9/6 Osaka LE SSERAFIM Concert Thoughts

As I often focus on write about Japan, travel and life, I don't really get to talk too much about the other things I'm passionate about - but I do love a lot of kpop groups. Mostly girl groups though. My first love was Momoland before it all went to shit. My current ultimate bias is G-IDLE. And I hope to see them one day, though it doesn't seem to be happening for me any time soon...

Anywho! LE SSERAFIM! I was very lucky to have been able to catch them in concert as a casual fan. I enjoy their music a lot and I enjoy how talented the members are and how each member brings something different to the table.

And that really shows even in their concert, which I will talk about later.

Pre-Concert Woes

First of all, I want to talk about the pre-concert.

As a casual fan, I wasn't really in the loop for news, so I missed out on what I would say is my favourite part of going to these concerts - buying goods.

Now, even as a casual fan, I like collecting things as souvenirs. So of course, I was really looking forward to the more traditional way of getting goods at the concert - showing up on the day of, lining up, maybe showing someone your ticket as proof of ID or to show you're actually going to the concert and voila - THE GOODS!

But no.

I have to say I was extremely disappointed with the way things were handled and advertised well for casual fans. Apparently, there were pop-up stores in Tokyo and Osaka that you have to get a time ticket for to get inside. Inside, you can purchase goods and even get to use a purikura machine to take photos with the members in the back. I thought it was really neat.

How did I know this?

Well, I happened to be in Tokyo during and walked right by it in Shibuya completely by chance. I received no email about it, and of course not being in their fanclub or anything, I wasn't going to check their website for no reason. Why would I?

And now you're wondering, how did I get all these pictures and how did I get in? (you liar!!)

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeell friends...

Apparently there was a time just before closing where they'd just let anyone walk in, peruse the store and purchase any of the goods that were leftover for that day. Which usually isn't much. Pin badges and the what not.

But it was still fun to take photos, and I got to take a whole lot of them!

So yeah, I unfortunately wasn't able to get any of the goods in this pop-up store. Which should have been a sign and a bunch of red flags... but I guess I didn't get the memo on that one.

During the concert, I found out that everything was sold via this website called WEVERSE.

It seems to be a thing with a lot of HYBE groups and other smaller companies. Like I said, I'm a casual fan and my previous kpop concerts and fanmeets were all Super Junior-related and IVE - both of which have sold items on site and only allowed entry for ticket holders.

Again, I was completely unaware of this. And by the time I had downloaded the app, clicked through all the disclaimers and got on the goods pages (which was easy enough, to be fair), everything was pretty much sold out for the day.

Even the lightsticks.

To say I was peeved was an understatement. The lightstick was actually really cool and had it been available, I would have wanted to keep one for myself. But it seemed like this whole system basically rewarded all their loyal fans (fanclub members and/or fans who were better connected to the kpop universe) but punished others who weren't as loyal, even though we were all paying (and willing to paying more) customers.

And I get that it does save everyone a lot of time, manpower and the hassle of the traditional method of getting goods but it would have been nice to have gotten an email or such saying how goods were going to be sold if not the traditional way.

The other thing that annoyed me was that it seemed that non-ticket holders were also able to get their hands on the goods too, causing things to be sold out in mere minutes. (Then to be sold on mercari for crazy prices...)

Though in hindsight, a $60 lightstick and a $40 tshirt is highway robbery and I think the gods above is telling me I should not be throwing this kind of money away needlessly...

The Concert

As I write this, the last of the Japan tour will have just commenced, so I feel it's ethically ok to share the experience at the concert. I was at the first Osaka show, which was schedule after their Nagoya and Tokyo shows - and was their last stop in Japan. They had two shows each in each city. And of course, because of their popularity, the one in Osaka was hel at our biggest venue - Osaka-jo Hall.

I've been to Osaka-jo Hall many times in the past. It's nowhere near as big as Tokyo Dome, so even the "worst" (highest) seats will still reward you with a view of your idols that's one or two inches big. Compared to Tokyo Dome where the worst seats make everyone look like ants. I unfortunately did get the "worst" seats, but at least I did have a seat. The one thing about Osaka-jo Hall is that there are even "worst" seats called the "standing seats".

You'd think they are arena seats, but oh no - you are basically made to stand behind the people with the worst and highest seats. Basically just greedy folks trying to sell as many tickets as possible.

Despite that, I had a very good time. Even without a lightstick!

I think I was really able to focus more on the performances and not have to wave something, but I did miss having something to wave. However, watching what the lightsticks did and how they worked were cool enough and made the experience all the better.

The girls were just really amazing live!! And remember when I said how each member had something to bring to the table?

As someone who has seen a few other kpop lives, I think the talent of this member really made this concert just that much more outstanding and different to all the other ones I've seen. In the past, I kind of found kpop concerts to either be kinda dull during MCs and really just not all that interactive with the crowd. And I think Sakura being there, despite this being a rookie group, really helped make this concert seem so much more like they've been doing this for ages. She really just knew what to say, and she was always kind of gently nudging everyone else along to make themselves seem more interactive and fun. Her experience from HKT (a group that's literally made catered to fans) is just so valuable here since a lot of rookie groups can seem awkward outsie of their other expertise.

I mean, of course, having two Japanese members in the mix helps with things not get lost in translation but still. The atmosphere was just very different.

And in fact, all the members used a lot of Japanese. I mean, not suprising since they spoke it during Produce days. But I think a lot of the Japanese fans there were all very happy they spoke so fluently.

Speaking of Produce, Yunjin was totally all Produce48 vibes. Maybe it's her hair, idk. But I love that girl to pieces. Her vocals were beautiful - as you'd expect.

I was rather surprised (though not really) how popular Eunchae was. I guess I should know this as Japanese fans often seem to just love the maknae of the group it seems, but I would have thought there would be more Sakura fans, or even Kazuha fans.

Definitely a lot of fanboys. I noticed lots of older men too, perhaps Sakura fans from her HKT days that carried over.

Oh, and yes - if you saw my tweet - Kazuha did cry at our performance speeches while she was thanking her parents for supporting her. She expressed how grateful and unbelieveable it is to be able to stand in her hometown of Osaka to perform, and got rather emotional expressing this thought. All the members huddled so quickly around her to support her - it was so nice to see. So proud of you, Zuha!

I won't talk too much about the performances and the setlist. This was a recorded concert, so either way, it'll make it to the Blurays and the internet in due time. But they of course did all their hit songs. All amazing shit!!

And with that, I leave you with more venue pics...

This was a sign we got when we entered the venue and was told (with instructions in Japanese, Korean and English in the back - totally mindblowing!) to hide it until we were instructed to hold it up for the members to see. A great free souvenir to take home!

Some fan (?) decked out this car near the venue. The dedication I wish I had for anybody!

Thanks for stopping by. If you also went to the concert, comment below or tweet me your thoughts!!!

5 Things I Just Can't Get Used To In Japan

Living in Japan certainly has its ups and downs. There are lots of great and cool things about Japan (mostly as a tourist & traveller), and as someone living here... there's just some things I find strange and weird, and I just cannot get used to. There are some obvious ones that are related to the long-winded bureaucracy and the work culture here, but today, I want to just talk about ones that aren't related to those two things.

I know this post is going to sound like a whining rant, but I also hope this might help some newcomers to Japan formulate more realistic views of the new country they will move to.

1. Hot Summer Weather

I come from Toronto, and even lived in Hong Kong for a time - so I am used to varying types of hot summers (yes, Toronto does get quite hot too!). But the humidity in Kansai at least can absolutely be unbearable. If you ever dealt with humidity, then you'd know how it feels like, but if you haven't - it's basically like... walking outside for 5 seconds before it feels like an invisible shower had rained down on you. I absolutely just cannot get used to this.

2. Seasonal Items - Especially Fruits & Vegetables

And usually quite expensive at that...?

I realize the “expensive” part is mostly only true in city life. Countryside folk often have the luxury to buy from local farmers markets, or maybe have neighbors that are willing to spare them some unsold produce that are deemed ”too imperfect“ for public markets. As often fruits in Japan (and Asia) are perfectly accept housewarming gifts. So of course the sweetest and the nicest ones would be packaged up for these gift baskets, and they can be VERY expensive.

Not to say there are no normal fruits, but fruits here operate by season. It would be impossible to find ALL fruits all year round. It's likely that you'll only find cherries and watermelon and pineapples in the summer, mikans in the winter, strawberries in the spring, etc etc. Aside from apples, oranges and bananas - all fruits have their own "season". As they should, but even more so in Japan. Due to them being available for a certain amount of time, they can be rather expensive.

If you can find them fresh out of season, they would be even more expensive and there is no guarantee that it would be as sweet as they would in season.

And this isn't limited to just fruits and veggies. Even just food items in general. Convenience stores often change out dessert items, drinks and even bento. A bit ironic for a convenience store to have this inconvenience of never being able to find your favorite staples ever again... but it does create a sense of urgency and needing to purchase something out of FOMO. So there is that.

But I really do hate getting addicted to say, Grape Tea, but because it's seasonal it will be gone in a month.

3. Sitting Through the Credits in Theatres

...or the entire theatre experience in general.

It starts off normal. I mean, it's people just watching a movie after all. Phones go off, lights out, popcorn is already half finished because those adverts are just so damn long. But let's just say you're watching an English film with Japanese subtitles. An action comedy film. Let's say - Guardians of the Galaxy.

The first comedic scenes rolls by and you're laughing your ass off. But it's awfully quiet... okay, maybe you just have a dumb sense of humour and no one gets it. Cool.

Second scenes rolls by. Again, you're the only person laughing at the joke.

This continues for the rest of the movie where you are literally the only person, along with maybe the other two foreigners in the theatre that are laughing.

I did look at the subtitles at one point during one of these films, and I can kind of understand why no one is laughing sometimes. The translation doesn't capture the actual English joke at all, so watching it would fly over a non-native English speaker's head if they cannot hear and understand what was said in English. So I guess that's a bit unfortunate. But I do wonder if I'm sitting in a room full of robots sometimes......

Now, the movie ends.

Normally, everyone would start filing out of the theatre when the credits are rolling. For Marvel films, I guess most people know there is a bit of a sneak peak of what's to come, but usually after that, people will file out in the dark. Slowly but surely.

Nope. Not in Japan. People will all rush out when the lights turn on after the credits all finish rolling. It's honestly weird. I don't have an answer to why this is, but I can't get used to it.

4. Lack of Insulation / Soundproofing

Houses here are made of cheaper material that is meant to be demolished after a good amount of time, so cheaper and copy & paste models of apartments are often made with little soundproofing and insulation in mind. Walls are paper thin with no cement and windows are often single panes, meaning you can hear your neighbours and the outside very well.

Not to mention during very hot summers and cold winters, the AC you are using will not keep the cold or hot air inside. It's really a pain in the ass. These days, you can pay a premium to have these luxuries, but older and cheaper apartments will still not have these things.

5. Lack of Variety in Foods

Japanese food is great... maybe for the first three months of living here. At least up until you start to miss your country's staple foods. For me, it was Cantonese food. So I went on a mission to look for restaurants and even made a page for it. For the first few years, it was so hard. Japanese people simply don't understand that not all Chinese food is the same. We don't all just eat gyoza and we don't all just eat xiao long bao.

And this isn't just for one culture. It's almost for every culture besides Japan.

Some cultures don't even have a representation of their foods anywhere. Like Greek food. It's almost impossible to find a simple souvlaki plate like you would in just any Canadian food court.

---

What do you think? If you live in Japan, what are some things you cannot get used to? Let us know and you can find us on twitter!

Minoh Falls Light Up (8/22)

I had the pleasure of going to Minoo Falls at night this year to see it lit up. The last day to go is this Sunday, so if you're looking for something to do this weekend - definitely take a chance to go!

The walking path up to Minoo Falls takes 30-40 minutes, and it's partially lit up by lights. Some parts of the path is not very well lit, but it's usually a short distance before there is some light. So please don't worry about being completely in the dark. If you're worried, there is a shuttle bus service that costs 2000 yen.

I started walking up at around 6PM, and got to the falls just before 7PM.

The Hankyu train that I took is currently doing a collaboration with Chikawa, recently a very popular character in Japan. There is a shop in Umeda at the moment and lots of places you can take pictures with it. If you like Chikawa too, definitely don't miss out on that!

"Forest bathing village", the banner says, "Welcome to Minoo"

And no I don't believe in it... for me, since I am usually a victim of mosquitoes coming for my blood, the only thing that I'll be bathing in is mosquito repellent. But it is a very nice hike, I assure you!

From the station to the falls is a 2.7KM walk. On the way, there's a spa (Oedo Monogatari chain hotel that has day spa & onsen options - it has quite a spectacular view!), a bug museum and a shrine. It's quite scenic!

You can even river dine here in Minoo!

I'll show you that in a minute, but here are some views of your walk:

And before long, you will reach Minoo Falls.

We got there just as it got dark, and there were already a lot of people there sitting and enjoying the light up of the falls. We didn't really meet many people walking up to the falls with us, so I assume they walked here just before dark to get in the views along the way. Great idea if you're not afraid of being mosquito feed!

It's a very majestic view, and I wish the pictures show more of it. There is a purple light too and they rotate between three or four colours, but the purple simply doesn't capture well on lens - though it is very beautiful in person! It's worth seeing at least once and just to enjoy the nature around us.

The only thing I wish they had done was open up the food stalls that are around the waterfall. It would have created a nicer summer atmosphere and a waste chance in profit...

But as we walked back, we just enjoyed the darkness around us littered with some lights here and there.

There were some signs that warned us against monkeys (yes, there are monkeys and I have seen them once) and giant hornet, and I tried my best not to think about it as I navigated our way back to the station.

And also taking in scenes like these:

This was the river dining area along the path. They were just about to close as we were walking back out at around 7:30PM.

Before we headed back to the station, we decided to take a look inside Oedo Monogatari Onsen here in Minoo Falls. We saw that it was quite high up, and we made an educated guess that the lobby would be up there - meaning we might be able to walk around it a little without being told to leave.

We were right.

There was an elevator up to the lobby, bring you to a bridge that goes to the lobby area. And a gift shop. If you wish to use the baths, you can purchase a ticket up there too.

And that brings us to the end of our night walk to Minoo Falls!

Have you been here before? Let us know what you think of Minoo Falls and click here to read about my other blog on beginner hikes in Kansai.