monkeybanana4

No problem! Glad I could help out  That's awesome you'll be going to those VK lives. They're a ton of fun! (If you need any help for attending VK lives, there's a thread which discusses that topic... https://www.monochrome-heaven.com/topic/49345-bangya-hacks-advice-for-attending-vk-lives/) Hope your trip will be exciting! Would love to hear about it when you return  
 
As for converting dollars to yen in Japan, I usually converted some money to yen before I went and, while in Japan, mainly relied on ATM machines, which I found are pretty safe (in my experience). I found some articles talking about the topic: https://matcha-jp.com/en/6692 and http://www.travel-kyoto-maiko.com/traveltips/your-complete-guide-to-use-atms-in-japan/ (the latter link is promoting their company's tours, but I find it quite helpful for the issue ^-^) Hope this helps!

^ their first single has been finalized as "ILLUMINATE"
 
they will also release a live-limited single "Sky high" at their live on March 14
 
[tracklist]
1.Sky high
2.CALLING
DVD:
1.Believer (PV)
(isn't this the same tracklist as CALLING? weird)
 
the PV for "CALLING" has also been available since November 1 for 500 yen, and also includes a QR code for viewing "BELIEVER" PV

deadlock has been my ringtone since the song came out and I still have no desire to change it. 

Femme Fatale - Grim Reaper
AvelCain - 赫い部屋
Deviloof - LOVER
The Danse Society - Midnight Land
umbrella - 月
BORN - with hate
LIPHLICH - グルグル自慰行為
DEViL KiTTY - 覚醒剤のすすめ
Electric Wizard - The Chosen Few
CANIVAL - Replica. 
 

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

α means bonus, like karaoke versions, instrumental tracks etc

Enjoy watching the videos they make. It reminds of this hilarious video between Rame and Shun (which YouTube is not allowing me to embed the video for some reason...) 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl8X-M-OGCQ 

Their live-limited single will be titled, "Enter the Circus".
 
Contents
2 new songs + α (Not sure what 'α' means ^^;)
MV + making-of
Picture
Privilege: Original sticker

Mamireta will release their first mini-album, "weekly 絶倫マンション" (weekly zetsurin mansion), on 2019.03.27. It will have seven tracks and cost 2,500 yen (tax not included).
 
Tracklist
月曜日：朝勃ちの朝にー。
火曜日：ハミガキ
水曜日：Gepp
木曜日：もしもし
金曜日：足裏の天使
土曜日：桜フェラペチーノ
日曜日：ため息の夜にー。
 
They will hold their second anniversary live at Takadanobaba Area on 2019.05.29 and will also have a oneman at Zepp Diver City on 2020.01.21.
 
Source: https://mamireta.com/contents/219376

Does anyone remember their VHS 'Black Fairy' complete with Subway restaurant realness and parody commercials (near the end of this clip)? lmao I could not get enough back in the day.  currently down the rabbit hole
 

Also, a very underrated Vidoll gem to get your groove on.
 
 

just found out that kiwi-musume, an old website for jpop lyrics and translations is down..... 😧

I will never forget when I received their Hisai live DVD the Christmas of the year it came out and I replayed that thing for weeks. One of the most consistently fantastic bands I've ever heard. I remember the phase in their career where they stopped using Fukaya Yuichiro's illustrations for their CD artwork and I was shook. When they started using them again I was overjoyed. I can't even pick favourite songs with Kagrra, because there are too many to list. 😭❤️
 

Another chapter has been written and filed away into the ever growing library of visual kei history, so we resume our customary annual review of all of the great albums that saw the light of day in 2018. Unlike previous years, we elected to wait until the middle of January so the stragglers of the year had their fair chance to weigh in. This list is also not in any specific order, although DIMLIM's CHEDOARA deserves a mention for getting the most votes internally and therefore kicks the list off with a bang. Even in our most challenging years, there's always something fresh and new around the corner waiting to be discovered. Like always, this isn't an exhaustive list and plenty of the hidden gems slip through the cracks, so if you have anything to add to the list tack it on at the end so the entire community can find something new to enjoy. 

Without further ado, here are some great J-Rock albums of 2018.

DIMLIM -- CHEDOARA

@The Reverend
@emmny
 
@helcchi

 
 
 
Sigh - Heir to Despair

@The Reverend
 
@helcchi


Dir en grey - The Insulated World

@emmny
 
 
emmurée - lightless

@The Reverend
 
 
キズ - 「傷痕」

 
@platy
 
 
 

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - No New World

@The Reverend
 
@Zeus
 
 

陰陽座 (Onmyo-Za) - 覇道明王 (Hadou Myouou)

@Zeus
 
 

The GazettE - NINTH

 
@Zeus
 
 
 
 
 
グリモア - プシュコマキア

@platy
 
 

DADAROMA - dadaism#4


@helcchi
 
 
@platy
 
 


lynch. - XIII
 

 
@YuyoDrift


Thanks for reading!