Looking back: Experiences #3

Concerts are partly different of what I'm used to in Finland and what I have heard also in rest of Europe and maybe in America as well. People don't push or hit you and you have actually space to breath and enjoy of the live without getting hurt. It  is not as loud as people get in western cultures but it also does have it's positive side. People can actually hear what band member is saying. I just hate when people start screaming/shouting something and won't let band member have his/her turn to speak.

Cosplay is big part in some concerts but often fully made band member cosplays can be seen in bigger bands live. Seen some sort of cosplaying people in smaller bands live, meaning that there is certain stuff band like to use and you do that sort of costume. Let's say white clothes and blood spilled all over clothes. I like more of Asians who do cosplay not because they cosplay someone from their country, because they make more detailed work on their outfits. I have seen few good western cosplays as well but there aren't many. It seems more like let's do it mainly and do some details so it looks like we did effort. Yes, I know doing costume takes time and money. I have friends who does this but for me I rather spend money on something else. Once if I didn't knew this person was a girl (her height was too short anyways) I would have mistaken her to be Reita for sure.... (laughs like he would ride in a public train right after live) 

I'm not saying people should do perfect cosplays, just wanted to point this out. 

There are lots of different type of flower arrangements but only in special situation. Such as birthdays, tour final live, the final live, first live, anniversary ...and so on. Every time I see these I really enjoy them because you don't get to see these in here.

 About the memorial live Nega wasn't supposed to be in there but they had decided day before the live to come. And they performed in their regular clothes without make up. It was really surprising. And also everyone was surprised when noticed Nega in the bands list. It was first time for me to experience such a thing. Usually you get to see bands what are shown but not this time.
Also for some odd reason I always end up seeing D live in Saitama Heaven's Rock VJ-3 and once again I'm trying to get to see them in very same place. Funny in it's own way and very memorable. There is only once when I have seen D somewhere else. I'm not counting times when they were in Europe and Helsinki, Gloria. It was their tour final live in Shibuya-AX.
Indigo O2 in London was confusing because it was first time in there and didn't really know where we should go as there were quite a few entrance doors. Luckily staff came to check everyone tickets before and guided us to right place.

Funny thing happened in one long live which was around 9 hours. I'm serious! Longest live I have ever been in. VII-Sense performed in that live and I accidentally happened to be in their guitarist Erina's side. When they were ending their live, Erina threw his plectrum randomly and it ended up hitting my knee. Yeah, I got it.
Oh! One thing I find really nice and interesting in Japan. In events when some band member throws something and someone catches it and happens to be the person is not a fan of the band. She/he will actually give it to someone who looks like enjoying of the band. These days if it happened to be me who got something I don't like, I would give it someone behind me or throw it even further back for someone else to catch it.
Telling something off topic quickly because it's bit of funny. After being in Japan as much as I have been, I have found myself to actually say "sorry" "thank you" in more places where western people usually doesn't say a thing. People respond often this way; smiling because I actually said sorry for bumping into them or say "Don't mind", "It's okay." or just walk by like nothing happened.
I kind of get annoyed when people don't watch out where they are walking and such. It's nice when everyone looks out for others and makes it that much easier. Seriously while walking in a crowded shop, it's pain in the ass.

Depending of the live area/arena how many tickets there but most on for me goes around 3000 people standing and with seats it goes around 4000 people. About the smallest live area I'm not sure which place I should say, maybe Ruido K3. Only 300 people fit in there.
Some of bigger live houses (arenas) with seats has bit of different kind of numbering, they pretty much have balcony number, left or right or center side and row in same (R4) and your actual seat on that row.

Liquid room is one of my favorite places of these smallest places and I kind of like how Takadanobaba area is made but hate the fact that every time after being in live there my ears are ringing. Other than that I don't really get it in Japan live houses. which is big plus. In Finland almost every live places makes my ears ring.

Often when I have been alone in some live, someone has came up to me for a talk or asked something example for me to watch their place, so no one takes their places while they go toilet or something. 

It's nice to have a talk with stranger from the same live you went to. Of course, I don't recommend everyone to go every stranger in the streets, need to have your common sense with you. 

Last year November when friend and I went to the GazettE lives we ended up talking with this Germany girl in every live we saw each other which was pretty much all 4 lives. And yes there were couple foreign jerks as well ruining experience for others. I never sat close to those couple foreigners but I heard things about them.... So, yeah don't be stupid people!! And mind other ones around you.

I went to one event where Satsuki (ex Rentrer en Soi) performed as last one. His new single had just been released and when he started to sing one of the songs from the new release he messed up. He smiled and asked us if we wanted to sing or more like if someone wanted to sing his new song because he messed up his own lyrics. Everyone went silent and stood in a place not doing much till Satsuki said something like this 'Let's start from the beginning.' This time he got it right.

Once I went to his oneman live (happened earlier than above) and after the live he was close to the door which led outside. People paid to one staff memeber and then could write something down in a book and then Satsuki would give poster to them. Not sure what this was all about but friend and I got to chance talk with Satsuki shortly and got his autograph. He even talked Finnish .. yes he actually does have short part in his lyrics in Finnish.

"Unessani minulla on siivet

 Todellisuudessa olen siivetön."

English: "In my dreams I have wings, 

In reality I am wingless"

There are lots of more experiences about lives, such as band members asking what did we like their live, filling these forms where is questions about the band and their live, finding accidentally someone you wanted to find, to have weird things band people saying middle of their lives.... and so on.

Looking back: Experiences #2

I have been travelling quite a lot in Japan within 4 years. It will be my 5th time to go Japan but I have been once in London and will go back there sooner than you might think. Only few people know when, even it still isn't certain exactly when. I love travelling as many friends and people I know through work or hobbies or through internet.
I live in Finland, in the country with 4 totally different kind of seasons. I still fell in love with Japanese weather. I don't mind the weather reaching +34C It's fine but hot and my hair won't stay in any kind of style in that hot weather. (Maybe someone will give me ideas how to keep hair looking good in hot weather??)

I found my second home from Tokyo, Japan. The reason why isn't fully clear to me but maybe it never should be fully clear. People there are nicer and more polite and friendly than in Finland where you might get glared at or shouted for doing nothing too bad. Don't get me wrong I like Finland and some people living in here and the way we do things.  I also know that beneath Japanese people aren't as nice as they give the impression. I have literally experienced and saw bitch in Japan in one concert I went to with a friend. Both countries have their good and bad and similarities. I have always felt I shouldn't stay inside of Finland. There is much to explore and see. I have grown to keep mind open and being flexible with lots of things. And I'm lucky enough to have great friends around the world. Thank you ♥ Latest overseas friend(s) I did saw were from Indonesia and Japan. With hanging around Indonesian friend I met few friends she have...but that's another story. Soon I will see couple friends from Germany as they come to Finland.

Like I said I feel Tokyo is like second home to me and I have spend lots of time inside of it. And once again I'm going back to Tokyo. It's full of different things you can do. Maybe my favorite place in Tokyo is Asakusa. Asakusa keeps lots of heart warming moments inside and those moments will warm my heart for days to come.
In Japan there are other cities where I have visited. Such as Niigata, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Kannai and Nagoya.

For some reason Nagoya reminds me of Finland. It was pretty quiet place and not many walked on the streets. Maybe people were still at work and schools. It was only  one a day visit. While we were visiting at Nagoya castle one older male person came to us and tried to get us in tourist tour bus... then he started to tell different stuff how he had friends overseas and showed something, (card?? photo??) to friend. I tried to ignore him but it was kind of hard when he kept following us. Let's quote him "Look bambi!!"
Other than that I would definitely go back to Nagoya and see it all over again and get to know it better.

In Niigata hadn't spend much time in it. It was purely on purpose to see GRANRODEO live and it was only chance where we could have gone and where we got tickets. It felt like ghost city at the time but my guess goes that summer it is more lively city. There isn't much to say about Niigata yet but will visit there again and actually stay over night. What I can say is that in Niigata there isn't much cheap hotels. I read somewhere that there are few foreign people working and living but mainly it is only Japanese. We got quite a lot eyes on us while walking down the roads.

Haven't had too good impression of Hiroshima. Maybe should go there again in summer time. It was cold and really cold wind blew there almost whole time.  Though Miyajima is pretty place. You can go there by using ferry. It's rather small place but pretty. I will recommend everyone to visit there if you have a chance.

Kyoto is cool place but confusing a little. At least for foreigner because you need to use buses to get from certain place to another. Been at Kinkaku-ji ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion") twice this  far and would love to go there for the third time. It's beautiful and nature in there is adding the beauty of the place. I don't know what kind of luck rain brings but it has always rained in some way while I have visited in Kinkaku-ji. First time rain came down hard and we didn't had umbrella with us at the time. We tried to protect our cameras and ourselves someway. One foreign lady was nice enough to cover me from rain while I took photo. I didn't even asked but it was nice gesture. Second time it was small shower of rain. While getting back to station second time we took wrong bus and ended middle of nowhere...it was bus station in middle of nowhere. We had to ask how we get back to train station from worker in there and he explained us with his broken English how. Some Japanese people are hard to understand when they speak English. Take time to listen them and try not to hurry.

Osaka is close by Kyoto, so we have always stayed in Osaka while also visiting at Kyoto, it's only hour or two away.  Been staying every time in Osaka this cheap area what is close to Namba. In the small area there is this shopping street with seriously creepy older men. Walking through it you find post office but I recommend you to not go there alone, specially if you are female. Even when been walking there with a friends, men do these boobs signs with their hands and try to flirt with you.  Otherwise Osaka is nice place to be. And the Osaka castle is one of the gorgeous castles I have this far seen but tell the truth I never enjoyed Osaka as much as I enjoy myself in Tokyo...
Visited also Osaka Aquarium. It's huge place and also confusing (laughs) While walking the place it made me wonder if I have had already walked here or there. It's bigger than it seems.

I like high places, so guess where I went... Ferris wheel. Tempozan Ferris wheel. (been also in  Tokyo's  ferris wheel)
Osaka is second most days spend place, almost 2 full weeks.
Most visible difference between Tokyo and Osaka is that in Osaka people walk in right side of the street when in Tokyo and almost rest of the Japan left. It always takes short time to get used to walk again in right side. Every time I have came back to Finland I always end up using left side. I have gotten couple people complaining about it to me. Total strangers! (laughs)

Most things that had happened to me had happen inside Tokyo. One time I was waiting to get in to Shibuya O-East live house to see AND, ViViD, Sadie, DELUHI, Mix Speaker's, Inc. and Lolita23q. While waiting one guy came to us and asked if we wanted to be in Japanese television. We denied that opportunity because at the the time neither of us couldn't use Japanese much, let alone talk in Japanese. Ever since I have sort of avoided video cameras and reporters there had been. Maybe one day I will get caught again... there are always many many doing some sort of interview around Tokyo.

In Tokyo is Moomin cafe for us Finnish people, if you feel even bit of homesick. Only visited inside of it quickly but maybe one day I will actually buy something from there. What I remember there was some sort of mugs and plates and breads and of course drinks.

I also ended up loving Japanese clothing. Why most of you will ask for sure. Reason is that there is more details even most simplest clothing. There is much more where to choose and not really simple and something what everyone ends up having. More shorter said; unique clothing and bigger freedom to wear whatever you want. Of course Japanese people have certain places on your body you shouldn't show in public without being whorish. Biggest different is most likely the fact that even when there are far more clothing to choose from Japanese people cover their upper bodies more than Finnish.
Here is one shirt I bought 2012 winter.  I maybe might do clothing entry one day...depending if readers want it.

And then we finally get to part where we go London, United Kingdom. It's totally different from Japan but more close to Finland. Everything there is walking distance. I was there with a friend about a week and saw main sights in that time and managed to do little shopping. Bad thing doing shopping was that there was at the time at least things what looked close to stuff what I could get from Finland..

It is true what they say about UK. It rains often, it may not be much but there will most likely small rain within the day. Remember to take umbrella with you!

Looking back: Experience #1

It's has been long time without any entry. I thought I could write some experiences I have had while travelling outside of Finland.

One of the weirdest ones was when friend were sitting in a Ueno park. At the time we were there, there was lots of people going by and sitting. It was close to 10PM-11PM when one guy came to us. Yes, I have written about this earlier but here I go again. This guy was wearing dress and his hair was done prettily. Transvestite. He asked if we had boyfriends and did we had them with us. He even had to show something from his bag which I was at first quite sure would be something perv but instead it was perfume and necklace. He had to try it on us but I was lucky enough to talk myself out of it, so he only sprayed it on my friend. He was proudly telling where he found that cheap perfume and other girly stuff. Perfume cost only 500yen....and smell sure wasn't good.

One of the funniest what happened in Asakusa's Sensoji temple. It was closer to end of the trip for friend and I. We had decided to use non make up on that day while roaming around Asakusa and Sensoji temple and since it was July at the time it was hot summer day. We met this female mother who was with her young son. The boy was maybe around his 3 to 4 years old. We talked for awhile. Mostly it was her questions and comments how pretty we looked. Suddenly she asked if it was ok to take photo of us and her son also joined in the photo. It was fun.

Food in Japan is mainly healthier than in Finland.
Here is something I have been enjoying more or less in Japan.

Way too sugary. Couldn't even drink half of it.

 Even this sushi plate is better than the one we have here in Finland. I have started to appreciate far more Japanese and Asian food. 

 Our New Year's food...well, at least part of it. (laughs) That champagne (?) was really bad tasting. I will never again drink it!