jaymee

Usually you see 無期限 or some variation for "indefinite hiatus" announcements. IMHO it sounds like a temporary hiatus, but who knows what could happen in between that time, lol. I've translated the announcement, since posters above complained that none of MEJIBRAY's fans have done it. "MEJIBRAY would like to give their sincerest thanks for your continued support. We have a very important message for everyone. MEJIBRAY has decided to pause their activities following 2017. To all our fans that have supported us, and to all related staff, we understand that this announcement is a sudden one, and we deeply apologize for any worry and inconvenience this decision may cause, though we hope you can understand. Nothing has been decided about next year's schedule or if we will resume activities again next year. Though only a short period of time is left, we would like to put everything we have into our remaining activities. We humbly ask for your support. May 10, 2017"

They didn't literally say it was an "indefinite hiatus", like 無期限休養, just that at this time they can't say when/if they'll resume activities next year or what their schedules will be. Sounds like something sudden happened and maybe they just need some time to deal with it/cope.

Satellite Young is a Japanese band I recently discovered through a friend, but I feel like since they're synthwave they'd get way more love here. (And since they played SXSW back in March they seem to be gaining a lot more international attention lately.) Their sound captures that period of synthy 80s anime openings/endings so well it's almost hard to believe they're a modern group. Someone upped their entire album, of which I'm pressed to find any track I don't like. My favorite is probably "Ai no Threnody" tho. (20:35)

Preach!

How to spot a VK noob (possibly outdated version): - Says they have like 10 VK albums, but every one of them is a Chinese/Taiwanese bootleg. - They claim to be "a fan" of a new VK indie band, but they live overseas and the band doesn't have any physical releases out yet. - Buys polaroids and posters of bands they don't even listen to. - Constantly points how this/that/everything could be VK or lolita style whenever they go shopping. - Talks about how Asian/Japanese guys are hotter than Western guys or assumes the majority of Japanese people are as "hot" as VK guys. - Their favorite VK songs (and possibly the only ones they know) are all anime themes. - Confuses fanfiction with reality.

I have seen X Japan three times now and every time X Japan is super late to start, there are more theatrics than music, and most X fans (Japanese or foreign) are annoying as fvck. A lot of them are cosplaying obangya (and when I say obangya, most of them are 40-60 y.o. women/grannies) and their tall hair blocks out pretty much any chance you might of had of seeing the stage. It's not as bad at arenas where the seats are tiered, but at the Visual Japan Summit last year everyone was just in a standing zone and I had to watch most of their performance through a screen. Also, their fans don't seem to understand the "switch out" system for taiban lives. X Japan were playing last, but some of their hime-sama fans had already decided to take up the front row at 10:00 a.m. when PLC came on. At a previous show I saw, Yoshiki decided to have some random/awful h.naoto fashion show in the middle of the concert, and even liking h.naoto at the time, it was still like wtf I didn't pay 12,000-15,000 yen for an hour-long intermission when X Japan only had like 8 songs to play in total. Then at every live they play, you have to listen to X Japan and their fans yelling "WE ARE X!" for like 30+ minutes. The only other person that I've seen put more emphasis on bad theatrics than performing is Gackt, but at least he played more than 8 songs and had better tour goods. TL;DR, they have good songs and I appreciate them paving the way for visual kei, but there is certainly a cult-like hype around them that isn't entirely deserved.

These kids are ridic cute but daaaaamn half of them have ridiculous DNQ/kira kira names. Every now and then you find kids in Japan that you are pretty sure their ex-gya parents named after a j-rocker. I've met a least 3 kiddos named Gakuto, one Kamijo, and a couple of boys named Taiji and Yura.

I think the main “guy” in the song has two versions of himself. One is the cannibal/killer/homosexual, and the other is his “normal” side, Boy A. I think he is in conflict with himself, where he does not want to be the cannibal/killer/homosexual, but can’t help himself. This side of him/conflict with himself is always there, “in the room”, even when he wants to be “normal” with another man/love interest. He wants to tell the man/love interest about this side of him and the impending danger it will put them in. However, eventually his secret will come out (“the best before” date), as he cannot fight off his dark side. I also believe he somehow wants his love interest or their relationship to help fight off/kill this side of him (inside the mirror), and accept his homosexuality so that he will be saved and may live normally without this other self. But it seems like at the end, although he has hope that he can somehow overcome this side of himself, they are both sucked into the mirror (the dark side of him). In that case, "sin will wash sin away" could be the hope that love could lead to self-acceptance, like the "sin" of homosexuality will wash away his other cannibal/killer sins. But then eventually "sin will wash sin away" changes to mean that he has washed away his "sin" of homosexuality by killing another homosexual person (a metaphor for killing his dark, homosexual side). I have a feeling that Rousseau’s illusion may refer to Rousseau’s philosophy that everything in love is an illusion. But I find it interesting that although there isn't set term like "Rousseau's illusion" in Japanese, there is a term called "sojii illusion", which means capgras delusion. In capgras delusion, a person believes someone has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter. Combining both could have been a deliberate play on words. I think Rousseau's illusion fits with the first part of the song, where he believes love will fix everything, but in the end he falls prey to a form of capgras delusion, where he sees the dark side of himself replaced with an imposter/his love interest. (Also just incase it comes across as unclear, I don't personally believe homosexuality is a sin, but it seems like the main guy in the video has been conditioned to believe it is.)

Loving this thread! So much to check out! You don't know how stoked I was that Purity Ring played Tokyo this year. Megan was so nice to come out and hang with fans afterward, too.

Also, because I don't think it was mentioned yet... Bansuke randomly disappearing after Baroque got back together. When the members finally found him, he claimed his sudden departure was due to health issues, and refused to meet the members in person. Everything about DEViL KiTTY, which was the butt of like every joke in the early 00s. (Apparently the vocalist has rebranded this band and they sound decent now..? IDK)

Oh damn the idol/wota side of this is even better than the band member/gya side. Brb gonna look some of this drama up.

I feel like Mako from deadman is pretty underrated. Also, I know he gets (or used to get a lot of shit), but my heart has a soft spot for Sakito from Dué le quartz. Back in the day I felt like Asagi from D was super overrated. I can't stand his voice.

I true shame because some of ZIGZO's stuff is pretty good, or at least better than a lot of VK stuff.

Welcome! I love like 6/10 of your list! (No idea if Eiji still has Peter Pan Syndrome tho, lol.) The David Bowie exhibit was really good! I went to it in Tokyo. I was really impressed with the program he had for coming up with song lyrics. So sad he passed away tho. D:

That's a lot! I'm sure you'll have a blast! If a band will allow you to buy or reserve tickets in advance from overseas, I'd do that since day of tickets usually cost more (and you run the risk of them selling out). Or if you know someone in Japan they could purchase them for you. If not, you can just purchase them all at once at a Loppi machine when you touch down. As far as experiencing the night life, if you'll be by yourself, I recommend going to a "snack", which is a bar usually run by an older lady. There will probably be more older gentleman clientele than anything else, but many of them would be more than happy to sing karaoke with you there, buy you some drinks, and maybe take you to a few other local drinking spots in return for your company and some English practice. It might sound sketchy but it's not, and it'll make for some fun memories. Plus the snack will have reasonably priced drinks and different dishes of home cooked Japanese food to compliment them. Edit: I'm not sure what kind of presents are "best". Bangya give anything from alcohol (cheap to expensive), jewelry, fan art/letters, cologne, bags, or whatever else they think the band might like (or talk about wanting on their social media). If there's any kind of food or snacks your home country is famous for (especially if they pair well with alcohol), I'm sure they'll appreciate it. I personally wouldn't bother buying anything too expensive and save your money for fun times when you get here. ^^

My first favorites were Malice Mizer and Baiser. I was OBSESSED with Malice Mizer until they went on a permanent hiatus. I'm still sad I'll never see them live, but I did get a small bit of closure being Kozi and Yu~ki perform as guests with Moi Dix Mois. I don't feel like Malice's sound has aged well, so I rarely listen to their CDs anymore nor would I call them my fave now, but every now and then I like to play Ma Cherie or Bara no Seidou and get wrapped up in the nostalgia. I think there was less choice in having a "first favorite" back then, because at the time fans mostly had to rely on foreign gya or music enthusiasts in Japan to share it via Napster/IRC. So whatever you got your hands on was likely to become your "first favorite". Or you might go through the scans that were on Paradoxical Reality and then try to find songs of whatever bands looked interesting via music sharing platforms.

I'm still trying to convince him (cuz he'd have to take time off work for it which j-guys hate doing...) but for now I've booked a hotel just in case! Lol in that case, I feel like being a mitsu has more perks and you'd probably get better pics. I didn't know so many of you (re: hiroki, frayed) were settled in the Northern Kyoto area. I'm in Shizuoka pref myself, and feel like it's a good in-between location-wise. No bands ever really tour here except BUCK-TICK (bless them) and occasionally Vidoll when they were still around. I think frayed really summed it up what I would have said. To determine whether your train expenses would be more or less than the rail pass, I'd look up the cost of each longer trip you're planning on Hyperdia to compare. Hypermedia is pretty invaluable in general for just getting around. Expenses within the city shouldn't be that much, but if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing, ask train staff or tourist information staff about intercity passes like hiroki suggested. Which bands do you plan on seeing so far? I don't know a lot about where bandomen hang out. I imagine they all have their own regular spots. If they're indies enough they might have after parties they'll invite fans to. In general, I think a lot of Tokyo tourists like going to Shinjuku Goldengai. But Tokyo (and other major cities) have lots of back alleys full of little casual drinking places (yokocho), so maybe just go exploring one night? I also agree that it can be really worth it to talk to foreign bangya. I have more Japanese gya friends than Western gya, but Japanese gya friends tend to just get together for the event and maybe dinner before/after (because Japanese people tend to divide their friendships by interest/situation instead of making general "best friends" in the Western sense), so if you find a Western gya you get along with, you'll probably have more opportunities to hang out outside of just live-going. (Obviously there will be exceptions... one of my best Japanese friends is a former gya of some of the same bands I used to like.) I've made some really good Western gya friends at shows, but then last weekend I tried to chat up a foreign gya and she didn't seem too interested in carrying on a convo so it is what it is. Don't be discouraged though! Yeah, if you have to pick a live, the tour final probably is the best as far as getting info/freebies/turnout goes. At a lot of the smaller live houses on a tour, the crowd interaction and set lists are generally better imho. You also have a better chance at getting saizen. Has Shinjuku really gotten so cheap? I remember 10+ years ago Shinjuku being the last place I wanted to get stranded in because the hotels were so few and expensive. Ikebukuro used to be the cheapest, but I have no idea now, although I really love staying at Ikebukuro DICE internet cafe sometimes since they provide free towels/showers, and the shower room is really nice... Almost like a hotel. Also if you are going long distance/ensei-ing and you don't want to pay for a hotel, if you book a return bus back that night after the live you can save yourself a good wad of cash. Do you buy them serious gifts? I remember when I still bought band gifts it was mostly those little boxes of alcohol or other silly gag gifts that we'd plaster some purikura we took before the show all over. (Is putting your purikura on gifts even still a thing? IDEK now.) Once one a band member was complaining about another band member he was rooming with locking him out so he could watch some porn, so a couple of us pitched in gave him a booze/porn package of his own.

Most of them have been covered, but I'll leave this one... Daishi's (Psycho le Cemu/SiXX)'s sudden marriage announcement to Ami Tokito, a popular gravure model almost half his age. Because Ami leaked that they'd registered their marriage to some friends that apparently weren't trustworthy enough, a sports newspaper got wind of it and Daishi had to do quick damage control. Hilariously the news got leaked the day after their tour final last year, where Daishi had apologized about his past misgivings (his drug arrest that had shot PLC's chances of ever becoming a huge major band) and that he'd matured some. (Apparently not.) I imagine the members were like "wtf" not this shit again, and generally their surprised congratulatory blog posts that followed were delightfully passive aggressive. Then some PLC gya decided to "get revenge" at their upcoming taiban by not supporting him/not wearing blue glow bracelets. I think in general no1curr that he got married since he's 41 and all of the other members are (secretly) married, but the way it came out was in really poor taste.

Welcome! I'm sure you'll find a lot of users that share your taste in music! What kind of vaporware do you like? I recently started listening to more of it and I'm always up for recommendations. ^^

Thanks! I figure there must be a few old school fans still around. ^^

10 hours? That almost sounds like being close to Hiroshima or northern Honshu! That does sound pretty brutal on a regular basis, but I imagine the shinkansen one way is like 20,000 yen in comparison, yeah? Since only one or two companies might do all the highway bus routes from more rural areas, that's a really good tip about the Willer bus pass or a bus pass from whatever company you use the most. IMHO Willer has the most comfortable seats out of all the companies I've ever used. D: When I lived in Tokyo and bused to Osaka or Nagoya, I'd often be on a bus with a bunch of other bangya doing the same, which was a cool way to make friends. I think sometimes people get shy about approaching Japanese bangya, but usually they're pretty nice about it, especially if the person you chat up has also come by themselves. Then you'll have a friend next time you go, or they can introduce you to other fans. Beyond trading, it's helped me get saizen a few times, better ticket numbers, or limited tour goods when I couldn't come in time to make the buppan start time. I think that's a good way to do it. I planned a trip to Niigata that way once. I'm thinking about doing it for a summer live in Fukuoka. Might be a good little weekend trip for my husband and I, and then one night he can go explore the pubs while I go to the live if he doesn't feel like going.

Haha, definitely if you have the Japan Rail Pass go for it! After your trip, if you have any thing you were glad you did/would have done differently re: touring, be sure to update!

Good tips! I agree, if you can stay with friends that will save you a lot. I forgot to mention that sometimes, depending on the area, Airbnb is much cheaper than staying in a hotel and usually better than a hostel. I use bushikaku a lot in general when going anywhere long distance by bus, so yeah def a good site. I also agree about the cheki. You can always use a shirt, towel, or bracelets/jewelry at the next live, but the cheki (or back in my bangya days it was usually just photosets) I just ended up sticking somewhere and not caring much. (Same goes for pamphlets, unless it was a really memorable show.) The resell value for cheki and pamphlets are usually pretty bad for indie bands, too. Hopefully your foot got better and you don't have any trouble enjoying lives now.

What points do you prioritize spending money on? Is it traveling or staying in comfort? Band merch? Or just hitting as many lives (of a certain band or during a specific time frame) as possible? Are you willing to travel as far as the band is performing (like Fukuoka or Hokkaido), or are you content with just hitting as many places around honshu or around your general vicinity? Do you have any favorite cheap travel recommendations for bigger cities? In the past I would travel/stay/eat as cheaply as possible (which meant lots of overnight buses, hostels/manga cafes, and rice balls/instant noodles), and then buy as many tour goods I wanted that I could afford. Now that I'm older, I still travel cheaply, but I tend to use the Seishun18Kippu when I can and drive everywhere else. Shinkansen is a last resort... I've never attended a live outside of honshu, so I've never flown to see a show. I like that I can get off at random stations with the Seishun18Kippu, explore and do a little sightseeing, and then get back on the train and go the rest of the way. Now I only buy tour goods I can use (or of a certain member) and then trade with other girls on Twitter for randoms (cheki/trading cards/stickers/rubber bracelets/etc.) Since I'm getting older and going to lives takes a lot more out of me, I tend to stay at a business hotel within walking distance to the live house (I hate having lots of stuff to carry at lives, worrying about getting a locker, and commuting before/after). What about you guys? Also any tips you'd give newbies possibly going on their first live tour? I guess one of my tips is that you can usually get much cheaper deals on business hotel singles if you book 40-70 days before, when the tour is first announced. Then if you end up deciding not to go or can't get a ticket, just cancel your reservation within the cancelation time frame, since at least 95% of hotels don't require you to pay upfront. That way you're covered no matter what you do. Tickets can usually be gotten last minute, but with hotels it can be much more difficult/way more expensive, especially in places like Osaka where there are fewer hotels compared to other larger cities.