doing poster exchange that we forgot to buy the breads

In general, I really enjoyed the event. It is indeed one-of-a-kind situation.
Aside from seeing and speaking to the girls directly, I got to see so many dynamics of the people around, doing business and stuff.
I just felt a little bit sorry for the girls, since I now experienced first-hand how tiresome it is. But well, that's how the business here works.

 

I though girls like Maiyan, Matsumura stopped doing HS for a long time... I'm confused lol

 

They stopped doing individual handshakes, but are still doing the national handshakes.