XVision Tour: X4 at Kashiwa Palooza

Hello Everyone!

(X4)

Ok this is a super late entry but I still wanted to share it with all of you. Back in April I was able to go to my first X4 Concert. I’ll admit I had heard next to nothing of their songs due to the fact that I was planning on buying their CD at the concert (thus the only preview I got was from Youtube and my friend Katie just prior to the concert). But regardless, it was something I greatly looked forward to and enjoyed! 

(Happy Day!)

So who is X4? X4 is a newly formed Boy Band signed under Japanese Dream Records, specializing in R&B and Pop styled music. Members include: Yuya (Matsushita), Kodai, SJ, and T-Max, all from the Kansai area of Japan. Their first album released was "XVision", which was the title of this Live Tour. I was lucky enough to join three of my friends for their concert at Kashiwa Palooza in Chiba (千葉県), near Kashiwa Station (柏駅).

(My Ticket)

Similar to past concerts I've been to, the Goods Lines opened up about 2 hours prior to the actual concert. For anyone curious about Goods Lines, depending on the performer, it is a good idea to line up anywhere between 1-2 hours prior to the line opening, assuming that those in charge allow it. We lined up an hour before, which was a fantastic decision on our part. While we were waiting, a black fan rolled up front and too all of our surprise X4 just strolled out and quickly went into Palooza (as we were all waiting out front). Talk about cool!

(Shot of the inside of Palooza; check out one of the past performances!)

After buying our goods, we went to wait for an hour before coming back for the actual concert itself. We were luckily near the front of the line, so we got good spots once inside. The location was a bit smaller than the last place I saw Yuya live, but I liked that as it meant we were all closer to the performers and the audience could interact more with the band. We only had to wait a little bit before the performance started with the "Theme of XVision". In this concert, it was about half talking/half singing as they only had one CD out, but I think most of the fans appreciated it as it allowed us all to get to know the singers a bit better. They would joke, laugh, and sometimes speak seriously, but most of all, they made for a great performance for all of their fans there.

(The Inside of Palooza)

After the concert came the best part of this adventure though. One of the lucky things about this location was that if you bought a CD, you could stay after and shake hands with all 4 of the band members and speak them for a bit. Being able to that was absolutely fantastic, and a memory to be had. They were all really sweet, funny, and had wonderful smiles. This was my second time meeting Yuya, but my first time meeting the others, who were very charming young men as well. It was though the first time I had the chance to talk to any of them, which was very interesting for me as my Japanese was put to the test. Thankfully, I think it passed. ;)

(My Handshake Pass)

Overall, the concert was a lot of fun and the location was great as you could really interact with the performers. X4's music itself was very catchy and I found myself immediately needing these new songs on my iPod after the concert. My favorites included: "Bang a Gong", "Fire", "Little Longer", "Raindrop", and "Mikaduki", and "I Don't Know Your Name". If you're unfamiliar with their music, you can check them out on iTunes and on their official website here: X4 . Each member also has their own Instagram that you can follow as well. Check them out!

Till my next big adventure,

About "Top Places in Tokyo"

Hello Everyone,

(Kaminarimon, 雷門)

It has occurred to me that many people go to Tokyo, not realizing what exactly it has to offer. Granted, most people may know Tokyo Tower (東京タワー), Akihabara (秋葉原), or Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド) (which is actually in Chiba, the Prefecture adjacent to Tokyo) and some might know the Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館) , but that tends to be the extent of most people's knowledge.

Most people I meet who are not familiar with Tokyo will say to me, "Oh cool! You live close to Tokyo? What're some cool things to do there?" As I list off the many things to do, they become surprised by all of what there actually is in Tokyo.

I think this may be due to the fact that a lot of places have names that are difficult to pronounce, say or even remember if one is not familiar with Japanese. Furthermore, Tokyo is HUGE. So there are a lot of things to do, but with so many names, confusion can occur which leads to a lack of knowledge on sights to see in Tokyo.

So I wanted to compile a list of places that I believe are worth visiting within Tokyo. Each place is divided by area, has a description of said place, who I would in particular recommend should go see said place, and a personal rating (5 being the best).  Some will also include links to more detailed reviews of locations that I have been as well. But yes, anyway, that's what this section of my blog will be for. I will tag general areas to help everyone find what things are close to one another as well. Anyway, I hope that for some this helps you plan your trip to Tokyo!

Tokyo Skytree

Hello everyone!

I finally, FINALLY, went to Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー) (after a good year and 10 months of a delay). So I wanted to compare it to other places I've been and talk about the experience.

(Skytree from below, clear view)

Tokyo Skytree (English Page Here) is the tallest tower in the world, reaching 634 meters tall, and the second tallest structure in the world. It was opened to the public in early 2012. Skytree is in the North East section of Tokyo and frankly, in what I consider the outskirts. It's past Sensou-ji (浅草寺) and the Edo Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館) and essentially once you reach Skytree, there is not much to do beyond that if you are coming from the center of Tokyo. For that reason, I had decided against going to Skytree for the past year (it was expensive and out of the way).

(Closer to the center of the tower)

BUT I finally went and I have to say I think I went at a pretty good time. It was not too crowded (I went mid-day, on a weekday), and the area itself was perfect for a relaxing afternoon. In addition to Skytree itself, a mall (essentially) was built surrounding it. While some parts of the mall are very touristy, other parts are interesting to go through and the food court is a perfect place for lunch (Takoyaki or たこ焼き for me, yum!).

(Asakusa; 浅草)

Another side thing I want to note, the official shops for Skytree are all within the structure itself. The surrounding mall has shops that sell Omiyage (おみやげ) or souvenirs, but none of it is 'official'. But what that essentially means, is that the shops within Skytree are the only ones that sell all the options of ("good") souvenirs available.

(Ueno; 上野 and Ikebukuro; 池袋)

While I went during a typhoon (the weather channels/websites said it was a typhoon, but it was more like a small rain shower), there was still a good amount visible from Skytree. I'd imagine that even more would have been visible if not for the rain. During the summer seasons, visibility from tall places in Tokyo are often restricted due to the humidity in the air creating a dense fog-like cover the higher up you go. However, in the winter and cooler seasons when less humidity is in the air, you can see things much further away (such as Mt. Fuji; 富士山).

(Northern Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba)

From what I could see though, Skytree was incredible. You literally could see all of Tokyo as well as parts of Chiba (千葉県) and Saitama Prefectures (埼玉県). It was very cool to be able to see famous places that I had been to, but from way up above them. It also allowed me to have a better idea or vision as to what Tokyo's skyline and layout actually looked like. (Going through Tokyo, I often wonder where the Skyscrapers end and begin, so seeing it from above was very cool and insightful).

(Saitama)

There are two options for going up Skytree (a bit like Tokyo Tower). The first takes you up 350 meters to the Tembo Deck and is 2060 Yen. From there you can buy a ticket for 1030 Yen to go up to the 450 meter deck (the Tembo Galleria). I only went up to the Tembo Deck, so I can't speak for the Galleria, but the Tembo was impressive enough as it was for me. It was already taller than Tokyo Tower and the Tocho from that point, so you could easily see all of Tokyo from that level.

(The inside of one of the 4 Elevators, each with a different seasonal theme; this was the Fall themed one)

Within Skytree there is also a glass floor, where you can look down below. I did stand on this, but let me also note, there is a double layer here, one you stand on and one even farther below. I would assume that this is a safety feature too.

(The Glass Floor)

I was also impressed with a beautiful folding screen that depicted old Edo (江戸) from what would have been Skytree's perspective, had it existed back then. (Edo is the original name for Tokyo before the Meiji Restoration;明治維新 which took place in 1868. It is often associated with the Edo period, a time in Japan's history where it was cut off from the rest of the world and was allowed to flourish in the arts and culture). I was so impressed by it, that I choose a postcard replica of it as my souvenir. It was just so beautiful!

(Painting by Kuwagata Keisai in 1809)

(Description of above Painting in English)

Overall, I'd have to say that if you are visiting Tokyo and you have the time to go, it's worth the visit (if the weather is good, ie. very low humidity and not raining), especially if you're going to the near by Edo Tokyo Museum. Take a good camera too on good weather days as you're sure to get some beautiful shots. However, if you're on a limited time schedule, you can skip it, only because it is kind of out of the way and other tall structures like Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office / Tocho (都庁) are probably more accessible (and at night give you an equally beautiful view).

(Roppongi; 六本木, Shibuya; 渋谷, Shinjuku; 新宿, and Asakusa)

I do hope you get the chance to go see the Tokyo Skytree if you come to Japan though. It's a really cool sight to go to and provides such a clear perspective on just exactly what is Tokyo. Till next time guys!