Ok, so I decided to make this blog because my other one totally got mixed up with japanese stuff I'm interested in as well as my adventures... so it makes it boring and hard to read for ppl who just want to voyer into my travels.
The goal while I'm living in Japan is to hit up all 47 prefecture (hence the blog title) and really explore this awesome country.
Cool stuff I've done
Concert
NEWS Winter Party Diamond in Sendai Hot House Arena
Uchi Hiroki HiROCKY feat. Kis-My-Ft2 in Budokan
Ikimonogakari KonniTour!! in Ota Koumin Kaikan
KAT-TUN Let's Break the Records in Tokyo Dome
Play
Grease in Aoyama Theater
TV Show Taping
Hey!Hey!Hey! Music Champion at NTV Wangan Studio
Met a Celebrity
Mizushima Hiro at Dou de SHOW '09
Previous to JET I've been to:
1. Tokyo
2. Ibaraki
3. Fukuoka
4. Saga
5. Nagasaki
6. Hyogo
7. Osaka
8. Chiba
Places I've been while on JET
1. Tokyo
2. Gunma
3. Nagano
4. Gifu
5. Toyama
6. Chiba
7. Kanagawa
8. Yamanashi
9. Shizuoka
10. Tochigi
11. Miyagi
12. Osaka
13. Hyogo
14. Tokyo
15. Saitama
16. Hokkaido
17. Nara
18. Fukuoka
19. Miyazaki
25 more to go!!!!!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
NARA: Nara Park
Over spring vacation, my mom, aunty laurie, aunty kats, and aunty Sandra came to Japan to visit me (and get a free tour). While they were here, we went to Tokyo, Tochigi, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara.
This was my first time to Nara prefecture. We had one day, and decided to spend it at Nara Park, a World Heritage Site. We got there and headed to Himuro (Ice House) Jinja to take the first of thousands of Sakura pictures; it's known for its cascading sakura trees.
Himuro Jinja is dedicated the god of ice. Apparently, ice from the Yoshiki River was stored in an ice house by the mountain, and it was presented to the Emperor during spring and summer. The shrine was built over this natural freezer, but it was moved in 1217 to its present location in the city. Every May 1st, there is are ice scupltures made in offering to the ice god in hopes that he will bring on a long, hot summer which would, in turn, be good business for the ice makers.
This was my first time to Nara prefecture. We had one day, and decided to spend it at Nara Park, a World Heritage Site. We got there and headed to Himuro (Ice House) Jinja to take the first of thousands of Sakura pictures; it's known for its cascading sakura trees.
Himuro Jinja is dedicated the god of ice. Apparently, ice from the Yoshiki River was stored in an ice house by the mountain, and it was presented to the Emperor during spring and summer. The shrine was built over this natural freezer, but it was moved in 1217 to its present location in the city. Every May 1st, there is are ice scupltures made in offering to the ice god in hopes that he will bring on a long, hot summer which would, in turn, be good business for the ice makers.
Monday, March 9, 2009
TOKYO: Budokan
Ok, so on a totally spur of the moment kind of thing, totoro-chan and I went to see Uchi Hiroki's solo con at the Budokan. Before that, we hit up the Family Club and check out the messages (which were still from Xmas/New Years) as well as the new autographed Arashi "Believe" poster.
Then, we headed over to the Budokan. Our seats were third from the last row (V) on the 2nd floor, but the venue is small enough where we could still see features on their faces without any binoculars. Plus we were seated directly in front of the stage (Minami) so it was a good seat.
The show is called
Then, we headed over to the Budokan. Our seats were third from the last row (V) on the 2nd floor, but the venue is small enough where we could still see features on their faces without any binoculars. Plus we were seated directly in front of the stage (Minami) so it was a good seat.
The show is called
UCHI博貴
内HIROCKY
and the goods were the same as the previous set of concerts he did at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, but I think the photos, wristband, and towel (which all sold out *cries*) were new.
Basically all of the songs were new to us, except for the covers of some Shonentai, Tokio, and the medley of K8/NEWS songs.
The theme song, "Hi Hi ROCKY" was kinda funny. I wouldn't call it good, but it was funny. They sang that for the opening and the first encore. I really liked the Playzone song, "All the Way" (I'll probably post lyrics to it later) and a few others, but have NO IDEA what the names of any of the songs were. I think he wrote the last song he sang in the regular set "Niji iro no Sora e" because when the lyrics came up on the screen, they looked hand written... but I forget if he said he did or not.
For the K8 and NEWS songs, he did Master Key, All of Me for You, I Za Na I Zu Ki, 浪花いろは節, Stand Up,疾走！ Friday Night
Kis-My-Ft 2 (who are cute little juniors) and Mis Snow Man (whoever they are) were the special guests. Kis-My probably performed for like 40% of the concert which was nice because a lot of my students are in love with them, and I was finally able to see why. They're actually pretty good, although I feel like they are a bit EXILE-ish because two of the guys are main singers... (although we could've said the same thing aboutYamapi and Uchi featuring NEWS when they first debuted) But yea, Kitayama is so cute, and there's that one Shige/Kame-ish kid, Kento, he's cute too. During the MC they were making fun of him because they think he resembles a chimp. haha.
They announced that Kis-My and Uchi would be in Playzone this year, Kiss-My will be doing their first tour, and that Tama-chan is in the Gokusen special and the Gokusen movie.
Overall the concert was great. Uchi sounded beautiful, and it was great to see him singing again. A small venue, pyrotechnics, on-key singing, and a three encore show... what more can a girl ask forbesides the towel ?
内HIROCKY
and the goods were the same as the previous set of concerts he did at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, but I think the photos, wristband, and towel (which all sold out *cries*) were new.
Basically all of the songs were new to us, except for the covers of some Shonentai, Tokio, and the medley of K8/NEWS songs.
The theme song, "Hi Hi ROCKY" was kinda funny. I wouldn't call it good, but it was funny. They sang that for the opening and the first encore. I really liked the Playzone song, "All the Way" (I'll probably post lyrics to it later) and a few others, but have NO IDEA what the names of any of the songs were. I think he wrote the last song he sang in the regular set "Niji iro no Sora e" because when the lyrics came up on the screen, they looked hand written... but I forget if he said he did or not.
For the K8 and NEWS songs, he did Master Key, All of Me for You, I Za Na I Zu Ki, 浪花いろは節, Stand Up,疾走！ Friday Night
Kis-My-Ft 2 (who are cute little juniors) and Mis Snow Man (whoever they are) were the special guests. Kis-My probably performed for like 40% of the concert which was nice because a lot of my students are in love with them, and I was finally able to see why. They're actually pretty good, although I feel like they are a bit EXILE-ish because two of the guys are main singers... (although we could've said the same thing about
They announced that Kis-My and Uchi would be in Playzone this year, Kiss-My will be doing their first tour, and that Tama-chan is in the Gokusen special and the Gokusen movie.
Overall the concert was great. Uchi sounded beautiful, and it was great to see him singing again. A small venue, pyrotechnics, on-key singing, and a three encore show... what more can a girl ask for
Saturday, December 20, 2008
TOKYO: Shibuya CC Lemon Hall
Oooooook, so I just got back from Tokyo, where Mizushima Hiro's last day of his fan events occured!!!!!
I was sitting in the 19th row on the second floor in the middle of CC Lemon Hall in Shibuya. It was an OK seat.
The event was themed Christmas, and there were even christmas trees on stage.
A lady announcer came out and sort of helped proctor the event. Hiro talked about the photo shoot of his new book set for release on Tuesday (but available for purchase today at the event) and showed special footage. He said that he likes to do his own hair as much as he likes it when the makeup artist does it. We got to see video of him in bed, and even in the ofuro (bath tub). It was very yummy!
He also talked about his year and how he is amazed at the difference in number of fans from last year's event to now.
There were video messages from both Narimiya (Hiro's co-star in DROP) and Shinagawa (the director of DROP).
We learned that Narimiya thinks very highly about Hiro. We also learned from Shinagawa that Hiro is an "aho" or idiot, and that one time he mistaked his cell phone for chopsticks as he attempted to get food out of the nabe pot.
Then there were behind the scenes footage of Drop filming, and Hiro talked about the fact that they didn't use any stuntmen to do the fight scenes. Also, they didnt use pads for most of the part, so they were really fighting.
Then there was a question an answer segment. Hiro pulled questions that people in the audience asked out of a box.
He said the character most like him is the one he played in "Room of King".
Also, he said the most difficult part he played was the one he is doing now for his new drama.
At the end of the event, we all got to meet Hiro and shake hands with him one by one.
When it was my turn, I told him, "I am America."
and he said, "Oh... OH! You are!?"
and I said, "Yep, and I think you're awesome!"
then he said, "Thank you, thank you so much!"
and then the manager-worker lady pushed me away.
let me just say that he is tall and soooo handsome in real life!!!!! (plus I love his lisp!)
He seriously changed to english without even thinking about it. Like, instead of saying the usual, "EH!?" or like "Majide!?" he said, "Oh?... OH!!" hahaha.
It was awesome, then I was followed by my friend who said she was American too and he thanked her for coming.
When we walked off the stage, we got a Christmas Present from Hiro. It is a notebook with his picture on it and in the back it says Mizushima Hiro Dou deSHOW '08 with a christmas theme.
It is very cute.
now i just have to find a use for it!!!
Here's the rest of the stuff I accumulated.
They were handing out fliers for the Drop movie, and a paper with a special link to a keitai website.
And then I got the "7" pen, a key chain, and two pins.
The event was themed Christmas, and there were even christmas trees on stage.
A lady announcer came out and sort of helped proctor the event. Hiro talked about the photo shoot of his new book set for release on Tuesday (but available for purchase today at the event) and showed special footage. He said that he likes to do his own hair as much as he likes it when the makeup artist does it. We got to see video of him in bed, and even in the ofuro (bath tub). It was very yummy!
He also talked about his year and how he is amazed at the difference in number of fans from last year's event to now.
There were video messages from both Narimiya (Hiro's co-star in DROP) and Shinagawa (the director of DROP).
We learned that Narimiya thinks very highly about Hiro. We also learned from Shinagawa that Hiro is an "aho" or idiot, and that one time he mistaked his cell phone for chopsticks as he attempted to get food out of the nabe pot.
Then there were behind the scenes footage of Drop filming, and Hiro talked about the fact that they didn't use any stuntmen to do the fight scenes. Also, they didnt use pads for most of the part, so they were really fighting.
Then there was a question an answer segment. Hiro pulled questions that people in the audience asked out of a box.
He said the character most like him is the one he played in "Room of King".
Also, he said the most difficult part he played was the one he is doing now for his new drama.
At the end of the event, we all got to meet Hiro and shake hands with him one by one.
When it was my turn, I told him, "I am America."
and he said, "Oh... OH! You are!?"
and I said, "Yep, and I think you're awesome!"
then he said, "Thank you, thank you so much!"
and then the manager-worker lady pushed me away.
let me just say that he is tall and soooo handsome in real life!!!!! (plus I love his lisp!)
He seriously changed to english without even thinking about it. Like, instead of saying the usual, "EH!?" or like "Majide!?" he said, "Oh?... OH!!" hahaha.
It was awesome, then I was followed by my friend who said she was American too and he thanked her for coming.
When we walked off the stage, we got a Christmas Present from Hiro. It is a notebook with his picture on it and in the back it says Mizushima Hiro Dou deSHOW '08 with a christmas theme.
It is very cute.
now i just have to find a use for it!!!
Here's the rest of the stuff I accumulated.
They were handing out fliers for the Drop movie, and a paper with a special link to a keitai website.
And then I got the "7" pen, a key chain, and two pins.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
TOKYO: Fuji TV
So... applying to attend tv show tapings is quite difficult in Japan... especially for the world of Johnnys.
On December 15th, 7pm Arashi will be on Hey! Hey! Hey!'s 2 hour special!!!!!
Why is this important to me?
Because I went to the taping of the episode today!!!
I went to FUJI TV first to get a HEY! HEY! HEY! keychain at the gift shop because I was there two hours too early... and also got some karaage chicken curry to eat at Aqua City. Then...
I got to Telecom Center in Odaiba at around 3pm because the call time was 3:30.
I was number 1022... which means I was the 122nd person... not sure why they added the 0 in there. I got in line and handed the lady all my papers, my fc envelope, id, and fc card.
a half an hour later we were handed little green tickets (which really had no purpose as mine is still in tact) and were lead into a holding area. Here we left all of our purses and jackets (because Japan is getting pretty cold) and then we were escorted into the studio.
Once we got in, we realized that it was a "fancy" set, and the AD guys announced that we were watching the filming of the 2 hour special that will air on December 15th!!!!
On top of this, we were not only going to be watching Arashi's talk, but we would be watching one more artist... Aoyama Thelma!!!
So this comedy duo comes out and talks to us for what seems like an eternity, and then they are testing cameras and telling us to cheer for downtown and aoyama just as much as we would for Arashi (with the clapping and kya kyas). So Matsumoto and Hamada-san come out first and talk a bit. Then they show the Oricon top 10 ranking of the year... Arashi comes in 10 with Beautiful Days, then Kattun with 9 and 8... and then 2 is One Love and 1 is Truth... and out comes Arashi!!!!!!
They stand from left to right: Matsumoto-san (bald host) Oh-chan, Aiba, Sho-kun, Nino, MatsuJun, Hama-chan.
The boys were all wearing Black, Red, and White (I am guessing they performed Truth, but I'm not sure, since I only got to watch the talk part), and I think Oh-chan's was mostly black (i wanna say black collard shirt with red tie... but I can't remember), Aiba-kun was wearing a white leather jacket with a rolling stones shirt, Sho-kun was wearing a red trench coat, Nino was wearing black with a white extremely long scarf that kept slipping throughout the entire taping, and Jun was wearing mostly red (i think it was a vest thingy, I can't remember because Nino was fixing his scarf the whole time and distracting me from looking at Jun... but i do remember MatsuJun's lips looked really red for some reason.).
Then they congratulate the boys and give them an award. Their talk was veeery funny... and the main part was probably inappropriate for TV... haha.
First they say that the most busy member was Oh-chan this year (who was very tan and tiny in real life), because he did his butai and drama and all that good stuff. And he said that during his busiest, he didn't even have a day off.
Then they talked about an episode in Shanghai involving Nino, Sho, and Aiba. I feel that it is just too funny, so I will wait until after it airs to post about it in public... but it was funny.
After Arashi left, walking right next to us and waving like the cool superstars they are, Aoyama Thelma did her talk segment, then we all went back to get our stuff and left. The whole thing lasted about two hours.
On our way out, we got little keitai screen cleaners (the little white thing in the picture with my ticket and confetti i collected. The silver is from ARashi and the blue one is from Aoyama Thelma)
I can't wait for the next event!!!!
On December 15th, 7pm Arashi will be on Hey! Hey! Hey!'s 2 hour special!!!!!
Why is this important to me?
Because I went to the taping of the episode today!!!
I went to FUJI TV first to get a HEY! HEY! HEY! keychain at the gift shop because I was there two hours too early... and also got some karaage chicken curry to eat at Aqua City. Then...
I got to Telecom Center in Odaiba at around 3pm because the call time was 3:30.
I was number 1022... which means I was the 122nd person... not sure why they added the 0 in there. I got in line and handed the lady all my papers, my fc envelope, id, and fc card.
a half an hour later we were handed little green tickets (which really had no purpose as mine is still in tact) and were lead into a holding area. Here we left all of our purses and jackets (because Japan is getting pretty cold) and then we were escorted into the studio.
Once we got in, we realized that it was a "fancy" set, and the AD guys announced that we were watching the filming of the 2 hour special that will air on December 15th!!!!
On top of this, we were not only going to be watching Arashi's talk, but we would be watching one more artist... Aoyama Thelma!!!
So this comedy duo comes out and talks to us for what seems like an eternity, and then they are testing cameras and telling us to cheer for downtown and aoyama just as much as we would for Arashi (with the clapping and kya kyas). So Matsumoto and Hamada-san come out first and talk a bit. Then they show the Oricon top 10 ranking of the year... Arashi comes in 10 with Beautiful Days, then Kattun with 9 and 8... and then 2 is One Love and 1 is Truth... and out comes Arashi!!!!!!
They stand from left to right: Matsumoto-san (bald host) Oh-chan, Aiba, Sho-kun, Nino, MatsuJun, Hama-chan.
The boys were all wearing Black, Red, and White (I am guessing they performed Truth, but I'm not sure, since I only got to watch the talk part), and I think Oh-chan's was mostly black (i wanna say black collard shirt with red tie... but I can't remember), Aiba-kun was wearing a white leather jacket with a rolling stones shirt, Sho-kun was wearing a red trench coat, Nino was wearing black with a white extremely long scarf that kept slipping throughout the entire taping, and Jun was wearing mostly red (i think it was a vest thingy, I can't remember because Nino was fixing his scarf the whole time and distracting me from looking at Jun... but i do remember MatsuJun's lips looked really red for some reason.).
Then they congratulate the boys and give them an award. Their talk was veeery funny... and the main part was probably inappropriate for TV... haha.
First they say that the most busy member was Oh-chan this year (who was very tan and tiny in real life), because he did his butai and drama and all that good stuff. And he said that during his busiest, he didn't even have a day off.
Then they talked about an episode in Shanghai involving Nino, Sho, and Aiba. I feel that it is just too funny, so I will wait until after it airs to post about it in public... but it was funny.
After Arashi left, walking right next to us and waving like the cool superstars they are, Aoyama Thelma did her talk segment, then we all went back to get our stuff and left. The whole thing lasted about two hours.
On our way out, we got little keitai screen cleaners (the little white thing in the picture with my ticket and confetti i collected. The silver is from ARashi and the blue one is from Aoyama Thelma)
I can't wait for the next event!!!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
OSAKA, HYOGO, KYOTO: Himeji castle, Kobe, Amemura and Dotonbori, Kyoto
This weekend was a three-day weekend... which meant time for another trip!!!
Dave, Shauna, Aki, and I headed out for Kansai on a night bus Friday night. At a pit stop somewhere between here and there, Shauna and I experienced our first snow fall!!!!
We overreacted a tad, but I am glad I got to share the experience with another Hawaii person! We got to Namba early Saturday morning, then set out for Himeji Castle. It was my first time there, and I was totally excited!!! The fall leaves were turning colors, and the day was beautiful. That castle is huge! And it makes Osaka castle very commercial (although still pretty to look at). I think I still liked Matsumoto castle better, but Himeji is a must see for sure! I think it's listed as the most beautiful (or was it treasured?) castle in all of Japan.
After that, I parted with the others to meet up with my friend, Akiko, for sweets in Kobe (Sannomiya) (they're famous for their sweets). We went to a cool little cafe and had some cake and coffee after hitting up Harbor Land for a kitty strap (Kobe Chinatown) for my sister.
Then I headed back to Osaka to meet up with DSA and my friend (and old student) Yone. He picked us up in his skyline and drove us to AmeMura (America Mura) and we had Takoyaki on the street before heading over to Dotonbori to be tourists and take lots of pictures. In one of the arcades (alleys) we hit up an Okonomiyaki place. It was really good! While in Osaka the two things you have to do are eat takoyaki and Okonomiyaki... and we did both in the span of a few hours! haha.
After the meal, Yone drove us all the way to our hostel (which was more like an apartment complex) and we said our goodbyes.
The next day we headed over to Kyoto... BIIIIIG mistake! There were sooooo many people there! We were only able to go to Ryoanji, which is a zen garden temple area. We did also cruse around gion and kawaramachi for a bit, but it was so crowded that the bus from Ryoanji back to gion took three hours and we lost a lot of time. That night, we went to Pure night club near Dotonbori in Osaka and hung out with another ALT from Gunma, Li. Then we went back to our hotel and crashed.
Monday wasnt too exciting as we were going to be heading back to Gunma that afternoon. We hit Dotonbori up again and walked around, bought omiyage, and then hit up Namba Walk for lunch. Before we knew it, it was time to get on the bus back home!
We got into Takasaki at 2am, and Shauna and I decided we would stay up and talk instead of trying to sleep for three hours. So we did that, and then made our way to McDs in the station before catching our trains home and heading straight to work (which is something I dont think I will do again).
Dave, Shauna, Aki, and I headed out for Kansai on a night bus Friday night. At a pit stop somewhere between here and there, Shauna and I experienced our first snow fall!!!!
We overreacted a tad, but I am glad I got to share the experience with another Hawaii person! We got to Namba early Saturday morning, then set out for Himeji Castle. It was my first time there, and I was totally excited!!! The fall leaves were turning colors, and the day was beautiful. That castle is huge! And it makes Osaka castle very commercial (although still pretty to look at). I think I still liked Matsumoto castle better, but Himeji is a must see for sure! I think it's listed as the most beautiful (or was it treasured?) castle in all of Japan.
After that, I parted with the others to meet up with my friend, Akiko, for sweets in Kobe (Sannomiya) (they're famous for their sweets). We went to a cool little cafe and had some cake and coffee after hitting up Harbor Land for a kitty strap (Kobe Chinatown) for my sister.
Then I headed back to Osaka to meet up with DSA and my friend (and old student) Yone. He picked us up in his skyline and drove us to AmeMura (America Mura) and we had Takoyaki on the street before heading over to Dotonbori to be tourists and take lots of pictures. In one of the arcades (alleys) we hit up an Okonomiyaki place. It was really good! While in Osaka the two things you have to do are eat takoyaki and Okonomiyaki... and we did both in the span of a few hours! haha.
After the meal, Yone drove us all the way to our hostel (which was more like an apartment complex) and we said our goodbyes.
The next day we headed over to Kyoto... BIIIIIG mistake! There were sooooo many people there! We were only able to go to Ryoanji, which is a zen garden temple area. We did also cruse around gion and kawaramachi for a bit, but it was so crowded that the bus from Ryoanji back to gion took three hours and we lost a lot of time. That night, we went to Pure night club near Dotonbori in Osaka and hung out with another ALT from Gunma, Li. Then we went back to our hotel and crashed.
Monday wasnt too exciting as we were going to be heading back to Gunma that afternoon. We hit Dotonbori up again and walked around, bought omiyage, and then hit up Namba Walk for lunch. Before we knew it, it was time to get on the bus back home!
We got into Takasaki at 2am, and Shauna and I decided we would stay up and talk instead of trying to sleep for three hours. So we did that, and then made our way to McDs in the station before catching our trains home and heading straight to work (which is something I dont think I will do again).
Sunday, November 9, 2008
TOKYO: Ueno, Ikebukuro, Harajuku
Today I went to Tokyo to hang out with some of my old students from ALI.
Before I met up with them I went shopping in Ueno to pass the time before heading to Ikebukuro for winter clothes (it's getting pretty chilly) in Sunshine City.
The next thing I know, it's time to meet up with the friends! We met at Harajuku, took some purikura, and had some coffee before I had to head out back to Gunma!!!
Before I met up with them I went shopping in Ueno to pass the time before heading to Ikebukuro for winter clothes (it's getting pretty chilly) in Sunshine City.
The next thing I know, it's time to meet up with the friends! We met at Harajuku, took some purikura, and had some coffee before I had to head out back to Gunma!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)