Con Report: Arashi Anniversary Tour 5x10 - Kokuritsu 8/28 (Part 2)

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Sorry this is so late! I’m still getting my life together after moving back from Japan…because I also ditched the first week of school to go to the concert XP. But if anyone is still interested…

You can find the first part (over here). And here is . . .

Corrections/Additions to Part 1
After seeing other con reports and paparazzi pics, I realized some of my details were wrong. Gomen nasai! I wonder if my sleep-deprived brain is making things up… Sorry my con report isn’t 100% accurate! D:

- I wrote the concert started at 4:40, but I meant 5:40. I can tell time, honestly
- Water fountains may or may not have actually swayed, I can’t recall. There was a good breeze blowing so maybe that’s what gave the impression?
- The Olympic torch was off in the beginning because our boys would fry. However, around Aiba’s solo I saw the torch was lit and it would stay burning well after the concert had ended.
- Aiba’s Solo: I thought he sprinted on stage when Aiba actually glided out really fast and really low on the middle zip line. Also, only his jacket is made of tattered jean material, the rest of his costume is red. If you hadn’t seen them yet, paparazzi pics are here and here. Also, I remember that the screens showed giant speakers (think of the Hero PV) that would vibrate with the beat.
- Nino’s Solo: I’ve also read that he messed up the lyrics (thanks to everyone for filling in details! <3). Honestly, I didn’t notice so it wasn’t in my report. The boys can make as many mistakes as they want, doesn’t matter to me haha.
- Ohno’s Solo: Just wanted to add that they showed clips from the drama, and everyone laughed as several shots of Ohno in mascot suits flashed by, especially the acorn. :P
- Sho’s vegetable is hakusai, a type of Japanese leafy green. He had to do an “Air Hakusai” dance lol. Thanks meeohchan! You can read her comment here.

Now onto the rest!


The Second Half
During the MC the center screens split into 5 panels for each member. Since they were wearing a pink suit with black tie ensemble, the screen was a mass of bright pink. I remember thinking how Ohno’s customized earphones matched, and then noticed that his stance was kinda weird: mic in one hand while the other hand tugged at the sleeve like a nervous kid, lol. Sho-kun, on the far right, disappeared and left his panel blank. It was like that for a while before the screen changed, so it felt a bit lonely.

Then Aiba yelled out, “Minna, are you ready?”
Audience: Yeeeaaaaaay!
And the other members disappeared.

Tomadoinagara (Sho's solo, theme from his drama Yoiko no Mikata)
The Jrs. lined up on all four hanamichi that branched of the center stage and Sho came out in a white and green sequined hoodie that even from the top stands I could see glittering. Those green laser lights turned on and Sho began a remix of Tomadoinagara that was more… R&B? I don’t know how to describe it. The performance was pretty low-key. Sho paused at one point for the audience to do something but I didn’t know what. The moment passed and he awkwardly finished the song. Kinda fail. xD

The center stage lights went dark and Sho disappeared. Then the letters of “WISH” scrolled out in a fancy font on the narrow top center screen. Below it, ALL of the screens were linked together to make a gigantic classic red theater curtain, complete with golden rope.

The stage lights grew brighter. The electronic curtain started to rise. Then, from a trap door in the main stage, MatsuJun also rose. The effect was dramatic and everyone around me went “Uwaaa~~!” MatsuJun raised his arms and conducted a beat. The orchestra picked up and played the intro into a jazzy

WISH (MatsuJun's solo, theme from his drama Hana Yori Dango, first season)
I barely mentioned MatsuJun in my last report, but let me make it up by saying his solo was, by far, the most impressive.

Dressed in black slacks with black suspenders over a white button-up shirt and a black bowler-like hat, MatsuJun gave off a strong 1920’s swing/jazz bar vibe. “Behind” the electronic curtain was a big city intersection that was a cross between Shibuya and Times Square. One of the giant TV displays on the skyscrapers showed the live concert camera feed. The other showed good old flashbacks of Doumyoji and Tsukushi in HYD.

The jazz remix gave WISH an entirely new beat. The melody was almost unrecognizable but still awesome. In close-ups you can see the horn ensemble swing their instruments back and forth in true Big Band style. The music paused for MatsuJun to do a fancy little dance solo. Of course, everyone cheered him on. Then the music resumed and he returned to the role of Conductor, waving his arms around in that fluid MatsuJun style. As the jazz piece ended the trap door began to lower, the lights dimmed, and the curtains drew closed. MatsuJun had disappeared from sight.

Not only did the audience cheer wildly, but also a smattering of applause as if it were a real jazz concert. That’s when all madness broke loose.

Attack it! (5x10 Secret Track)
Lights flashed colors frantically. Spotlights swung out of control. The center screens went crazy. A bright yellow background where gigantic X’s and O’s and ∆’s popped up randomly, making it even harder to follow the scrolling, rapidly blinking lyrics. The only thing I could read was
JUMP!
JUMP!
JUMP!
With such a new song we didn’t know when to shout, or how to wave our pen lights. The boys were too preoccupied with just singing to give any cues, so everyone bopped to the beat. And if you’ve heard the song, you know that’s hard too. xD
But tension was running high and everyone was full of energy – still a great number. :D

The boys reconvened on the center stage and the lights stained everything in dark bloody red.

truth
Impossibly giant flames blossomed on center screens as the string ensemble broke out a pulsating beat. But you couldn't see anything in the murky dimness. As the first verse started they rose slowly into the air.

Their creeping ascent, the darkly whispered lyrics, the lights burning hotter and brighter – it sent chills up the spine.

And what would a performance of truth be without real fire? A frenzy of pyrotechnics went off and set the entire arena ablaze. The boys glided towards the Olympic flame, as if to remind us of its presence. They fell and rose by great lengths that created a spectacular dynamic. Spotlights followed each member, but there were only four…?

They were dressed in sequined trench coats of their respective color, so I could tell that one lone red figure was left hanging halfway above the center stage, just far enough to be out of the flames’ way. That figure didn’t move at all. Oh Sho-kun. <3

The other members glided back towards him… then passed him and went to the main stage. By this time, Sho was already being lowered so he could walk over to them. He raised his arms as if he just did something impressive. Everyone laughed and cheered. If you haven’t seen it yet (although there’s serious backlash from Japanese fans), you can watch a fancam here

Ashita no Kioku
The 5 of them spread out evenly in front of the center screen, which broke into 5 panels again. Behind each member was a somber portrait, from the chest up, looking into the camera with melancholy eyes (in black and white if I remember correctly). Right before the first verse all photos faded out except for Leader’s, who was in the middle panel. At the top you see:

Ohno Satoshi, Born November 26th, 1980

His portrait changes and is replaced by an adorable baby staring at the camera, completely mystified by it. The audience sent out a wave of “Kya~!”

One by one, in order of oldest to youngest, we see baby pictures of each member: Sho, Aiba, Nino, and finally MatsuJun (who had the thickest, darkest eyebrows I’ve ever seen on a baby).

Then all 5 panels turned on and the photos progressed onwards. You could see all of them age together: going to school, wearing a team uniform in baseball games… right up to their Johnny’s Juniors days. The pictures flashed by faster as the song entered the chorus.

Suddenly, all sorts of pictures were raining from the top of the screen: some from when they debuted, some from backstage at concerts and recent PVs. You could visually see them mature from an awkward teenage band to the Arashi that we know today.

The raining pictures lined up into a collage and the camera zoomed out. Some pictures got brighter while others faded black. Soon, the song ended and the pictures melded into the kanji for “Arashi.”

It was as if I had seen each of their lives fast forwarded. If I was one of their mothers, I would surely be crying.

The VTR
Continuing the photo theme, the cover of a giant photo album appeared on screen. The boys disappeared while we watched the photo album open. A slow, music box version of Ashita no Kioku played in the background.

Each page had a list of major events and highlights of a year in Arashi’s career on the left side with pictures on the right. The members took turns in narration, usually during a year they had solo activities.

1999 – The big debut in Hawaii. Some clips of them on the yacht that I’ve never seen. They were standing on the side of the boat, looking off into the water probably in disbelief that they were debuting lol.
2000 – “We had our first concert, SUPPIN. The audience that came at that time, are any of them here now?” This line left a deep impression on me. So they really do think about those fans, I thought. It must be crazy for Arashi, the difference between then and today.
2001 – Their first album and first TV show, Mayonaka no Arashi
2002 – PIKA*NCHI, first movie with all 5 members
2003 – D no Arashi, Stand Up!!, How’s It Going? Tour
2004 – Aiba-chan talked about crying on 24- Hour Television and beginning a career in variety with Tensai! Doubutsuen. The clip where a tiger claws onto him was shown. He said something that made everyone laugh but I couldn’t understand probably about near-death experiences, lol
2005 – MatsuJun: “2005: The year we first used the moving stage for our ONE concert.” (MatsuJun created it, didn’t he? His pride and joy ^^) Of course, he also talked about Hana Yori Dango.
2006 – A good year for Sho: “2006: Arashi went on our first overseas Asia Tour and held concerts in Taipei and Korea. I also became a newscaster on NEWS ZERO and had my first solo concert.”
2007 – Nino talked about co-starring with Sho in Yamada Taro Monogatari (everyone screamed at the VTR here), and then their first Dome concert with AAA, followed by the TIME Summer Tour, plus working together in Kiiroi Namida.
2008 – Of course, Ohno talks about his big year: the Freestyle art exhibit and first lead drama role in Maou. Other highlights: Himitsu no Arashi-chan gets a primetime slot, Dream-A-Live Tour, and the second AAA 2008 leading to their first Kokuritsu concert.

What a grand 10 years it has been indeed. The photo album closed shut and faded out.


Suddenly the stadium lights flashed on, and finally we heard the opening bass line that could only be
A.RA.SHI
The crowd cheered as the trap door opened and the boys rose up wearing…

O.M.G.
It’s the stuff of Arashian folklore. Could it be???
Yes, yes it WAS. The see-through vinyl raincoats with white trim and matching shorts. Nothing had changed from 10 years ago.

And what could be better than vinyl suits? You know how during Ohno’s “Step by Step” solo Nino the members always touch him? This time, it wasn’t just a single grope. All of them were patting, rubbing, and squeezing every bit of Leader they could find for a full 5-10 seconds. It felt like an eternity! The camera zoomed in and all you could see were hands, lol. Poor Leader was thoroughly molested. xD

Want to see what I mean? There are pics now!

Sunrise Nippon
Kimi no Tameni Boku ga Iru
Jidai
Somewhere during this medley they changed out of the raincoats of awesomeness, otherwise, it was all a blur for me. xD

Nice na Kokoroiki
The center screens had blue stick figures (the kind that you see in bathroom and warning signs) that were wearing glasses walking back and forth on a white background. I was hoping they would put on some black rimed glasses but no such luck.

All of them were very sweaty by now. MatsuJun kept pulling his hair back from his face and soon had a slicked Greaser look because of it, lol.

PIKA*NCHI
Tomadoi Nagara
Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono
Although they were solos earlier, this time it was the original version of each song put together into a medley. I wondered why they sang these again, but looking at the set list I guess they wanted to include the A-side singles they hadn’t done as a group yet?

Hero
Sakura Sake
WISH
Kitto Daijoubu
The first three were another blur, but they did the entire dance for Kitto Daijoubu on the rear arena stage. I remember watching their backs as they danced and everyone around me did their best to be in sync with them.

Love So Sweet
I remember seeing bags of candy floating around the screens, but it might’ve been for another song. xD

Happiness
In the beginning guitar solo Sho was shuffling his feet, trying to scuttle away from the others. He kept looking over his shoulder as he made his get-away. The other members just walked normally, easily catching up with him. Too cute. ^^

Believe
They gathered on center stage and went straight into the dynamic dance. After Sho finished his rap the lights dimmed. Side by side the boys walked in step with one other, pivoting sharply to each echoed beat. Those beats gathered speed, faster and louder until the music paused… Sou . . .

BAM!
as fireworks exploded above the stage. Everyone cheered in surprise as the fireworks continued running back and forth across the top of the screens, as if in chase of the chorus. The effect made my heart race. A row of sparkling gold fireworks roared so loudly I could barely hear the song end. The audience screamed wildly in approval.

Closing MC
A slow piano version of Kansha was played as the members lined up. I finally understood why they opened the concert with this song. It was their way of saying “Thank you for coming!” but now they would say, "Thank you for your support" to us plainly in words. Sho was first to come forward. As always, he spoke politely and expressed himself clearly. What happened next was different.

Leader walked forward. I listened intently to just his voice, the actual words escaping me. But those words disappeared, making the entire stadium “Kya~!” Ohno paused again. It seemed like he would say more, but the silence only grew longer. The camera zoomed in and we could see his eyes glistening, wavering back and forth, searching for something to say. His mouth opened but nothing came out. It seemed like Ohno was fighting with himself to hold back the tears, but also wanting to share something much deeper. For a moment, he looked like a lost child. For me, that moment lasted forever. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

Then the obasan in front of me sniffled loudly. It brought me back to the clamor of the audience. Everyone was either crying or shouting. I couldn’t stand it anymore and yelled, “Ganbare!!!!” too. Of course there’s no way Ohno would be able to hear me, but he did continue and bowed to a round of applause.

Leader turned around and walked into Aiba, who grabbed him into the briefest half-hug. I say half-hug because Ohno didn’t actually stop. He slowed down, returned the hug, and slid away from Aiba, as if to say, “I’m fine, go say your thanks now.” I don’t think Ohno planned on getting so emotional, so perhaps he was embarrassed. I definitely wished it lasted longer…

Aiba-chan surprisingly didn’t cry at all. In the end I recognized those famous lines of “Creating a storm through the world” and everyone laughed, cheering along with him.

Nino came forward, looked back at Aiba and Leader, and commented on how everything was the opposite of what it should be tonight. Nino smiled as everyone laughed, and began to reflect on the past 10 years. Suddenly a deep boom reverberated through the stadium, I could feel it through my body. I became more annoyed than confused. Who was making such a ruckus during the concert?

An ear-splitting crackle and everyone turned around to see fireworks just outside the stadium. Not the concert stage-type sparklers, but the ones you see at New Year’s: gigantic flowers of gold floating in the sky. I never heard fireworks so close before. All of the members were quite surprised and I got the feeling none of them knew about this. Nino tried to continue but the fireworks were too loud. He gave up and watched with the other members, who would say “Suge~!” every now and then. The camera switched from Nino to a camera that was behind the members. I saw the fireworks as they did from the center stage, their silhouettes surrounded by gold. After a minute it stopped, and Nino said a bewildered “Arigatou” before apologizing non-stop, probably to all the residents in the area. ^^;

Finally MatsuJun’s turn, where he concluded the MC sweetly and introduced the last song.

5x10
Pictures of Arashi, each filled with memories, spanned the screens…
I looked down on their solemn stances…
Reaching out to the audience… swaying slightly to the beat…
As they sincerely sang their thanks to us…
Suddenly it hit me and I started crying…

So I can’t tell you much else except when I looked up there were thousands of balloons. The ones near the center were red and blue, while the ones near the stands were orange, yellow, white…

Love Love for You…
As so many colors mixed together and rose, swirling into the night sky. It was beautiful.

Every fountain spouted to its full height, shooting higher than the stands. The orchestra finished with a thundering climax and the boys disappeared behind a curtain of water.

They knew we weren’t going to let them off that easy.

Encore 1
PIKA**NCHI DOUBLE
Asu ni mukatte
Dekiru Dake
One Love

Encore 2
fight song
gorimuchuu
A.RA.SHI

They came out again, in personalized versions of the con T-shirt. I could see that Aiba and Nino had studs or rhinestones on the collar, Sho in his typical tank top style, Ohno with a lot more glitter, and MatsuJun with…. Mop head sleeves? lol

The encores were full of energy and everyone was totally hyped up. That’s all I can say lol. Oh! The one moment I wasn’t looking at the screens MatsuJun kissed the camera. I totally missed it but from the steamy lens and tons of screaming, I figured out what happened. xD

At this point their voices began cracking and I knew they were reaching their limit…As much as I hated it to end, they lined up as MatsuJun did the closing MC.
“I’d like everyone to say our name… but I seemed to have forgot it…” and he feigned this really cute confused face. Everyone laughed and he broke character by laughing too. Of course, as they swung their arms into a deep bow, “ARASHIIII!” echoed through the stadium.

The trap door lowered slowly. They kept waving. We kept waving back.
Until, finally, they disappeared beneath the stage.

[End Con Report]

I hope you enjoyed! I’m glad many replied that they felt like they were at the concert. I tried my best to take you there with me because I wanted to give something back to the community since I fail at everything else. I’m truly grateful to have this experience and wished everyone on LJ was there too~ cuz the girls next to me were totally silent ^o^;;

And now there are plenty of pics and stuff out there so you can see the SHINY with your eyes!


BONUS: Things I wish I knew before buying concert goods
1) People WILL cut in front of you. If you want to be active by cutting while you queue, look for people who are distracted (texting, reading manga, playing on a DS) and wedge yourself ahead of them as soon as the line moves. Also, when the line turns a corner, go towards the outer edge of the turn where there will be more room. People on the inside of the turn will get stuck. If you don’t care, then definitely bring something to occupy yourself with. -_-

2) There are separate areas of lines for each type of concert merchandise. Eco bags are sold at every line so you have something to carry everything else in. If you go at night, start with the area closest to the entrance as they begin closing lines in that order. The first area (for pamphlets) shut down by the time I reached the fourth area (for charms I think).

3) IMPORTANT!! Let’s say you want to buy all 6 posters, or all of the uchiwas, etc. The correct phrase to use is “Hitotsu zutsu kudasai” (One of each, please). If you say “Zenbu!” (Everything!), they will not understand you. I got a big blank stare when I tried Thanks aeslis!

4) To make things go faster, try using counters when you order. Here is a list made by hontowa - thanks!

When you order different things at one time, it’s best to say the product then the amount. For example, “Chaamu futatsu to sutorappu hitotsu kudasai” (Two charms and one strap please). Before paying, the staff will review everything you ordered to make sure it is correct. After paying, they will say a bunch of stuff in Japanese about no returns or refunds because there are no receipts.

5) There will probably be a separate tent that sells past Arashi singles, albums and DVDs (of course all normal edition) in case you missed any.

P.S. A word of caution to anyone flying overseas with the radish pack concert goods: CUSTOMS! The radish seeds come packed in Japanese soil. Each country will have different Customs standards, but for the US both seeds and soil need to have special certificates from the government for export, which are not included with the concert goods.

Of course, without thinking I declared. And yes, my radish seeds were taken away. T_T
I asked to keep the bag though, which I wanted more than the radishes anyway lol. I couldn’t grow a weed even if I wanted to
I don’t think Customs would’ve found out if I hadn’t said anything, but if you get caught it’s a $300 fine! :O It’s up to you to take the risk. :-/

Comments

[craziikino.livejournal.com]

You are not very late.
I'm not over their concert fever yet (:
Reading your report makes me feel that I am actually there ^ ^
I cried, I smiled, I jumped, I screamed!

Thank you very much for very small details that you have given and mentioned...
I really think this will help me if I will ever go to see them LIVE !

[missa-niera.livejournal.com]

even it was more than a week now, reading a concert report still can makes me excited!XD
they take your radish kit?! i think they want it for themselves..cant resist Arashi's stuff too, maybe~~ >,

[shokim.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the report! Missed the con so so much... :/

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Me too. ;_;
I like your icon btw ^^

[c-alen.livejournal.com]

thank you for your report.

[tippyrose.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for your wonderful summary.

Thanks for sharing your happy moment with our beloved ARASHI to us.

[taiwanf4sale.livejournal.com]

i personally think the best parts of the concert would be (sadly, just basing from con reports though XD):
ashita no kioku while showing their pics, the VTR about arashi's accomplishments in 10 years, and them wearing that legendary plastic outfits!
i'm not their mom, and yet i was teary eyed while reading the ashita no kioku part ^^; i guess i just feel equally proud of them, like their moms XD
thanks for sharing the 2nd part of your report! and i'm sorry about your radish seeds :( sometimes, customs simply amazes me it makes me cry (>_<)

[matchalie.livejournal.com]

Hoaaa (=^.^=) Thank you so much for the report!
It was a really detailed and exciting report that i doubt you fail at everything else XD be more confident, ne~
and how i wish i was there so that i could squeal, flail, scream, jump or whatever to replace those quiet people >,<
i can't believe anyone could stay silent in front of the boys... or maybe they were just simply too awed! hahaha..

Such a pity your radish kit was taken away =(
so did you get to keep the bag?
lol.. when i heard the radish kit, i was like huh? what? hahaha so it turn out that it has radish seed in it!! so cute!! and rather random XDD

Thanks for putting up the links too so we can see how it was~
aaaa~ hontou ni arigatou m(_ _)m

[angy85.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the report!^^

[writerdeeh.livejournal.com]

YOU. ARE. SO. AWESOME.


P.S Gomene about your radishes. :/ But you got to see the concert, which, from what I am reading, was SO FREAKIN AWESOME.

[relockz.livejournal.com]

thk u for the report! i wish i am there ahhhh~!

[aeslis]

Sorry to poke my head in, but I just wanted to mention that the proper phrase to use would be "hitotsu zutsu kudasai", instead of "hitori". If you use "hitori" it means "one by one", and you're counting people. You could probably get away with "ichimai zutsu" too, depending on the item. :)

Too bad your radishes got caught in customs, I never even thought of that.

Glad you had a good time!

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll correct it right away. I must've heard incorrectly xD

[inay91.livejournal.com]

Thanx a lot 4 sharing it!
Luv ya!

[eggchan.livejournal.com]

Did Matsujun really invent the moving stages? I didn't even know that o_o;; is it written in an interview somewhere? Because now I'm really curious ^^

[(Anonymous)]

He is the one who came up with the idea of having transparent stages that move above the audience. Try checking out Yuckie/Nyanchan's collaboration on his Shounen Club Premium guesting dated February 17, 2008.

I have read it too somewhere but I can't recall right now. Sorry about that. ^_^'

[ofs1992.livejournal.com]

For example, “Chaamu futatsu to sutorappu hitotsu kudasai”

thats so long to say! if ever i get to go to one, i may have to pose as a mute person (or just lost major vocal power)and bring out signboards with my orders written in japanese characters and just show them to the counter people. would that work by the way?

why the backlash? we know his phobia with heights and it doesn't really get much easier each time you face it. poor sho! (and hope he'll do better on his solos in the dome cons!)

and poor radishes! thanks for sharing the tips! =)

[violomana.livejournal.com]

The signboards would work, although I think people will be a little bit surprised ^^;;

The backlash is directed towards the fact that someone made a fancam, which is a BIG NO-NO at concerts. The Japanese comments pretty much all say the same thing: "Shame on you for doing this even though you know you're not suppose to. Please stop it (you're causing trouble for Arashi and other fans, etc.)"

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the detailed report!

Just to add to what you already have, here are the appropriate counters for each of the goods:

Pamphlet - 1bu, 2bu
Poster - 1mai, 2mai, etc.
Clear files - 1bu, 2bu, 3bu, etc.
Photo set - 1bu, 2bu etc
Uchiwa - hitotsu, futatsu, etc.
Pen light - hitotsu, futatsu, etc.
Tshirt - 1mai, 2mai, etc.
Eco bag - hitotsu, futatsu, etc.
Bath towel - hitotsu, futatsu, etc.
Straps - 1hon, 2hon, 3bon, etc.
Charm - 1ko, 2ko, etc
Radish kit - hitotsu, futatsu, etc.
Jiyuu note - 1satsu, 2satsu, etc.

Of course in general, if you use the hitotsu, futatsu counters for just about anything they'll understand, but if anyone wanted to be reaaally specific XD Also, I noticed that last year when I bought a T-shirt they asked me if it was okay that it's 1 size only (ladies small). For non-Japanese speakers it might help to know that ^^

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info! I remember getting to the lines and going, "Ah crap. I should've looked up how to order before coming." xDDDD I'll add your info to the post!

[brandybelle.livejournal.com]

aww thanks for the other half!! i enjoyed reading it, and i dont blame u for blanking out at some parts :D all that awesomeness is really hard to remember huh!

btw, sorry about ur radish kit :( that sucks that u didnt get to bring it in. but being able to see ohno crying is an awesome memory to have ^-^

thank u so very much for this 2nd half!!

[nami-chibi.livejournal.com]

woa~
thanks so much for sharing this XD
i really love how detailed the report is... makes me feel all emotional especially at the part that Oh-chan started crying ><

really thanks a lot for the report :D ~

[cutetakato.livejournal.com]

waaa everything sounds amazing! i love the fact that they showed clips and such really sentimental~~ahh i have a question! i'm planning to go line up for goods for the osaka concert but i have no idea when i should go~do have any idea how early they start selling goods? what time did you arrive and how long did you wait? sorry to bug you~~

[shokim.livejournal.com]

They start selling at 10am. You can go queue up very early like at 9am or something because the Japanese take their queueing very seriously!! [the later, the bigger the crowds]

Good luck with Osaka Dome coz I hate the venue so much. Its too steep and high for those sitting higher up in my opinion...

[freedz88.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing! ^^

[eyeslikefirefly.livejournal.com]

P.S. A word of caution to anyone flying overseas with the radish pack concert goods: CUSTOMS! The radish seeds come packed in Japanese soil. Each country will have different Customs standards, but for the US both seeds and soil need to have special certificates from the government for export, which are not included with the concert goods.

Ahh...I should have thought of that since I work at a soil testing lab! The customs will apply to both flying and mailing, so if anyone ordered it, their stuff will probably get held up in customs. D:
I called my mom at work and asked about it (we both work there ^^;). She said you can have it sent to a soil testing lab, as long as that lab has the certificate from the government, and you can pick it up from there by signing for it (not sure if that's all). I'll ask for more details and probably post them up publicly to the community.

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Wow that's really interesting! I was wondering how the mail orders work too. Please keep us updated! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu ^^

[heartilly26.livejournal.com]

hahaha they sold cds and dvds at the con too wow mr.johnny youre a genius! thanks for sharing the rest of the report with us! ^___^

[babydude48.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing the remaining concert report, now that I think about it, it does make you feel you are there and being able to see the pictures along with people's account helps greatly. I'm sure Ohno didn't expect that, and as for Sho well it is lucky he didn't have to go flying for the second time.

[violomana.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the links worked out ok! Man, I would pay a lot to see Sho's face when they came u with the idea to fly over the stadium... I don't know how they convinced him tho... xD

[mikimousey.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Con report!
I was wondering though, what does the radish kit represent? why are they selling it a the concert?

[violomana.livejournal.com]

The radish kit is part of the movement towards being green I think (like the Eco Bags, save the environment!). I have no idea why the decded selling them, but it's a cute idea! Knowing the power of rabid fangirls, it increases the chances of people doing stuff for the environment. :)

[iupdarlin.livejournal.com]

Wow, super awesome concert report, probably the most detailed I've seen :D I've read both parts, and both are really good, I felt like I was there!!
I would have given anything to see Oh-chan get all teary and the Sho-chan bullying in person. I heard he didn't get so teary-eyed on the second day, but at least it will be in the DVD, and Sho was a little better with the flying XD Oh well, maybe better luck next time. Thanks again!!

[sapah-fu.livejournal.com]

someone mailed me a radish kit, and it got through mail customs just fine... so maybe a word to those who want to purchase it to maybe mail it to themselves?

[violomana.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, maybe I should've done that. xD
Thanks for sharing! I wondered if anyone had trouble with mail order goods...