Friday, September 30, 2011

Japan, September Updates!

It's been a while since I have updated my blog, and I dearly apologize for that. >.<  It has been REALLY busy here, and now there is so much to say.  LOL

SOoo...  For the most exciting part....

I AM PART OF GACKT DEARS....AND...

BLOODY HELL I'M GOING TO HIS YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz LIVE ON OCTOBER 27!!!!!  

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:)   I wish I could make a bigger happy face... LOL


Alright, to the more fancy stuff....Getting concert tickets is sooo difficult here in Japan. In the US, it is so easy to secure a ticket for a concert, even if it is the day of you can still get tickets depending on who you are wanting to see. But here in Japan? HEEELLLZ no.  You have to register for the fanclub (and sometimes it costs big money...), you have to register for Lawsons AND their ticket sites, and THEN...you have to HOPE you can get a ticket before they sell out, EVEN if you are in the fanclub.  Usually, concert tickets in Japan sell out within seconds of them being released. So what happens first, is the fanclub members (and SOMETIMES general public), enter to win their tickets in a lottery.  Firstly, you can't find ANY information about how the lottery works. ANYWHERE. So I am going to help yall out if you ever encounter this problem.


This is envelope for tickets/fanclub tickets/ etc

DEARS Fanclub confirmation. This is what you receive at Lawsons after you register for the club at the loppi machine.


 
HOW THE JAPAN CONCERT TICKET LOTTERY WORKS:


With Lawsons and their Ticket site, you sometimes have the option to enter into a lottery to get your ticket(s).  The lottery is usually open to fanclub members only, or fanclub members first, but either way, it is a hit or miss.  It is completely random. Winners are randomly chosen and so are the seats. The good thing about this, is that the fanclub members don't get to steal all the good seats. The bad thing is, is that you could get the worst seating in the entire house.  But that is the least of your worries. At least you have a better chance at securing the ticket. 

Now here is where it gets hard to find information.  When you register with Lawsons and their Ticket site, you have to register what bands you are interested in getting tickets and information for. Your band may or may not be registered.

Also, when you go to enter the lottery, you DO NOT PAY UNLESS YOU WIN THE TICKETS.  This information can't be found ANYWHERE in English, I tried.  I just know this from experience. If you DO win the tickets, then the money is automatically withdrawn from your credit card. 

And now it gets even more trickier...If you win, you will receive a confirmation email from lawsons telling you what you won and how to go pick up your tickets as well as how much was drawn from your account.  The tricky part? Getting the tickets.

Go to a loppi machine usually found in Lawsons. The 100円 Lawsons do not carry the loppi machine (at least not that I can see).  The loppi machine is ALL in Japanese, so make sure you have a denshi jishou, a person who can read kanji,  know your kanji, or just be really good at guessing when you go to pick up your tickets. The machine will ask you for your four digit pin to confirm your tickets, will ask you for the 10 digit confirmation you received in your email, as well as some other information about you.  Here is the most important..do NOT forget your credit card you used to pay. This is how they check to make sure YOU are the one who won the tickets, and not someone who is trying to steal them from you.  So please do not forget:

1). 4 digit pin
2). 10 digit confirmation number
3). credit card used to pay


Also know your address, phone number, DOB, etc. This is useful information when applying for fanclubs too.

Once you have your tickets, you are good and set!!

If you do NOT win your lottery, it is okay because you have a chance to purchase them later on their release date. For this, I suggest you purchase them within seconds of their release time, especially if it is for a famous artist like Gackt, Ayumi Hamasaki, X-Japan, SMAP, Kumi Koda, etc etc.  These tickets sell out within seconds of being released, so be quick and be ready!  There are actually people who wait at the loppi machines or at the computer on the ticket site, waiting for the release time to get their tickets.

Also, Japanese are obsessed with their hobbies, especially when it comes to artists that they like. So they will follow their favorite artist to every live they have all over the world. They will also purchase tickets even if they have no intention of going to the concert.  I know...It sucks...GOOD LUCK!


NIHON BUYOU

Went to my first nihon buyou lesson tonight.  I have been dancing nihon buyou for 5 years now, but I wanted to continue to learn here in Japan. I love to dance, and I love performing, so I was ecstatic to be able to continue dancing here.  

It was sooo great! I made a really awesome friend who will be joining me in my lessons. :)  She loves the things that I like too! We have a lot in common.  She is from China, but lived in Japan for 5 years now.  She likes shabu shabu, karaoke, and enka. :)  She was really easy to get along with!!!!  I can't wait to hang out with her again. ^.^

The sensei is super nice! I got served beer, some snacks... XD  And then he told me that he will teach me a harder dance because I have been doing it for a while. He wants us to perform for a big festival at the end of October. SOOOO exciting, and a bit exhilarating too.  Nerve wracking is another good word to use, I think. lol

We learned a super short song tonight, and we are going to practice it a lot. :P 



TENSHI NO SATO 天使の里

Tenshi no Sato was absolutely gorgeous! The ride to Kyoto took a little long, because we missed our station and went to the wrong one. >.<  We then had to take the bus to Kyoto Station, and get on the JR line to Sato. Tenshi no Sato was right next to the station.  When you walk in, you are bombarded with beautiful gardens and traditional entranceway. Also bombarded with a tall, modern building in the middle of it all. . . 

When you walk in, you check in at the window. If you are a VS member then you don't have to make a reservation. However, if you do not have a Volks paid membership, then you have to make a reservation ahead of time before you can come, and show id when you get there.

The shop was in the basement, and they have all of their one offs for the limited event displayed!!! <3

Speaking on one-offs... O.M.G.  They have showrooms everywhere, and they display all of their best versions and one-offs ever. Along with the limited clothes etc. It just makes you want to pee yourself. O.O  It is so amazing!  You are not allowed to take pictures though.

We met up with three very WONDERFUL ladies!  They were so nice and helpful, and we all hung out and talked about dolls for a long while! 

When we went outside, we went to the gardens to take pictures. So beautiful.  I have taken tons of pics and some video, but I am going to only upload a few of them for now.





After our visit to Tenshi no Sato, we went to a resturant in Kyoto that was famous for their pancakes. They were expensive, at about 750円 to 1000円 for two pancakes and a drink. @.@  You can also add desert to your set (in the US we call it a "meal").

But they were DELICIOUS!!  The place was at a renovated onsen, and you could tell it used to be an onsen. :)  Because of this, we could not take pictures of anything except our food. I don't have pics of my food at the moment to upload. I will have to get them from my friend's camera. :)



I think that is all for now.  Classes are super, joined Kendo and found a guy I like... lol .. .  Joining naginata club (I hope to anyway!), along with Sado club. ^_^  SUPER BUSY!!!


Mimiru


Lawson Ticket Site
https://l-tike.com

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