The REAL Thing!!
Posted by mister.mori, Dec 16 2008, 01:47 PM in Adventures in Japan
I just recently bought a photo album to hold all of my H!P photocards. As I was going through my photocards and putting them into the album, I came across this one that I got from the Fujimoto Miki Kayoukyoku Night 2008 Natsu! at STB139 with Maeda Yuki:
I got this one for free when I bought an Okitegami cassette at the show. I didn't know it at the time and even didn't realize until just now, but that signature is the REAL thing and not a copied print!! 
When I went to go put it in the photo album, I noticed that it was actually signed with black marker.
So, not only have I met Fujimoto Miki in person and shaken her hand, but I also have her autograph as well!! 
Dissidia: Final Fantasy Potion
Posted by mister.mori, Dec 9 2008, 11:18 AM in Adventures in Japan
Final Fantasy fans, it's time you got reacquainted with the word "jealousy"!! Behold, the Dissidia: Final Fantasy Potion in all it's glory:
That's right!! Square Enix and Suntory have teamed up again to bring Final Fantasy fans the Dissidia: Final Fantasy Potion to promote the release of Dissidia: Final Fantasy on Dec. 18th for the PSP. The potion was released today and I picked up a complete set (or two or three ) of my own.
For those of you who don't know, let me give you a quick rundown of Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Basically, it's a 3D fighter game featuring the Heroes and Nemeses of all the Final Fantasy games I through X (and more). Chaos has summoned all the Nemeses from all the Final Fantasy games to...well...do evil stuff. 
And Cosmos has summoned all the Heroes from the games to counter them. More details can be found on the official (Japan) website linked above.
Anyways, there are 8 Chaos Potions (black) and 8 Cosmos Potions (white) making 16 all together (cost me ￥２００ each). The Chaos Potion is a "bittersweet" muscat flavor and the Cosmos Potion is a "sharp" grapefruit flavor.
All 16 potions front and back stylishly displayed 
10 of the 16 potions (5 Chaos 5 Cosmos) feature both the Hero and Nemesis from each Final Fantasy game. The Hero and Nemesis from their respective game are featured on the same potion can. I just have two of the same potion stacked on top of each other showing both sides (with the exception of the potion cans featuring FMV scenes from the game. 
)
From left to right, all Heroes (top) and Nemeses (bottom) from Final I through X
The remaining 6 Potions feature Chaos and Cosmos as well as FMV scenes from the game.
All 8 Chaos Potions (black)
All 8 Cosmos Potions (white)
I was a bit upset (okay...so I was very upset) that I wasn't able to get all of the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Potions. I was only able to get 8 of 16. It was nobody's fault but mine. They were released in two batches and the second batch simply slipped my mind. 
You can check out my blog entry about when I bought those potions here.
So anyways, this time I'm very happy that I was able to collect all of the promotional potions.
a Kit Kat flavor for everyone's taste!!
Posted by mister.mori, Nov 14 2008, 01:27 PM in Adventures in Japan
Kit Kat bars are a popular treat in Japan. Here's a quick tidbit from Wikipedia:
"In recent years, Kit Kats have also become very popular in Japan, a phenomenon attributed to the coincidental similarity between the bar's name and the Japanese phrase kitto katsu, which roughly translates to "You will surely win!" This has reportedly led to parents and children buying them for school examination days as a sort of good luck charm. However, transliteration is not always in Nestlé's favour - kitto katto (where 'katto' is taken to be a katakana transliteration of the English verb 'cut') is understood to bestow Kit Kat with the less positive significance of "you will surely miss the cut". As such, gifts of a single kit-kat are a running joke for senior high school students taking the University Entrance Examinations in some areas."
Japanese people love their gourmet food...and candy is no exception (although I'm not quite sure if this qualifies as "gourmet candy"):
"It is also in Japan that Kit Kat has in recent years seen a variety of different flavours emerge, although each for a limited time. Some examples include, maple syrup, melon, vanilla bean, grape, apple, banana, caramel, kiwifruit, azuki, green tea, and cherry blossom."
A few more flavors that I've seen are mango, watermelon, and muscat. I actually tried the watermelon Kit Kat, and it was...well...it tasted like watermelon flavored Kit Kat. Here's a new one I just tried today:
VERY GOOD!! But I love cheesecake, so it was almost guaranteed that I would like it. There was also Blueberry Cheesecake flavor (but I didn't try it). Another thing that really surprised me was that, as you can see, they're sold as a single bar. This was first time I'd seen single Kit Kat bars (which probably also added to me feeling compelled to buy this new tasty treat).
やったぁ～！！
Posted by mister.mori, Nov 5 2008, 10:17 AM in Adventures in Japan
やったぁ～！！
FINALLY, after 3 lo~~~~~ng months I got my Japanese Drivers License today!! 
More than half of that was spent on taking care of my "resident registration". I also had to take the driving test 5 times before I finally passed (today). You have to wait at least a week in between tests so that's why it took so long (and I also had to wait 2 weeks before I took the test today due to schedule conflicts). My first time I got a big fat 0 because I hit the curb in the crank turn and didn't stop and redo it. My second time I got 50 pts., and my third and fourth time I got 60 pts. (70 pts. are needed to pass). I'm not sure what my score was today since 合格 was written in place of a score, but I'm sure it was well above 70 pts. this time.
Anyways, "that's a HUGE burden off my shoulders" doesn't even begin to describe how I feel!! 
GREASE - Quick Review and Pamphlet Pictures
Posted by mister.mori, Nov 2 2008, 06:53 PM in Adventures in Japan
So, today I went and saw GREASE!! Needless to say, "AWESOME!!" does not even begin to describe it.
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q233/Mi...1102_150801.jpg
It was beyond AWESOME!! I don't know what much else to say other than Fujimoto fits the part of Rizzo ridiculously well!! She even makes a comment about it saying "Is there even a difference between Rizzo and myself?" in her interview in the GREASE pamphlet (pictures below). For the most part, Rizzo is always wearing black and sometimes a deep purple or red , while the other girls are usually wearing some sort of light pastel greens, yellows and pinks etc. There are also several times when she's turned away from the crowd with her arms folded in disinterest (due to jealousy etc) and she often teases the other Pink Ladies, but especially Sandy. Sound familiar? 
Like I said, Fujimoto played this part AMAZINGLY and with EASE!! 
Of course her vocal performance was magnificent as well. She had at lease two good solid solos that completely blew me away. Every time I've seen her perform, she always surpasses her previous performances. The rest of the cast also performed exceptionally well. Ikuta Toma played Danny. He also previously starred in the dorama Hanakzakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~ as Nakatsu Shuichi (highly recommended dorama btw!! ). After watching him in Ikemen Paradise, seeing his performance as Danny was very...hmm..."believable" (for lack of a better word) and very enjoyable.
All in all, really good performances from everyone. Again, probably a show that I could really enjoy even if Fujimoto was not cast in it (but fortunately she was ).
Anyways, here are pictures of the pamphlet I got at the show for ￥２，０００. Probably not good enough quality to read the interviews (for those of you who can read Japanese ), but I'll probably do a translation of at least Fujimoto's interview.
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q233/Mi...ri/CIMG3371.jpg
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WooHoo!! I'm goin' to see GREASE!!
Posted by mister.mori, Oct 26 2008, 05:48 PM in Adventures in Japan
So, tickets for the musical Grease starring Fujimoto Miki went on sale at the beginning of last month (Sept. 6th to be exact). Anyways, I already knew that I really wanted to go and was willing to pay the money for a SS seat (￥１１，０００), but for some stupid reason I told myself that I would wait a week before I bought my ticket and if they were sold out, then I could save that ￥１１，０００. Well, one week actually turned into two weeks and sure enough...tickets SOLD OUT!!
"MY LIFE IS OVER!! I'm going to miss seeing Fujimoto Miki perform!!"...or so I thought...until I remembered ticket re-sellers. It was then and there that I decided I would be willing to pay whatever price for whatever seat for whatever day I could attend.
Like I mentioned a few blog entries back, I'm trying to convert my US driver's license to a Japanese driver's license right now (which I still haven't been able to pass the test 
). Anyways, I've been using that as an excuse to sit on my butt in my apartment and sulk, but I finally decided to get off my lazy butt and go to Tokyo today.
I decided to cheer myself up and spend lots of money and buy lots of stuff and things (a Grease ticket being my top priority). Things weren't looking so good after going to quite a few ticket re-seller shops and coming out empty handed. But then...there it was...MY TICKET!! SS seat for next Sunday (11/02) at 12:30PM for only ￥２，０００ more than face value!! Believe it or not I actually had to think about it and tried my luck at a few other shops before coming back and realizing it was my destiny to buy this ticket.
So there you have it..."WooHoo!! I'm goin' to see GREASE!!"
I also accomplished several other things on my "To do" list. I bought 4 volumes of the super-mega-awesome manga 「よつばと！」 as well as a Volcom hat that doesn't look stupid on me. My hair was also getting pretty long and was really starting to bug me, but I was also able to get a haircut from my friend as well today. 
So, all in all...a pretty good day!!
雨蛙 (Japanese tree frog)
Posted by mister.mori, Oct 7 2008, 06:02 AM in Adventures in Japan
so the other day, to my surprise, I found one of these outside my front door:
it's an 雨蛙 or Japanese tree frog (the Binomial name is Hyla japonica). the thing that surprised me the most was how small it was. It's only a few centimeters long. I kind of went overboard with the pictures...but anyways, here they are:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q233/Mi...1005_034801.jpg
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http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q233/Mi...1005_034901.jpg
I first caught it in small container and then put it inside a clear plastic bottle. I also caught a small cricket and put it in there with some leaves. I was actually thinking about buying a small cage for it and keeping it...but then I decided it was too much trouble and set it free.
Long time no blog...
Posted by mister.mori, Sep 30 2008, 02:41 PM in Adventures in Japan
So, it's been a while since my last blog entry. That's partly mainly due to my IDP expiring and so I've been busy trying to convert my US driver's license to a Japanese driver's license.
First, I had to take care of my "resident registration" before I could even apply for converting my US driver's license. This took a lot longer than expected. Anyways, a month and a half later, I was finally able to take the driving test today. I kept on hearing stories about people who have taken this (same) test more than 10 times and still not passed so I studied up pretty well. I walked into the driving center today full of confidence that I was going to pass on my first try. Well...I failed!! I hit the curb in the "crank" which is like an "S-curve" but the corners are sharp 90 degree angles. If I would have stopped, backed up, and tried again, I would've only been penalized rather than failed. 
When I was studying up on how to pass this ridiculously detailed test, I learned that if you run over the curb in the crank and S-curve, then you automatically fail. But if you just hit the curb, you can back up and try again and you'll only be penalized. The only thing that stuck in my head was "if I don't run over the curb, then I'm okay", which is true, but I forgot to back up and try again when I brushed the curb. Another point I was penalized on was not getting over to the right side of the lane soon enough before making a right turn at an intersection. I already knew that you have to be on the right side of the lane before 30m from the intersection, but the instructor told me I was too late on that. 
So anyways, the bottom line is, I have go pay another ￥２，４００ and take the test again next week.
Cinderella and other Hello!Project goods
Posted by mister.mori, Aug 25 2008, 06:00 AM in Adventures in Japan
As promised, here are some pictures of the Cinderella program booklet and photocards that I bought at the musical:
(click the names to see the individual profiles within the booklet)
Cast:
Morning Musume
Cinderella.................Ai Takahashi
The Prince..................Risa Niigaki
Portia............................Eri Kamei
A Fairy..............Sayumi Michishige
Joy..........................Reina Tanaka
A Herald................Koharu Kusumi
A Fairy.........................Aika Mitsui
A Page...............................Junjun
A Page.................................Linlin
Takarazuka
Fairy Godmother...........Saki Asaji
Step-mother..................Mire Aika
The Queen..................Akemi Kou
The King....................Kaoru Ebira
Supporting Takarazuka cast
1 2 3
Rehearsal
1 2 3
Here are some photocards I bought at the Official Hello!Project Store in Shibuya from the Fujimoto Miki Kayoukyoku Night 2008 Natsu! at STB139 with Maeda Yuki:
And here is the special set of photocards that were only available by pre-order the day of the show:
And these are just some general photocards I bought:
The Takahashi and Michishige photocards on the far right were freebies!! When I first started to buy photocards, I told myself that I would only buy Fujimoto Miki photocards (as a type of "budgeting system")...well...obviously that has changed. 
P.S. Please be respectful and do NOT use/re-post these pictures without my explicit permission. However, feel free to link to my blog. Thank you.
Cinderella the Musical モーニング娘。 Ｘ タカラヅカ
Posted by mister.mori, Aug 24 2008, 07:47 PM in Adventures in Japan
So, yesterday (Saturday) I went to Cinderella the Musical featuring モーニング娘。 Ｘ タカラヅカ with my friend Scott. First of all, I'll just say that I really enjoyed the show!! 
Cast:
Morning Musume
Cinderella.................Ai Takahashi
The Prince..................Risa Niigaki
Portia............................Eri Kamei
A Fairy..............Sayumi Michishige
Joy..........................Reina Tanaka
A Herald................Koharu Kusumi
A Fairy.........................Aika Mitsui
A Page...............................Junjun
A Page.................................Linlin
Takarazuka
Fairy Godmother...........Saki Asaji
Step-mother..................Mire Aika
The Queen..................Akemi Kou
The King....................Kaoru Ebira
Supporting Takarazuka cast
1 2 3
Our seats were in the 22nd row, which weren't bad...but weren't that great either (for the money we paid ). But we were in the center so that was nice. Anyways, I always try to not be bias, but I'll start off by praising Takahashi Ai. I said it when I saw her in Ribon no Kishi the Musical (on DVD ) and I'll say it now...her voice was made for Takarazuka. Her voice is very "formal" and so she blends right in with the other Takarazuka members. However, there was one thing that kind of bugged me about Takahashi. Whenever she would answer 「はい」 or "yes" to her step-mother and/or her older sisters, she would always answer in a fairly high-pitched squeaky voice. But her performance and singing was perfect so that doesn't even matter!! This was also my first time seeing Takahashi (and all the other members of Morning Musume) in person, and I know everyone says this, but, Takahashi is short!! 
Next, on to Niigaki Risa. I'm not the biggest Niigaki Risa fan, and like I said before, I always try to not be bias, but Niigaki was simply not able to hit some of her low notes in her musical numbers. I thought she performed rather well as The Prince being a male role. But, like I just said, some of the notes were just too low for her and I couldn't hear her at times. Due to her relationship with Takahashi and how long they've known and worked with each other, they definitely had a good chemistry on stage.
As for Kamei Eri and Tanaka Reina playing the two step-sisters Portia and Joy, *sigh* they did a good job, but they just stuck out so~~~ much as Morning Musume members to me on stage. Both Takahashi and Niigaki played their parts very well. When I saw Takahashi on stage, I saw her as Cinderella. When I saw Niigaki on stage, I saw the Prince. When I saw Kamei and Tanaka on stage, I saw Kamei and Tanaka of Morning Musume. Granted that some of their characteristics (even more so for Tanaka) are similar to those of Portia and Joy, I just wasn't able to their character come through in their acting performances. They did however perform a musical number together and at that time their characters started to come through because they were singing rather than speaking lines, but they went back to dialogue soon after and I then immediately saw then Kamei and Tanaka again. 
As for Michishige Sayumi and Mitsui Aika who both played fairies as well as minor female roles such as towns people, they were just kind of there on stage. I don't think they had any lines as fairies and only a few lines as towns people. When the fairies would come out on stage, Michishige and Mitsui would kind of do their own little thing (being fairies like dancing around and sprinkling fairy dust etc.) and were then "pushed" off stage so the other real Takarazuka members who were playing fairies as well could do the real dancing and singing etc.
As for Kusumi Koharu playing The Herald and Junjun and Linlin playing Pages, well, Koharu definitely played her part as The Herald and it wasn't "bad"...but I'm not very fond of her so I don't have much to say about her. I think Junjun and Linlin had one line each and pretty much just followed Koharu around on stage.
As for the other professional Takarazuka members who played major parts, well, they're professional Takarazuka performers so, of course their performances were great. But my personal favorite was Ebira Kaoru who played The King. She also played The King as well as God in Ribon no Kishi the Musical. Aika Mire also did a great job with the Step-mother character. She gave a lot of comical relief (some of which I wasn't able to understand at all ).
The set was pretty impressive. Some of the set pieces were radio controlled. One in particular, a chair, was spun around by the Fairy Godmother's magic and made a blatant sound like an R/C car. Another thing that was pretty impressive was the pumpkin carriage. Regardless of it being a small carriage, it still came floating in on stage. It gave a good *thud* when it was set down so it definitely wasn't light. 
There was a few intense silences throughout the musical. And when I say "silence", I mean silence. Very dramatic; very intense; very impacting. I admit that I'm a crybaby and have been known to shed a tear or two while watching movies, dramas, and plays, but even though I got teary eyed at times, I didn't actually cry during this musical.
After the end of the musical, Morning Musume put on a short mini-concert. Here's the setlist:
1. C/C (Cinderella/Complex)
2. Shabondama
3. The Peace
4. Resonant Blue
After the mini-live the professional Takarazuka members also performed a few musical numbers. Takahashi and Niigaki joined the Takarazuka members at the end of their last musical number and the other Morning Musume members also joined them on stage afterwards for the finale. I really enjoyed this last part after the musical itself. It was like, "here's Morning Musume"; "here's Takarazuka"; "collaboration".
All in all everyone did a good job while some performed exceptionally well. I really enjoyed myself and had a great time.
P.S. I also bought a Cinderella program booklet and some photocards at the musical and several more at the Official Hello! Project store in Shibuya. I'll post some pictures later.
on Dissidia: Final Fantasy Potion