大失敗

"Daishippai" translated means "Big Failure", and that's what today was. Long story short, I missed the whole reason why I came to Osaka. The money for the shinkansen, the hotel room, all of it has come to naught.

失敗第一 First Failure: Golden Week
I knew that Golden Week was serious business for the Japanese, but I made two mistakes. The first is that Japan's population is the tenth largest in the world; even if half of the nation had decided not to travel, there would still be a lot of people milling about. The second thing is that there are two popuation centers in Japan, one of which is the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area (the other being the Tokyo Capital Area). There are simply so many people everywhere you look. They crowd the trains, fill up the sidewalks, and are just unescapable. When I got lost and began to rush, there were times when I simply could not move faster because there was simply no space.

失敗第二 Second Failure: Double Checking
First of all, I should have checked the area surrounding the event location for cd sellers where I could have reserved my cd. There was a Tsutaya a block away, and I should have reserved my cd there. In Saijo, we normally go there for the used products, so I didnt think about it. A quick look at their website would have set me straight. The store I did reserve at, Tower Records, has two stores near each other, and that's what threw me off. When I checked Google Maps, it didnt mention that there were two stores, so when I passed by one yesterday, I assumed that it was the one I wanted. It wasnt, so I wasted time going to that store, and because I didnt plan on going to the other store, I got lost heading there. Furthermore, when trying to head to the event location, I got lost again, so I ended up being an hour and a half late.

失敗第三 Third Failure: Picking this Event
Today's fan meet event for MBLAQ's Japanese debut is one of five events. It is the first, being held on the day their album became available for sale. For these reasons, I shouldnt have picked this event. Tower Records, where I reserved my album, opened at 11:00 AM; the 受付 ended at 11:30 AM. Even if I hadnt gotten lost and all, I would have had only half an hour to go to Tower Records, pick up and buy the cd, and then get to the place. That thirty minutes made little space for error, which (LOL) happened. While Sapporo and Tokyo are far away and would have cost more money (transportation and lodging), Fukuoka is not as far away. And while I would have sacrificed a Monday and/or Tuesday, I wouldnt have been in such a rush. I would have made the ハイタッチ会 and maybe even the 超限定ライブ.

After being turned away, I am a bit proud to admit that I didnt lose my shit in the middle of the street. I did hang out a bit, just to watch what kinds of people would show up. Because there were only three ladies ahead of me at the (wrong) Tower Records and the fact that it was the day the album was released, I was really surprised to see how many people had shown up. There were people all over the street, and it was a very long street. Another thing that surprised me was the age of the people. I'd say the majority of people were in their late teens or twenties, which is pretty normal, I think. But there were a few girls who were definitely in middle school, and accompanied by their mothers. But I was amazed that there were a few older women too. Not grandmas, to be sure, but I'd put their age at late fifties or sixties. Definitely the kind that are known to watch KDramas. However, no matter their age, they all acted the same. The sighing, the laughing, the "Ohmygod they're so amazing!1!11!". Maybe it's just as well that I didnt get in. I would have been so conspicuous and nervous.

I thought about waiting for the whole thing to finish, and then maybe seeing if I could watch them walk out the building. But my legs were tired (I literally ran today), and I was feeling shitty, so I decided to leave. While lost, I had walked by 大丸 Daimaru, which is a department store, as well as the ポケモンセンター Pokemon Center. I headed in that direction. For a bit, I got pulled off track by a game center, and I played some games, but eventually, I made it to the 大丸ビル.

Like I mentioned above, there are so many people here in Osaka, and the area I was walking through is a major shopping and transit center, so it took me a while. To get to the Poke Center, I had to head up to the thirteenth floor, which is no small feat. The elevator would have been packed and stop on every floor, but the escalator was not that much better. It too was full of people, and took forever and a day. But I finally made it to the Poke Center. Predictably, the majority of people there were either children or with children, so it felt a little strange to be by myself and looking at things. Since I dont have any of the Pokemon games with me, I didnt stop to watch people aquire special, new pokemon, and I also ignored the kiddy games where you could win Pokemon prizes. A friend of mine asked me to buy him some things if I happened to stop there, so I started looking for his stuff. I picked out two file folders, which I think he'll use. But also for sale were a multitude of things. There were pencils and pens, scissors and erasers, and bento boxes and much more. There were shirts too, but they looked the size of a child, so I didnt look too hard. There was also candy and other snacks imprinted with Pokemon characters. I did look through the Pokemon Card section, but they were all the new cards, which I have no interest in. After taking about ten minutes to wait through line, I made it out of there.

Tomorrow is Boy's Day, so even though it'll be late, I wanted to buy something for my nephews. I suppose that's one good thing for having three nephews; it's easy to find their Boy's Day gifts. 東急ハンズ Tokyu Hands, a department store I like, took up the three floors beneath the Poke Center, so I checked it out next. Predictably, there were quite an assortment of things on sale. I particularly enjoyed looking through the cookware section. In the housewares section, there was an apron you use when hanging out clothes. I really wanted to buy it, because it looks somewhat useful. It works like a kangaroo pouch: the front part has a pocket in which to place clothes in, to hold while to hang it out. 結局、買わんかったけど。 I'll think about it, and maybe I'll go back for it. But it's doubtful, because I imagine that it'll be very crowded in there. I dont do well with crowds.

簡単というと、今日は大失敗だったのよ。 The whole reason why I decided to come to Osaka during Golden Week was to go to MBLAQ's Japan debut and I completely missed it. Thankfully I didnt start crying in the streets, but I am bummed that せっかく大阪来たのに会えんかったんじゃ。 But there is a small part of me that hopes that this isnt the end. They're going to open their Japanese fan club soon, and I plan on joining it. Secondly, I've bought their last two albums, and isnt that the best thing a fan can do, support the artist? I heard that their album debuted at number two on the Oricon chart, so maybe if their sales are good and fan club support strong, maybe they'll come back to Japan. They already made another fan meet even in Shibuya 突発的に, so it's not impossible. Hey, I can hope, cant I?

In any case, this day is over, and I should start planning what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm thinking of heading into the Denden Town, which my friend said is kinda like Akiba. If not, I want to go to Kyoto again, for some things I missed the last time. In any case, I must make the next few days worthwhile, if only to offset my failure today. この休みを失敗しないように頑張るよ！！

Vacation Again

So after two weeks of school, I'm going to be back on vacation. While there is school on Monday, that is the last time I'll have class until the following week. You see, it's Golden Week right now, a week in which many Japanese holidays fall. For a full list of holidays, you should check the Wikipedia article on it. A lot of people are going on short trips around Japan, and I so am I.

I mentioned a while back that I started getting into a new Korean band, MBLAQ. On May 4th, their Japanese debut album is going to be on sale, and they'll be promoting it with a set of live appearances. Their first one, on the fourth, is going to be in Osaka. I wanted to buy their album, and because of Golden Week, I had the time. Furthermore, Osaka is not as far from Hiroshima as Tokyo or Sapporo is, so it seemed like a good idea to go. I managed to find a really cheap hotel room, which is going to offset some of the cost of transportation, seeing as I have to take the bullet train to get there on time. It's been a long time since I've been to Osaka, so I'm really excited to go! I leave Hiroshima on Tuesday afternoon, and leave Osaka on Saturday. Technically, Friday will be a regular day, but because I have no class that day, I decided to take it easy and stay there a little longer. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do in Osaka, though. I'm looking up places to go, and things to see, but I havent really compiled a list or something. I asked a friend of mine, who studied in Kobe, which is real close, what he thinks I should do, so I have a vague idea. And also, I know someone who is currently in Osaka right now, but I havent spoken to her in years. Perhaps I should contact her.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I do have my reservations about going. For one thing, getting to the place where the live is going to be is a bit problematic. I made it so that my hotel room is close to the store where I have to buy my cd (which has my ticket), which is close to the club where they will be performing at. However, I havent walked around Osaka before; the streets are completely foreign to me. I have looked at it on Google Maps (both the regular maps and Street View), but my time limit is very short. Tower Records, where I have my CD on reserve, opens at 11:00 AM. The 受付 for the event starts at 9:00 and runs to 11:30 AM. Of course, I'm not going to get to Tower Record at eleven - I'm going to get there a bit early, in the even that I can get in there faster. But still. I cant help but wonder if the staff thought about time and all that. But in any case, I will have to move my ass as fast as I can in a city I dont even know. Assuming I get to the club on time, I have a feeling that not only will I be the only American, but I will probably be the only boy there too. Most idol groups have girl fans, and MBLAQ is no different. I have a feeling I will be judged hardcore by people there. And finally, the actual live performance is not open to everyone who will be there. I didnt realise it until today, but there's going to be some kind of raffle or lottery to determine who will get to see it. And even assuming I get in, it's planned to only be half an hour long. To be quite honest, if I had known all of this three weeks ago, I would have just given up and decided not to go. But I've got all the tickets paid, and reservations put in, so I suppose I have no choice but to go. I need to keep a positive attitude that everything will work out, and that I'll have fun and be happy. C'mon good, positive karma!

I get in on Tuesday, and MBLAQ will take up my Wednesday. I dont leave until Saturday morning. This means I have to plan for Thursday and Friday. While I am taking suggestions and thinking about it, I have yet to make concrete plans for those two days. According to Wikipedia, there's a Poke Center near the Osaka Station, so I want to go there. And I am thinking of going to Kyoto again, if only to shop at some stores I really liked there. My friend has suggested Denden Town, which is like Akihabara. And like I said, it wouldnt be a bad idea to see my friend I havent talked to in ages. I still have time to plan (and I should probably start packing...), so I guess I can wait a bit. While definitely worried about all the bad things that can happen, I am trying to look forward to my Osaka vacation. It'll be the last time for me to relax before I get stuck with school, school, and more school.