Taiwan 24-25 Jan 2015 Day 2

I had a really restless night despite being so tired.

The hotel gave me a free KFC breakfast voucher, but I left the hotel later than expected so I nearly missed the timing to get my free breakfast. Luckily the KFC staffs were quite lenient and also very patient with my horrible Chinese.

There is a Bank named after me

I did more shopping at Watsons and XMD. As usual I bought some rubbish that was a totally waste of my money. Stocked up on cosmetics, earrings, useless but cute pouches and BL Manga (there was an Animate!)

I arrived at the venue fashionably late as usual. To my surprise, there was an opening act! A Taiwanese Duo who performed AKB and Nico songs. I guess you could say that this was the TW version of Pika Pika Maid Café? There was no live singing though.

First up is Tokyo Performance Dolls. I have read about them before so I knew that they were a Rehashed 80s idol group. But as for their songs, I hadn’t heard them before. I have a grudging respect for them due to Morning Musume being in a similar position (Having to deal with the comparisons to the Golden Era).

In all honestly, it was like watching a Non Lip Syncing version of AKB48.

I do admit that their level of performance is top notch. There were about 10 of them who performed together and in small groups. But it was non-stop and pretty intense. Some of the girls however, obviously thought of themselves not like idols but “Musical”-like performers. I can tell this by the way they don’t make eye contact with the audience at all. To be fair, some of the songs are more suitable to be in Musical Theatre.

There is 1 girl who looks like Sato Sumire from AKB (but the nice not-so-haughty-version). She performs a song with Spanish influence (it has “Ole”s in it) And I thought she was really cute there, and I tell her so during the handshake.

There is a girl who lived in Singapore when she was young. She is one of the centres and has a good vibe about her. She reminds me a little of Suzuki Airi. She speaks fluent English and we converse in English during the handshake

Next performance is Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku.

I have been listening to their songs for a while now so I am excited to see them. I hadn’t decided on a oshi at first. Ebichu brought in a TON of fans from Japan. At first I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to see much, but thankfully, most of the Japanese fans were confined to the Non-VIP area so the VIP area was not as crowded as I thought it would be.

They performed some songs I was really looking forward to like “Ume”, “Kari keiyaku no Cinderella” and “Encore no Koi” . Especially “Encore no Koi” which has been my favourite Ebichu song for a while. As expected, AiAi’s voice really gets on my nerves. I am so sorry to AiAi fans. I cannot take it.

The pitch of their songs is generally rather high so some of them end up shouting into the mic. Actually I don’t mind this at all because I am used to this after watching the New Gen MM so many times (I.E. Sayashi Riho) The music is so loud anyway so it isn’t that obvious.

As my first time watching a Stardust group and knowing the notoriety of Stardusters, I was slightly afraid of the crowd. But my fears were unfounded. Maybe because this is Taiwan? The crowd is a little more rowdy, but not unmanageable.

There was supposed to be an Encore performance, but due to the schedule running behind time, they had to scrap this.

I have absolutely nothing to say to them during handshake. Hahha

And it’s finally UUG! All my waiting and travelling and waiting can finally find its conclusion!

Actually I think their set list is exactly the same as the Team Makenki Setlist. They mentioned that they wanted this to be a “Mini” High Spurt Kingdom (2 hours of nonstop high tension tracks) so I knew what kind of songs to expect.

Although the number of people have decreased from Ebichu, but everyone jumps around like crazy. Its really very very Fun. Azu always keeps an extra eye out for me and we make plenty of eye contact. Even with the jarring EDM, her smooth vocals pierce through the noise and straight to my heart. LOL.

They all have a go at the Chinese versions of their usual introductions. Actually, if I didn’t know their usual introductions, I would have absolutely no idea what they were saying. Akari did her Karate.

“Zenryoku Pump Up” “Jump” “Enjoy Enjoy” “Chopper Chopper” “Up Up Typhoon” and the 2 New Singles “Beautiful Dreamer” and “Itadaki wo Mezase”. It was so enjoyable that the 1 hour fly by. Although I am a seasoned(maybe not so seasoned) apuga family member, I am out of breath by the 2^nd last song. My stamina is still bad. I don’t think I would last through a High Spurt Kingdom…

They announced that their newest single will be released in TW as well. They also spoke about the things they ate. Azu mentioned that during the press conference, she completely forgot her lines in Chinese. I so would have loved to see that, but it had happened on fri when I was still at work in Singapore. They mentioned their 47 Prefecture tour in Japan and hope to add Taiwan to the list. Oh how I would love that too. But I know it’s pretty much false hope. Judging from the number of audience, they would never be able to cover their costs unless we all bought 5 T shirts and 10 towels each.

The encore song was “Party Party”. I have heard this song very few times live before. It is a little strange for an encore song. I also immensely regret not getting the UUG Kingblade because it changes colour according to the song.

The towel that I purchased. 

As I bought a UUG towel, I have 2 extra handshake tickets on top of my VIP handshake. I speak to Azu 3 times (and the rest as well of course, but I don’t really have that much to say to them)

Azu starts speaking to me before I could say anything

1．

A: Im so glad to finally see you again!

Me: I am always happy to see you!

A: Thank you very much!!

(Didn’t get much in this handshake Lol)

2.

A: Thank you!

Me: I watched you on the Girl’s Live Outfit Co-ordinate!

A: Really? I was so embarrassed!

Me: No~ It was so cute!

A: Really? Thank you!

Me: I think your fans will increase!

(Haha, this is just me trying to make her happy)

3.

Me: This will be the last time I see you for now, I don’t know when I will see you again L

Azu: Oh no~ Lets see each other again ok!?

Me: Yes! I will work hard to go to Japan to see you!

My gosh. I love this girl so much. She really knows how to be nice to her fans. I just wanna hug her.

Generally I tell all the other members

• I’m from Singapore
• Good luck for Budokan
• I enjoyed myself
• Other random stuff that came to my mind

I told Akari her Acapella was good and to do it during Live. I asked Maana when she will be on Showroom (lol just to tease her) Moritty said that my necklace was cute. BUT, because I was wearing Azu T, they all didn’t really bother about trying to be extra nice to me. Lol.

Ayanon is such a Yanki.

While looping the handshake, all the UUG family make conversation with each other. One of the UUG family gives me this Azu balloon. It is so freaking cute!!

The Azu balloon that a wota gave to me! I will cherish it forever! 

After this is Passpo but I have a flight to catch so I have to give it a miss. While the others were watching a “Flight”, I was in an actual “Flight”. Pardon me.

The dreaded “Air Asia” flight, wasn’t as bad as I thought due to the fact I was fast asleep most of the way into KL and then from KL to SG. I even managed to squeeze in a Shower for SGD13 at KLIA. Upon reaching Singapore at 7am, I zoomed to the taxi stand to catch a cab home (5min from plane to boarding the taxi), changed my clothes and headed to work.

Round Up

Cart of Dim Sum near the Live Venue

Yes it was an unbelievably short trip. But in this short weekend, my love for UUG and Azu has grown so much. Come to think of it, Azu was really very very very x10000 good to me. She constantly gave me eye contact and wide smiles (I just know it is aimed at me XD).

I remembered in the previous Makenki live, even though I was wearing her T shirt and always looking at her, but sometimes she dared not make eye contact with me (she sort of skipped over me even when looking in my direction). She looked kind of awkward. But this time, there was none of that. She never failed to give her warm eye smile. Honestly because of the variety of idols I see in these idol festivals, there are many many idols who try so hard to “fish” people that they are constantly winking (Like 2-3 times per solo line, I'm not kidding) and pointing and stuff. Although I said that I like idols who work hard, too much of it makes me quite sick. Thats why I relish Azu's warm smile so much. It makes me melt inside~ Hehe

I really think of her as my younger sister and it makes me feel like spoiling her. (Its true I have a real younger sister but she doesn’t act like a younger sister at all :P). Even though I always say that I don’t require any kind of acknowledgement from my idol to continue to Oshi her, but it feels really good to have it too.

It happens that the day after I return to SG, UUG announces the dates for the 2nd half of their 47 Prefecture tour. There is a Birthday Live for Azu on her birthday, 14 June in her Hometown (Title: The Triumphant Return of Sekine Azusa). I HAVE to go for it.

アプガ最高！

Taiwan 24-25 Jan 2015 Day 1

Ok, I lied. I did go for @Jam Taiwan from 24-25 Jan (Sat and Sun). My parents continue to insist that I am crazy. I guess I kinda agree with them.

There are a few reasons why I was really apprehensive to go for this event even though I was very keen to go ever since the event was announced last year in Nov.

1.  I could not take leave due to just starting a new job, thus the flights would have been very tight.
2. The only flight that I could take back to Singapore was “Air Asia” because of the timings
3. It was considerably expensive for such a short Trip.

The deciding factors were:

1. Azu
2. Since I am definitely not going for my March tour, this would be my only chance to see UUG until the next time I go Japan which could be 6 months from now.

But mostly the deciding factor was No.1

Anyhow, my flight there was via Jetstar @ 6am in the morning. I woke up at 4am, and my mum gave me a lift to the airport. She could have driven me to a mental institution, but she didn’t, so I guess that makes her an awesome mum.

Selfie before flight

I arrived at 11.45am in Taipei and take a bus into the city (about 1 hour). I head straight to the venue as there is no time to drop my bag in the hotel. I reach at about 2pm, the time when the first performance is going to start. I dump my bag in a locker. There is a Opening Act called MimimemeMIMI

It’s a 2 girls, 1 singing and another “DJ-ing” (this girl wears a big snow hat with 1 mufflers so you cant see her face) As I came late, I only managed to watch half a song so I can’t comment much. The girl who sings is cute though.

First up is Galette. I admit I have never listened to this group’s songs before so it’s pretty nice to watch them without any expectations and pre-judgements. Their songs all sound pretty much the same (I guess that’s common if they are all composed by the same guy). They do kind of remind me of the upbeat version of TGS. There is a very Korean looking girl here. She looks so ditzy and when she speaks, my jaw just drops lol. She actually said “Eigo tte… English?” It was then when I thought, this girl can’t be real. Nobody is that stupid, she is totally faking it. Initially I thought her energy was great, but now I just can’t take her seriously anymore.

There is a fake Loli (17 years old) who is going to graduate.

There was a fair amount of attempted fishing going on throughout which is just really enjoyable. Note: This is despite me standing quite a few rows back.

During the handshake, the tallest half-Caucasian looking girl actually touched my face (she said I was cute la..) I think I flinched a little cause I am kinda uncomfortable with physical contact from strangers, that’s just my natural reaction, sorry! She is really beautiful though. One of the prettiest idols I have seen. I told her that her legs are very nice.

Snack I ate between shows

In between the performances, I stroll about the venue which just so happens to be very near a “night market” called Shida Market. I grab a bite check the market out.

Next up is DLH. I still don’t have an oshi, so I am at a weird point where I totally enjoy their songs, yet can’t get into them that well because of my lack of oshi. They perform all the crowd favourites and everyone has a good time. Koumi’s Chinese pronunciation is very very good, probably the best of all the idols who went to Taiwan for the Live.

At first I think that Mari chan has slimmed down a little, but when I look closer, I realise that she hasn’t. Hahahaha. They performed my favourite “Koi wo Hashiridashita”.

During the handshake, I tell Koumi her Chinese is good, and wish Kana Happy Birthday. Annnddd I have totally no recollection of the other handshakes. Lol.

DLH are such veterans so I can’t comment much, they do just as well as they always do.

After the DLH, I got interview by a Japanese TV crew. Actually I have no idea what program this for. They asked me about DLH (the guy said he saw me jumping about so he thought I was a big fan), this part is really awkward because I am just a fake DLH fan so I couldn’t answer his questions well. But he caught on that I was a UUG fan. At the end, I gave a message to UUG to wish them good luck for Budokan. I hope they see it! One of the guys told me that he will tell Miiko what I said so I am really happy.

Last for the night is TGS. What a coincidence that this is the same order that they performed for the 2 man live I saw of them in Shinjuku.

As I have mentioned before, I am not familiar with the new TGS so I can’t really enjoy them. But I also know that this might be the last time I see them as they have just announced that they will no longer be appearing in any Idol Events (they are heading in the “artist” direction now). I possible know only 3 songs “Koudou no Himitsu”, “Himawari to Hoshikuzu” “Nee Sensei” . I might have heard the others before, but they all sound pretty similar. I was disappointed that they didn’t perform “Onnaji Kimochi”.

Before, I had complained about Aachan’s bad pitching. To update you guys, she did much better on this day. She managed to keep in tune for the first half of the songs, but lost it a little in the 2nd half. Its really painful to hear her sing because you can tell she struggles so much just to keep in tune. From the look on her face, she just can’t enjoy herself which makes things difficult for the audience.

During the handshake, I tell Yuri she has become beautiful (she’s all grown up now~), I tell Hiichan she is cute and Mei that her singing has improved. I also ask all of them when will they come back to Singapore.

My hotel. Apparently Im so fat I need 3 beds

I’m done for the night! I grab my bags and head to XiMenDing to check into my hotel. They hotel is just next to the train station and the room they give me is actually for 3 people (1 double bed 2 single beds). I walk around XMD to do some light shopping and grab some dinner before hitting the sack in preparation for another long day tomorrow.

My Dinner: Taiwan Sausage, Baked Potato and a big cup of Bubble Tea (Weaboo Translation: Tapioca)

Christmas and New Zealand 2014

I have not been updating this space for some time now because

1. I have just started a new job so things are still shaky
2. I have not been to Japan since then

Initially I was planing a few trips in the beginning of the year.

1. Taiwan for @JAM 24-26 Jan to see UUG
2. Japan 14-22 Mar for Team Makenki Spring Tour and C-ute Spring Tour

I had to scrap all these new plans due to my new job. Its very painful for me but I do not have a choice.

On the other hand I had a very enjoyable and long anticipated Family Holiday to New Zealand during the Christmas Period. It is the first time in a few years where my WHOLE family gets together for a good time over the festive period.

Not a stock Photo. New Zealand in 1 Photo  

My sister flew in from Japan and my brother and his wife flew in from Brisbane. We met up in Queenstown, which is a gorgeous Lakeside Town. Most of the business caters to the tourist who come from all over the world. Most noticeably from China, India and USA.

We exchanged Christmas presents, ate good food, and enjoyed exciting activities everyday.

Some of the activities we signed up for included: Horse Back Riding through Middle Earth, White water Sledging, Tandem Paragliding, Sight Seeing Cruises, Hikes to see Glaciers.

I have never felt more blessed in my life.

New Zealand is my 2nd mos favorite place in the word. (After Japan)

It was my 3rd time horse-riding and most enjoyable as well. We were driven to a place about 1 hour away from Queenstown for the half day tour. We rode along a valley and cross a few shallow rivers. Some of the horses we rode actually appeared in Hollywood movies like “Narnia: Prince Caspian” !! That valley also happened to be the location of the Misty Mountains in “Lord of the Rings”. Mountain Range surrounding us was stunning with snow capped tips. The valley is filled with Purple and Pink flowers called “Lipids”, which are the horses favorite snack, much to the irritation of the riders. The river crossings were especially fun because the horses were weary of the gushing water and slippery pebbles which gave it that touch of excitement.  

Next we did White water Sledging. Most people have heard of White Water Rafting. This is something like that, but without the boat. I was so apprehensive about this activity because even though it is summer in NZ, the temperature is about 15-deg cel. Which means the water temperature is about 11 deg cel. Luckily the weather on this day (day 3) was very warm. And also we were wearing wet suits and life jackets which insulate body heat very well. Armed with flippers and swimming floats (which they called “sledges”) we tumbled washing-machine-style down the rapids. At one point I had let go of my sledge and was being tossed about the rapids, my life flashed pass my eyes for that second as I was gasping for breath and I thought “Ok Im dead”. Lucky for me, one of the guides spotted me and pulled me up.

Selfi taken just after White Water Sledging.

Honestly no worries for safety because I was so piled on with bouyant coverings that I could not even submerge myself in still water if I wanted to.  

During the few still stretches of water, we have the pleasure of floating down the river leisurely and admire the beautiful scenery.

Also my limbs ached like hell for the next 2 days from all the flailing and kicking

We also did many other activities but they were not as impact as these

The last activity I will talk about is the Helicopter Ride to walk on the Glacier. It is my first time on a helicopter so I am trilled. The blades of the Heli are really scary, there is a reason why people always bend down low when getting on and off Helis. The views are spectacular. I am just about enthralled by the snow and the views. I built a tiny snowman on top.

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.  

Japan 25-29 Oct 2014 Day 3

Day 3

On this day I try to squeeze a little sight-seeing in between my Wota Adventures. Sendai is just 25min away from Matsushima. Said to be one of the 3 most Beautiful Scenarios in Japan. The train ride is only 400yen so I thought, why not? Turns out, my train journey there ended up being 1 hour because the 25min is only for express trains. Just my luck that on that Lazy Monday Morning, there were no express trains.

My impression of Matsushima is that it is a small but extremely touristy seaside village. Lot of people from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Westerners (I can't tell the difference between Westerners) and also many Local Tourist.

A gorgrous day

 Upon reaching, I felt a little lost because there was too many things to see. Due to limited time, I opted for a 50min Ferry Ride(1500yen) to see the Landforms around the Bay Area. I would actually recommend this to people with a little more time, like maybe a whole day at Matsushima. So this was not the best choice I could have made. 

 Anyhow, I do enjoy the Ferry Ride. There are 2 Levels on the Sight-Seeing Boat "Ninomaru". The first level is for normal ticket holders and the 2nd level is for Green Ticket Holders. When I bought the ticket, there no indication that there was to be a first class "Cabin", but upon stepping on the boat, I realize that first level of the boat is so packed that it would be impossible to see anything. So I immediately bought the Green Ticket(600yen) and went to the upper floor where it is much roomier. No regrets there.

The whole area reminded me greatly of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam which I had just visited. This is more submerged than Ha Long Bay though. And Ha Long bay has more Greenery on the Islets as well which made for nice stops. 

This is the Guardian of Matsushima Bay. When Godzilla comes to wreck havoc on Japan, he will rise up and defeat the beast with Lasers shooting from this eyes

 There are names and explanations of all the little islands around the Bay Area in English and Japanese. Matsushima was the strong hold of Warlord Date Masamune, if you are a Japanese History buff, you might get many of the significant events. The only Date Masamune I know is from the anime "Sengoku Basara", so once again as the saying goes, "In one ear, Out the other". 

It is very windy and slightly chilly on the boat. But the weather is really perfect. I think its because Maimi has left Sendai

There is still a little time for me to explore when I disembark from "Ninomaru" I visit a nearby Island, peek at a busy looking Shrine and walk the shops.

 A bridge linking one of the islets to the Shore 

Mission Accomplished: Selfie at Matsushima Bay

I have to catch my highway bus back to Tokyo at around 12 so I regretfully leave the place. I wish I had a little more time here, but I won't be coming back. It is a little too touristy for my liking.

The bus journey is supposed to take 5.5hours. However, there is a jam on the highway (AGAIN!) and it is delayed by 1 hour. I reach Tokyo at 6.30pm instead of 5.30pm. My event at Shibuya has already started. I previously had a bad experience trying to find live houses in Shibuya so I was all prepared to get lost. Surprisingly, I find the Live House (Shibuya Glad) without incident. Thanks to the very well down Map on their Website.

Managed to google up a Picture Reference of the Live House from the Stage point of View. A very effective layout. Why can't more live houses be like this?

The layout of this live house is very friendly. The floor area can fit about 100 people. Then there are 2/3 Step Terrace standing area for the not-so-brave, This terraces are very tall so if you stand there it is very easy to see the performer. I love this place instantly.

18:55～19:20 椎名ぴかりん

When I enter Pikarin is already performing. She sings live and dances so awkwardly. She is very very cute though, so I will forgive her. At least she tries unlike some other idols.

There is a group of young girls (JK) standing right in front of the stage wearing very Fashionable clothing and cute hair. I suppose they are fans of her Modelling

Before she starts Toroamachu, everyone on ground level kneels down. This is very comical

19:20～19:45 寺嶋由芙 

Terashima Yufu. I did some research on her before coming so I thought I knew what to expect. Her songs have a little country style pop in it. In real life it is not as boring as I thought it would be, and she has her own mix. She has a good voice too.

She mentioned that Mainya, Kikka and her have a Line Group chat (Which they rarely use anyway).

Googled out a picture of her wearing Fuasshi Theme. FTS I WANT THAT TOO!

19:45～20:10 小桃音まい

I was very keen on seeing Mainya in real life for the first time. When I watched her videos on youtube, I was kind of skeptical that she sings live because it sounds a little too good to be true. She really does sing live, but with a soft backing vocal track. Her voice is very thin though so I think that even if she goes off key it is not very noticeable. Her songs are completely IDOL-like songs. She is so comfortable on stage and it is really a pleasure to watch her perform.

I love her songs. Her live is also very interactive as she gets the Wota to participate during the Marching Parts. Many of the Kikka fans around also actively participate in her performance.

I am very impressed. I would love to see her again.

After the whole thing I take a cheki with her. The first thing she said to me was "Hajimemashite" Its 

such a simple thing to say yet only less popular idols can say this because they probably can remember every single person they handshake with. Even such its nice to hear such a thing, and is really one of those words I hear that make me wan to take to her more.

I tell her Im from Singapore and I like her songs. 

My Gosh she is so tiny in real life. She doesn't look small at all on stage  

20:10～20:35吉川友(※握手会＝20:35～) 

When Mainya leaves the stage all the Kikka wota rush to the front. Im standing in 2nd row wearing my Kikka T shirt. But the Ojisan in front of me insists for me to stand in front. I'm not too sure whether its because I am a girl or because he wasn't wearing Kikka T. Probably both.

I am real happy to stand in front. Because its a live house, she is SO NEAR. Such an awesome live from Kikka. She didn't have any problems with her mic this time so her singing is great. As she is already the 2nd last performer and having to perform AFTER Mainya is very good for her too. The audience is so pumped up. She sings my All Time FAV Kikka song "Zutto Zutto Zutto Kimi ga Suki da"

I am right in front so we make eye contact at least 10 times. Lol!

She tells us that she will get busy with her Stage plays in the coming months so she won't be having lives during that period. She also speaks about why she likes being a soloist (Since this is a Soloist event)

After her live, there is supposed to be a handshake session, but since all the performances ran late, she had to rush off for her SHOWROOM streaming at 10pm. I was sad that I couldn't speak to her to tell her what a good job she did. I am sure she gained some new fans from this event. This is the kind of event that Kikka really shines and outdo her competitors. 

20:35～21:00 小池美由

This is a crazy idol. I generally don't like to diss idols because I like being diplomatic. But this idol is really not my type. 

When she says "OK! The next song is gonna be my last song!" NORMALLY the audience gots "EEEEEH" but for Koike Miyu, the wota are well trained and all say "YAYYYYY" Best part ever.

I love Soloist idols, and I have come up with a couple of reasons why they are superior to other idols

Reasons Why Soloist are the best Idosl 

1. Their fans are the nicest people ever. No rivalry within the fanbase
2. Their MC is great. They have to entertain all by themselves
3. They are very "Strong" people. They have no one to rely on but themselves
4. Their Dancing and Singing skills have to be a notch higher than others. Having the stage all to themselves, there is no chance for other members to "distract" you from their lacking in abilities

The very purpose of having a Idol Group is to have diversity. Some members can be good at a certain thing and bad in certain things. It makes things interesting. Because Soloists don't have this, they have to be good at everything. If they make a mistake, there is no one else to cover it up. All the attention is focused on them

They are very attuned to the wota because their MC is very dependent on it. Whereas Idol Groups tend to talk among themselves during MC and ignore the Wota. Soloists can't do this, thus their MC skills and ability to think on the spot and react to the Wota is at a different level than most Idols in Groups.

For these reasons, Soloists have my greatest respect. Well, Kikka that is. She is the best Soloist in the industry at this point.

My Dinner at Royal Host. At 11pm, you can hardly call it dinner.

By the time the live ends, it is about 11pm. In Shibuya at that timing, it feels really dodgy. I go to Royal Host to have my dinner and then head to Ikebukuro to look for my hotel.