New 5×20 Goods List

Pamphlet * | 2,200yen

Jumbo Uchiwa 2nd Ver. | 600yen (5 types)

Poster 2nd Ver. | 800yen (6 types)

Clear File 2nd Ver. | 600yen (7 types)

Super Duper Original Photo Set 2nd Ver. | 800yen (Group *, 5 types)

Penlight * | 2,500yen

Shopping Bag * | 2,800yen

Mini Tote Bag | 2,000yen

T-Shirt * | 2,800yen

T-Shirt (Grey) | 2,800yen

Hand Towel | 1,000yen

Masking Tape Set * | 800yen

Pouch * | 1,600yen

Multi-Blanket * | 3,200yen

Strap * | 300yen

Karuta * | 1,600yen

Luggage Tag | 1,200yen

Venue Limited Charm 2nd Ver | 600yen

Mini Uchiwa 2nd Ver | 400yen (6 types)

Accessory Case | 800yen

* same as first leg of concerts

I was kind of hoping for the goods list to remain the same as it would be safe for my wallet, but it looks like the list is updated with small changes! There will be new jumbo/mini uchiwas, posters, clear files, and photo sets (except for the group photo set, which remains the same), as well as charms, a grey t-shirt and entirely new items like the mini tote, hand towel, and luggage tag. And the accessory case! I’m really curious about that one as it was list listed as “komono ire” and sounds like something I might really like more than one of.

Arashi 20th Anniversary Tour 5×20 (December 7th)

To be honest, I couldn’t believe that I actually hit the ballot for their 20th anniversary tour. This was THE tour for me, and not just because it’s their 20th anniversary. It marked my 10th anniversary as a fan, and their 5×10 concert was the first I’ve ever seen on DVD. When my late sister and I went for Arafes, we were awed by the sensation of being there, watching everyone walking by with the concert bags, hearing the sound of cicadas, because we had watched that DVD so many times. We had envisioned ourselves walking down that same path every time, and it was almost eerie how it felt when we were actually THERE.

Ideally, she would be the person I’d take with me for 5×20. Even my friend (whose address I used for my FC) had said that because hitting the ballot for the second time was such an impossible thing to do (we thought), that it felt like this was a gift from her, because I missed Japonism when she passed away. I normally don’t believe in sentimental stuff like that, but it really did feel that way.

Japonism Arena tour

I was lucky enough to hit the ballot for Japonism this year, for December 24th at Tokyo Dome, but because of a family emergency I couldn’t make it. My ticket didn’t go to waste, though, which I’m glad about – my friend used it instead, and wrote this lovely report about the concert! It’s nice to get to read about what I missed – reading it really cheered me up some, after such a hard week.

Today, I received an e-mail with news of an ARASHI “Japonism Show” in ARENA. Which I suppose is an arena tour, which they haven’t done in a long while. This made me cheer up a little more, because it’s a chance to see Japonism after all – even if there’s zero chance of hitting the ballot this time, so I really need to depend on resellers this time (>_<). Right now I’m thinking of aiming for either Yokohama or Shizuoka, the former because of its proximity to Tokyo (but I guess that means it might be more expensive, too) and the latter because the timing would be right for another event I was thinking of going for (plus it’s a smaller venue, which may be more fun, and I had always wanted an excuse to visit Shizuoka). Of course, all this is just wishful thinking, but right now it’s nice to have some amount of hope 🙂

The tour dates:

April 23rd | Sun Dome Fukui | 1pm, 6pm
April 24th | Sun Dome Fukui | 3pm

May 7th | Hiroshima Green Arena | 1pm, 6pm
May 8th | Hiroshima Green Arena | 3pm

July 23rd | Shizuoka Ecopa Arena | 6pm
July 24th | Shizuoka Ecopa Arena | 12pm, 5pm

July 30th | Kagoshima Arena | 1pm, 6pm
July 31st | Kagoshima Arena | 3pm

August 6th | Nagano M-Wave | 6pm
August 7th | Nagano M-Wave | 12pm

August 9th | Yokohama Arena | 12pm
August 10th | Yokohama Arena | 5pm

 

In other news… I haven’t really been keeping up with news, because of aforementioned family emergency. I just remember reading somewhere that Arashi will be doing something related to Star Wars for Kouhaku? Having been a Star Wars fan long before I was an Arashian, I would love to watch that! Speaking of Kouhaku, I’ll be on the road to my parents’ hometown on the 31st, so I’ll be missing it… good thing with Arashi I could be assured of finding clips online later. I just wish I could say the same about my other favourite group, BUMP OF CHICKEN :p – I have no idea where I’d be able to watch their performance.

Blast in Miyagi (19th September)

This is a report (of sorts) for the Blast in Miyagi concert I went to. Salwa and I went to see Blast on September 19th, which was Arashi’s 16th anniversary of their debut as a group. Today is November 3rd, the 16th anniversary of their first single. Happy Anniversary, Arashi!

We were lucky to get arena seats, I suppose, and less lucky with accommodation, which filled up almost as soon as concert announcements went up. I knew from experience that even though the concert was supposed to end at 7:30pm, I would be really lucky to make the last train back to Tokyo from Miyagi, because (1) of course the roads would be congested, and (2) 50,000 people trying to get back at the same time? Even getting out of the stadium wasn’t going to be easy. So even though it would seem cheaper to purchase a ticket directly, I opted for a JR Pass, which would at least allow me more freedom in taking trains and re-reserving new tickets if I missed my train. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for this trip, as hard as it was to make (I was on a really tight budget, so it was extremely tempting to not take the JR Pass.) 

The Digitalian (2014)

The Digitalian concert is simply the coolest of all the concerts I’ve attended. Arafes’12 was the best, because I’m biased, but Digitalian was the coolest. And while none of the DVDs really live up to the real thing, I can’t help but think that the gap is even wider with Digitalian. After all, those fanlights – among other things – need to be experienced in person!

Blast in Hawaii (2014)

Blast was Arashi’s first international concert since 2008, but it was also the first that I couldn’t even dream of going – a flight to Hawaii would cost me more than thrice the price of a Japan return flight. Not to mention the fact that the fanclub tickets were sold as a tour package, making it way above my budget. It’s the only concert I didn’t ballot for since becoming a fan. But I kept up with the news, of course – I knew people that were going for both days, and read their reports, and their tweets. There were so many reports about Blast in Hawaii that by the time this DVD came out, I felt like I’ve already watched it. (Of course, all the news coverage and the NHK documentary helped.)

Arafes / Love (2013)

Arafes’13

I’m glad that I chose to watch this, instead of skipping to LOVE. I had somehow remembered this as being not that different from Arafes’12, but its small differences was enough to make it equally fun to watch.

For the 2013 Arafes, Arashi split their concert into different segments, each produced by a different member. Their concerts had always been produced by Jun before, and I always loved the way everything flowed, from the beginning til the end. This time it’s a bit different, but the different parts still flowed well into each other, so I’m sure that MatsuJun still took care of the overall planning. With each member planning different parts, though, we get to see their distinctive styles – Sho’s segment was rap-heavy, for example, while Jun’s was a whole big DJ MJ thing, and Nino’s was just pure fun. Each of them brought something else to the table, and when seen as a whole everything just seems BIGGER somehow, which is just like how Arashi is as a group, I guess.

Arafes / Popcorn (2012)

Arafes 2012

Arafes 2012 is my favourite concert DVD, but I’m biased because (1) this is the only DVD of a concert recorded at the same venue and date I attended, and (2) Arafes’12 may just be my favourite of all the concerts I’ve had the luck to see live. The Arafes concerts came as a kind of surprise – before it, the Kokuritsu dates had been part of Arashi’s regular tour. But since the stadium was scheduled to be torn down / renovated for the 2020 Olympics, Arashi confirmed that they would be performing in Kokuritsu for two more years, and that it would be a special “Arashi Festival” for fans. No Johnny’s Juniors or back-up dancers, even – just Arashi, and the fans.

Beautiful World (2011)

Kokuritsu concerts. What is it about them? The energy level is just on a different scale, somehow. It’s like that with the Beautiful World DVD.

I haven’t seen this concert in awhile, and haven’t listened to many songs from the album, so it was surprising how easily it all came back to me. Beautiful World is one of my favourite albums, and I had forgotten that until now. “Niji no Kakera”, “Summer Splash”, and “Mada Minu Sekai e” were songs that I had in my Arashi playlist for a long time. “Kono Mama Motto” was one of my favourite Sho solos, even if I wasn’t keen on the performance. “Jyanakute” is very high up my favourite Aiba performances, and “Hung Up On” is my favourite Ohno solo, although right now “Akatsuki” is a very close second. But the best thing about Beautiful World is the “accent dance” before “Mada Minu Sekai e”.

Scene ~ boku to kimi no miteiru fuukei ~ (2010)

For some reason, two DVDs were released for the Scene tour – one for the Kokuritsu concert, and one for the Fukuoka Dome concert. Whatever the reason, I remember being glad for the Dome version, because at that point in time the last couple of DVDs were of Kokuritsu concerts. The Dome version was really worth getting even if you already had the Kokuritsu version, because it comes with interviews/comments from Arashi, and the LE includes the PV for “Mada Minu Sekai e” as well as the making, and a video of Arashi going on a training camp of sorts.