Arashi Exhibition Journey - more like a journey into racism and exclusion.
Okay, I was staying in Japan,planning to return to Australia in late August. I really, really wanted to go to the Arashi exhibition because... der... I've been an Arashi fan for over 12 years.
I balloted for August but missed out. i wasn't going to ballot for September because it would've meant extending my trip but then decided I'd try for 1st and 2nd only. Long story but I ended up hitting for September 1st!!!
Woohoo, I thought.
I changed my flight, extended my time in my apartment and prepared my heart.
My heart was not prepared for what happened when I got to the exhibition entrance, though...
I have been a member of the Arashi fan club for years. When I joined up, I went to the Johnnys Family Club office in Shibuya with my friend who lives in Japan because at the time there was information going around the internet that international fans needed someone living locally to sponsore them. The girl working in the office said that wasn't a thing and to use my friend's Japanese address on the fan club application. <<<---NOTE: TOLD THIS BY JOHNNYS EMPLOYEE.
Fast forward through years of paying for my membership, only once hitting in the ballot. Pain and heartache, the works. And finally, I get to go to the exhibition. I get to see those transparent outfits with my own eyes, I get to see behind the scenes...
I line up with to enter, the time comes and everyone goes to the staff, show their QR code, their ID and their FC membership card, get a catalogue and go to join another line.
Until it's my turn.
The staff member looks at my passport (an official form of ID that can be used for stuff like entering countries and other really important official stuff).
Then she asks me, do you have ID with a Japanese address on it?
I tell her no, I don't live in Japan.
And she says that I can't enter the exhibition. Sayonnara, bitch (she didn't actually say that but that's how it sounded in my head).
I think she expected me to just say okay and leave quietly. Really?
You can't pump someone's head full of there's no wall you can't climb and gambarre and sugu soba ni aru then expect them to walk meekly away. You can't say causing a storm throughout the world then add a footnote but only if you live in Japan!
I can't exactly remember what I said. At this point, speaking in English was difficult enough let alone Japanese. My hands shook, my brain stopped working and I really thought I would vomit. At one point, I typed this is racism into Google translate and showed it to her. I just could not believe that they'd refuse me entry because I didn't live in Japan.
I stood my ground though. I'd decided that unless they physically threw me out, I wasn't leaving. In the end one of the staff told me to wait a minute and went off. I'm not sure where she went, but obviously to speak to someone. When she returned, she asked me if I had a credit card. I thought that was strange but she ended up getting three cards off me. I think the idea was that if I had a wallet full of cards in the same name, I wasn't faking my ID (like a passport isn't good enough)!
In the end, they let me in but I was so shaken and upset, I didn't enjoy the exhibition as much as I wanted. I tried to push all the nastiness out of my head but that'd been some extreme shock.
I wanted to post about this because I would really hate for other Arashi fans to be turned away, especially if you're only intending to go to Japan for the exhibition. Fronting up all that money for flights, accommodation, etc then discovering you can't get in would be heartbreaking.
** Note: when the staff finally let me in, they said it was okay for the exhibition but I'd need ID with a Japanese address to get into concerts. Since I'd already been to 5x20 earlier in the year and used my passport for ID, I'm not sure if she was just saying that to cover her arse or if it's true.
I balloted for August but missed out. i wasn't going to ballot for September because it would've meant extending my trip but then decided I'd try for 1st and 2nd only. Long story but I ended up hitting for September 1st!!!
Woohoo, I thought.
I changed my flight, extended my time in my apartment and prepared my heart.
My heart was not prepared for what happened when I got to the exhibition entrance, though...
I have been a member of the Arashi fan club for years. When I joined up, I went to the Johnnys Family Club office in Shibuya with my friend who lives in Japan because at the time there was information going around the internet that international fans needed someone living locally to sponsore them. The girl working in the office said that wasn't a thing and to use my friend's Japanese address on the fan club application. <<<---NOTE: TOLD THIS BY JOHNNYS EMPLOYEE.
Fast forward through years of paying for my membership, only once hitting in the ballot. Pain and heartache, the works. And finally, I get to go to the exhibition. I get to see those transparent outfits with my own eyes, I get to see behind the scenes...
I line up with to enter, the time comes and everyone goes to the staff, show their QR code, their ID and their FC membership card, get a catalogue and go to join another line.
Until it's my turn.
The staff member looks at my passport (an official form of ID that can be used for stuff like entering countries and other really important official stuff).
Then she asks me, do you have ID with a Japanese address on it?
I tell her no, I don't live in Japan.
And she says that I can't enter the exhibition. Sayonnara, bitch (she didn't actually say that but that's how it sounded in my head).
I think she expected me to just say okay and leave quietly. Really?
You can't pump someone's head full of there's no wall you can't climb and gambarre and sugu soba ni aru then expect them to walk meekly away. You can't say causing a storm throughout the world then add a footnote but only if you live in Japan!
I can't exactly remember what I said. At this point, speaking in English was difficult enough let alone Japanese. My hands shook, my brain stopped working and I really thought I would vomit. At one point, I typed this is racism into Google translate and showed it to her. I just could not believe that they'd refuse me entry because I didn't live in Japan.
I stood my ground though. I'd decided that unless they physically threw me out, I wasn't leaving. In the end one of the staff told me to wait a minute and went off. I'm not sure where she went, but obviously to speak to someone. When she returned, she asked me if I had a credit card. I thought that was strange but she ended up getting three cards off me. I think the idea was that if I had a wallet full of cards in the same name, I wasn't faking my ID (like a passport isn't good enough)!
In the end, they let me in but I was so shaken and upset, I didn't enjoy the exhibition as much as I wanted. I tried to push all the nastiness out of my head but that'd been some extreme shock.
I wanted to post about this because I would really hate for other Arashi fans to be turned away, especially if you're only intending to go to Japan for the exhibition. Fronting up all that money for flights, accommodation, etc then discovering you can't get in would be heartbreaking.
** Note: when the staff finally let me in, they said it was okay for the exhibition but I'd need ID with a Japanese address to get into concerts. Since I'd already been to 5x20 earlier in the year and used my passport for ID, I'm not sure if she was just saying that to cover her arse or if it's true.