Handshake with Ogawa Makoto
Sorry that this has no relation to those of you who don't follow/have no interest in Hello Project, but it is once again going to be me blogging my awesome experiences with my favorite girls in Japan.
So thinking there was an event in Nagoya to commemorate Ogawa Makoto coming to the HP store in Nagoya a friend and I reserved tickets, which really was just paying the 2000 yen for the preorder of the picture. Got home and then realized the event was in Tokyo. After a few moments of "oh shit" there was no more contemplation and I was resigned to spend basically the last of my paycheck on a trip to Tokyo. which both I and a friend did.
Left Saturday night from Nagoya as it said the bus from my city was sold out, though according to my other friend S there were open seats so I hate those people who bought tix then didn't show up. The bus ride was pretty comfortable but for some reason I was feeling really anxious so didn't sleep more than a couple of hours.
After sitting around a diner for hours with friends we headed our separate ways to different events. Bought stuff at the limited time store, which I wouldn't have done, but they took credit card dammit.
Event report is as follows.
***
There wasn't much of a description on the flyer ticket we got nor on the web, so I didn't really know what to expect. The only things known about it were the description talk show with games and handshake.
And it was exactly that. Mako-chan, guided by a host to keep her both on track and making sense, talked for about 30 minutes. It was very ineresting and random and howed how much of a flake she is. When asked to phrase something like the phrases on the picture cards at the shop (which was in the town called Narimasu, which can also when written in a different form be "become") she said "I hope to more properly be able to speak Japanese". And everyone laughed. Because when she studied abroad in New Zealand that was one of the things the English teachers told her, that if she couldn't understand the grammar in Japanese there was no way to understand it in English. Then however she was asked for one more phrase and she couldn't come up with anything but when prodded finally said "Ok ok to be better at adlibbing at times like this." She's hilarious when she's unscripted.
Things that came up in conversation included her bad driving skills; apparently while driving with her dad whe he brought her car down to Tokyo from her hometown one day they headed out to Yokohama. She reported it on her journal saying she was going to see the Bay Bridge and would take a picture there. However she missed the exit off the highway and then in trying to find another exit that would take her back where she needed went a few more exits and got so lost they just had to turn on the navigator and head home.
She also talked about her dog, Azuki, who always sleeps curled up on her arm when she falls asleep. But then she'll move in her sleep and when she wakes up she'll be off to the side of her futon and the dog will still be in the center of the bed laying half on the pillow. So she's stuck curled on only a small portion of the futon as the dog isn't giving it up.
She made the audience laugh when she mentioend going out with Rika, as her sempai, and how they'd often go out to eat together which of course means Rika would be the one paying since she is the sempai. So if Rika asked her to go out she'd just be like "Oh Rika well I want to eat this today" and they do that.
There was also a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament, where everyone stood and if you had the one that beat Mako (you couldn't tie or lose) you remained standing til there was only one left. This was done 3 times, because the second time there were two remaining and they chose to go against Mako rather than each other. The second and third time the friend I went with beat the first round and got out on the second. If you won you got to go up on stage and take a photo with Mako which she would sign later. I probably would've died if I had actually won. The funniest was the second winner who was an older male (the first was a female) who linked arms with Mako and got booed by some of the audience. And when asked how he felt to be booed by the MC he said "It feels great!"
After that they set up for the handshake, which was done rather relaxed so that you had a few seconds to get out what you wanted to say. When I shook her hand and said thankyou for your hard work she looked and saw my face and said in English "Oh thank you so much!" Course I responded in Japanese, very nervous and shaky Japanese (no clue why I was more nervous with her than with Morning Musume, maybe because we sat back down after and she went back up on stage to say a few words, and told her how I'd loved seeing her front row at Yokohama and was looking forward to the play she will be in Tokyo Alice (still need to get tickets, but I want one for the added performance that hasn't gone on sale yet).
So we sat back down and waited for after she left, then were called up by name to pick up the photo we had ordered, signed with our names in it before the show.
So now I have an A4 size signed photo that I need to get framed and it is lovely ^^
Bug god do I need to stop going to Tokyo just to see these girls, but even saying that I know I won't.
So thinking there was an event in Nagoya to commemorate Ogawa Makoto coming to the HP store in Nagoya a friend and I reserved tickets, which really was just paying the 2000 yen for the preorder of the picture. Got home and then realized the event was in Tokyo. After a few moments of "oh shit" there was no more contemplation and I was resigned to spend basically the last of my paycheck on a trip to Tokyo. which both I and a friend did.
Left Saturday night from Nagoya as it said the bus from my city was sold out, though according to my other friend S there were open seats so I hate those people who bought tix then didn't show up. The bus ride was pretty comfortable but for some reason I was feeling really anxious so didn't sleep more than a couple of hours.
After sitting around a diner for hours with friends we headed our separate ways to different events. Bought stuff at the limited time store, which I wouldn't have done, but they took credit card dammit.
Event report is as follows.
***
There wasn't much of a description on the flyer ticket we got nor on the web, so I didn't really know what to expect. The only things known about it were the description talk show with games and handshake.
And it was exactly that. Mako-chan, guided by a host to keep her both on track and making sense, talked for about 30 minutes. It was very ineresting and random and howed how much of a flake she is. When asked to phrase something like the phrases on the picture cards at the shop (which was in the town called Narimasu, which can also when written in a different form be "become") she said "I hope to more properly be able to speak Japanese". And everyone laughed. Because when she studied abroad in New Zealand that was one of the things the English teachers told her, that if she couldn't understand the grammar in Japanese there was no way to understand it in English. Then however she was asked for one more phrase and she couldn't come up with anything but when prodded finally said "Ok ok to be better at adlibbing at times like this." She's hilarious when she's unscripted.
Things that came up in conversation included her bad driving skills; apparently while driving with her dad whe he brought her car down to Tokyo from her hometown one day they headed out to Yokohama. She reported it on her journal saying she was going to see the Bay Bridge and would take a picture there. However she missed the exit off the highway and then in trying to find another exit that would take her back where she needed went a few more exits and got so lost they just had to turn on the navigator and head home.
She also talked about her dog, Azuki, who always sleeps curled up on her arm when she falls asleep. But then she'll move in her sleep and when she wakes up she'll be off to the side of her futon and the dog will still be in the center of the bed laying half on the pillow. So she's stuck curled on only a small portion of the futon as the dog isn't giving it up.
She made the audience laugh when she mentioend going out with Rika, as her sempai, and how they'd often go out to eat together which of course means Rika would be the one paying since she is the sempai. So if Rika asked her to go out she'd just be like "Oh Rika well I want to eat this today" and they do that.
There was also a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament, where everyone stood and if you had the one that beat Mako (you couldn't tie or lose) you remained standing til there was only one left. This was done 3 times, because the second time there were two remaining and they chose to go against Mako rather than each other. The second and third time the friend I went with beat the first round and got out on the second. If you won you got to go up on stage and take a photo with Mako which she would sign later. I probably would've died if I had actually won. The funniest was the second winner who was an older male (the first was a female) who linked arms with Mako and got booed by some of the audience. And when asked how he felt to be booed by the MC he said "It feels great!"
After that they set up for the handshake, which was done rather relaxed so that you had a few seconds to get out what you wanted to say. When I shook her hand and said thankyou for your hard work she looked and saw my face and said in English "Oh thank you so much!" Course I responded in Japanese, very nervous and shaky Japanese (no clue why I was more nervous with her than with Morning Musume, maybe because we sat back down after and she went back up on stage to say a few words, and told her how I'd loved seeing her front row at Yokohama and was looking forward to the play she will be in Tokyo Alice (still need to get tickets, but I want one for the added performance that hasn't gone on sale yet).
So we sat back down and waited for after she left, then were called up by name to pick up the photo we had ordered, signed with our names in it before the show.
So now I have an A4 size signed photo that I need to get framed and it is lovely ^^
Bug god do I need to stop going to Tokyo just to see these girls, but even saying that I know I won't.