BLOG -- My Trip to Japan V.2 -- PRELUDE (plane rides + hotels + timeline of each day in Japan + other thoughts)

So here is the Prelude of my 2nd adventure to Japan. I am going to structure these blogs similar to how I structured my first trip to Japan. I should say that even though this specific entry looks similar to my last "Prelude" to Japan, it's not. I still talk about the plane rides plus hotel, but I cover some other thoughts as well.

Before the actual trip, I was very excited and also very nervous. Why nervous? Because... this time I was going to Japan all by myself!! To some, that may be nothing. To me, though, it was my first time being truly all by myself anywhere. And to experience that in a country where I can't speak the language... if something happened while I was there... just thinking about it makes me shiver. Also, this time my flights were making a layover in the US -- another first for me. I've never travelled to the US before so I was quite nervous about that as well. 

Once I actually landed in Japan and reached my hotel was I able to finally relax. Overall, just like last time, I really enjoyed my stay in Japan. There's just something so magical and awesome about it.

For this trip, I stayed in two areas: Nagoya for the first week, and Shinjuku for the rest of the time.

Below are links to my first trip to Japan if you would like to check them out:
-Prelude 
-Part 1: Asakusa, Meguro, Odaiba
-Part 2: Akihabara, Ikebukuro 
-Part 3: Shibuya, Shinjuku
-Japan Eats (all the food I ate while there)
-Random Thoughts + Swag / Purchases
-Extra: Some of My Karaokings 



PRE-TRIP PREPARATIONS
Before the flight to Japan, there were some things I had to do. I mentioned a couple of these in an earlier blog:

1. Rent a pocket WiFi. As I've said before in earlier blogs, a pocket WiFi is really useful to have if you want reliable internet access. Before the trip, I thought I would only use the pocket WiFi when I was out of the hotel, but it proved to be much more reliable and faster than the hotel's WiFi. 

When I filled out the rental form, I thought I wouldn't use it much on my last day in Japan, so I only rented up to the day before. I actually forgot that's what I did until I reviewed the form one day "for fun"... ahh. I was pretty sad when I mailed the pocket WiFi back.

2. Buy a JR pass. After doing further calculations of all the places I wanted to check out in the first week, I concluded that it would be much more worth it to have. I also quoted the wrong price in my last blog about it, stating the 7-day Green Car price (38,880 yen) instead of the Standard price (29,110 yen). One thing I really liked doing with the JR pass was reserving a seat for the shinkansen (bullet train). I never had to look for a seat when travelling.

One thing I should mention though, is if the next shinkansen is coming in around 15 minutes or less, there's a chance that you won't be able to reserve a seat for that specific shinkansen even if you can reach the platform in time. In cases like that and you are strapped for time, it might be worth trying your luck with an unreserved seat. 

3. Book my hotels. Since I did not book my flight through an agency like last time, I had to book the hotels myself. Once I figured how long I was staying in Nagoya, I booked my Shinjuku hotel quickly since there weren't many available rooms left for the days I planned. For the Nagoya hotel I booked through a hotel agency.

4. Research like crazy on the airport process in the US, layovers, etc. For me, the thing that scared me most with this trip was me messing up something which would result in me not being allowed to board the plane, delaying my arrival in Japan, ultimately resulting in me possibly not being able to pick up the pocket WiFi, the JR pass, nor check-in to my Nagoya hotel in time, and then I'd be stranded with my luggage... while being all by myself and nobody to contact... I had to make sure that wouldn't happen!

So I researched like crazy, reading sections on the airport's website and tons of threads on TripAdvisor asking about travelling with a layover in the US. This was my second time flying so I was very unfamiliar with the airport processes. During my research, I found out that having 2-3 hours of layover time would be recommended so not to miss the next flight. My flight to Japan had only a 50 minute layover in the US... I ended up paying a fee to change my Toronto --> Chicago flight to an earlier time to have a longer layover in the US. 

I also read about needing a travel VISA, so I had to research that (I don't have one!). Thankfully, Canadian citizens don't have to have one to enter the US (phew!). 

Then I read about US preclearance at Pearson airport. Going through US preclearance means going through the US customs + security processes before reaching the US. So that when you arrive in the US, you won't have to go through it. That helped ease my worry that I wouldn't have enough layover time, at least for the flight to Japan. At the time of this writing, the airport in Japan doesn't have US preclearance, which means that on my trip back to Toronto, I would have to go through US customs + security when I land in the US. 

Lol... I was really filling my brain with so much information.


STAYING OVER AT THE AIRPORT
Due to me changing my Toronto --> Chicago flight to an earlier time (8:44 AM), and with the recommendation of being at the airport 3 hours early for international flights, I figured my best course of action would be to stay over at the airport the night before. Naturally I was very nervous... but thankfully my stay there was uneventful. I did my best to stay up through the night but I think I nodded off a couple times.


PLANE RIDES
I think next time, I will book direct flights to Japan instead of having a layover. There's too much stress with making sure I board each plane on time and hoping that each plane takes off and lands on time. 

On my flights to Japan, it was uneventful (phew!) and boring. The flight from Toronto --> Chicago was really short, so I tried napping. The flight from Chicago --> Japan was long and boring. For that particular flight, watching movies was pay on demand, so I tried sleeping. Often I'd wake up and feel achy all over. I kept thinking, 'Are we there yet???'

On the flight back from Japan, watching movies was free (yay!). It kinda made me wonder why the Chicago --> Japan flight was pay on demand since all my flights were booked with the same airline.

Going through customs in Chicago was long! It wasn't so much the process that was long -- it was the line. When I finally got through security, I only had about 20 minute left to board my flight! Ugh... I don't want to go through that again.


THE HOTELS
So I stayed in two hotels: one hotel in Nagoya and one hotel in Shinjuku.

Nagoya Hotel
So the place I stayed at in Nagoya was Hotel Wing International. When I decided how many days I would be staying in Nagoya, I tried reserving a room through their site, but got a "no rooms available for the dates you selected" message. Strangely (or is it not so strange?), I was able to book a room with them through an online hotel agency. 

Would I recommend this place? Ummm... no, I wouldn't... and there are a couple reasons for that. 

1. Location. While the hotel is close to a subway station that's close to a major subway station, getting to the hotel from the station requires crossing a long bridge. There is no other way to cross the street, and none of the subway exits get you to the right side. This may sound minimal, but it's a huge pain when dragging luggage around. I think it took me about 10-20 minutes to get my luggage to the station when I checked out of the hotel. 

2. My room's bed. So maybe I was just unlucky, but the bed in my room was very terrible. It was very hard and I noticed that I was only able to sleep around four-five hours before waking up with pains on my sides and back. You can see in my itinerary below just how few hours of sleep I had during my stay in Nagoya. 

Another thing to mention, though I was largely indifferent to it, is that the rooms are key-operated. Everytime you leave the hotel, you have to leave the key at the front desk, and when you come back you have to claim it. Maybe this is common practice, but I've never experienced it before.

I guess for a few nights' stay if you had no luggage, this place would be okay, provided that not ALL beds are stiff like mine.


Shinjuku Hotel
In Shinjuku, I stayed at the same place I stayed last time: Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku. I really liked how accommodating they were the last time when the flight agency booked SMOKING rooms for us when we had specified NON-SMOKING. Also prior to the trip I e-mailed them a few times about making reservations and they always responded promptly. I highly recommend this place, hahahaha. 


TRAVELLING DURING GOLDEN WEEK
Initially, I thought it was my mistake to land in Japan just as Golden Week started. I was thinking 'Nooo, everybody is on holiday -- travelling is going to be so terrible for me!' In the end, though, being in Japan during Golden Week worked very well in my favour. 

Maybe it was because I had a JR pass to reserve seats for the shinkansens, but I rarely experienced any sort of crowd when commuting. Also, I did not have to follow the guideline I had the last time -- about avoiding rush hour times. Since almost everybody is on holiday, there shouldn't be any sort of rush hour time in the morning nor evening. This allowed me to start my day earlier and end the day later.

If I could make things work, I would definitely travel to Japan again during Golden Week. 

The only downside is that some buildings may be closed or open later due to Golden Week. It's best to check online before making plans. Thankfully the places I visited weren't affected at all.



So below is an itinerary of my whole trip. This section is more for me to keep track of my days, so it may not be interesting to you. It does give you a peek at all the places and things I experienced, though.

SUMMARY OF EACH DAY *ALL TIMES MENTIONED ARE APPROXIMATIONS*

DAY 0-1: WED. APR. 27 / THURS. APR. 28 / FRI. APR. 29, 2016 (CLOUDY)
8:30 PM - 10 PM -- Reached Union Station
10 PM - 10:30 PM -- UP Express to Pearson Airport
10:30 PM - 11 PM -- Checked in got my boarding pass
11 PM - 3:30 AM (Thurs. Apr. 28) -- Waited for the airline counter to open
3:30 AM - 3:50 AM -- Checked my bag
3:50 AM - 4:30 AM -- Waiting for US preclearance to open
4:30 AM - 5 AM -- Going through US preclearance
8:44 AM - 10:50 AM (9:50 AM Chicago time zone) -- Flight to Chicago (layover)
12:10 PM - 1:45 AM (2:45 PM Japan time zone -- Fri. Apr. 29) -- Flight to Narita, Japan
2:45 PM - 4:10 PM -- Immigration line + Bag pick up
4:10 PM - 4:30 PM -- Picked up pocket WiFi
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM -- Picked up JR pass + reserving N'EX express ticket
6:10 PM - 7:30 PM -- Transit to Shinagawa station via N'EX Express
7:40 PM - 9:20 PM -- Transit to Nagoya station via Hikari shinkansen
9:20 PM - 10 PM -- Transit to Marunouchi station + getting to the hotel (checking in)
10:10 PM -- Dinner from Circle K
2:45 AM -- CRASH

BASE #1: NAGOYA
DAY 2: SAT. APR. 30, 2016 (SUNNY; 20 degrees Celsius)
6:30 AM -- Woke up
7:26 AM - 9 AM -- Transit to Gamagori (to Laguna Ten Bosch)
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM -- Laguna Ten Bosch!
6:40 PM - 8:08 PM -- Back to the hotel
8:15 PM -- Dinner from Circle K
2:15 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 3: SUN. MAY 1ST, 2016 (SUNNY; 25 degrees Celsius)
6:15 AM -- Woke up
8:55 AM - 12 PM -- Transit to Ikeda station
12:10 PM - 2 PM -- Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
3 PM - 4:10 PM -- Transit to Saga Arashiyama station
4:10 PM - 4:40 PM -- Trying to find the entrance to the bamboo grove
4:40 PM - 5:10 PM -- Tennryuji Temple Garden + Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
5:27 PM - 7:06 PM -- Back to the hotel
7:30 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
12 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 4: MON. MAY 2ND, 2016 (SUNNY; 28 degrees Celsius)
4 AM -- Woke up
7:50 AM - 9:42 AM -- Transit to Shin-Osaka JR station
9:42 AM - 11:40 AM -- Got lost a bit + Daiso 100-yen shop
11:40 AM - 11:46 AM -- Transit to Tenjinbashisuji station
11:46 AM - 12:33 PM -- Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
12:33 PM - 12:46 PM -- Transit to Nippombashi station
12:46 PM - 3:48 PM -- Trying to find DenDen Town + Super Potato Retro-kan + The Loft + Daiso 100-yen shop
3:48 PM - 5:34 PM -- Back to the hotel
6 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
9:35 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 5: TUES. MAY 3RD, 2016 (CLOUDY; 24 degrees Celsius)
1:30 AM -- Woke up
9 AM - 9:20 AM -- Transit to Shiyakusho station
9:30 AM - 10:46 AM -- Nagoya Castle
11:30 AM - 11:51 AM -- Transit to Osu-Kannon station
11:57 AM - 1:30 PM -- Evisu Nagoya + wandering around
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM -- Lunch at Cafe Iroha
2:45 PM - 4 PM -- Roaming around Akamon Street
4 PM - 4:14 PM -- Back to the hotel
4:50 PM -- Dinner from 7-11 
9:15 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 6: WED. MAY 4, 2016 (SUNNY; 25 degrees Celsius)
2:15 AM -- Woke up
9:38 AM - 9:40 AM -- Transit to Nagoya station
10 AM - 12:36 PM -- Takashimaya + Tokyu Hands + Detective Conan promotion thing + Takashimaya Food Hall
12:38 PM - 12:40 PM -- Back to the hotel
6 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
9:45 PM -- CRASHED

BASE #2: SHINJUKU
DAY 7: THURS. MAY 5, 2016 (SUNNY-CLOUDY; 25 degree Celsius)
2:36 AM -- Woke up
7 AM -- Checked out of the hotel
7:17 AM - 10:28 AM -- Transit to Higashi-Shinjuku station
10:35 AM -- Arrived at the next hotel + applied for a Sunroute Edy Card + checked my luggage (was too early to check-in)
10:57 AM - 11:17 AM -- Transit to Roppongi station
11:39 AM - 1:32 PM -- Sailor Moon Exhibit
1:32 PM - 2:45 PM -- In line for Chibi Usa Cafe
2:45 PM - 3:40 PM -- Lunch at Chibi Usa Cafe
4:44 PM - 5:08 PM -- Back to the hotel
5:10 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
9:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 8: FRI. MAY 6, 2016 (CLOUDY-RAINY; 25 degrees Celsius)
5 AM -- Woke up
9:01 AM - 10:05 AM -- Transit to Koshigaya-Laketown station
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM -- Lunch at Capcom Cafe
11:30 AM - 1:42 PM -- Village Vanguard + Maruetsu
1:45 PM - 2:55 PM -- Back to the hotel
4 PM - 6 PM -- Roaming around Shinjuku + dinner from the Food Hall at Isetan department store
9 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 9: SAT. MAY 7, 2016 (CLOUDY-SUNNY; 25 degrees Celsius)
4:18 AM -- Woke up
8:54 AM - 9:21 AM -- Transit to Akabanebashi station
9:45 AM - 1:44 PM -- Tokyo Tower + One Piece Tower
1:44 PM - 2:44 PM -- Lunch at Cafe Mugiwara
2:44 PM - 4 PM -- One Piece Tower gift shop
4:16 PM - 4:42 PM -- Back to the hotel
5 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
9:30 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 10: SUN. MAY 8, 2016 (SUNNY; 27 degrees Celsius)
4 AM -- Woke up
8:45 AM - 11:00 AM -- Roaming around Shinjuku
11:10 AM - 11:25 AM -- Taito Game Station
11:25 AM - 11:50 AM -- Back to the hotel
12 PM - 12:50 PM -- Trying to make reservations to Eorzea Cafe
1:01 PM - 1:24 PM -- Transit to Roppongi station
2 PM - 3 PM -- Lunch at Luida's Bar (Dragon Quest themed restaurant)
3 PM - 3:30 PM -- Trying to print out reservation ticket to Eorzea Cafe
3:35 PM - 4 PM -- Don Quijote
4:14 PM - 4:38 PM -- Back to the hotel
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM -- Dinner at Artnia
9:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 11: MON. MAY 9, 2016 (CLOUDY-RAINY; 25 degrees Celsius)
5:15 AM -- Woke up
9:33 AM - 9:40 AM -- Transit to Shibuya station
11 AM - 12 PM -- Lunch at Sushi no Midori
12:42 PM - 12:58 PM -- Transit to Ikebukuro station
1 PM - 3 PM -- Animate + Book-Off! + various crane game places
3:17 PM - 3:26 PM -- Back to the hotel
5 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
11:20 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 12: TUES. MAY 10, 2016 (CLOUDY; 25 degrees Celsius)
5:15 AM -- Woke up
10:09 AM - 10:21 AM -- Transit to Shibuya station
11:07 AM - 2:07 PM -- Karaoke-kan
2:30 PM - 3 PM -- d47 Museum + Shibuya Hikarie
3:15 PM - 3:20 PM -- Transit to Harajuku station
3:20 PM - 4:35 PM -- Kiddyland + Candy Show Time + Chicago Thrift Store
4:39 PM - 4:44 PM -- Transit to Shinjuku-Sanchome station
5:30 PM -- Dinner from KFC
5:35 PM - 5:50 PM -- Back to the hotel
9:10 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 13: WED. MAY 11, 2016 (CLOUDY; 23 degrees Celsius)
5:30 AM -- Woke up
10:10 AM - 10:39 AM -- Transit to Akihabara station
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM -- Lunch at Eorzea Cafe
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM -- Various crane game places + Mandarake + Book-Off!
4:48 PM - 5:27 PM -- Back to the hotel
5:30 PM -- Snacks from 7-11
9:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 14: THURS. MAY 12, 2016 (SUNNY; 26 degrees Celsius)
5:30 AM -- Woke up
9:14 AM - 10:16 AM -- Transit to Koshigaya-Laketown station
10:20 AM - 11:55 AM -- Lunch at Capcom Cafe
11:55 AM - 3:30 PM -- Wandering around Aeon LakeTown (including Namco crane game + Uniqlo + WEGO + Village Vanguard + other places)
3:35 PM - 4:44 PM -- Back to the hotel
5 PM - 6:15 PM -- Dinner from the Food Hall at Isetan
6:30 PM -- Back to the hotel
9:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 15: FRI. MAY 13, 2016 (SUNNY-CLOUDY; 28 degrees Celsius)

5:30 AM -- Woke up

9:29 AM - 9:53 AM -- Transit to Akihabara station

9:53 AM - 10:30 AM -- Various crane game places

10:30 AM - 11 AM -- Almost made reservations to the wrong cafe

11:30 AM - 1:30 PM -- Lunch at Eorzea Cafe

1:30 PM - 4 PM -- Book-Off! + Mandarake + crane game places

4:20 PM - 4:56 PM -- Back to the hotel

5 PM -- Dinner from 7-11

11:15 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 16: SAT. MAY 14, 2016 (CLOUDY; 25 degrees Celsius)

5:15 AM -- Woke up

10:08 AM - 10:20 AM -- Transit to Shinjuku station

10:20 AM - 1:30 PM -- "Exploring" Shinjuku post office + sending out packages

1:59 PM - 2:10 PM -- Back to the hotel

6 PM -- Dinner from 7-11

12 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 17: SUN. MAY 15, 2016 (SUNNY; 27 degrees Celsius)

5:45 AM -- Woke up

10 AM - 2 PM -- Wandering around Shinjuku (includes mailing off pocket WiFi *sniffle* + Maruetsu + Book-Off!)

2 PM - 2:15 PM -- Back to the hotel

9:30 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 18: MON. MAY 16, 2016 (CLOUDY-RAINY)

5:20 AM -- Woke up

11:05 AM -- Checked out of the hotel

11:19 AM - 11:36 AM -- Transit to Shinjuku station + ticket to N'EX Express

12:40 PM - 1:57 PM -- Transit to Narita Airport Terminal 1

2:05 PM - 2:30 PM -- Check-in luggage + security + immigration

5:15 PM - 5:10 AM (3:10 PM Chicago time zone) -- Flight to Chicago (layover)

3:25 PM - 4:55 PM -- Customs + Baggage pick-up + Baggage drop-off + ATS to Terminal 1 + Security in Terminal 1

4:55 PM - 5:05 PM -- Getting to the right gate

5:15 PM - 7 PM (8 PM Toronto time zone) -- Flight to Toronto

8:15 PM - 9 PM -- Customs + Baggage pick-up

9:12 PM - 9:36 PM -- UP Express to Union station

9:36 PM - 10:30 PM -- Transit back home

4 AM -- CRASHED (Ugh... I was so dead the next day at work...)

If you've read this far, thanks for reading!! :) 

I'm not sure when the next entry will be posted since I am still sorting through my photos, among dealing with other things.

Till next time. Take care!

BLOG -- Recap of May

The end of May came really quickly. It took me about two weeks to adjust back to the Toronto timezone so I've been pretty out of it. All I keep thinking is that I want to be back there... among other things, lol.

Outings/Events in May:

- Was still in Japan (blogs will be coming out sometime in June!).

- Attended the Hatsune Miku concert in Toronto, and the short film festival the next day.

- Stayed over at my sister's place x1.


- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-I re-subscribed... that's about it right now.

Exposures:

- (Food): Chocolate Whoopie Pie Donut -- This was a new limited donut at Tim Hortons (during one of the rare times I was actually there). This was really sweet and yummy.

- (Food): Raspberry Truffle Donut -- This was another new limited donut at Tim Hortons. At first it tasted like any regular donut -- and then I bit into the filling -- and I thought 'Oh! I wasn't expecting any filling!'. I'd like to try it again, lol. 

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): Captain America: Civil War -- I have mixed personal feelings about this movie... but it's very good. Funny enough... I actually watched Civil War today (weeks, weeks after its release). It was nice to still see a lot of people in the theatre.

- (Movie): Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon -- A little less torturous than the second movie, but oh my -- what a long movie. I started playing Miitomo halfway through, because I figured that the second half would be full of action scenes. I was kinda right, lol.

- (Movie): Chicago -- I'm glad I watched this for free on the plane. I do not like any of the main characters, so I didn't really like this movie. The only song I enjoyed was Cell Block Tango.

- (Movie): Hitman: Agent 47 -- I guess it's crazy to say, but I thought this movie was okay -- a bit better than the original version. I would have liked a bit more emotion on 47, though.

- (Movie): The 5th Wave -- I was expecting a lot of sappy romance due to the trailer, but thankfully there weren't too many moments. This movie was just okay.

- (Movie): Beautiful Creatures -- From movie posters, I had no idea what kind of movie this would be. It was pretty decent. I think there was some nice dialogue between characters.

- (Movie): Terminator: Genisys -- I'm glad I don't watch many movie trailers, so I was able to react to everything genuinely.

- (Movie): The Purge -- This was... ugh.

- (Anime): Ef - A Tale of Memories -- It's nicely done, but I found it to be a bit too artsy sometimes. Plus I really didn't like a couple of the characters. The only two I was cheering for was Chihiro and Renji.

Playing:

- Nothing this month.

Reading:

- (Manga): Prophecy by Tetsuya Tsutsui -- The first volume bored me very much. I think this is my second time getting bored from reading manga. It started picking up halfway through the series. Thank goodness it was only three volumes long.

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): Dragon Ball Xenoverse
- (PS4): J-Stars Victory Vs+
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below  
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (3DS): Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure
- (3DS): Fantasy Life
- (3DS): Shantae
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (PSP): Persona 
- (PSP): Crush
- (PSP): Corpse Party
- (PSVita): Persona 4 Golden
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PS2): Atelier Iris 2 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (Mobile): Dragon Quest II

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 5)
- (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 10)
- (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3)  
- (Anime): Yu Yu Hakusho (don't remember)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3)
- (Anime): K-On! Season 2 (episode 3)

Reading:

- (Manga): Elemental Gelade by Mayumi Azuma (Volume 5) 


That's it for May. Here are a couple pics I took this month plus a YouTube movie review I found amusing.

 This is the raspberry truffle donut from Tim Horton's. 
Mmmm, I wanna eat it again, lol.

My sister bought this recently. Do you remember Trix? 
I honestly don't remember eating it back then, but I'm sure I did.

Jeremy Jahns' review of the 5th Wave. I don't know why, 

but I find this pretty entertaining and funny.

Thanks for reading! As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)

BLOG -- Hatsune Miku Expo 2016 North America @ Sony Centre (May 20, 2016) + Miku Expo Short Film Festival (May 21, 2016)

You may have thought that my first blog would be about my trip to Japan... but this happened soon after I got back. I already know that my Japan trip will span multiple blog entries so... I figured let's do this now while it's still fresh in my mind -- and while I'm still so pumped that I actually went and experienced it!

Me and Hatsune Miku

For those who don't know, I am a huge fan of Hatsune Miku. I love the whole idea of her. You can read more about my thoughts about her in a previous blog entry, but the thing I love most is the encouragement of creation -- music, art, cosplay, writing, maybe even cooking (are there Hatsune Miku-themed food dishes out there??). I remember attending a Hatsune Miku Panel during Fan Expo Canada 2013 and Crypton (creator of the Hatsune Miku voice synthesizing program) explained that Hatsune Miku live concerts are like a celebration of creation.

And one of those concerts are coming to Toronto? You'd bet I'd attend!

***************************************************************************************************

DAY 1: THE MIKU CONCERT

***************************************************************************************************

The Little Details

Date of Concert: Friday May 20, 2016
Venue: Sony Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
Time: 8:00 PM
Ticket Price Total: $119.19
Seating: Orchestra 17, Row Q, Seat 44
Went with: Sister, her husband, and a friend

5:00-ish PM -- @ Sony Centre

So we got down to the Sony Centre so early so we could eat some dinner. Before heading into a nearby restaurant, we noticed there was already a small crowd outside the Sony Centre. I thought, They must be so excited for the Miku concert that they'd be willing to wait for 2/2.5 hours for the doors to open!

When we finished eating around 6:30 PM and walked over to the Sony Centre, there was a larger crowd and a long, long line. Why would they need to line up to get in? All seats are reserved. So we followed the line and it led us to...

So that's why there was a crowd outside the Sony Centre so early! Thinking of my past experiences of how crowded the merchandise table got from past concerts like Distant Worlds, I thought having a merchandise table outside the venue was very clever. Now fans can take their time and do their shopping without having to rush to their seats. Even though the line was really long, I lined up, as something to do before doors opened. The wait was about 40 minutes for me.

To the best of my memory, they were selling the following at these prices (some of the prices might be off):

-Black Hoodie -- $60
-T-shirts (3 designs) -- $35 each
-T-shirt (more colourful) -- $45
-Wallscrolls (2 designs) -- $40 each
-Long poster -- $40
-Backpack -- $50
-Tote bag -- $15
-Pouches (2 designs) -- $10 each
-Keychain -- $5
-Wristband -- $5

Unfortunately, nothing at the table was a must-get for me, but I got a couple small things to remind me of this day. The backpack was a bit tempting, but I already bought a backpack recently. Where were the giant leeks??!

Crowd-wise, I was happy to see the diversity. It just goes to show that "geek culture" or "nerd culture" is encompassing more than the old stereotypes these days. I also saw many people dressed up as Miku or wearing pretty dresses or just dressing super nicely. I was in the latter, wearing a pleated plaid skirt that I wouldn't normally wear out (even though I would want to). I think for many of us, the Miku concert was a chance to show our "inner geek" and be comfortable with it. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take many photos as I was still in the line-up for the merchandise table.

One really neat thing I saw was somebody cosplayed as Kaito and he was carrying around a small doll dressed as Hatsune Miku and setting her on a tripod stand thing at various spots outside the Sony Centre. It wasn't until later that I found out she was a Dollfie Dream. When I got home, I looked up how to order one... and was turned away by the price... ahhh... :( If you want to check it out, here is the link. It looks like the actual doll is out of stock at the time of this writing, though. http://volksusa.com/event/2016mikuexpo/order.html

There is currently a Snow Miku version up for pre-order, but supposedly the pre-order window goes until June 10. http://volksusa.com/event/2015snowmiku/ ... just how many other Hatsune Miku-related merchandise could I buy with 650 USD?? The site doesn't specify what currency the price is, but I am guessing USD since it has "USA" in the link name. Ahhh... I am just complaining because I want it, but I can't bring myself to justify the purchase at all, knowing how spread out my interests go... Now, if they released a Dollfie Dream of Kaito, I may think about re-adjusting my spending in other places, lol... <3.

Around 7 PM, the doors finally opened, but I was still in the merchandise line-up. When I finally got inside, there were two more merchandise tables! They were selling about the same things as outside, but also a pair of socks ($20), and a couple more T-shirt designs. Having three merchandise tables instead of just one? Smart move. I took a couple pics of cosplayers and then went to my seat. I was handed a glow stick and I grabbed a guide book that was on a ledge. Inside the auditorium, I saw this really awesome cosplay of Hatsune Miku in her Senbonzakura outfit, but it was five minutes before show time... :(

The Guide Book, the glow sticks, and two keychains I got. 

I was really supposed to get one glow stick, but I passed by 

two people who were handing them out. I... didn't know 

it was one glow stick per person.

Two tote bags I got. It never hurts to get extra tote bags! :3

A paparazzi-type shot of a Luka cosplayer (circled in yellow) 

casually having dinner with her friends. 

Oops! I think she saw me!

A shot of the Dollfie Dream Hatsune Miku in her Mikuzukin outfit. 

Soooo pretty! Click the pic to enlarge. 

Kaito cosplayer taking a pic of his Dollfie Dream. 

The stage! Look at all the cosplays spread all over. 

The glow stick. I used one. The other one is in safekeeping.

8:00 PM-ish -- Opening Act

So... I am a bit embarrassed to say, but I totally forgot there was an opening act. I had my camera ready, just waiting for Miku to pop up any moment. Ten minutes in and no Miku, I thought, They must really enjoy teasing us, lol. And then I remembered reading somewhere that Anamanaguchi was opening the Miku concerts. Once I realized that Miku wasn't showing up just yet, I relaxed and absorbed into the music. I really enjoyed them! I think they were a good choice as the opening act.

My best shot at capturing the Hatsune Miku Senbonzakura cosplayer 

with my phone. This was after the opening act while the stage was getting prepped.

8:30 PM-ish -- Hatsune Miku!

Honestly... I don't think words would ever be able to accurately describe my experience -- but I will do my best.

Through the whole concert, I was on my feet. I should have known that experiencing a Miku concert while sitting down would be kinda impossible -- not with all the energetic tunes being played. Unfortunately, with the standing and all the glow stick waving, it was difficult at times to get a clear visual of the stage. Possible solutions to this in the future would be either getting closer seats or changing venues where the stage was more elevated. Despite those things, just being there among such a high energy audience... just wow.

I have no doubt in my mind that everybody who was there -- really wanted to be there. The cheering, the glow stick waving, sometimes screaming "yeah!" when the song called for it. It was a really responsive bunch! Myself, I didn't scream "yeah!", but I cheered like crazy whenever a song I really liked was performed, and I waved that glow stick through almost every song. I will make a note, though, to keep a light purse next time. My shoulder was aching so much after the concert, hahaha.

The visuals? Just -- wow. I don't know how they did it, but Miku, Kaito, Luka, Rin, Len, Meiko all looked so real and 3D! I could see the reflection of their feet on the stage! I personally don't think video-recordings do it justice. You really gotta see it in person to see the magic.

Song-wise, there was a large number of songs I recognized. There were some songs I was really wishing would be performed, but the setlist we got was very good. Many of the tracks were from the Project Diva F games, which I think was a wise choice. Even for me, my fandom for Miku didn't start until I played the Project Diva game on the PSP. I'll give the full setlist after all my summaries.

When they performed Glass Wall, internally I was floored. That's a track that was created a couple years ago on the Hatsune Miku V3 English software! I remember it was created soon after the English software's release and I liked the lyrics. Again I thought, Lives are a celebration of creation... It's just so amazing, thinking about it.

Some other thoughts / observations:
1. When Len performed Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder, at one point he split into five copies of himself. Immediately I thought (without any malice), There's your next One Direction group!

2. When Meiko performed Change Me and shook her butt at us for several seconds, the audience got wilder and cheered more. Hehe, cute.

3. I was so stoked when she performed Koi wa Sensou. Even though it was a shortened version, I was so happy. The song's got a special place in my heart. I was also very happy when I could hear other audience members singing along.

4. When Miku said she was going to perform the last song, there was a mix of cheers (I think as a way of saying thanks) and "Boo"s from the audience. One audience member shouted, "Don't leave us!" I was a bit sad when she said that.

5. After the opening act ended, an audience member passed our seats, needing to go to the washroom. We never saw him return... o.O

10:15 PM-ish -- Encore

After the last song ended and the lights went down, everybody was still there. One side of the audience was yelling "En-cor-re! En-cor-re!", but then quickly changed to "Mi-ku! Mi-ku!" to match the other side of the audience. The crowd would start cheering whenever movement was spotted on stage. Then "Mi-ku! Mi-ku!" would start up again. After what felt like 10 long minutes, Anamanaguchi came onstage... and then Miku!

Anamanaguchi and Miku performed for three tracks, and then the lights went off again. The crowd yelled, "One more song! One more song!". A few minutes later, Miku appeared. There were no band members this time but a piano was on the stage. She then treated us to what I consider to be one of the most beautiful songs of the concert. So... breathtaking... I didn't wave my glow stick for this last song. I just stood there, drinking in the beautiful notes... <3

The concert ended at 10:40 PM.

Overall Experience

Wow -- just wow. It feels like a dream, my being there. I think that means I enjoyed myself greatly. I really hope she comes to Canada again, because I would definitely go again! Now I really, really want to cosplay as her!

If you haven't yet attended a Hatsune Miku concert, I highly recommend it! Just try to get seats closer to the front or somewhere where nobody or not many can be blocking your field of vision when you inevitably jump out of your seat and rock to your heart's content.

Last but not least...

Snow Miku!

Len in his Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku outfit.

Check out the Miku cosplayer in the Attack on Titan outfit in the back, lol.

Kaito in his Senbonzakura outfit. Those eyes... so intense! Lol XD

Setlist

If I missed listing any performances, please let me know. I've linked each song to a YouTube video if you were curious about any of the tracks. I've also left commentary on some of the tracks -- often just me gushing.

The World is Mine by ryo / Supercell (Hatsune Miku) <-- A total given
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku by cosMo@bousou-P (Hatsune Miku)
Two-Sided Lovers by Wowaka (Hatsune Miku) <-- Yesssss!!!!
Unhappy Refrain by Wowaka (Hatsune Miku) <-- Woot!
World's End Dancehall by Wowaka (Hatsune Miku x Megurine Luka)
Magnet by minato (Hatsune Miku x Megurine Luka) <-- I really like this song!
Weekender Girl by livetune, Hachioji P (Hatsune Miku)
Deep Sea Girl by Yuyuu-P (Hatsune Miku)
Glass Wall by GuitarHeroPianoZero (Hatsune Miku) <-- The lyrics really speak to me.
Snowman by halyosy (Kaito)
Change Me by shu-t (Meiko)
Tokyo Teddy Bear by Neru (Kagamine Rin)
Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder by Nori-P (Kagamine Len)
Remote Control by Jesus-P (Kagamine Rin x Kagamine Len)
Koi wa Sensou by ryo / Supercell (Hatsune Miku) <-- Yayyyyyyyyy!!! XDDDD <3
Last Night, Good Night by kz (Hatsune Miku) <-- I really like this
Ten Thousand Stars by CircusP (Hatsune Miku) <-- I like the catchiness of this
Just Be Friends by Dixie Flatline (Megurine Luka)
Secret Police by Buriru-P (Hatsune Miku)
The Intense Voice of Hatsune Miku by cosMo@bousou-P (Hatsune Miku)
Prayer of Love ~extend your wave~ by Sugiyama Keiichi, YUMIKO, Wowaka (Hatsune Miku)
Tell Your World by livetune (Hatsune Miku) <-- Love this song
Blue Star by Hachioji P (Hatsune Miku)

Encore (with Anamanaguchi)
Sharing the World by BIGHEAD (Hatsune Miku)
Miku by Anamanaguchi (Hatsune Miku) <-- very catchy!
39 (Thank You) by sasakure.UK, DECO*27 (Hatsune Miku)

Encore (Miku's solo)
Hoshi no Kakera (Piano version) by ...??? (Hatsune Miku) <-- This is just so... beautiful...

***************************************************************************************************

DAY 2: MIKU EXPO SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

***************************************************************************************************

The Little Details

Date: Saturday May 21, 2016
Venue: Art Gallery of Ontario (aka AGO) -Jackman Hall- (Toronto, Ontario)
Time: 11:30 AM (Doors opened at 10:30 AM)
Ticket Price Total: $20
Went with: MYSELF

6:15 AM-ish -- My Morning

Well, maybe it was me still feeling jetlagged, or maybe it was because I overexerted myself at the Miku concert the night before, but I woke up feeling very, very sick. My stomach felt weird. My body felt out-of-place. All I wanted to do was stay curled up under the covers, though even that offered little comfort to my mind. I was seriously thinking of skipping the short film festival, but I kept telling myself that I had to at least try. I hate missing out and I hate regretting things!

After dragging myself up to a warm shower, and having some breakfast, I felt well enough and left around 9 AM.

9:30 AM @ Jackman Hall Entrance

I haven't been to the AGO in a long time, so I got downtown early to factor in some time getting lost. Thankfully the rectangular sign with a Hatsune Miku image told me I was in the right spot. Annnd of course there would be a line-up, lol. I was probably the 10th person there, so it wasn't bad. I waved to a friend who was helping out with the event and then I played on my 3DS, waiting for the doors to open.

The Miku Supporter pin that was given with my admission.

A sheet detailing the films that would be shown, a sticker, plus a 

raffle ticket. The winner of the raffle would get a 

Nendoroid Snow Miku. I did not win, awww. Oh well, lol.

10:30 AM-ish -- Doors Open

Things were quite orderly in the beginning. It kinda reminded me of my time in Japan where there is only one path to go when checking out exhibits and such. Then things got a bit messy when we reached the merchandise table. I am guessing they were hoping it would work as a conveyor belt where we would grab items as we go down the table and then pay at the end, but... well... I have to see everything that's there before deciding what to get!

So when we reached the table, I broke away from the line and looked at everything. There was a lot more stuff there than at the concert, though a bit pricier, and many of it was Snow Miku themed. I saw the Snow Miku earmuffs I got a couple years in Japan on sale here, though I didn't get to check the price. After making my purchases, I went into the theater room and waited. I was a bit surprised to see what looked like a full house -- only because I wasn't aware of the event until a friend told me about it. Some people were standing along the walls.

The above is the merchandise that I bought. The multiple CDs are for my friends who attended the concert yesterday. They were originally shrink-wrapped, but I opened them all, hoping to get them signed by Hiroyuki Itoh, the CEO of Crypton. We were told that those who make a purchase of at least $30 can take part in that signing. Then I found out that I could only get one item signed. Woops, awww...

Anywho, here's what I got plus the prices, to the best of my memory:
-CDs (x3) -- $30 each
-Fan -- $24
-Pin set -- $16
-Postcard set - $12
-Fancy bookmarks (x4) -- $12 each

A close-up of the fancy bookmarks. They are really so beautiful. 

From left to right: Meiko, Len, Luka, Kaito. They had Rin, too, but it was 

sold out after the film showing. Too bad they didn't have Hatsune Miku at all. :(

11:30 AM-ish -- The Film Showings

The showings consisted of six music videos and two short documentaries. The music videos were okay, and I unfortunately nodded through a couple of the slower ones. I blame that on my jetlag! >__< The two documentaries were really nice, though.

Documentary 1: Mikumentary Remix
This was a documentary focusing on defining Hatsune Miku, and showing all the different identities she could be. It was very well done.

Documentary 2: #UltraMiku Special Edition
This follows three Hatsune Miku fans who make a 5-day road trip from Los Angeles to New York, the two North American concert dates for Miku Expo 2014. The video condensed their journey and it was very entertaining and neat. There was English commentary text, plus English subtitles of their dialogue. One of them also cosplayed as a nice Hatsune Miku a couple times through the trip. I should note that they are all guys! ^_____^

Little did I know but they were actually at the Toronto concert! I found out when I googled #UltraMiku and checked their UStream channel and their latest videos had a "Thank you TORONTO" sign! As of this writing, they are currently on their way to Chicago. You can check out their videos here, but note that there is no English subtitling: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/MillyC

I doubt any of them would stumble upon this blog, but I wish them safe travels! If Miku comes back to Toronto for a concert in the future, I hope I can take a picture of these guys and shake their hands, hahaha. I just gotta show my respect for them being so Ultra Miku! :)

12:30 PM-ish -- Q&A with Hiroyuki Itoh

Q&A with Hiroyuki Itoh (right). On the left is the translator.

The Q&A was very nice and interesting. We didn't get much time with him, but we made the most of it, I think. The first question Hiroyuki Itoh asked us was where we were coming from. I was surprised to see only a handful of the audience was from Toronto. More were from other parts in Canada or outside of Canada. Actually, given that I had little awareness of the event before I was told by a friend, I'm not that surprised in the end.

Some questions asked included:

-how Asami Shimoda, the voice actress for both Kagamine Rin and Len, was selected
(he wanted somebody who could produce different voices, and he knew she was capable of it due to her previous voice acting credits)

-if he had tried poutine yet
(he said not yet, but he is interested in trying it)

-how Hatsune Miku came to be designed the way she was
(he envisioned a character that would be fluid, flowy, and versatile -- like the essence of music, with traces of technology to indicate the technology of the voice synthesizing software)

-if there were plans for the Hatsune Miku software to be released in other languages
(he said there were no current plans for it as it would involve having Saki Fujita, the voice actress for Hatsune Miku, learn another language)

The Q&A ended around 1 PM.

Overall Experience

It was a nice event. I enjoyed browsing through the merchandise, watching the films, and listening to the Q&A. It was nice to sit back and enjoy myself after such a high energy concert. You know, to heal up my sore feet, lol. I'm glad I didn't miss it!



That's it for this blog! Thanks for reading! *sigh* I wish the Miku concert was still going on in Toronto, hahaha...

The next blog should have something to do with my trip to Japan -- that is, unless my end-of-month blog comes first. I think I am still jetlagged, blahhh...

Anywho, if you have any questions or comments, feel free. Till next time! :)