Japan = SMAP

This is the only equation I know when the word Japan is mentioned.  I will not think of Japan without thinking of SMAP and most especially Kimura Takuya, my impossible dream.

So when SMAP announced their live tour this year, I did not hesitate to call my friend Vic and screamed "they have a concert!!!".  The year has been a hectic one and who cares if I will be doing a lot of twisting and turning to get myself over to Japan again.  As they say in Japan "Gambatte!".

So on Sept. 3, with just a limited amount of yen to my name (I just came back from China a week before), I flew to Tokyo.  The final destination is Osaka where Vic was waiting at our hotel.  Like I always said, Japan is the land of my soul and as soon as I got off the plane, it felt not like home but more like a familiar playground.  The first of my many train rides this trip was taking the Keisei line which will take me to central Tokyo in only 36 minutes!  I was met by Mayo, who I've known for 5 years and is my surrogate at the SMAP Fan Club.  She has warmly adopted me for the night at their Meguro ward home. 

As you see it's a fangirl's home.  Mayo loves Jerry the most. :D

On the morning of Sept 4, I went on my next train ride at the symbol of Japan's technology -> the Shinkansen or Bullet train!  It was my first time to ride the famous Nozomi-san.  As I sat on the train for the 2-hour ride, my excitement was so much that I thought I would break out in song  "you can take a little holiday in the sun, take it easy have some fun" hahaha!

I arrived at Osaka after a 2 1/2 hour ride.  As soon as I dumped my bags at Swissotel Nankai (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/Japan/Swissotel%20Nankai/Hotel%20Home/Hotel%20Description), Vic and I immediately ran back out in the scorching sun and headed to our ultimate destination, the Osaka Kyocera Dome. We were awed as we approached the dome and realized its our 3rd dome concert (aside from Fukuoka Yahoo dome and Tokyo dome).  We excitedly went straight to the concert goods area and temporarily lost ourselves in the lines. 

The coveted concert goods stalls

 

The dome seats about 70,000 people

After a rather strict checking of our ticket source, we were escorted to the nose-bleed section equivalent to 7-storeys from the ground.  It was a comfortable section though as the seats were the special box seats during baseball games.  While waiting for everyone to get in, SMAP movie previews were being shown and their CMs.  Ahhhh!!!  Space Battleship Yamato!  Takuya's upcoming movie in December.  My early morning travel  caught up with me and I fell asleep.  I thought I was waking up to my alarm but realized the sound was a ticking clock on the screen.

The stage and arena.

When the dome was almost filled, a bunch of globe heads came out and mingled with the audience.  Some shook hands, did body bumps, hi-fives and hugs!  I've already read that SMAP was among these globe heads so it was so much more exciting for Vic and I to speculate who the members are.  And of course sour-graped that we were not the lucky ones that had this rare interaction.  This year, one of the nice touches to the concert was the CG effect on audience putting globe heads and faces of SMAP while we wait for the concert to start.  It kept us busy and laughing.

Who could that be?

Then an awesome video of SMAP as astronauts came out signalling the start of "We are SMAP Live 2010".  The opening song was This is Love, their newest single.  Followed by old favorites Shake, Gambarimashou, Dear Woman remixed in a Japanese guitar style.    I missed this!  An awesome production that is truly a manifestation of Japan's technology and attention to details.

The sea of blue and green lights left side of the dome.


 And the right...awesome!

I couldn't remember everything but another favorite is an arrangement of their old song Celery with an african tribal beat..oooh ganbatte iru yo yareru dake...  Tsuyoshi's solo followed then back to group number with Bang Bang Vacance flooding the arena with balloons.  And giving their Chinese fans more excitement with their upcoming Shanghai concerts, SMAP sang their biggest hit Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in a chinese beat with matching costumes! 

The MC talk was funny too as the guys talked about many male fans this year.  Each member tried to call out the male audience who are their fans.  Next was Nakai's solo.  Vic and I were happy to see him back to his hip humping self doing his tribute Michael Jackson number.  We missed the energetic leader!  Goro's solo was cute because he had a lot of fan interaction with his virtual kisses on the big screen.  By the time Sotto Kyutto was being sung, I was again going back to lalaland. zzzzzz....

I was jerked awake by the beats of Dynamite that segued to Five Respect.  We missed that too!  We love the video playback of their old concert video clips.  Takuya at 18 was as charming as his now almost 38 year old self.  Then Shingo had his solo.  Vic and I had fits of laughter because we did not realize that the solo was in english!! hahaha!

The interlude for costume change were greetings of we are smap by Rain (yes the Korean star!), Lin Chiling (yes, Jerry Yan's ex!), Takeuchi Yuko and many more celebrities.  When they came out again, they were wearing what will be one of my favorite outfits they had in a concert - green trench coats.  They sang Lion Heart and OMG!  the mics stands were glowing orange! :D

When they sang Orenji on the second stage near us, I cried once again.  this song will always remind me that I made it again, that I was part of their music and I saw them live.  A nice new song called Love and Peace segued to Takuya's solo Kimi no ma made which was touching at the beginning and then became extremely sexy.  It's the white loose wifebeater I think.  That's the culprit!  And the toned upper arm muscles! LOL.

My body was hanging on the railings totally forgetting we were 7-storeys up!

There were many more special moments of the concert.  It was almost 4 hours long! There are Korean artists that I love but I don't know if they can do something like this and do it for almost 20 years!  While the superb technology of the finale was winding down, the 2 tops moment of Nakai and Takuya during Aoi Inazuma still lingered in my mind.  And as the final bows were being made, Takuya's silent "thank you" gave Vic and I the resolve to come back for the next ones until the finale of their singing lives.

Mata ne!

Otsukaresama deshita SMAP no minna-san!  It was a great show.  It was all worth it.

Note:
Photos were taken by my Blackberry 8900 declared useless for its original purpose while in Japan but was very, very handy up there in the nosebleed section where no one was watching to throw me out of the dome for taking photos.  The rest of the photos will be posted in my facebook page. :D

My New SMAP Concert DVD!!

I was sooo happy to see Mr. EMS (Express Mail Service y'all) a couple of weeks back. He came bearing the package I have been waiting for - SMAP's concert dvd!

Last Sept. 30, 2008 was the memorable day that I went to Tokyo to watch this concert that is now immortalized in a dvd. I can now re-live the fun, the excitement of seeing SMAP live again.

I picked the red SMAP shop version instead of the original concert theme of black, white and grey because I wanted to remember the SMAP shop which has opened during the Christmas holiday season in Asakusa, Tokyo. It is opened only on limited time and I've always wanted to go to one but unless I ditch my Kamp (I would be disowned by my siblings!), I won't be able to.


I have always been thankful that I am a fangirl. I've invested so much on it for pure escapism but the therapy works and I remain a happy girl.

And this will not happen if not for the generosity of my japanese friends Mayo and Minori. They braved the cold winter to line up at the store and make a trip to the post office just to make a girl thousands of miles away really, really happy.

Mayo to Minori, hontou ni arigato gozaimashita. Futari ga saikou desu!

36 years old and gorgeous as ever...

You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around

You are the apple of my eyes

Forever you'll stay in my heart

Happy Birthday Takuya!!!

so unoriginal..so cheesy..so trite..

so true.

The Longest Hangover..

One month since I flew out of Manila and 24 days since I came back, my soul is still back there..in Japan. My longest travel hangover ever!!

Maybe because I had the ultimate fangirl experience of watching both SMAP and F4 in one trip..or that I've met fantastic people..or that I just love Japan period. It does not help that I now go to my Nihonggo classes every Saturday and study everyday. I would still catch myself staring into space and remembering everything.

After a busy couple of weeks, I finally downloaded photos I took with my mobile phone (which incidentally died on me yesterday). I can still remember the excitement I felt as we neared Tokyo Dome last September 30th. It was my first time to attend a Tokyo Dome concert and despite the rain, I was so happy to look around. I even wanted to ride the roller coaster if the weather was good (though it did not stop many folks. The coaster kept on operating despite the rain) but I chickened out. Next time...

I braved the rains and did my concert souvenir shopping. I was a good girl and did not bring my camera. I did not want to go through the hassle of leaving them and claiming later. It was a good decision because with 80,000 people trying to leave the dome at the same time after a concert, claiming something might take me forever.

I was overwhelmed with happiness after the SMAP concert that I forgot to take a quick photo with the stage behind me. Thank God I did not forget to snap a shot of me with my concert buddies - Minori, Minori's oneechan (sister) and Vic, whose face almost did not make it to the frame. Gomenasai Vic.

And of course my F4 concert experiences in Yokohama and Tokyo. Both times I was pretty much sitting by myself. I can still remember my excitement to find the arena. It was my first time in Yokohama and I did not get lost. And I cannot forget my 1st night arena seat which gave me a great view of everything especially the boys.

So obviously I can still blabber non-stop about the experience. I am definitely getting the SMAP concert dvd when it comes out on Dec. 17. I am hoping and hoping aloud (paging the folks who produced F4's Japan Tour!!!) that F4 will also come out with their own concert dvd.

Watching the concert dvds and reminiscing about my special trip will probably shut me up...or not?! =)

So many men...so little time

17 days after I got back from Japan, I have to admit that my soul is still back there. And while browsing through the tons of photos I have, I was amused at how many men sightings are in my photo folders.

Not only was I busy spotting Kimura Takuya or watching concerts of SMAP and F4, I was also diligent in spotting many other Japanese actors/idols who I have some sort of liking to. Gomenasai Takuya. Gomenasai Zaizai. Gomenasai Vanness. Gomenasai Jerry. Gomenasai Ken. Please forgive my wandering eyes.

For the rest of the men sighted by mopworld, please head on out to this site: http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/47/So_many_men_so_little_time..._

Kimura Takuya..on my mind

For the past 4 years, Kimura Takuya has been tattooed in my mind. So it's no wonder that when I was back in Japan, all I was pre-occupied with when walking all over Tokyo.

This one I spotted Sept. 30th while walking in the Shinjuku area. It was raining but I did not care, Vic just had to take my pic in the rain!

This next pic was taken in between buildings! We were walking through Harajuku St. last Oct 1 when I spotted this big billboard. I had to click the camera just at the right time because it was a busy street and cars zipped back and forth. Success!!
And on our walk back, I was happy that we were taking that road. So with quick fingers, travel sister Vic had to take this shot. LOL!
We spotted this Fujitsu shop across the street in the Ginza walk. Again, it took all effort to take a clean shot!

And then we spotted this "mojakura" billboard towards the subway exit to Roponggi Hills. I loved this shot of me taken by none other than Vic, my travel sister.

And would I have insisted to my host family that I would like to see the Sankaku-hashi bridge if not for Takuya's 2004 drama Pride? Of course not! But no self-respecting member of Takuya's harem will miss being on this bridge if they find themselves in Yokohama.

And who would have thought of going to the Parliament building and have their photo taken in the middle of the street if not for the memorable scene in Takuya's latest drama CHANGE?

And I couldn't go home without seeing Odaiba and Fuji TV. It was a no brainer choice between Fuji TV and Tokyo Tower. Hahahaha!! Fuji TV is the home studio of Takuya and his group SMAP and their long-running variety show SMAPXSMAP.

For 2 years, I have envied Ochie for her pic in this mini-set of SMAPXSMAP's Bistro. So when I sat down and had my pic taken by Rachel, I felt such satisfaction that when we left Fuji TV, I said to myself "I am ready to come home".

There are more photos of billboard sightings which just goes to show what sort of "superstar" Kimura Takuya is in Japan - huge! For the rest of the photos, please click the link below.
http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/46/Kimura_Takuya..Tattoed_on_my_Mind

SMAP Concert..Yume Janai (It's Not a Dream)

I was not so happy to arrive in Tokyo yesterday (Sept. 29). Aside from the rains, the traffic from the airport to our hotel killed me. We wanted to try and get tickets to the Sept. 29 concert of SMAP but after checking-in at our hotel at around 5:30pm, tired and have not eaten since 9am, all we can do was drop our bags at the hotel and find something to eat in the Ikebukuro area.

After successfully finding a McDonald's (hahaha!), we decided to just get to HMV to get our copy of SMAP's latest cd Super Modern Artistic Performance. Once back in the hotel, I surfed local tv and much to my delight, there was a replay of an old Pussma (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's show) episode with Kimura Takuya guesting. I set about preparing from the next day and promptly fell asleep.

Tuesday was another rainy and gloomy day. Plus temperatures suddenly dropped to 16 degrees (61 degrees) which for Filipinos like me is already collllddd! Vic, my SMAP buddy and I are so excited to get to Tokyo Dome but we had to content ourselves going to Shinjuku unti it was time to get to the Dome.

We knew we had good tickets but we did not realize just how good!!! The saying that good things come to those who wait is true in this instance. C-17 is an arena seat right in front of the right hanamichi (stage). 10 meters away from any of the SMAP member who would come to that part of the stage. 5 rows from the railing. What can a fangirl do but scream and jump when we were ushered to our seat! I mean sugoii! Wow!

The show started at exactly 6pm and lasted for a wonderful 4 hours!!! Talk about value for money, even if we had to fly to Japan to watch it. It was really great value. I have only been to Sample Bang in person but have watch all of SMAP's concert on dvd and I must say that they have exceeded themselves in terms of concept for this show.

I liked their horizontal walk on harness during the opening number. I loved the vampire concept which they've taken to the sequence break clips. The songs were spaced out well to give the boys the time to breath and allow them to dance beautifully. And most of all, I loved the arrangements of old songs..like the jazzy Tomadachie, Say What You Will. I closed my eyes amidst 55,000 people in the Dome and just enjoyed the music. Also the lullaby rendition of Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in the sequence clip..

Now the main reason that I was there is this member called Kimura Takuya. With a stage so big, my eyes were literally glued to Takuya. Since we are in front of the right stage, were always excited to see him sexily sashay (there's no other word for it, believe me!) down the catwalk to our area. We saw every bit of facial expression, stared him down from head to toe. I especially remember the time he just popped out in front of us during Keep On. He was just gorgeous. Of course, I couldn't stop screaming when Takuya did his solo Style..he was wearing a lilac T-shirt with his green pants! Again, a purple person can only take so much! The description during the individual intro was soooo apt - sexy, wild and hotstuff!! He is the only Japanese who looks gorgeous in an American Indian outfit with a feather on his hair. I just don't know how he does it.

But then I also get to enjoy the other members. Especially since they insist on coming to our side of the stage. One member I enjoyed in this concert is Tsuyoshi Kusanagi who is actually my least favorite. I love his Sou Desu number. It has a catchy tune and dance moves that were so easy to follow. Plus other SMAP members were backing up. All the time in this song Takuya was in our side (sorry can't help but remember again..hehe) asking everyone to do the dance with him.

Aside from songs from the new album, I was happy to sing old songs like Sekai Hitotsu Dake no Hana, Yozora no Mukuo, Sonomama, Aoi Inazuma and many others. When I heard them sing Orenji, I couldn't help the tears from flowing. It is one of my favorite songs. I was just so overwhelmingly happy. I can only tell my Japanese friend Minori in halting words..ureshii..san nen..mattemashita. I waited 3 years to see them again and the difficulties and challenges that I had to overcome flashed before me.

I was back to singing along and dancing when another favorite was sung - Original Smile. I thought the show was finished after Arigato but then there was a second encore. This time, Takuya rode the crane on top of us. Suddenly he dropped his drinking bottle!!! My heart stopped beating for a second..could it be? Unfortunately it dropped directly behind us.

It took us 30 mins to get out of the Dome and into the train. And in the rain! I did not care about getting wet but I just had to take off my cardigan and put it over my bag of concert goods. As I take pictures of my loot, all I can say is that IT IS NOT A DREAM!! I came, I bought and I watched.

And it won't hurt to dream again...

Attempting the Impossible...

I am one of those who have crossed the great fandom divide and love both SMAP and F4 or F4 and SMAP. It was unthinkable before for these two groups to share the same space and time. SMAP is from Japan, superstars, unreachable. F4 is from Taiwan, newer to the scene, phenomenal.

But after F4 guested on SMAP's long running TV show SMAPXSMAP, all thoughts of them intersecting was shot to the heavens and well I went with the shot to heaven. LOL.

F4 is having their concert run in Japan and the avid fan that I am wants to go. But my world again was turned upside down when SMAP announced that they will be having their live concert run more or less on top of F4's run dates.

A fangirl must do what a fangirl must do. Watch both. I have waited a long time for the chance to see SMAP again. A long time to have the chance to go back to Japan.

And so I am attempting something which I thought was impossible. I am in the process of twisting and turning to make things happen. And I hope that all the gods will be with me again.

Kamisama mo ichido onegai shimasu...

How to spend money without going to the mall and shopping online...

1. Have friends who travel a lot

Japan - May and Rachel went to Tokyo weekend of March 8 to attend Ken Chu's Get Real Concert. Perfect for me who wanted to get SMAP's latest single Sonomama (http://www.smap-sonomama.com/) which was released March 5th.

Taiwan - Girlie and Zainee went to Taipei the same weekend of March 8 to attend Vic "Zaizai" Chou's Fan Meeting at Taipei Formosa Hotel. Perfect for me who wanted to get F4's cd with the mini-concert dvd at Danshui last January 19th and the official soundtrack of the drama Wish To See You Again (http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/did-3591/code-c/section-index/pid-1010666986/).

Hongkong - Ophie went to Hongkong the same weekend of March 8 on a personal vacation. But Sino center is very near her hotel. Perfect for me who wanted to get Vic Chou's movie dvd Linger (http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-c/section-index/pid-1010096930/) which was released March 8th. I had to get it from Hongkong because their version has English subtitles.

2. Have friends who sell/giveaway their collection

Hongkong - MJ has to move back to London and she has the complete set of Mars manga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(manga). With plenty of SMAP X SMAP tv show cds thrown in for free, it was perfect for her to just Fedex everything to me in Manila.

3. Have colleagues who travel overseas for a much needed break

Singapore - Scarlette, one of our IT personnel went in early March. Perfect for me who needed to get my Anan magazines (http://anan.magazine.co.jp/) with Takuya Kimura on the cover from my Singaporean friend Joyce.

Malaysia - Leo, who works with me is in Malaysia this weekend. Perfect for me who wanted to get the Taiwan drama dvds of Sweet Relationship (http://us.yesasia.com/en//PrdDept.aspx/code-c/section-vidoes/pid-1005156159), Devil Beside You ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_Beside_You)and Why, Why Love (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Why_Love). Why Malaysia? Because the dramas when released locally are sure to have English subtitles. You won't find subbed original dvd dramas in Taiwan and rare/more expensive in Hongkong.

And here I am sitting at home astounded by the realization that this month alone, I was working my usual long hours and just had enough energy to drive to and from work and yet I spent about USD 500 from 5 countries. Amazing!

Snuggled within the comforts of my doramas...

Last week was another one of those weeks when I would go home past midnight from work. And as I have done the past 5 years, I turned to my solace for major stress...drama watching.

After buying these purple cd cases to house my tons and tons of cds and dvds, I found dramas that I have not seen at all.

I picked one japanese (Itazura na Kiss) and one taiwanese drama (Devil Beside You) to watch and that kept me glued the whole week. I would watch a couple of episodes during the work week (lunch break and as soon as I get home) and come the weekend, an uninterrupted marathon time!!

Stress gone..back to my purple but toxic world...looking forward to the long Easter Weekend where I can settle into another marathon. Movies await! Linger from Hongkong (yes MICHI, I also went dvd shopping..hahahaha!) and Hero from Japan. Yokatta!

CDs and more cds...

I will probably need a bigger birdcage someday...if I keep buying cds and dvds.

Despite the quickie trip to Taipei last month (time flies when you're drowning in work!), my friends and I stumbled into a store just next block to Ximending Red Square.

Aside from the F4 album that I was specifically there for, I also bought the new version of Zaizai's album because the dvd of the October 2007 mini concert event was released with this album..and I was there! The photo booklet inside this album is what Zaizai was kind enough to stamp during the 20 Jan event. Sono otoko wa honto yasashii desu ne. Sigh...

And of course, it has become a habit (a very expensive one) to buy something of SMAP to add to my collection. This time I got the overseas vcd version of Live Amigos. What I love about this concert is the acoustic segment especially the duet of Kimura Takuya and Katori Shingo "Hito Eki Aruko". That was absolutely fantastic! On hindsight, I also should have gotten the Su Live vcd. Next time, next time!!

And finally, Soler. Ah...Soler. Their X2 album is also on constant play in my Ipod. I just fell in love with their music. And more so because the album has an English and Chinese set. I love the vocal harmony of the twins. I was just wishing to hear them play live when I realized that I did! At the MTV Concert in Taichung last October 2007. I remembered that I was very impressed although I did not catch their group name then. It was only that one time I was channel surfing when I stumbled on them featured on Channel V that I found out about them and a bit more.

So now the question is what's next? Definitely I know that I won't stop. Not yet anyway. :-D I am now itching to start collecting Wax's album (the perils of tri-nation fandom!!!). Well, time to start thinking of getting a bigger birdcage then..hahahaha!

Omiyage!

Despite my pre-occupation with F4 these days, I still got a big kick out of the omiyages (presents, pasalubong) of my Japanese friends who I see everytime there are F4 events. They knew that aside from F4, I am crazy about SMAP particularly Kimura Takuya.

So my luggage going home has become heavier with the addition of the above. My friend and I were exchanging emails and commenting that Jerry Yan and Kimura Takuya seem to have similar hairstyles these days.

I also loved my cd of Happy, Happy SMAP. The non-song sounded really happy. And I love the deck of cards from the Happy SMAP store that was in Omotesando Hills in Tokyo during the Christmas holiday season.

These fan events has now led to some sort of reunion of friends. I kept bumping into fellow fans like soldiers at war. We would hug each other and reminisced about past events like soldiers telling war stories. We would exchange presents which usually are goods that one could not get from their home country.

I realized that if I go to Japan, I would have friends who will meet me and help me get around. Just because of fandom. The same will happen if I go to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hongkong. Sending SMS messages when there are news and rumors has now become global for me.

My world has actually gone smaller and my network of friends wider. This has got to be the profit from all those hours invested in fandom.

And I ain't complaining! Nope, no complaints from me at all. :-D

I Celebrate Someone's Birthday and he's not a member of my family...

Every year, for the past 4 years, my girlfriends and I celebrate the birthday of someone who is not a member of my family but who figures prominently in my daily life...

He is called Captain by his minions of wenches all in love with the him - his voice, his acting ability, his dancing skills, his cooking, his laughter and his sexy body.

His harem of wenches do not care that he is an unreachable star...someone who is difficult to see, feel and touch. I myself has only seen him in the flesh once, in my mecca of fandom - Japan.

To compensate for this lack, I collect whatever he has be it his album with his group SMAP or his movie or drama or photobooks. I am again looking forward to seeing him next year, where you might ask, I really don't know. But see him I will!!

Many people would think that this is a crazy past time and a waste of energy and money. But rather than gamble, being a fan of Kimura Takuya has given me not only happiness but more friends in many parts of the world.

Happy Birthday Takuya!

BUDS, HE'S A GUY!

And he is not gay! Hahahahaha!!!

A long-haired pony-tailed guy mistook another long-haired sometimes in pony-tail guy for A GIRL!! And when I told my highschool batchmate that he is a guy, I could not forget the expression on Buddy's face when he said "so is he gay?".

Kuya Badong, you've forced me to go into a monologue about Takuya Kimura, artist par excellence. Since you claim to read my blog regularly (thank you mwah!), I would like to tell you a bit more about him. And this is from memory..so be impressed! :-)

Kimura Takuya (japanese way of saying names is last name first then given name) was born Nov. 13, 1972 in Tokyo, Japan. He entered showbusiness not because he wanted to but because an aunt submitted his name to an agency called Johnny's which he was accepted as one of their "artist in training" boys.

He eventually was assigned to join a group which they called SMAP which stands for Sports, Music Assemble People. I know, our English teacher would cringe at the grammar but that is what the acronym really stands for. SMAP debuted in 1991. In Japan, a group has debuted once they have a legitimate single or album released. After the single "Can't Stop Loving", there was no turning back for Takuya and SMAP.

The rest as they say is history - 18 albums, 37 singles, a variety show called SmapXSmap running for 12 years, a radio show called What's Up Smap hosted solo by Takuya running for 11 years, hit movies and concert tours yearly in a span of 15 years!

Takuya is one of the most visible artists in the Japan. He has many product endorsements that you would see his face literally plastered all over Tokyo from the buildings, drink vendo machine, to the train station. He is a fashion icon that when he grows his hair, may Japanese guys would too. And when he cuts it short, they would too.

Many Takuya fans would rather not speak about this but Takuya is married with two little girls named Kokomi and Mitsuki. He married his boyhood idol Shizuka Kudo who was once a very popular member of an all-girl singing group Onyako Club.

Though many are wishing that he be single again, I would rather be his mistress forever. Hahaha!

That's about it Kuya Buddy. I hope you are a bit enlightened. And entertained. I hope you can take pictures of him because he is really a very pretty guy.

The rest of his story is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takuya_Kimura

Gomenasai Takuya...I'm a Technosaurus!

I wanted to make a video project for Takuya's 35th birthday. But I am a technosaurus when it comes to ripping video clips from dvds.

My definition of a technosaurus is someone who has dinosaur age skills in multi-media applications such as ripping, cutting and splitting and editing video. Are you one of us? :-D Raise your hands people!

I am so upset that I cannot give due homage to my unreachable star. Again, for those who are not from this planet, this man IS JAPAN'S MEGASUPERSTAR. And he is my Man of La Mancha. The one I crazily love. I may be a fan of F4 but Takuya is my heart for the past 3 years. My impossible dream!

I did see him in Japan in 2005 but he was up on stage and I was only one of the 80,000 people in the dome. I want a moment with the guy but he does not go out of Japan much. He does not "do" autograph signings. He does not hold fan meetings. In short, it is very, very, hard to see him.

I am in awe of Takuya's multitude of talent - acting, singing, dancing, playing the guitar, natural athlete, cooking, etc. He has a lot of imperfections - average height, uneven teeth but sexy, sexy as hell. Oops!

Since I cannot make a video of him yet, I'll just show you people this video of him singing with his group SMAP one of their hit songs Lion Heart.

Before Any Fangirling Happens....Shopping!!!

I never thought that Taipei would be a shopping haven. And since the exchange rate with the peso is about NT$ 1.4 to Php 1, the itch to whip out my phone calculator whenever I shop overseas did not happen.

The Ximending (http://www.sinotour.com/scenic/102612.html) area alone holds many treasures for shoppers. I could not control myself when I bought all these cds! Too bad I don't know the name of the cd shop (but its in the 2nd floor of the shops fronting the main road) but everything that I asked for they have - SMAP, Kokia and Masaharu Fukuyama. I even got the Original Sound Track of Princess Hours, one of my favorite korean drama.

Aside from cds from Japan and Korea, another happy discovery is that Taiwan is a mecca for purple lovers like me. Sweaters, bags and shoes are all available in purple. And the prices! If only I have smaller feet (I am probably the only geisha incarnate that has size 9 feet! Hahaha!) I would have come home broke. There are a lot of stores that sell cute flat shoes for NT$ 190 or around Php 250 pesos. The more expensive ones are at NT$ 390 or Php 550 - yeah right! I could not even get shoes that cheap in the Jatujak market in Bangkok.

Presenting the hoodie sweater and flat shoes that I got. Wore them on my trip to Yilan, Vic Chou's hometown. Aren't they adorable?

Sweater = NT$ 390 (Php 550)

Flat shoes = NT$ 190 (Php 250)

Ochie bought me a couple of underwear and my happiest buy of all is this bag from Baleno (http://store.pchome.com.tw/baleno/). Just in time since the bag I use everyday already died on me. Not sure if I will still see this same bag in Hongkong this month end so I grabbed it.

So shopping done, me and the girls went about what we originally came here for - sightseeing of Meteor Garden locations, Album launching events of Vic "Zaizai" Chou and of course, the F4 Party Part 2!

Fandom Tourism

I was sitting at my desk eating a late lunch when the phrase hit me. Tomorrow I'll be flying to Taipei with 8 other girls of all ages, shapes and sizes to go on a kind of trip that I now call Fandom Tourism. Finally, a word to describe this crazy thing that I do!!!

For the past 4 years, I could not put a name to this hobby that I have gotten into - that of travelling to a destination not only because of the sights but also because of the events that feature my favorite asian artist.

In May 2004, I went to Hongkong to mainly attend the F4 Pepsi Event at the Hongkong Convention Center. For those who does not live in this side of the planet, F4 is a group of Taiwanese guys who gained popularity all over Asia via a drama called Meteor Garden. The group is composed of Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Chu and Vanness Wu. If you're asking for more check out (http://onlyf4.proboards48.com/).

So with 17 other girls from the Philippines, we waited for F4 to arrive at the airport coming from various engagements in China. We chased after F4's van on their way to rehearsals. Imagine me running around the streets of Hongkong!!! I experienced all modes of transport from subways and taxis, to double deckers buses to the wooden ferry boat and the tram just because of the itinerary fandom brings.



A year after in August 2005, a friend and I went on a journey to the Land of the Rising Sun - Japan. No we, were not there for the cherry blossoms (it was the height of summer!) or for the sights of Fukuoka, Japan. We were there to watch the concerts of SMAP. A pop group composed of Masahiro Nakai, Kimura Takuya, Katori Shingo, Inagaki Goro and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi. After F4, I became crazy about SMAP who as a group has released many albums and singles and individually acts in movies and dramas. Again for those of you who do not know anything besides American entertainment, here is a preview of who SMAP is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hHo0BHxlio

And so we walked, and walked and walked some more. From our hotel to the subway station, from the subway to the Yahoo Fukuoka Dome and back. I can still remember screaming in the streets of Fukuoka how I miss my car!

And so tomorrow is another Fandom Tourism kind of trip. I will probably see Taipei 101 as it is the tallest building in the world for the moment. But I am so very sure that I would walk many kilometres, sweat and stalk the cd stores of Ximending. I will tell the tale when I come back.