Showing posts with label Osaka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Osaka. Show all posts

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Summer(?) Sonic Osaka 2012

I recently bought tickets for Muse's concert (myfavoritebandofalltimesooooexcited) in Oakland, and it reminded me of one of my concert adventures in Japan. It was definitely a concert event I will never forget. So let me tell you about my Summer Sonic experience.

Besides Fuji Rock, Summer Sonic is one of the biggest summer music festivals in Japan and with a line-up like Rihanna, Gym Class Heroes, and Perfume, I definitely wanted to go before I left Japan. So I did.

A hot, summer concert? Oho, little did we know...

My friends and I went on Saturday and although I was sad to miss out on Green Day and Franz Ferdinand, I ended up seeing artists I like such as Gym Class Heroes and Perfume, and even old school favs like Garbage, The Cardigans, and New Order (all of them, were *amazing* by the way). 

So here my friends and I were, sweating and enjoying Perfume's performance, when clouds started creeping over the sky. I didn't think *too* much of it. After all, summer time in Japan is usually caught between nasty humidity and nasty humidity + rain. A little rain couldn't hurt a concert right?

WRONG. First came the thunder. It was so close and very very loud. It was freaking people out, including me. It didn't help that Perfume stopped performing, apologized and said they would be "right back", then left (they *left* us). Then came the downpour. Honestly Japan, of all the days to rain...


Seeking refuge

Despite the torrent, the *second* we saw it stop, the crowd *rushed* back to the stage areas. So in the end I stayed out all night wet and muddy. I didn't exactly feel my finest, but thinking back on it now I'm definitely glad I went even though I lost a good pair of flats. *sigh*

All in all, not bad for my first summer music festival. Don't let Japan's random fickle weather stop you from going to any of Japan's music summer festivals. I definitely recommend going if you can get the chance.


And I leave you with the foodie pic of the day!


Okay I lied. The Meiji Chocolate building seen from the shinkansen.

Brought to you by PanRa at 11:00 AM 0 comments  

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Fireworks! Streamers! Transformers!

...I'm actually talking about a concert.


Back in the day I used to watch a little anime called Bleach (actually my mind is still reeling that a shonen series, let alone Bleach actually *ended*. Ending?) and one of the catchy opening tunes was from a group called UVERworld. I thought the song was so-so at the time, but then I found a...link...to one of their albums and decided to give them a shot. I needed more Japanese music in my iTunes so I figured, what the heck. The rest as they say, is history. I've been buying their albums ever since. I love their rock/pop/hip-hop blend and their instrumental songs just keep getting better and better. This is a band that I would want to see live if given the chance. So of course, now that I live in Japan when I was notified by Lawson's l-tike service of upcoming UVERworld concerts I immediately signed up. 

For those who don't know much about going to concerts in Japan, it's pretty damn hard. Most, if not all concert tickets (popular music; never tried classical/enka/etc) have to be won by lottery. You sign up then a few days later you get a yay or nay. So the more popular your band is, the harder the chances. That being said, I've heard that joining the band/artist's fanclub gets you better chances or even the chance to buy it earlier, but so far that hasn't worked for me (I'm looking at you Johnnys!!!!) Well, being let down so many times, I signed up anyway and of course I didn't win. My friend, however did. <--This was the part where I fist pumped and nearly screamed in fangirl joy.

Before I talk about the concert, a little background of my previous concert experiences in Japan. Japanese audiences are really...calm. My first experience was a VAMPS concert and since they're a visual kei/rock group, I figured I'd see head banging and dare I say, maybe a mosh pit in the standing area? What I got was this odd...hand flicking. And the creepy thing was the crowd knew when to change hand gestures! I felt like I was missing something! How did they *know?* My next concert, a Rip Slyme one was a bit better, but not much. The hand thing was still there, but since it was hip-hop there was a *bit* more moving around in the audience. I guess it didn't help that the venue was a theater with seating only. It looked like people were having fun. I think. Then there was Lady Gaga. Oh man. It was fun, but it was a mix of a concert and cosplay event, which didn't surprise me and was pretty damn awesome regardless. Cosplayers are so amazing here. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is, I was kind of wondering what the atmosphere of an UVERworld concert would be like. The majority of their songs are upbeat rock songs you can dance to. There was still a lot of hand flicking/waving, but there was also jumping, dancing (with the space allowed anyway). UVERworld live is *awesome*. Takuya is sweet, always thanking the audience for being there and listening to their music, and Shintaro the drummer is my new husband-to-be amazing and cute when he talks to the crowd. Best part of the concert hands down is seeing Takuya appearing on stage on the drums and playing alongside Shintaro. Then as if he couldn't get more epic, the next tune he goes over to the piano and starts playing. Seeing a versatile musician...is pretty hot.

What I like best about having a concert in Osaka hall is the food stalls surrounding the building. All the standard matsuri fare was there, from okonomiyaki to castella. I've never seen a matsuri set up in any of the other venues I went to. I wonder if it's just an Osaka thing?

I am so glad I was able to see UVERworld live. Can definitely check that off my list of things I want to do in Japan.

One of the many goodies I bought at the concert. Also one of the English phrases that make *sense*. I still love you UVERworld!

Brought to you by PanRa at 8:47 AM 0 comments  

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Sumo Shufflin`

Now that I`ve decided to not recontract on JET, I find myself trying to balance between the current job, searching for a new job (whether in Japan or elsewhere) and seeing as much of Japan as I can before summer`s end. Fortunately this past weekend I was able to cross off one on my Japan Bucket List: going to see a sumo tournament!

First of all, sumo is way more interesting to watch live than on TV. I saw a sumo match on TV once and had to say I wasn`t impressed. Every time the 力士（rikishi, or sumo wrestler) crouch, they just get up again and wipe themselves off like they were fighting the whole time. But after watching the tournament in Osaka, reading up on the history and just living here in Japan, I`ve come to understand and appreciate the sport.

The Players:
行司- Gyouji, or sumo referee. Dressed in preeeetty colors and gets to twirl a pretty fan
力士- Rikishi, or sumo wrestlers
横綱- Yokozuna, highest title given to a rikishi
The Judges- 4 judges, one for each side of the ring. Look like Bleach captains.

What`s a Japanese event without some ceremonies! The opening ceremony had the rikishi form 2 lines on either side of the stadium and each line walked up to the 土俵 (doyou, the ring where they duke it out) and performed an opening ritual. They wore spiffy looking aprons that were made of silk and range in design and flashiness. One rikishi`s nearly blinded me because it was bling-blinging so much.



bling bling!


After the rikishi strutted their stuff, the yokuzuna and two upper ranking rikishi performed another ceremony which comprised of stamping out the evil in the doyou (NOW I know why sumo wrestlers stomp on the ground!) and the weirdest epic squat shuffle I have ever seen in my life.




Everybody shufflin`


The Game:
The matches start with the yokozuna match being last. Before they even face each other, they purify themselves (lots of purifying going on in sumo) and the doyou (again) by tossing salt unto it. They then squat and crouch then...get up and repeat the purifying-get-ready- process. This goes on for a couple of more times until the rikishi `feel ready`. Or after 4 minutes whatever comes first. The actual fight itself doesn`t take long at all so it`s no wonder they take their time. This part of the match is used to psych out the opponent. Some rikishi actually did some moves in their corner towards the audience while fans cheered (WW...S?) A rikishi loses if any part of their body hits the ground. I was excited to finally see Hakuho (the current yokozuna) in action and see him win. I would`ve been bummed if I came all this way just to see the yokuzuna *lose*.


And of course all events must end with an *ending* ceremony. Sumo ends with a chosen lower-ranked rikishi to perform a special `bow dance` (yumitori-shiki), which is pretty bad ass.






The short matches might make sumo sound pretty dull, but sumo is steeped with history and ceremony and the matches reflect that. That isn`t to say watching the game live is boring. Japanese cheered for their favorite rikishi and waved banners or little fans to show who they were rooting for. So yes, unlike graduation ceremonies and some music concerts, Japanese can let loose. I was expecting workers to walk up and down the aisles selling beer and matsuri-type food, but the only thing they were selling was ice cream...(food was being sold in the omiyage stalls in the halls). Another interesting thing is how international the sport is. A lot of rikishi are from other countries including the yokozuna Hakuho who`s Mongolian.  I once read an article on how some Japanese people rallied against Korean pop-starts invading their dramas and radio. Yet the Japanese seem to embrace the foreigners happily which surprised me. It was a pretty cool thing to see.


All in all, I`m glad I got to see a sumo match and recommend it to anyone who wants a taste of the blend of Japanese past and modern history. I`d recommend getting tickets in advance or be prepared to lighten your wallet the day of (like me and my friends did. Worth it though). You *can* get the free seating general tickets, but those are sold only the day of the match and bought on site so you would have to be in line pretty early. 


Now everyone, do the sumo shuffle!



Brought to you by PanRa at 8:09 AM 0 comments  

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