A big thanks again for all who helped me out here. I had an awesome time as expected. Just a few highlights and quick comments.

Berryz Hour GO!GO =3

Takoyaki Saki, with her hair in a pair of buns and a big pair of glasses on looked cute. Her style, energy and cool all wrapped up in a neat little package is just great to watch.

More Momoko and Chinami back and forth. It’s so fun watching these two go at each other. Momo’s personality is so unique, it’s cool to just sit back and watch her interact with the others and the audience. As I was in the front row for the second performance, she really was enthusiastic in getting me to dance along with the songs. Fun, fun.

After interacting with the audience for a little bit and making their way through the event hall, Berryz would hit the stage. For the second run of the event, you could tell that the girls were surprised to see me sitting out there in front. On stage, things opened up with a performance of Rival. During the last part of the chorus, with Chinami up front and on the side of the stage that I was, we danced the last part of the chorus together as she looked my way, full of smiles. 1つ・・・さあ行こう〜 Rival being one of my favorite Berryz songs made it extra special.

During the first handshake, “Geoffrey~” Chinami said as I approached, which took me by surprise, as she had struggled with it a bit the day before. Happy! Even tho it’s not that big of a deal, I’m happy that she put in the effort to remember it~. After that, I forgot what it is that I wanted to say, but I eventually got it out, ha. The second handshake was just as fun, and I stalled a little bit to say a few extra things to her as the staff were pushing us through.

King Maasa retains her powerful stage presence which I’ve always enjoyed. During Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda! in particular she stood out to me for some reason. She had some sort of a cool attitude for a little bit which was fun too. She didn’t do the full time MC bit this time around, but in the parts that she did take the reins she was great.

Mayabi had used some English during her turn in one of the mini games they were playing, so during the handshake I said to her a couple of things in English, to which she returned in kind. She also greeted me as Kentucky, as she’s done in the past, with a smile whilst putting a finger in the air, indicating that she remembers me. One other note, as Miya lost one of the games they were playing, she had to make a sales pitch about one of the Berryz goods (whilst wearing a goofy nose/glasses/bow). Let’s just say, SOLD! Good job Miya; she was great on stage.

Yurina took the MC spot from Maasa this time. Her little bouts of being a bit air-headed are still there, wich makes watching her and the casualness of her performances cute. She was sweating a bit during one part of the event and Momo brought her a towel. They didn’t make a big deal out of it or anything, but I thought that the interaction was nice.

Risako continued her coy, umm, you know, “that thing she does.” I’ve pointed it out before, but the way she dances on stage really has improved over the years. Just watch, and while she might not be as sharp &c as some of the others, it’s got it’s own unique flow that meshes well with the rest of the group. Some of Berryz latest songs too, really seem to fit Risako’s style.

So Berryz, until we meet again; and Chinami, Happy Birthday! I hope you had a good one. To all my friends back in Japan and elsewhere, see you when I see you~

With regards to addiction, there is this sort of high that going to these concerts and events bring about in me, something unique I’ve not been able to find anywhere else. And then, it’s somewhat funny that I have enablers, friends who support and encourage my behavior; in the midst of papers and projects due, I’ve taken time off school and work to go see them; all the money I’ve spent, the time invested, &c, and while it hasn’t come close to a point where I would consider it an addiction, it’s become so much a part of my life. In some aspects, I would say it’s not too out of the ordinary at all; I’ve heard of plenty of people who follow their favorite bands all over the world, yeah. To be so enthralled by this relatively unknown idol group from Japan however, to travel out there to see her, is at least at the foundation, a different story.

Anyway, all that exposition builds to the fact that here I am, back in Japan; to see my Berryz. To feed my addiction if you will. Honestly, at times it feels like maybe it’s a bit much. Ah, but I’m not going to venture down that train of thought. I’m having the time of my life! I know it won’t last forever and therefore I’m going to continue to enjoy it while I can; and hey, it’s okay, I’m a wota.

Berryz Koubou - Heroine ni Narou ka!

Mini Concert

As I tend to do, I have to first of all say thanks to those who made this possible. The people I’ve met and befriended in Japan really seem to go out of their way to help get me to these events. I am very thankful, and as with most of my words, I really feel that that is an understatement; but it’s really great to have people who support me in this.

So then, the precursor to the main event was today in Nagoya, where I’d get to watch Berryz at their “Heroine ni Narou ka!” release event. Not once, not twice, but three times. The release events are relatively short, but actually ended up a bit longer than I expected. The mini concert opened with Heroine ni Narou ka!, and had a nice selection overall with Maji Bomber!!, Icchoume Rock!, Otakebi Boy WAO! and Rival. All great songs to see and dance along with live.

Since the seats were random, I wasn’t able to get too close to the stage, but still, about 8 rows back and center isle seats for the second and third go rounds gave me a great view of things.

Not much has changed with the girls since I’ve seen them last. Well, it has been less than a month, so what’s to expect, right. Chinami and I had or nice little moments here and there. I really feel a connection with her whenever I see her, and just watching her dance around, goofing off a bit, playing off of the other girls on stage, and all the in between, just makes me smile from ear to ear. Maasa continues to excel with her presence on stage and her MC ability; Captain continues to dance up a storm and have a fun time doing it; everyone was putting in a great effort and I enjoyed watching all of them do their own thing.

I’m happy to report too, that that spark with Risako that was missing in Seattle is back, haha. I don’t think I need to elaborate much, but one point that really stood out for me was when they do that little monocle thing in Heroine (Otakbe too); Risako zoomed right in on me with a big ol’ smile. It’s funny how I missed it in Seattle, and now it’s back, the point of conflict in which I’m in my head telling her to stop, yet at the same time, it’s just plain fun so I just go with it.

Handshake

At the end of each of the events was the handshake. I have to say, I’m somewhat running out of things to say to some of the girls. I mean, there are only so many ways I can tell Miyabi that I love her voice and or like her in Buono! and what not. But even without much to say, just being there, holding their hands and looking into their eyes is enough. Anyway, during the first handshake they really rushed us through so I didn’t get a change to say but a quick thank you and not much else. That said, my interaction with Chinami was a lot of fun as usual. This time as I attempted to convey to her my real name, she leaned in to get a better listen and we repeated it back and forth a couple of times. By the next time I had talked with her, she had lost about half of it, haha. No worries, I’m good with “Kentucky.” It’s got a special meaning and history behind it.

Celebration

After the events, some friends and I headed to Osaka for a little party. Well, just a get together, dinner and what not, tho in celebration of Chinami’s birthday one might say. I made a toast to Chinami, her happiness and her smiles and or some such. We had wine ’round midnight and overall just had a good time relaxing. To avoid sounding like too much of a broken record, thanks all for the comradery, these are a great group of people.

So, one down. One to go. See you tomorrow, or, today. I’m looking forward to it.

After Sakura-con, friends and I were doing a bit of sightseeing and such before heading off to a dinner reservation. We would eventually make our way towards Pike Place Market, where unfortunately there were a bunch of closed stores because of Easter. No matter, we’d drop into the various open shops as we were walking and what not. We had eventually split off a bit from each other and it was left with me and one other. As we were walking towards the market, we saw Seattle Shirt Co. across the street and my friend asked if we could stop in. We weren’t in a hurry or anything, so yeah, why not. As we cross and get to the other side, and begin making our way towards the store…

“Momoko?” my friend says to me. I hadn’t realized it, but Momoko and a Berryz staff member had just walked past us. We paused and turned to confirm, and could see the two walking away. A few steps later and Momoko turns to looks back, we catch a glimpse of each other and she recognizes us and waves, as we then wave back. A chance encounter, tho we were curious as to why she was out by herself.

With that behind us, we headed into the store as originally intended.

As we’re a few steps inside, “Chinami,” I said. I was certain that was her hair I spotted all the way at the back of the store. My friend hadn’t seen anything at this point, so she was a little confused as to why I was saying her name. I repeat myself, after having stopped in my tracks from moving into the store any further. I motion and say, “over there,” or something to that effect. Then I see, Captain is back there too… and Miyabi… and Risako. Wow! High tension.

Still a bit frozen, about now is when Chinami briefly turns towards us, smiles and then turns back to Miya/Rii/Captain. At this point I can’t recall my reaction, but the tension had continued to build for sure.

Just then, “Kentucky-san ga iru,” Chinami says, her voice carrying throughout the store. Berryz know both me and my friend pretty well, and with that they all turn to us, smile and wave. Wow, wow; another chance encounter, yeah. We wave back, I recall saying konnichiwa or some other similar greeting and not much else, then my friend an I went back to shopping around a bit and Berryz did the same.

We walked around to the side of the store, somewhat away from where Berryz were (didn’t want to interfere with their free time or anything like that, you know). As we were walking away my friend asked where’s Yurina (her favorite member). I realized we hadn’t seen Maasa either.

As we turn a corner, what would you know, it’s Yurina. This totally freezes my friend for a step. What should we do? She was facing a wall looking at some stuff but eventually would turn and say hello. We’d continue looking at things and Yurina did the same. My friend was looking at some cute keychains and picked one out, she then proceeds to call Yurina over to ask her opinion of it. She wasn’t too far away, and came over to us to oblige without hesitation. We didn’t tie her up for too long and went back to browsing the store.

My friend decided she wanted to buy the cute keychain and recommended I get something as well; something to remember the experience by if you will. It didn’t take long for me to find something. A lucky keychain. I feel lucky to have had all the experiences I’ve been having over the past years, and that day, I felt so lucky to have had met and chatted with Berryz in such a casual way.

Lucky Penny

By this time, Berryz were back to the front of the store, my friend and I were making our way back there as well. What followed as we caught up with them was a few minutes of conversation; Miya and Yurina were checking out at the front desk and eventually joined in. Although I’ve been pretty verbose thus far, I’ll skimp on the details here, yeah. Tho one thing, Chinami ended up pulling out her iPhone, showing it to us and explaining the cute design on the case and such.

Ah, what a great experience. Lucky~

My friend and I said bye to Berryz and then went ourselves to checkout. As we left the store, we noticed Berryz outside going in the direction we had planned on going. In an effort to not follow them, we took an alternate route thinking they’d possibly be gone or inside a store by the time we circle around. As we were now coming up the street, we’d pass the Chocolate Box, where Berryz were inside. We wanted to go in, but wanted to wait until Berryz were finished doing their thing. Anyway, not too long after that, Berryz went off to Starbucks and we continued to shop around for a bit before heading back for dinner.

A nifty little side story to cap off the experience with Berryz in Seattle. The entire trip has been more than awesome.

Until we meet again, Berryz Koubou.

Berryz Koubou at Sakura-con

Registration

Arrived with a friend at Sakura-con at 6:00 am on Friday in order to grab our id badges. Some other friends from Japan happened to arrive at the same time; they were there to queue for the Berryz autograph tickets, bright and early. They got in contact with some of the event staff and began organizing a list/line. A big thanks to them for putting that together. Closer to the time that the goods booth was to open up, and after some communication issues and a bit of confusion (an understatement), we were let in, and things were pretty smooth after that. I ended up being at the front of the line and was able to snag my tickets without issue. While there too, I bought a few goods, including their 7th anniversary photobook which I had planned to have signed.

Q&A

Next up was the Berryz Q&A. It was nice to finally see Berryz (I had skipped the opening ceremony). The interactions with the fans were great and I’m sure Berryz felt great as well. On somewhat of a side note, at the end of the Q&A, the host mentioned that we weren’t allowed to touch the girls during the autograph session, as expected, tho we could give her [the host] a hug if we wanted. Anyway, I thought that was amusing.

Autograph Session 1

Chinami Autograph 1

Wasn’t too worried about lining up early for the autographs as I had the autograph ticket. The line for those without a ticket was pretty long, I’m not sure how far Berryz got through it. So anyway, Berryz come out and they’re seated from Saki to Risako, in descending age order. As I was getting closer to the autograph table, there was a spot on the right in the line where you could get a good view of the girls as they waited for the next person in line to move over to them. At one point I waved to get Chinami’s attention and she waved back at me. Then her face lit up and she did a little bit of a gasp as she recognized who it was. Happy~

When I finally got to the autograph table, before moving on to Berryz, there was the host/translator/manager from the Q&A standing there. Well, I got my hug. Thank you manager-san~

For getting the 7th year anniversary photobook signed, I had tabs setup for each of the girls pages, tho I didn’t end up using them. Rather I just flipped through the pages as I was talking with each of the girls. Delay tactic success! In the end it really wasn’t necessary however, there was no push to get through the line.

The time spent interacting with each of the girls during the autographs almost seemed like an eternity compared to the little bit of rushed time allowed during handshakes back in Japan. My chats with the other girls were relativity brief, but I was able to spend a little bit of extra time with Chinami. I told her it was nice seeing her again, asked her about her hair (she had posted on her blog not too long before that she got some new extensions), and some other little chit chat (in Japanese, tho her responses were sometimes in English). Before the event, I ended up writing ケンタッキー (Kentucky) on my ID badge after a little bit of discussion with friends; with the extra time I had talking to Chinami, I was able to clarify that I’m from Kentucky. Though I had already mentioned it to her in Hawaii, she really got it this time, haha. I felt I could just stay there and keep on talking as there was no pressure for me to move on, outside of the fact that Maasa was there waiting for a little bit for me to finish.

Guest Reception / Hello! Party

After the autograph session, I headed over to the Red Lion hotel for the guest reception / dinner, where Berryz were supposed to make a brief appearance. Some people were wondering if the reception would be worth it and I can say, it definitely was.

After waiting a bit, they started introducing some of the guests as others had yet to arrive. Eventually, during a lull, out of the corner of my eye, an elevator opens up and who’s there? It’s Berryz. Promptly however, the doors close. Amusing. I and a bunch of other Berryz fans maneuvered ourselves over towards the elevator door, so that we’d be ready for them when they eventually did come out. A few minutes, later and it was Berryz Timez.

Oh, my goodness, like a deer in headlights, Berryz seemed a little frightened from what I could tell as they were coming out. The setup was pretty closely packed, so yeah. Once they made their way to the front however, things calmed down a bit and everyone relaxed. We were given the opportunity to take their pictures, before each of the girls would introduce themselves and say a few words.

After the girls left, we’d grab dinner and periodically they’d introduce more guests as they arrived.

Later in the evening they would begin holding a raffle for the opportunity to meet the musical guests back stage after their concerts. exist-trace is not a band I had heard of before, but I’ve seen and heard some snippets of their stuff, perhaps not my style but interesting none the less. They were pulling out names for exist-trace, tho it was somewhat amusing that no one seemed to want them, including me. I myself won a ticket, for exist-trace, not for Berryz, haha, bummer. My friend however… “I’m going to win,” she said. The confidence and seriousness in her voice was almost eerie. A few seconds later, as the last number is being read off, it is her number! Amazing!

I have to say, throughout the whole conference I really enjoyed hearing people tell me about their first experiences meeting/seeing Berryz. The nervousness, the excitement, the happiness… as happy as I was to see Berryz again, I was perhaps just as happy to see and hear everyone else’s reactions.

In general, I took the opportunity to ask people about their experiences as much as I could. It never gets old. On the flip side, throughout the con, it was interesting having people coming up to me, recognizing me from here or there. Putting faces to names and names to faces, although the time was brief, it was a nice bonding experience with everyone there.

Later that evening I checked into Hello! Party for a bit before calling it a night. It had been a long day.

Hello! Party 2

Concert

On Saturday, the only Berryz related activity on the schedule was their concert which would begin until 7pm. We got there early again, at 8am. Perhaps a bit too early, but what the hey. Tried to do the list/line thing again, but it kind of fell apart as we were moved from place to place. There were a lot of people lined up for the concert beforehand, which I was glad to see. In the end, I made it to the font of the line anyway, and eventually I positioned myself at the front of the concert hall, smack dab in the center.

The concert itself was great. It wasn’t as long as a normal one, but it was still a pretty full setlist. They opened with Ai wa Katsu. Icchoume Rock! was cool, tho it took me a second to catch on to the choreography. There was a costume change about two thirds of the way through the concert, which was a bit unexpected. The Miya / Chii / Kumai led CLAP! was a lot of fun. They finished things off with an encore, including the audience participation version of Rival and All For One and One For All.

Captain was dancing up a storm as per usual. Her smiles and plays to the crowd were awesome. You can tell she really wanted to make a good impression.

“Mo.mo.chi ka.wa.i.i.” I seriously roll my eyes when she does this stuff, but at the same time, I love it. Momo was, as usual, her characteristic self.

Chinami~. Chinami disappeared during the second MC, so I was thinking, what was she up to this time. She comes back with a fish costume, the one from Medachitai. Genius! Instead of saying things in Japanese like the other girls had been doing, she was speaking in English. Ahhh, love~ it. What more can I say about her, her presence on stage was awesome. Interesting to note is how a lot of people told me afterwards of how much they enjoyed watching Chinami in particular. Chinami love~

MC Maasa was absent from this one, but the king did shine on the stage in any case. She remains one of my favorite girls to watch.

Mama Miya. What an elegant young lady, with a lovely voice, something I tend to tell her every time we talk. As with everyone else, she just seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage.

Yurina ENJOY! Her energy seemed higher than normal and it was really fun to watch her, and to hear her speak.

Risako and I didn’t connect at the concert as we usually would, I am disappoint, lol. Must’ve been too many new faces for her to play with. That, and the whole experience must have been a roller coaster of nerves for the girls. In any case, she was great on stage. Like Captain, it felt like she was putting in a bit of extra effort with this one. She was having a lot of fun.

After the concert was a “fan march.” So much excitement as everyone cleared the concert venue and walked through the halls towards the other side of the con floor. Singing and shouting, pumped from the concert, full of enthusiasm. It was truly an unforgettable experience for many.

Autograph Session 2

Autograph 2 - Kentucky x Chi

Some people had asked me why I wasn’t wearing a Chinami t-shirt, or any other swag or anything. While I do usually wear that stuff at the concerts and occasionally just in rotation with my other clothes no matter where I am, I don’t really make an effort to do it when meeting Berryz. In particular, Chinami knows she’s my girl, and it’s how I’ve always presented myself to her and the others, just by being myself. I guess, I just show my support in different ways. Anyway, since people asked, I thought I’d throw it out there.

A friend and I had lined up so that when he was talking to Maasa, I could be there talking to Chinami. By the time I got to Miyabi however, he had already moved past Chinami to talk with Maasa (the order the girls were in was a bit unusual). With nothing to do, Chinami called out my name and started talking to me, even before I had a chance to say anything to Miya. That’s fine by me however. I ended up talking to Chinami for an extended period of time, while occasionally turning to Miya to tell her a few things as she was signing her photo. Back to Chii, I was telling her that her English was good and that I could be her teacher. She seemed happy about that. For this round of autographs I was speaking in English for most of the time, and she was replying in kind for the for the most part. We continued to talk as she signed her name, and added a little extra, “ケンタッキー” :)

Once through with all of the autographs, we were allowed to hang around for a bit as they were going to allow us to keep our autograph tickets as souvenirs. During that time I was able to continue to wave and talk to Chinami when she had gaps between signings. A friend I was with had a pad of paper and wrote little messages to Chinami during that time as well.

Closing

After the autograph session, we went over to the HelloStoreUSA shop where they were going to raffle off some signed goods. Captain showed up to pull the tickets. As she read the numbers off the tickets she picked she was so cute. Anyway, I didn’t win anything, but a friend won a signed Chinami card/photo. Lucky.

Berryz showed up for the closing ceremonies, saying thank you and also presenting the money they had gathered for Japan aid via donation/promotion they had going on. I think it was nice the way that they presented it. The whole gesture was a nice one to complement the Japan aid theme they had going throughout their time at the con.

With that, Sakura-con came to a close. As I said, I had a great time. Berryz and friends, see you when I see you.

A big thanks to all of those who made this trip possible. To say that I had a great time would be an understatement. Once again, the wota, friends, the staff, everyone involved, thank you.

Berryz Koubou's Seventh Year Anniversary; 8Shot

The photo makes sense with that little bit of a background tied to it, tho I was told that Berryz themselves were a little bit puzzled by the 3 finger pose. This is where things kicked off, after early morning meet up and a five or so hour bus ride to Izu, we were taken to an orchard estate on top of a very large, steep hill. Berryz greeted us and we had a toast to start before going in to get our pictures taken. Berryz looked stunning in their dresses, I felt a bit underdressed actually, as did others, but no matter. As with Hawaii, Chinami takes a spot right behind me, I think the photo turned out well.

Later that evening we’d check into our hotels and have dinner before heading out to the live concert. In the morning we did some strawberry picking, a special gift to Berryz. Followed up was a group shot along with some fun interaction with the girls and then moving on to the fan meeting where things would wrap up with a handshake. I had an excellent time meeting my girls again.

Captain

For the tour photosets, Captain had on some huge glasses. Cute, but kinda dorky, haha. Her longer hair also contributes to a new look of sorts.

Captain put together the live concert, which had a looser feel than usual, which is part of what made it great. One thing I like about Berryz is their lack of perfection. These types of events, really give a feeling, however slight, that you really are getting to know the girls and not just some actor of sorts. It was nice to see Captain, kinda more leadery, but still having a lot of fun.

Momoko

Momo was the same as always. She’s really a unique kind of idol, and as I’ve said before it seems people either love her or tire of it. I just say keep on keepin’ on Momo. After the group shot, because Risako was feeling sick that morning, Momo had her own little interaction session alone. She really has a personality and presence that can stand on it’s own, yet works well in the groups she’s in. She gave me a cute and animated handshake, as if she was genuinely happy to see me.

Chinami

Lucky number 7. Wow. There’s so much I could say, but as I’ve done in the past, I’ll try and exercise some constraint, heh. After the group shot, we were led into some rooms where groups of Berryz would come and give us a little presentation / interaction along with prizes to a select few. Maasa and Chinami came together, my two favorite Berryz mind you. At the end of their presentation, Chinami revealed what their prize would be. Chii had specially decorated an item, a bag of, ah, I already forgot what it’s called. Some tomato looking stuff you can put on curry &c.

Gift from Chii to Me

To reward the prize, Chinami picked a random seat. She turned around and said she’ll first start on the right side of the room, in the back (I was in the front on the left, so you could probably imagine my feeling of pending disappointment at this point). Because however, it was their seventh anniversary, she said she will pick the person seventh from the right and seventh from the back. As they were counting the seats from the back, I realized that they were in my row and when they finally stopped on me, I was totally surprised and excited! I was chosen by Chinami! Lucky!

I stood up and moved to the front of the room and of course Chinami, genius as she is, had to throw out some English during the exchange. “I’m Chinami,” “Thank you,” “Delicious.” As she was saying thank you for the second or third time, lol, she moved in close, hand raised in an attempt to give me a high five. I had then raised my hand too, before the staff had stopped her, lol. Ah, she was so excited, and so was I! We ended up giving each a remote high five a couple of times, haha. It was just great!

At the handshake later that evening, Chii continued where she left off, with some more thank you’s. OMG Chinami’s voice is so sugary syrupy sweet, haha. What an awesome experience. I’ll not downplay how happy it made me feel.

Maasa

Aww, Maasa was hurt before the concert and couldn’t dance on stage, tho she was still Ms. King MC as per usual. As the concert started up with Heroine ni Narou ka, she kinda looked sad on stage, sitting in a chair, doing the upper body motions to the song, singing her parts butting nothing else. As things moved on however, the girls would go over to her and dance and such, especially Chinami who gave her a few bumps and bops on the head. They were all having a good time in the end.

Miyabi

Miya seemed a bit more active than what I usually remember of her. Her voice is still in top shape and she’s a really well rounded idol. During the fan meeting she won the little DO-RE-ME tournament thing they were doing. She was given a trophy and then Yurina took pictures of her holding it to give to some of the audience. She was having a lot of fun with it.

Yurina

Kumai had a couple of mess-ups during the concert, which continues to contribute to the view of a bit of an absent minded personality that I’ve seen in her as of late. Now, that is not a dig, it’s great actually, her personality and stage presence are ever growing and not going unnoticed.

Risako

I say that I’m pretty good at reading people, but it’s more than a possibility that my reading is off a little in this case. That said, Risako continues to send me all sorts of subtle messages when she looks my way, followed by a smile and or what not. During the concerts or whenever, it’s quite amusing as she’s half way coy with it. During the handshake, the way she looked at me was, ah, I don’t know. She was looking so deep and intently, lol. As I’ve said before, we just kind of click on some level, then again, maybe it’s all in my head. Anyway, good show.

As I told all of Berryz when I had the chance: See you in Seattle!

Welcome to Beri Kou Fes!

First off, shout out to my fellow wota and friends in Japan and from other places around the globe. Some I’ve met for the first time, some I haven’t seen in a while. I’ve said it before, but these guys and gals really are a great group of people; I really do feel a sense of pride associating myself with ‘em. I’m very lucky to be able to follow my interests and travel, pursuing my passion for Japanese music, and in turn, to meet other people who have a similar passion.

On to the concert… finally got to see Dakishimete Dakishimete. I had been wanting to see that one for some time. Kimi no Tomodachi was pretty cool too, another one I was looking forward to. The rotating setlist gave me the opportunity to see a few different combinations of the girls and songs too, which was an nice little bonus of sorts. Cutting the music and having the audience sing along with Rival, one of my favorite songs, was an awesome little experience too. Great concert overall, I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Two Chinami solos! Yea! Maasa and Captain too. The random selection worked in my favor I would say, haha. The solo performances were cute, with the rest of the Berryz as backup dancers/cheerleaders.

Chinami and her genki self was great, her smile lighting up the stage. What more can I say man. The girl has got me hooked. MC Maasa, always running the show. She really is the King of Berryz, great at leading the troops. While Captain is Captain, coming with her sharp dance moves and high energy as always.

Kumai really is a beauty. That’s nothing new, but her presence on stage has been grabbing a little bit more of my attention lately. Miyabi’s voice is as solid as ever, tho she did miss a bit of a line at one point. She continues to keep her skill in top form.

Ahh, Risako… I felt like Risako was dancing -for me- for a lot of the night on Saturday, heh. Like we kept locking eyes as she danced right there, me in the front row, we kept smiling back and forth at each other. I’m not gonna say it was awkward, but at some points I was kinda like thinking to myself, just stop, lol, this is too much. Yeah, maybe that doesn’t make much sense, but anyway, we always seem to connect at these concerts. Risako’s Ibu-sama character was cool too. She really seems to naturally fit that role and her performance was decent. Also, and maybe this will kinda come off as somewhat of a backhanded complement, but I didn’t really feel that she was dancing all that lazily this time, ha. Baby steps, yeah.

Poor Momo, always getting picked on during their little skits and such. A good chunk of it coming from Chinami as I’ve mentioned here before. It’s not only Chii that picks on her tho, each of them are in on it in their own way. Momoko is just too cute sometimes, haha.

No idea when I’ll get to see them again, but this past experience was a blast. Till next time.

THANK YOU!!!

For convincing me to go. Believe it or not, it did take a little bit of encouragement, I was initially hesitant. School started last week and so I’m missing the first couple of days. On top of that I had just come back from Japan not too long ago, and my money supply was more than a bit limited, heh. It didn’t take too much prodding however; I mean, how could I pass up the opportunity?

ありがとう！！！

For setting this all up for me. Filling out and sending in the applications, waiting on the mail to deliver the various documents you needed from me, answering my questions. I could go on an on, but I’ll just say that I am very grateful for everything that has been done for me to get me here.

Then there’s the friendly and helpful staff, to everyone involved. Thanks all.

Now, if by the title of this post it’s not obvious as to what it is that I’m talking about: I got to go to the Berryz Kobo Fanclub Tour in HAWAII! Or I guess, technically I’m still here, but the main events have since concluded. I had intended to keep this really short but, no matter, I just wanted to share some of my experience.

Happy Summer Vacation - Goods

８月２７日（金）ファンの集い

Beri Hello Name; Roll Call

First, before I get to the event itself, we were to choose a Beri Hello Name for ourselves. The Beri Hello Name is basically a nickname for use during the event. I was thinking I’d choose “solo” but that just wouldn’t do, yeah. I decided on “Kentucky.” This is an interesting one, because Kentucky is short for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Japan. An intentional setup for Kenchiki jokes. It also setup an interesting scenario where when people would ask where I was from, my answer of course would be, Kentucky. Clever little thing I did there methinks, most seemed amused by it anyway.

So that’s where the event starts. We’re outside divided into 23 teams of 10, under four separate pavilions, situated around an open area. Berryz come out, say hello and do their introductions. They each have their own Names too. Captain’s Name for example, is “Saki.” At first I was like, what? LOL. She wasn’t the only one to do this tho. In the end it makes sense, and they did explain their choice. Captain is Captain, so Saki fits. Let’s see, Yu-chan, Momo-chi, Na-chan, China~mi, Risako, Maasa. Yeah, I know I have a few of those wrong (also, excuse me switching between the different names throughout the writeup).

With Berryz names out of the way, it was time to take role. Each one of the girls would grab a random group of 30 names and head over to the tables. They’d read off the names one at a time, and each person would respond “Hai.” At the end of reading off 10 names for the people at the particular table, they were presented a gift of some photos and some red thing that folded out that nobody could figure out what it was (tho, it’s use makes sense later into things).

Risako came to my table. I believe she recognized me from the last two Berryz concert tours. Where in the one she smiled and waved back at me, and in another I had done something creative with one of my glowsticks that got a chuckle out of her. In any case, this would be I guess, my first time “meeting” someone from Berryz Koubou.

Game Time

With the roll complete, it was time to play some games. Each fanclub member would have a chance to grab an envelope, and interact with one of the girls in the form of a game of jankenpon or to answer a trivia question. Win or answer the question correct and you’d get a point for your team. When I went up I was directed to Risako where she asked me a trivia question. Uh oh, heh. She started reading the piece of paper I had handed her and all I could make out of it was something about August twenty something and otanjoubi. My answer was Miyabi, but that was wrong, LOL. Anyway, I wasn’t the only person in my team to get a wrong answer so it’s not like I let us down or anything, hehe. The next game was a water balloon toss. Pretty simple really. Berryz would toss you a water balloon, catch it and you get a point for your team. At the end of the bought of games, a winning team was announced and they got some candy leis. They were called to the stage and Berryz presented it to them.

Team Canvas

Berryz had decorated a largish canvas, not as big as the one last year, but a similar type thing to give an idea; they brought it out to show everyone. And now, each of the 23 teams also had a canvas of their own to decorate. During the decoration process each Berryz member would come around and give the team one of a myriad of stickers they had designed. Giving me a chance to meet the rest of Berryz. Of note is when Momoko came to our table and she was asked by someone in my team to put her sticker on the back of the canvas. She was not happy, tho in a playful type of way.

Also of note, was Chinami of course! I happened to be teamed up with one of the guys who helped organize Chinami’s birthday concert last May. So while we didn’t really know each other, we did know each other, heh, and he knows of me and my interest in Berryz in general without me having had to say much of anything. Anyway, the guys in my team all know Chinami is my girl, so they kinda set me up when she came around to our table. Making sure that I was next to her so that we could talk and what not. Now, even tho It might seem I’m being a bit verbose in describing things, I’m leaving a bit out, just so that’s clear. In any case, I got to talk to her, and tell her where it was okay to put the sticker. She said “Okay” and made a little okay sign, to which I replied in kind. Good ol’ wotas setting me up like that. Another thing that just jumped out is when someone asked her to say something in English. Her choice of words was only one. “Cucumber.”

With Berryz finished distributing their stickers, they would then exit in the direction they came in, leaving us some time to finish decorating our canvas. As they’re walking out, waving to everyone, Chinami is taking her time strolling along. She then stops to say something to the camera and so is the last to leave. I maneuver myself so that I’m in open view of the exit. “Chi-na-mi,” I shout out, which grabs her attention. “Bye, bye,” I say. She waves, smiles and returns the byes. “Nice shout,” &c is told to me by the wota in the pavilion, an encouraging bunch they are.

As the teams were finishing up their canvases, a group of wota came over to my teams table to say hi. A couple I had seen before, but otherwise they were all new faces to me. Anyway, we chatted a bit. Thy asked about my interest in the group, about my tattoo (which they brought up, knowing of it from others) and such and such. Just to restate, what a cool bunch of people these guys and gals are, yeah.

Canvas is finished, so it’s time for a group shot. We take or canvas up a hill where Berryz are now prepped and waiting. My team reorders themselves so that we’ll all be standing in front of or favorite members. Picture shot and it’s on to the next planned happening.

Evening Meal

Berryz serve us dinner!

First in the service line was Risako, who handed out the plates and a fork. Second was Na-chan with a hot dog bun. Saki, with the hot dog. When I got to Saki, she pointed out my name, Kentucky; at which point Miyabi leaned over to read my name tag as well. Next up was Momo-chi with a handful of curly fries, “Kentucky-kun” she said in a really cute voice. Yu-chan dropped some salad on and off my plate, hehe, before I moved on and Maasa topped off the salad with some dressing. At the end, Chinami handed me a drink.

When I got to Chinami she repeated “Kentucky” as the others had before her. She said it a few times actually. I replied “Hai, Kentucky” and pointed to my name tag, “Kentucky ni sunde imasu.” Now, an interesting thing happened when the other wota, both in line behind me and those back in their seats saw me talking with Chinami. They started to clap and cheer, haha. Amusing.

We were given a little bit of free time, before moving on to the next spot.

Bonfire

In reference to that red thing I mentioned earlier. It was like a little seat cushion thing. The people in the front rows would be sitting on the ground so we eventually put two and two together.

Question and answer time. We all got the chance to fill out a form with a question on it, where the girls would pick one out and answer them. They only did 7 tho, so you were lucky if your question was picked. When your question was read, they’d shuffle over to that side of the group and read it to you up close. Was cool. One thing I thought I’d mention was that as Momo-chi did that cutesy thing she does (Momo, just being Momo, heh) Chinami does that thing she does, where she’s kinda like not really annoyed, but rolls her eyes at it. I find the Momo/Chi interaction lately with regards to that interesting to watch (and as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it’s not just Chi who kinda picks on Momo either; it’s all in good fun anyway).

After the question and answer, we were treated with a few songs before moving on to the next bit of this event. Curiously, Chinami went missing from the group. Kumai then went on to lead the wota in prayer… or some sort of ceremonial, something… hmm. Obviously I’m not completely sure what she was saying (and I say prayer, cause that’s just what the atmosphere felt like), but the other wota seemed a little bit surprised before she started, but then all calmed and became still as she began speaking. As she finishes up, Chinami is back. Chinami the fire god! She’s in a sparkly pink costume, with a little wand with pink streamers hanging off of it. They do a little bit of talking and then Chinami replaces the pink wand with a long dowel, with a lit lantern at the end. She proceeds to the bonfire (assisted by a bunch of staff) and lights the fire.

With the fire lit, it’s time for some more songs (I should mention, we also sang Happy Birthday to Miyabi, who was surprised by as we started off). This time as they’re singing, they’d circle around the fire a few times, facing the crowd. Periodically some of the water park staff had been adding more fuel to the fire, as it wasn’t all that impressive. It would peak up for a short while but then die down a while later. That is until, WOOOSH!!! The thing takes off like mad, sending the girls running and screaming. The music keeps on anyway, and eventually the girls start another round of circling the fire, coached on by the staff. Chinami was having none of that tho, the fire god was too afraid of the fire to approach it again. The other girls were all pretty hesitant as well. It was nice and exciting experience anyway.

As thing were winding down, Berryz were walking off the “stage” and to the side where some lights and a table were setup. High-Five time! On our way back to the bus, we lined up to give each of the Berryz a high-five. They really hurried people through the line this time. I was determined to go a little bit slower tho, heh. I allowed a little gap in front of me and made my way through. When I got to Chinami her and I exchanged three high-fives, haha. She had something written on her hand, tho I couldn’t make it out.

８月２８日（土）８ショット

おはようございます〜

“Ohayou Gozaimasu~” We were greeted as we entered the conference room, by Berryz who were on stage. “Ohayou Kentucky-san,” Chinami had a personalized greeting for me as I walked by. I feel special. They were also handing out maps, places we should visit, places they recommend or something to that effect. For my 8 shot I did nothing special, the Shaka sign. Chinami was in the center of the photo tho too, right behind me. The shot turned out well I think. I was the last in my group to go up so I did have a little bit of extra time to turn and say bye and thank you. After this we were sent off before we were to regather for the concert later that afternoon.

Happy Summer Vacation - 8Shot

８月２８日（土）ライブ＆握手合

Live Concert

No play by play of the concert, but there were a couple of things I wanted to point out. One was the rain. Even with sunny skies we’d periodically get bouts of light rain coming down. Berryz were prepared however, as they went around to the back of the stage and grabbed some water guns! They were shooting each other as well as the audience. Good fun. Saw a couple of rainbows, one that came out right at the end of Seishun Oodori, which seemed wholly appropriate.

Mixed in with the Berryz songs were a couple of the covers from their Summer mini album. Chinami, Yurina and Miyabi with Chu Natsu Party. Risako solo (Risako’s outfit …), Yeah! Meccha Holiday. While Captain, Maasa and Momoko wrapped up the mini groups with Halation Summer. An enjoyable concert despite the heat that started things off and the rain that ended it.

Handshake

Epic (^_^)

Not gonna say much more than that, to keep it as kinda a special thing between me and each one of the girls, you know? Tho I will mention, as I have seen some discussion on 2ch about it, that Chinami’s loud and animated interaction with me at the time really put the icing on the cake to the whole event. While things end here, it has created so much lasting memory.

Berryz Koubou 2010

Berryz Koubou 2010 Ranking 2009 Ranking

My desire to follow the other H!P groups has dropped off, but Berryz have continued to draw me in deeper and deeper to the idol world. Or I guess to clarify, Berryz have always been number one for me and beyond that, in the sense of being a fan of Japanese idols, no one other group has really held that much importance to me. What can I say, I’m a Berryz wota through and through and I don’t think anything will change that any time soon.

Over the past year I’ve gotten to see Berryz live a few times and that strengthens my admiration and appreciation even further. It truly is an awesome experience seeing them dance and sing up close. Past that, watching their trip to Hawaii, their making-ofs, special events and what not might not provide the same type of experience as seeing them live, but they’re all just different paths that fortify my bond with the group even more. I know they won’t be around forever, but I might as well enjoy the group as much as I can while it lasts.

Favorite Songs

Rival
Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda

Other Favorites (Singles)

21Ji Made no Cinderella
Dakishimete Dakishimete
Dchinghis Khan
Gag 100 Kaibun Aishite Kudasai
MADAYADE
Otakebi Boy WAO!
Seishun Bus Guide
Watashi no Mirai no Danna-sama
Ryuusei Boy
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance

Honorable Mentions

Warera! Berryz Kamen
Special Generation (Eccentric Remix)
CLAP!
Kono Yume Tomare!

The Girls

Tokunaga Chinami

1. Chinami

For brevity’s sake, cause y’all know I could go on and on, I’m going to try and limit my thoughts a bit on this one. There is no one else in this world that I love more than this girl. There’s much more to say and clarify about that statement, but at the same time, I think it’s pretty clear, isn’t it? …

Congratulations to her on her first photobook last September. I was a little bit apprehensive about the idea of her getting one for a variety of reasons, but once I had it in my hands how could I not feel happy for her. A book of a thousand smiles, no matter where she is, or what she’s wearing, her smile always shines through.

Her solo in the Medachitai concert was absolutely amazing~! Alright I’ll admit that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but look at the source, you get what I’m sayin’. The guys I was sitting with during the concert had asked who my favorite member was before things had started; when it was time for Chinami’s solo they made sure I was ready for it. Their, encouragement I guess, made me feel a lil dopey and coy or whatever, but in the end, anyone there could tell that I was having a great time.

Keep smiling Chii~

Sudo Maasa

2. Maasa

All hail King Maasa! King? Why she’s King of Berryz Koubou of course, with all the poise, power and prestige that goes along with that. While she is more like fourth in line to the Berryz throne, you can’t ignore her commanding presence. Even with the “massive” moniker left far behind, she still holds an air of power and demanding of respect, she’s still that idol who will kick your butt if you cross her.

She may not be as genki as Chinami, or a good as a dancer as Captain, but darn if she ain’t close on both accounts. During their fall concert this girl gave it her all, she really did stand out.

Another Berryz get’s their first photobook! During one of the promo videos where she was talking with Momo about it, she looked so happy. I’m sure it made her feel great, she looks like she put a lot of effort into it. And not that she needed ay more awesome points, but she was diggin’ on some Taco Bell in some of the shots. Enough said.

Shimizu Saki

3. Captain

Saki has upped the cute factor over the past year methinks. She’s mixed in some cool and maturity as well. Not that she wasn’t one of the mature Berryz before, but I’ve really seen her as Captain more and more, rather than say, just the oldest Berryz. In general, she continues to dance circles around the other girls. On stage she pulls it off with a smile and apparent effortlessness, she really is a delight to watch.

Tsugunaga Momoko

4. Momoko

Oh Momo, that thing you do, those things you do, keep at it. Just watch her in Buono! and Berryz and you’ll be doused in cutesy, over exaggerated, sugar coated bubblegum, idol stuffs. It can be a bit much as I’ve seen Chinami and other’s point out a few times (either by stating it outright or by how they act around her). It’s all fun and games tho, and funny to see Chii, Maasa and Miya occasionally picking on her. I say she’s somewhat of a “perfect idol” and I still think the label fits. It’s kind of an act, but deep down you get a sense of who she really is despite all of that.

Sugaya Risako

5. Risako (+2)

Well, well, Risako, how in the world did you ever manage to climb up two spots on my list? That little squint and pout thing you do, it’s still irks me a bit. Your voice ain’t the best and you have a tendency to yell rather than sing. You dance a bit lazily sometimes. You seem to try and act mature somewhat inappropriately, like it’s some sort of front… Okay I’m done. From being an annoyance, all of those little traits I’ve come to accept as Risako just being herself, you know. It’s generally hard to bug me, or get on my nerves in the first place, so I’ve kinda just lightened up, opened up and seen more of Risako from a slightly different point of view; sparked by seeing her live during the summer and fall concerts.

Risako fits the sound of Zoku v-u-den’s ONLY YOU so well and her performance of the song was just splendid. She approached the song with tenacity and powah. During Medachitaii, she was having so much fun on stage and appeared to be feeding off the atmosphere of the audience. Oh, and she smiled and waved at me at one point… how can you not just melt under those circumstances.

They keep on pushing her hard and I’ll continue to say as I’ve said in the past, I hope she can keep up and continue to endure it.

Natsuyaki Miyabi

6. Miyabi (-1)

I still see her as the one in the group who is a little shy, timid, and wields an amazing voice; the one who’s a bit motherly and takes care of the Berryz when they’re feeling a little down. Over the year, I’ve also seen a lot more of the idoly side of Miya, both in Buono! and Berryz. She can switch from fun, to mature, to dimwitted, to playfully angry; truly talented and versatile.

Kumai Yurina

7. Kumai (-1)

Now it really is hard having someone at the bottom of the list, but alas, it has to happen. She’s lost the “boring” label I bestowed upon her last go round and has presented herself as someone fun and entertaining. Her voice might not match perfectly with some of the new groups she’s in, but she does stand out if nothing else.

The lemon vampire thing is in the back of my mind when thinking about Kumai, so is her wonky pose on the cover of one of their recent DVDs, oh and her crying when having to chomp on that tomato. More recently tho I’m reminded of her running on the treadmill thing during the Otakebi making of. Her style of running, which has been showcased before, is completely wonky, it’s adorable. Then she misplaces her gloves, a minor thing, but cute nonetheless. So cheesy and a little absent minded, just want to go over and give her a big ol’ bear hug.

H!P Poll 2009

My ten are packed with the Kids of course, with Berryz and °C-ute filling the top spots. I’ve got my thoughts on them detailed in my rankings posts if you’re interested.

Ne~e? Matsuura Aya has always been a favorite of mine. She was one of, if not the first H!P act that I had heard or seen. I’ve always enjoyed some of her earlier works, and while I believe that some of her more recent stuff isn’t as good, I love it all the same. Also, can’t forget GAM. The combo of Aya and Fujimoto Miki really worked.

Abe Natsumi, was introduced to me when she did the duet with Maimi early last year. Through a bit of searching I found Koi no Telephone Goal and a few others that I’ve enjoyed. Seeing her in some of the older Morning Musume songs and shows, she’s not only cute, but fun. With SALT5, DEF.DIVA and Nochiura Natsumi she’s also done some enjoyable work. She’s also one of the few in H!P who are around my age, haha.

Yoshizawa Hitomi was a hit during her English lessons. Really played up the tom boy role with the Musumes and has always been cool with Gatas and Hangry & Angry. Her personality has always stood out to me, and that earns her a spot in my tops.