CK's Japan Tour, Fall 2008 Day 3-4 ~CK Likes Pornograffitti AND Hello Kitty!?!?~

It can't all be about Hello! Project when you come to Japan, can it?

Well, I guess it can be if you want it to.  And when I came here in January, I didn't do much other than go to the concerts.  But now that I have made some friends out here, I am finding a lot more to do.  So the last two days have been a good mix of sightseeing, music, and romance.

But if you think I am going to spill the beans on the romance part, sorry.  Let me just reiterate, I would love to move here for good!  This is a J-music blog, and not a travelogue.  But here are a couple of photos of Ikebukuro, which is in many ways like Akihabara!

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The Hello Kitty Store, kawaii!

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There was this huge billboard playing music videos at considerable volume over the street.  When I came upon it, they were playing the new single by News, which I know many people are excited about.  But it ended by the time I got my camera out.  But I did get a shot of it playing a Pornograffitti PV.  More on them later.

The Hell That is "Cancel Machi"

Just a (not so) brief update on my AKB48 escapades.  I have been diligently emailing the lottery system in hopes of getting a ticket.  And so far I have only achieved Cancel Machi for 3 shows in a row.  If you don't know, when you participate in the AKB48 ticket lottery, three things can happen... 

You can get no response, and then you aren't seeing the show 

You can win a ticket, and it's all good

Or you can get a Cancel Machi, which means you are on the waiting list in case people who won don't show up.

Surprisingly, quite a few people don't show up, but it depends on the significance of the show itself.  If it is a member's birthday, there won't be many no-shows.  If it is a new stage, like Team A-5 which just started, there won't be many cancellations either.  They give out 150 Cancel Machi's per night.  And from what I understand, sometimes (sometimes=rarely) even #150 ends up getting a ticket.  For Tuesday night's Team A show, I had #149 (of 150, LOL)  But for the hell of it I decided to show up anyway to see how the system works.  And Cancel Machi #32 got the last ticket.  For tonight's Team B performance (Wednesday) I got Cancel Machi #146 (Of 150, again LOL)  And since I had a date set up in Roppongi  I decided not to bother.  But for Thursday night's Team K show, I got #71.  And there is nothing special going on that night.  So I am heading back to Akihabara in hopes of getting to see my favorite Team K.  But even if I don't win, I plan on watching the show in the cafe.  In any case I AM seeing Team A on Halloween night!

New Release Festivities

I went down to Shibuya again specifically to purchase more items on my list, specifically Ayaya's latest DVD, Berryz new CD, and/or Tanaka Reina's new Photobook.  But I was surprised to find out that some promoters make a pretty big deal out of new releases.

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There are three major music stores withing two blocks of one another just off of Shibuya's main intersection.  And every single one of them had a group of people out front "carnival barking" about the new "Best of" CD's by Pornograffitti.  And right next to that, there was another group of people doing the same thing for Bennie K's new "Best of" CD/DVD as well.

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The cool thing was, if you bought the CD, you win a prize.  At first I blew it off because I am not a fan of either group.  But when I went inside HMV the music they were playing was really good, so I asked what it was.  It was Pornograffitti!  I have always been strictly a female idol fan, but I really liked what I was hearing.  However, before I committed to the purchase I decided to sample the Bennie K as well.  I liked it too, but not nearly as much.  So I bought "Porno's" CD and went out to claim my prize...

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Whaddya Know, I won the crappiest prize on the table, a sticker!  At least I got the Ace/Joker Halloween Masks as a parting gift.  Jeez, those masks look like leftover costumes from "Nacho Libre"!!!  Or Insane Clown Posse, take your pick.  And I forgot to buy anything H!P-centric, silly me!  A couple things of note, this was also the release date of Milky Way's Tan Tan Taan.  But there was no promotion of that to be seen.  And down in the record shops of Akihabara, what were they promoting on the same day???

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Of course!!!  AKB48 is the pride of Akihabara.  What did you think?  More to come...

CK in California