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I'm not going to report the final evening's activities in too much detail, in order to protect the innocent (and the guilty) but basically, it was a multi-venue event that involved some eating, drinking, and reliving of the weekend's highlights. The "H!P veterans" wanted to hear about the experiences of the "first-timers" like myself... whereas the first-timers wanted to hear how this event compared to legendary gatherings of the past. Beer was consumed... embarrassing pictures were taken... and new friendships were made. More and more Berryz fans kept showing up, and I met quite a few people whom I hadn't met during the previous days. There were no Berryz-sightings that night, but Momoko's water bottle from the Q&A session did make an appearance, and I even got to hold it. (I won't tell you what someone else did with it, but let's just say I'm glad I got to it before he did...) 
Cut to the next morning... time to pack up and go home. I took the Light Rail to the airport, and there I ran into some of the H!O crew again, which was a very pleasant surprise. We were on different airlines, but we were going through the same security checkpoint, which was also the one Berryz would be using a little later on. So once we got through, we hung out in that area for a while, hoping to get one last chance to say goodbye to those wonderful young ladies. But, for me at least, it was not meant to be; my plane would be taking off shortly, so I had to bid farewell to Seattle before Berryz would show up.
As my plane climbed into the sky, I looked back toward a city that had been a complete stranger to me only a few days before... but now held some very precious memories.
For that, I owe a debt of gratitude to all the Sakura-Con organizers... to the UFA, HS, and H!P staff... to Berryz Kobo... and to all of the dedicated, enthusiastic, and friendly fans who joined together to make it such a joyous celebration!
THANK YOU!
ありがとう！
THE END . . . . . . . . (until next time) . . . . . . !
Cut to the next morning... time to pack up and go home. I took the Light Rail to the airport, and there I ran into some of the H!O crew again, which was a very pleasant surprise. We were on different airlines, but we were going through the same security checkpoint, which was also the one Berryz would be using a little later on. So once we got through, we hung out in that area for a while, hoping to get one last chance to say goodbye to those wonderful young ladies. But, for me at least, it was not meant to be; my plane would be taking off shortly, so I had to bid farewell to Seattle before Berryz would show up.
As my plane climbed into the sky, I looked back toward a city that had been a complete stranger to me only a few days before... but now held some very precious memories.
For that, I owe a debt of gratitude to all the Sakura-Con organizers... to the UFA, HS, and H!P staff... to Berryz Kobo... and to all of the dedicated, enthusiastic, and friendly fans who joined together to make it such a joyous celebration!
THANK YOU!
ありがとう！
THE END . . . . . . . . (until next time) . . . . . . !
