Kawaii Monster Cafe

Hello lovelies!

Another entry here! This time about one of my last adventures in Japan (for now). This one I actually have to thank my friend Sara for as this was all her idea! We decided to meet up in Harajuku on one of the last weekends that I was going to be in the land of the rising sun (I miss you Japan!). That day though, she surprised me by taking me to the "Kawaii Monster Cafe". I am a little embarrassed to admit, but I hadn't heard of it before this experience. If you walk down Omotsusando from the Harajuku station and turn left, a little past Laforet and before the LINE store on the righthand side, you'll find a building with an escalator. Up a couple flights of stairs from there and boom! You're at the entrance to the "Kawaii Monster Cafe".

(The Monster Girls)

Reservations are not needed, but you might want to get there early if you are planning on going during a rush. If you go during an off day (aka, not a weekend day) during an off time (aka, not during the dinner rush), you should be fine going in and not worrying about getting a table. (I say this assuming that the place's popularity hasn't risen astronomically since I went, though I'm sure it will become more popular over time).

(Strawberry Smoothie)

When you get to the entrance, you can choose from 5 areas, the Sweets Go Round, the Mushroom Disco, the Milk Stand, the Bar Experiment, and the Mel-Tea Room. We choose to go to the Mel-Tea Room, which was adorable! Decorated in chocolates, teacups, and the like, we were instantly in love with the place. We were greeted and served by the Monster Girls, who were decked in trendy and cute monster-inspired attire. We asked if their wigs were heavy and they actually let us feel. They had to be at least a few pounds, much heavier than the wigs I've worn. Talk about dedication!

(Non-Druggy Cocktail (Experiment))

But by this time, boy were we hungry. We started out with drinks. Sara got the Non-Druggy Cocktail (Experiment) (Non-alcoholic) which she got to mix together herself, while I got a fruity strawberry smoothie (Non-alcoholic). Talk about yum!

(Popcorn Shrimp and Dip!)

We added an appetizer, popcorn shrimp, before we got our main dishes. Sara got rainbow spaghetti while I had rainbow spaghetti in Fettuccini Alfredo sauce. Sara's dish also included a variety of dipping sauces as well that made the dish look like a paint palette. To my knowledge, the menu tends to change, so every time you can experience something new!

(Rainbow Spaghetti)

(Fettuccine Alfredo Rainbow Spaghetti)

Totally a super enjoyable lunch out. The atmosphere was very light and fun, a great spot for young adults to go for something new or even a little relaxing. After we finished, we got to have our pictures taken with the Monster Girls, went over to the gift store, and proceeded to enjoy a day out in Harajuku (whoot for shopping!).

(Myself with the Monster Girls)

So if you're looking for a fun place to have lunch at in Harajuku, check it out! It's a great place for young women and teens especially. You'll be sure to have a great time. For more information, check out their website here: Kawaii Monster Cafe (which is in English! ^_^ ).

Till next time,

TMR in Ibaraki 2015

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all doing well! I'm playing a bit of catch up as of lately, so today I'd like to share with you my experience in Ibaraki seeing T.M. Revolution live!

Let me preface this entry with a bit of information about T.M. Revolution and my past knowledge/experiences with T.M. Revolution. T.M. Revolution, or TMR for short, is a stage name for Takanori Nishikawa (西川貴教) that stands for "Takanori Makes Revolution". TMR has been active since 1989 and is well known overseas for singing opening and closing songs for a variety of Anime, including, but not limited to, Gundam (ガンダム), D. Gray Man (ディー.グレイマン), and Soul Eater (ソウルイーター). He has also performed with the group abingdon school boys and has teamed up with famous singer, Nana Mizuki (水樹奈々), for two singles. While he has done a variety of things over the years, it is also notable that he is a Cultural Ambassador for his home prefecture, Shiga (滋賀), where he now annually puts together the Inazuma Rock Fes (イナズマロックフェス).

I have seen T.M. Revolution live before in the States, but this was my first time seeing him live in Japan. Furthermore, I was actually lucky enough to attend a panel Q and A with him in Baltimore, Maryland at Otakon 2013, which was very interesting as he talked about his inspirations, interests, and things that he wanted to do for his fans. I had heard many of his songs in passing and had a couple favorites by him that would remain on my current playlists.

(Tickets to see TMR!)

Thus when I got the chance to see him up in Ibaraki 茨城県(which is just north of Tokyo), I was very happy to be able to see him live again. The location was out  at the Yuki Civic Cultural Center (結城市民文化センター), close to the Yuki Station (結城駅) on the Mito line (水戸線) on the 7th of June. It took me about an hour and several train switches to get up there, but when I got there, I was honestly a little surprised as the area didn't seem very crowded in comparison to most places that I had been. I had a friend that lived up in Ibaraki who told me that Ibaraki was much more rural than Saitama or Tokyo, but it didn't really hit me until I got there. It was a nice change though in comparison to the busy and crowded area in the cities that I was used to.

(A poster for this concert tour at the train station in the staircase going out)

I wondered if I was in the right place until I saw two girls dressed in TMR attire heading away from the platform and down the route I was following off of my GPS. After only about 10 minutes of walking, I came to the concert hall. Like most concert halls I had been to, this one did seem to have a goods line open early as most attendees had already gotten their goods and were now currently waiting for the upcoming concert's doors to open. I got there about 30 minutes prior to the show starting, so I missed the big rush.

(The entrance to the concert hall)

Seats were assigned at this location and there was no number system like 'pit' styled concerts that I had been to previously. While part of that was a bit of a bummer (I would have liked to be a bit closer), it was kind of nice too since everything was assigned and you didn't have to worry about your seat being taken or not being able to see. Everyone had a great view of the stage, which was much closer than I would have thought (and I was in one of the back rows). One of the nice things about my seat was that it was on an aisle though, which helped me with the view and made up for the seat being farther back.

Another nice thing about the seats being assigned was that I could easily go up to the goods desks and not worry about losing my seat or place in the theatre. New CD, Towel, and Pamphlet FTW y'all (along with a free poster too!). I choose to get 天 (read "ten"), which translates to "Heaven". I've listened to it many times since and it doesn't disappoint.

(My goods score!)

Speaking of living up to expectations, TMR did not let any of us down. I suppose this was my first 'full-fledged' experience at a TMR concert so to speak. The level of involvement from the audience was what made this experience different. People really let loose, head banging, jumping up and down, fist pumping, the once cool theatre quickly became hot with body heat and TMR just kept ramping it up as the concert went on.

(Inside of the concert hall before the concert began)

Even a full two hours in, lights were still pulsing and TMR had ripped his shirt off twice during the performance (not that I blamed him, it really was hot and it made for a dramatic effect). During those 2 hours some of the songs that he played were: "Flags", "Heaven Only Knows ~Get the Power~", "Summer Blizzard", "Salvage", "Resonance", and "Preserved Roses". All were awesome and the performance was pretty well paced. The only thing was at the end, there were kind of two encores, but I didn't know the second one was coming (I don't think any of us did). Otherwise though it was a smooth performance and very enjoyable.

TMR himself was great at pleasing the crowd, enduring through the physically draining two hours, and putting a lot of emotion and soul into each song. Whether it was fast or slow, softer or heavy rock, TMR, at the risk of sounding cliche, gave it his all and left us all feeling satisfied and pumped. He may be known for his shorter stature, but he lives up to tall expectations and makes others' pale in comparison.

Upon leaving the theatre, I was sweating thoroughly, despite maybe not being as involved as some of the others in attendance. I walked back in the crowds of people to the station and waited, probably 30 minutes for a train (I missed it by like 30 seconds the first time!), all the while texting friends. The cool air was a bit muggy and it didn't really help relieve my sweating, but it was enough and cooler outside than in (go figure, right?). I finally managed to catch a train though (also good because my phone battery was on its last bars) and made my way home.

(I saw this while standing in line to get inside; so cool!!)

Overall, I had a lot of fun at this concert. I wish I could have gone with friends as I think it would have been more fun, but I liked the music and since buying the CD, I often find myself coming across one of the songs from it on my playlists. TM Revolution is quite good. ;)

So bottom line, if you get the chance to see TMR live in Japan, do it. You will not be disappointed.

For more information on TM Revolution, you can check out his following sites:

English Official Homepage

Japanese Official Homepage

You can also find out more about the Inazuma Rock Fes here:

Inazuma Rock Fes

Till my next post,

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,

Vampire Knight Musical

Hello everyone!

It seems to be musical after musical with me, I know! I must admit I have not gone to so many shows and musicals before coming to Japan. I love Broadway, Shakespeare, and some of the more modern American plays, but Japan's musicals just lure me in like a moth to the flame. This time, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend and see the ヴァンパイア騎士(ナイト) ミュジャカル (The Vampire Knight Musical) based on Matsuri Hino's (樋野まつり) recently completed manga run in Lala magazine. As a major fan of the Vampire Knight manga, I knew this was something I couldn't miss!

(The Lucky Ticket!)

While I often say that I was fortunate to see any musical, this one in particular was a lucky snag. This stage was announced back in late 2014 in Lala Magazine. Running only from January 21st to the 25th, tickets for this show were extremely hard to get. I ended up entering the early lottery with three time submissions, the first of which was defeated. After that, I got my second time submission pick. My seat was not super close to the front, but it was close enough to the stage, so I took it right away.

(Off to see the show!)

The stage was held at the Hakuhinkan Theatre in Ginza above the Hakuhinkan Toy Park on the 8th floor. The theatre was small and a bit compact, but that didn't bother me as it just meant that my seat, which would have been a ways back had this been a Broadway show, was actually relatively close to the stage. The Theatre itself, like many other theatres I have been to since coming to Japan, reflected the production itself in a way. It was almost like stepping into an opera house. The floor was decked in red with chandeliers made of crystal, lighting the place up. Numerous flower displays for the cast and crew were displayed in the lobby.

(Hakuhinkan Theatre in Ginza)

(In the right place!)

(Left: Promotional Photo with Schedule; Right: Entrance to the Theatre on the 8th Floor)

 

(Flower Displays for the Cast and Crew)

They did not let us enter until 11:30 AM on the dot (the show started at 12:00 noon), but as soon as you entered it was a question of where to go first. I choose to go to the right where they were selling goods, figuring it was better to go earlier than later. I first choose to go to AKIRA's CD line and buy her new Limited Edition CD containing the theme song of the musical as well as a few other numbers on it. (I was happy to see they were also selling her first single Aoki Tsuki Michite as well! I would have bought it, but I already had it!) By doing so, I was able to enter the lottery and obtained my number one Souvenir, AKIRA's autograph! And when I say Autograph, I mean, an actual, legitimate autograph, on Canvas Paper. You can literally see the groves in it and the ink where it landed. Yes, this was a total score!

(The Musical Goods Shop)

(AKIRA's Booth selling both of her singles)

(AKIRA's Autograph and CD)

After that, I went to the next line to the left, where I was able to purchase the Musical's goods. The goods were nice in that there wasn't an extreme number of different products, so you could easily pick and choose what you wanted. I was able to get the Clear File Folder, the Bromides, and the Program Book and then made my way over to the opposite side of the entrance hall to admire what I had seen right before going to AKIRA's stand. The beautiful, lovely, absolutely stunning Cross Academy Uniforms on display, literally close enough to touch. They were actually selling them for about 400 to 450 USD (Ouch!), but to be perfectly honest, as a costume fan, if I had money to spare, I would have dropped the money for at least one of these uniforms. They were just beautiful!

(Cross Academy Uniforms used in the Musical)

(Left: Night Class Uniforms; Right: Day Class Uniforms)

(Detail shots of the Male Day Class Uniform)

The Uniforms were made out of a wonderful suiting material, but even more impressive were the gems used to accent the ribbons sewn onto the jackets as well as the buttons, which were obviously ordered and made specifically for the musical as they fit Matsuri Hino's designs to a T (and out of all the many high school uniforms I have seen in manga and anime, these are still by far one of the most decorative and consistent ones I've seen). I also liked how the male uniforms were clearly made for a female figure impersonating that of a man. In other words, that was the job of these uniforms. Now why is that you ask?

(Cast Members out of Costume; Photo Courtesy of Twitter)

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Vampire Knight Musical, which is at its core a love story, was it was produced with the entire cast made up of female members. So naturally more than half of the cast were cross dressing on stage, including the main two male leads of Kaname Kuran, played by AKIRA, and Zero Kiryu, played by ROOT. While I know many people were a bit skeptical at first about this, both AKIRA and ROOT as well as their fellow cast members playing male roles, did phenomenal jobs with this challenge.

(Majority of the Cast in costume; Photo Courtesy of AKIRA on Twitter)

Both AKIRA and ROOT are well known for being Boys Style Models within Japan. What is that? Boys Style in Japan is a fashion revolving around more boyish clothing specifically for women. Sometimes it can create an androgynous sort of appearance, but it can also reflect or portray a more edgy, stronger, or even more laid back personality. (I'm not saying female styles don't do the same, only that this style specifically targets those qualities). Because of this, many Boys Style Models are women who essentially excel at the art of portraying themselves as males. So picking both AKIRA and ROOT to play the lead male roles in this musical made up entirely of women makes a lot of sense.

(Flower Display from Mangaka Matsuri Hino)

(Close up of the depiction of the main three characters that inspired the promotional photos for the musical.)

(Promotional Photo for comparison)

A bit more about AKIRA. AKIRA recently also rose to fame for singing the ending of 黒執事: Book of Circus (Black Butler Season 3) (the title of  the song was mentioned above). A beautifully, sad song, upon hearing it and hearing that AKIRA would be playing Kaname Kuran, I instantly was excited to see her in this musical. Prior to the musical, I had little to no knowledge of ROOT, other than that she was a model. After seeing her performance though as Zero, the casting choice made not just a lot of sense, but perfect sense to me, for which I'll explain more about later. Finally, Musical Artist Yumi Wakatsuki completed the main cast playing the role of Yuki Cross.

(Yumi Wakatsuki as Yuki Cross)

(ROOT as Zero Kiryu)

(AKIRA as Kaname Kuran)

Onto the actual musical itself though. The Musical was a 2 hour show with 15 minutes in between. Like previous shows I had been to, they often employed the use of moving stage pieces as well as projectors. A new use of the projectors I found too was that they essentially made a set of opening credits to follow the first song, which I rather liked a lot as it sort of felt like watching a piece of a live action movie.

(Show time!)

SPOILERS FOLLOW PLEASE SCROLL DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE MORE CAPS

The Musical followed the first major arc line of the manga. Our female lead, Yuki Cross, along with her friend Zero Kiryu are Guardians of Cross Academy, where there are two classes, the Day Class and the Night Class. Their job is to keep the safety and peace of the school as well as guard the secret of the Night Class (that the Night Class is actually attended strictly by Vampires!). Yuki crushes on Kaname Kuran, President of the Night Class, who saved her life ten years ago. This often aggravates her friend Zero, whose family was murdered by a Vampire four years prior (only he miraculously survived). His goal is to find the most effective way to eradicate and kill all Vampires.

(Yuki Cross and a reluctant Zero Kiryu are introduced as Guardians of the School; Photo Courtesy of ROOT)

So naturally when Zero bites into Yuki's neck and drinks her blood, she is shocked, not having known that since the Vampire attack he has been suffering the slow and agonizing pain of becoming a Vampire himself. Soon after this revelation, a new girl enters the Night Class and Kaname realizes an enemy has entered their midst, preparing for the inevitable chess game about to take place.

(Zero's secret is revealed! Photo Courtesy of ROOT)

The musical follows the manga's story line pretty closely, only cutting certain parts short when needed. Some characters, such as Toga Yagari (Zero's mentor) do not appear in the musical, while others make surprise appearances, such as Zero's twin brother Ichiru. Overall, it was a very well done adaptation.

(Cover of Volume 1 of the English Vampire Knight Manga)

The music itself was a mix of classic vampire-esk tones as well as modern rock. Each of the cast members did a wonderful job of depicting the story line and emotions attached to it. There were many times that you often forgot that the cast was made up of women and just went on with the story, not noticing it, which is a sign of a very successful acting accomplishment. Furthermore, the special effects were spot on and often taken right from the manga (much to my and my fellow audience members' delight). For instance, Kaname's anger was often shown through the cracking of glass for no apparent reason and cherry blossoms often followed the weeping Kurikizaki hime. 

(The Final Cast all in Costume)

AKIRA as the player of the Chess game so to speak captivated the audience with her vocals. AKIRA's natural range is that of an Alto, possibly a tenor, but she can hit high notes as well when needed. She played the "Pureblood Vampire" (in other words, the king of Vampires) perfectly, without ever missing a beat. A perfect gentleman, with a darkness lurking in his shadow.

(AKIRA sings the final number; Photo Courtesy of Model Press)

My applause of the day, which though I loved AKIRA, had to go to ROOT. Although Zero remains and has been my favorite character in the story, that is not why my praise goes to ROOT. This predisposition  had me going in with a very critical state of mind in regards to Zero.

(ROOT and Yumi as Zero's instincts overwhelm him; Photo Courtesy of Tumblr)

Zero at the heart of the story is the "Vampire Knight". He suffers from physical pain, mental pain, and emotional pain through out the first arc of the manga. He looses his family, becomes a thing he loathes, often harboring suicidal thoughts based on the mentality that he is a threat to those he holds dear, and worse perhaps, watches the girl he loves sacrifice for him all while looking on at another boy. He fights an overwhelming addiction and increasing madness in order to try and save the person he loves. ROOT had a full plate with this role. She had a lot of emotions and a lot of difficult acting to get across to the audience. She did phenomenally. Her pain was our pain and her struggles became our struggles as we watched her heartrending portrayal of Zero's monolithic trials.

SPOILERS END HERE

My fellow audience members I'm sure would agree that the musical was nothing short of a spectacular performance. Amazingly too, this audience seemed to draw those of all ages and of both genders. I made sure to quickly reserve my copy of the DVD version of the Musical as well as go to the Gachas (think  to get pins of the cast members (lucky me again I got Zero and Kaname in the first go!). It's also my hope that they release a CD of the songs from the musical, since they were very beautiful, fun, tragic, and romantic.

(All the goods from the Musical)

(Zero and Kaname Pins from the Gachas)

Overall, the musical was a wonderful show and I look forward to getting my DVD. The cast members were phenomenal, talented, and made the show much more real than anyone could have ever anticipated. It certainly makes me hope that they will be in more shows in the future so we can see more of their talent. If you get the chance to buy the DVD, do it! It's well worth it and if you enjoy Vampire Knight, your collection won't be complete without it! See below, Kaname agrees! ;)

(AKIRA prior to the show's start; Photo Courtesy of AKIRA on Twitter)

Till next time,