Japan 25-29 Oct 2014 Day 4

Its only my 4th day in Japan, yet it is also the 2nd last day. Actually on this morning, Maana from UUG has a solo event with handshake and cheki in her hometown, which is about 2 hours away by Rapid Train. But I decided not to make the journey there cause 1. I'm not her big fan. 2. The train journey is too expensive and time consuming. If it was Azu though, I would be there in a heartbeat.

I had already planned to go to Mount Takao before I was aware of the Maana Solo Event to I stuck to my plan. Mount Takao is a 20min away from Shinjuku by Local Train. I was kind of hoping that it would be like Minoh Park at Osaka. I was quite wrong. 

The Base of the Mountain

Due to its close proximity to Tokyo, Mt Takao is incredibly Touristy and crowded considering that it is a weekday. Many Foreign Tourist, Local Tourist and School kids on Excursion. First we have to take a very steep Cable Car to a mid way point. At its steepest point, I was hanging on possibly 80% of my weight. This takes about 7mins but feels much longer than that.

The very steep Cable Car

View from the Mid way point. The weather is Great!

Lucky Octopus

From the mid way point to the peak is an hour plus leisurely walk. There are flights of steps here and there and some parts are steeper than others, but plenty of chances to stop and catch your breath. The route is well paved. There are many shops selling souvenirs and snacks on the way. There is also 1 larger Shrine near the peak.  I used this chance to buy a Kuji type of Mamori. I was informed that my luck is so bad that I should just kill myself. On the other hand, it also gave me a small stone which promised to improve my love life, so I got that going for me which is nice. And much needed.  

The reason why I regret going is because the Autumn leaves are not turning red yet. Everything was still green which was so disappointing for me. 

At the peak the leaves are slightly more colourful

At the peak is a wide space where about 200 people have gathered to picnic. There are also tons of School Kids sitting in circles of about 20-30 kids each, having their lunch.

The view is not great either. 

There is nothing much for me here so I don't linger too long. On the way down, there are still many School Kids (5-7 years old) I am surprised that they would choose Mt Takao for their Excursion because the hike up is not that Kid-Friendly. Being the avid Eaves-dropper that I am, here is a sample to the conversations I hear.

Kid: I'm soooo tired, I cant walk anymore!
Teacher: Come on! You can do it! Just a little more! (This is a lie as I am going down and there is still quite a way up)

Adorables.

I see a camera crew filming 3 girls enjoying themselves on the hike

I bought the same snack they ate

Instead of taking the same Cable Car down, I opt for the chair lift. Best choice of the day. It is lovely.

One of my Better taken Shots

This was the Brochure. What a scam!!

 Come evening time, there are 2 events that I am interested in.

1. Dorothy Little Happy X Tokyo Girls Style 2 Man life in Shinjuku @ 6pm

2. Kikkawa Yuu Autograph Session in Shibuya @ 6.30pm

I know I am definitely going for Kikka's autograph, so I have to decide whether I should go go for the DLH event and just leave halfway. Having gone for a few Kikka events so far, I am very sure that even if I was to arrive late, I wouldn't have a problem. (Due to the few number of fans). 

So I head first to Shinjuku for the 2 man live. The venue is pretty far from the station so I take very careful note of how long it took me to get to there. It is a small Multi Purpose Hall with a fairly decent sized stage. I would say capacity of 500+

The door ticket price is 4000yen. It is a little pricy considering that I will leave halfway, but I say heck it. It is my 2nd last night in Japan so anything goes. The staff as me who I am there to see, I say TGS cause I know them longer. I take a quick peek at the goods but nothing interests me so yay, that's some money saved. Note the failed logic.

As I enter through the Door in the diagram, I didn't realise that there was a Girls Only Area. So I proceed to middle section for a better view, somewhere like the red dot. The floor is packed with Wota so I sort of squeeze my way through. Just then, one of the staff (I presume) calls out to me to inform me of the Girls Only Area. He guides me there. And I am amazed. There are just about 15 girls in the whole area compared to the 500 guys in the Entire floor. There is so much space that all the girls could lie down and roll around LOL. This is so strange because the guys around us are so packed and crammed right to the barrier and walls. I make myself comfortable right in front.

DLH goes first. This is only the 2nd time I am seeing them. I don't have an Oshi either, but I spend most of my time looking at Kana and Mimori. Kana looks like a skinnier version of Fukuda Kanon. And I have always noted a similarity in looks between Mimori and Mayuyu. I also like Koumi's smile a lot, so that could win me over too. Their dance is very strong yet synchronized. Something quite rare for Idol groups. They tend to be either Strong or Synchronized, but not both. Of course C-ute is another group which happens to have this quality.

Mari's Singing voice is wonderful. She says that it is a "healing" type of voice (I would classify Kikka's or Azu's as "healing" too) but I wouldn't call Mari-chan's voice such. It is a little too sharp to be a "healing" kind of voice. 

I know almost all the songs they perform and enjoy the performance thoroughly. I make eye contact with a number of the members, being a girl standing in the wide space. Like I said, Koumi's smile is very nice. My favourite song still being Koi no Hashi-whatever (Woh oh oh oh). Their fans are great too. All in all, a A-rated Idol group and Wota

By the time DLH is finished, it is 7pm and I am anxiously looking at my watch. TGS comes out. I was a big fan of them when Himawari no Hoshikuzu came out, Hii-chan just brought out the Lolicon in me. But in recent times, I have fallen out with them and am totally unfamiliar with their new songs. My problem being that Hii-chan is very awkward in certain situations and she totally doesn't bother with fan-service or "fishing". Whether she is just shy, or can't be bothered, I have no idea. Normally Idols warm up easier to Girl Fans, but Hii-chan is just as aloof with either. I may be wrong about this, but this is just my own opinion. 

I have watched them a few times before, and very often Aachan has severe pitching proclems. She is the 2nd main vocal of TGS and has a great, what I like to call "Avex" type voice. ON CD. During lives she cannot hit her high notes, nor keep in pitch for half of her lines.The first time I hear it, I thought that she was sick / having throat problems. But subsequently, it happens again and again. Every time this happens, she knows it and gives a face like she is about to cry. As a casual Fan, I am quite interested to know what is going on. Maybe TGS fans have an explanation for this. Yuri sings much better than her. And of course Hii-chan is pitch perfect as usual. 

They perform 2 songs, "Koudo no Himitsu" and another song I am not familiar with, and I am off to Shibuya.

I manage to get there in about half an hour, which means that I am about 1 hour late for Kikka's Autograph Session. But no worries there because there are still people queuing up. There are no more Normal Editions left (1080yen), so I settle for 2 Limited Editions (1700yen). Many Kikka Wota are still in their Office Attire, but some wearing Kikka shirts. I was instructed to write my name in Hiragana or Katakana on a slip of paper where Kikka can copy it off (Limited to 8 Characters), but I ask the staff if I can write it in English, and he gives me the OK. So I write "YUSHAN"

When I see Kikka, she recognises me immediately and say "Ah, you are from..." she forgets where I am from .... But her trusty manager beside her finishes "Singapore" in his dead-pan voice. YES, I always had a feeling he recognized me! His very purpose of being there is to Tsukkomi Kikka, this I have confirmed. She asks me how to read my name and I tell her. I would bet my life that she won't remember it though.

For my 2nd round, I told her that I am leaving the following day, and she gives a sad face, which made me give an even sadder face. I feel like crying now. She asks me when will I come back, and I tell her possible next spring and she brightens up and says that I can go watch Makenki Live. I say Yeah. I have a long Bye-Bye with her and exit the CD shop feeling very dead inside.

The fact that I won't be able to see Kikka until next spring, and all the wonderful memories from this trip just come crashing down on me. Dragging my heavy feet through the throngs of people in the middle of busy Shibuya, my heart ached dully.