CK's Japan Tour, Fall 2008 Day 2 ~An Unexpected Trip to the Don Quixote Theater~

So after all I said about being tired and looking forward to my pillow in my last post, do you think I got a good night's sleep on my first night in Japan?  Of course not...

Now part of the reason I was so committed to returning to Japan was because I was so overwhelmed in January.  It took my almost the entire trip to get used to being here.  The language barrier, writing, culture, and the fact I traveled all the way here by myself is a lot to get used to.  Most of the contacts I made here occurred late in the trip.  So I decided this time I would be a lot more aggressive and active.  And so far it has worked really well!

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Shopping in Shibuya and Harajuku

By the way, that Ayumi Hamasaki ad in Shibuya was huge!  I am really happy I bought a Japan Rail Pass.  It makes it so easy to jump on trains and not have to worry about the ticket machines.  and the Hotel I am staying at is right on the JR Yamanote "Green" Line, which is the main train line around Tokyo.  After eating an overpriced breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants.  I decided to head to Shibuya because I want to buy some CD's and DVD's on my shopping list.  But my first stop, the H!P store in the PT109-2 building...

I have been to this store before.  And to be honest, I wasn't too impressed.  But that might be because I am not a big picture collector.  And that seems to be their main product.  They DO carry some of the latest PB's and CD/DVD's, but not too many.  I was tempted to buy Reina's new photobook which just came out.  One cool thing, in the front of the H!P museum were Buono's outfits from the Winter concert.  I just wish that Momo's jacket was turned so I could see the back of it!!!  The good news is the PT109-2 building is also where the Hello Kitty Bling store is.  Now that place is cool!

Between HMV and Tower Records in Shibuya, I prefer Tower.  They are very friendly, and the layout of the store is a lot easier to figure out.  They also seem to have all of the special promotional stuff.  I bought Ohori Meshibe's CD/DVD, which came with a card and poster.  I got Scandal's new single CD/DVD, which came with a sticker.  And I bought H!P Summer Wonderful Hearts 2008, which came with nothing.  There are a few more things I want to get, but I am here for another 8 days.  So I have plenty of time.  Then I went down to Harajuku to check out the H!P store there.  After sifting my way through the hustlers that are all over Takeshita Dori, I finally made it to the shop.  And what did they have in the front window...

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Yes, Score!!!  The Berryz Kamen Battle costumes.  Now for some reason I wasn't sure if they would get mad at me for photographing them, so I took the picture quickly, and missed half of the costumes.  But I did get Miyabi's, Yurina's and Captain's, with a sliver of Chinami's and Maasa's.  LOL at how big Yurina's outfit is in comparison to the others.  Other than the museum, the stores were about the same.  After that I headed back to the hotel to rest, but lo and behold...

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AKB48, Hell Yeah!!!

I have been attempting to win tickets to see AKB48 through their email lottery, with no luck so far.  But I have also been posting on the Stage48 website for any advice.  When I got back to my hotel, I had emails...

The first was from the AKB48 theater saying I was on the stand-by list (cancel machi) for tomorrow's Team A show.  My priority number is pretty high so my chances of getting in aren't too good.  But the second email was from one of Stage 48's regulars who said I could call him if I need some help.  So of course I called him.  He said he would be at the AKB48 theater all afternoon and I should drop by to check things out.  So I headed over to Akihabara straight away.

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One of the problems I was facing was the fact that there are a bunch of AKB48 birthdays this week, and birthday shows are usually well attended/requested.  But the theater is very cool.  Akihabara is already one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo.  The food sold on the street from the vendors is great!  The theater is extremely small, and it is on the top floor of a store, pachinko parlor, maid cafe.  But the neat thing is even if you don't win a ticket, you can stand right outside the theater doors and watch the show on the monitors for free!  Team K was tonight, and the songs were great!  I watched the first 45 minutes or so, and I got to experience the whole pre-concert process, which is pretty interesting.  Your ticket has a number on it, but then they call you into the theater randomly.  So ticket #1 has the same chance as ticket #250 to be in the front row!  I also got a glimpse of their rehearsal, and listened to Noro Kayo practicing.  But I digress...

My new friend from the Stage48 forums knows many people who work and frequent the place.  And he introduced me to a bunch of fans and employees.  I am meeting a lot more people this time around who are enthusiastic about me being there!  One of them decided that it would be criminal for me to not see them live, so he sold me a "automatic win" ticket, which I am using for Friday night's Team A show...Kickass!!!  So now I am seeing at least one concert there for sure.  And it is team A's brand new stage, A5!!!  Ya know, I am pretty close to the theater, and it is no big deal for me to drop by and watch the other shows from the AKB48 cafe even if I don't get in.  So I know I will be seeing all three teams one way or another this week.  And I will get some more photos when I go back, I didn't realize that they are pretty cool about bringing a camera up there.  Just don't take pics in the show!  I did get this shot of the mass of people waiting in the "hall of fame" for their number to be called...

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So maybe I get some sleep tonight.  This trip is getting better by the day!

CK in California (actually, it's CK in Tokyo!)