Current mood:

nostalgic

kick off: FEAST OF V SENSES TOUR DIARY!!!
2009/2/16 – 220km,snow,bitter coldness and pure happiness in mind⇒Dir en grey in Nagano (SHOW I)

Well on Monday, 16 February the time was come to leave Tokyo for going to Nagano to see Dir en grey live. By the way 16 feb. is Kyo-kun’s birthday ne. So I was even more excited to see them on that day.
Anyways we stood up at 6 am or something and got ourselves ready, like taking shower, doing make up, hair etc. After that we said goodbye to Steffi and my Mom and went outside for going to Ueno first with the Ginza-sen and leave for Nagano there with the Shinkansen. But first we got ourselves something to eat and then went to Ueno. We found our track where our Shinkansen should leave very fast and soon Asama (the Shinkansens’s name) arrived. We got inside to our seats and had to drive about 1 ½ hour then. But Shinkansen is great!!! It’s really widely arranged so you can sit there very very comfortable. On the way to Nagano we took some photos.


(inside the Shinkansen)


(Dai-chan and me inside of ASAMA~)


(on the way to Nagano. I think this volcano was in the news some time ago because it smolders a lot and some people think it’s about to erupt and could endanger Tokyo)

Then we arrived in Nagano. We got out the train and it was freezing cold!!! We haven’t assumed that because the weather in Tokyo was nice and warm. So I put on everything I had with me but still it was cold! First we went outside the station building and wanted to inform ourselves where the hall was and all that. So we stood outside the building and Dai recognized that it was actually snowing! We first thought it would be ash or something but in fact it was SNOW! As I saw that I froze even more. So we stood there and far and wide juuuust Japanese people. You might think “okay you’re in Japan! What have you expected?” But well when you’re in Tokyo there is always some not Japanese people or something so you really don’t stand out. But we really were the only gaijin there! Everybody looked at us like zoo-animals. It was really scary. I just wanted to leave and so we did. Thanks to Toshio, who organized the Tickets for us, we had a plan along general lines where we would find the hall. It was really nice of him because he send us the tickets to Tokyo and even a print out of the way to the hall and a little letter where he told me his phone number and that I should call him anytime we have trouble! That was so so so nice of him! THANK YOU AGAIN TOSHIO!!! So we knew we have to go anywhere near the Tower Reco next to a Starbucks into a street then straight ahead and the next crossing road right. So we did. You know the concert was in the Nagano Club Junk Box which is really really small. The capacity of it is 400 people only which is very small for Dir en grey. And over the hall is in a kind of shopping mall at the 7th floor. But we knew the malls name was “AGAIN” and so we searched for a sign or anything. We walked and walked but there was no AGAIN!!! So we went back down the road. I decided to ask for the building in a Lawson that we passed on our way. I couldn’t believe we didn’t find that thing because Nagano isn’t one of a big city. But then we walked into the Lawson and I asked the salesgirl (as always in Japanese but now translated) “Sorry, but do you know a building called again?” And she was almost laughing pointed out of the window and said “It’s right there on the other side of the road.” I just stood there then a little bit embrassed but thanked her and left with Dai. Well yeah it was a huuuuuge building with a huuuuuge again sign on the roof also. Well it WAS embrassing. BUT the plan we had said we had to turn right and it was on the left side.,, anyways now we had found it. So we went into the building which was very warm thanks to god. We decided to go to the top first and have a look around the hall. So as there was no elevator we had to take the escalators into 7th floor. And felt 30 mins later we stood infront the hall’s entrance.


(the AGAIN fashion building where Nagano Club Junk Box is inside)


(the entrance door of the hall)


(again the entrance… the door aswell as the wall was full with posters and such things)


(one of the Posters on the wall. Girugamesh Poster with signs!!! ^^)


(lynch. Poster with signs)


(D’espairsRay Poster with signs)


(THAT’S ROCK!!!)


(some time later a Staff came out and arranged some tables and this tonights live information sign infront of the hall. The writing says that at that night there will be no more tickets on sale as the live is sold out!)


(with the tables)


(the event calendar infront of the hall entrance. DIR EN GREY SOLD OUT!!!)

There were some Japanese Dir en grey fans strolling around too but they looked at us like “what do you want here??” We stayed maybe an hour infront of the hall but then left as there was nothing really interesting. Actually I wanted to looked around in Nagano and see the 善光寺 (Zenko-ji), a Buddhist temple but it was just too cold to do a long walk like that.




(the view over Nagano)

I was freezing so hard. But first Dai-chan wanted to have a smoke so we stood infront of the building and I waited for her. I was looking around and then saw a silver-colored Van driving by. I knew this Van out of Dir en grey Uroboros limited Blog because Shinya wrote that they will drive that Van during the feast of V senses Tour in Japan. And the Van just entered the parking of again. So I looked at Dai-chan like Ö.Ö “That’s Diru!!! It was their Van!!!” and without any hesitation or something we walked towards the parking lots. That was the good thing about being the only not Japanese because nobody cared we took the way only diver are allowed to take and were standing on the parking like lost kittens. But Dir en grey just jumped out the Van and entered the Building as fast as they could and took the staff only elevator to the top where they arrived in the backstage area of the hall directly. I think Die was the only one who wanted to have a talk to the fans as there were maybe 5 japanese fans waiting too. But a girl of the staff looked at him as he stood in the door of the elevator so it wouldn’t close and pushed him in while saying something like “Die-chaaaaaan goooo!” Die is always so confused but sweet ne. So it was a bit sad though because I had a present for Kyo as it was his birthday and now I couldn’t give it to him. And I didn’t want to give it to the staff or anything because it was something really personal and the wrapping was transparent so everybody would have seen it. So the chance to give it to him was gone. But anyways we left then.
So we decided to look around in the Book off near the again building. But there also was nothing special. Well we had some hours left then before we wanted to go back to the hall so we decided to go to McDonalds because you could get hot coffee there and it was cheaper and nearer than Starbucks.


(a funny sign at Makku. I think the writing sounds like in star wars “May the food be with you… Ronald!”)

So we sat there maybe 2-3 hours. Actually we wanted to stay the night in Nagano because we wanted to wait until Dir en grey leaves the hall. But it was so cold and it was still daytime I didn’t want to stay the night there where it gets even colder. So we made the plan to look when the last Shinkansen drives back to Tokyo later. So we sat in McDonalds and waited and talked and such things. But after so much coffee I had to go to see the toilet. And like it is very used in Japan to have those high tech toilets there was one too. So afterwards I stood infront of it and searched the flushing but there was about 20 hand gears and buttons. I can read Japanese and such things but there was nothing written to the buttons just small pictures and above that it was so small in there and I finally wanted to leave so I decided to just push those things until I found the flushing… well GREAT IDEA!!! The first button I choose of course was the bidet and as I saw it I knew it. I was standing there and just then the water was spraying outside against the wall and the floor and everything. I just could turn away so I wasn’t hit. But then I had to laugh so so hard because it was just too funny that I’m this stupid. But as the water flying by and me laughing it was hard to find the stop button. I tried to get to the other side of the toilet somehow with my arm but the water almost made it impossible. And then I saw the 止 (stop) button. Finally ONE button with writing! I managed to push it without getting wet and the bidet stopped immediately. But non the less the whole toilet cabin was under water. It was running everywhere. At the floor, from the wall, on top of the changing table… everywhere. And still I had to laugh. So I tried to clean up a bit because it was my fault ne. But the toilet paper was wet too and not that thick anyways. I just tried it as hard as I could but just gave up after some time. AND finally I found the flush button. So I pushed it washed my hands next room and went out. It was hard not to laugh while walking back to Dai-chan but as she knows me very well she saw that I was trying to hide my laughter. I looked at her and just said “We have to leave… FAST!!!” and began burst out laughing again. She didn’t know what was going on but left with me anyways. I couldn’t tell her what happened quite a time because I couldn’t talk at all because of laughing. But I tried and so she shortly after some “I was… was… searching… high tech toilet… the flushing… but didn’t find…” she knew what I was about to say and went on “NO you didn’t took the Bidet have you?” I just nodded and told her how the water was running from everywhere and I couldn’t make it stop. Then she also had to laugh so hard because of my silliness and we went to the Nagano main station again. There we found out that the last train for Tokyo leaves at 21.40. So as the concert should start around 19.00 it was maybe possible to get the train.
As times had moved on we then walked back to the hall. (Wow it’s strange how I just feel the same excitement I had some days ago right now while writing this. Like I would go again.) There, there were already about 50 people waiting. We just sat down anywhere and waited. Still we had this feeling of not being welcome there. They looked at us all the time and I think were talking about us. I didn’t feel comfortable at all. I tried to make contact with them by sometimes smiling towards them or looking to the person next to me but they were just looking away. So before the show started Dai-chan also wanted to go to the toilet as it wasn’t possible at McDs. So we went to the toilet next to the hall and there finally some Japanese girls talked to me while I was waiting for Dai-chan. They were really kind and my heart felt a bit better then. Shortly after that there was the first announcement that we should row up and could give off our clothes we don’t need to the staff. So we rowed in the line and got a number (48) and the matching garbage bag with the same number written on it. We could then put all our things into the garbage bag and give it to the staff. They then stored the things for us in the room because it was the room next to the hall and wouldn’t be in use anyways. That was a really good idea of them because it is easy and fast and you can put a lot of things into such a bag. Not like in germany where you have to pay 1 or more euros for give off just ONE thing which they don’t find again at the end anyways. After that we went into the forum again. And after almost everybody had give away their things they announced that we should row again after our ticket numbers in the room next to the hall. They talked very very fast and it was very loud so first I didn’t understand was he was talking about but we just did was everybody else did. So they separated the fans into numbers. First was numbers 1 to 100 and so on. We just stood ourselves next to girls who approximately had the number around ours. In the forum the staff already had put up some tables with goods you could buy. So we were led into the hall but first had to pass the table of goods if you liked to. Of course we wanted to have some goods so first I bought the All-in-one Set.


(the All-In-One Set consists of all the items shown on this flyer)

After that I stood there waiting for Dai-chan as (I think she was the tour manager) came up to me and asked me if everything is okay and if we need help or anything. I just told her that we are fine and that I’m just waiting for my friend so she smiled and I was called by Dai-chan because there was a problem at the goods tables. She wanted to have the all in One set in size L but L was sold out already. So the Girl at the table told her (everything in Japanese of course again) that there was just the pink Deadly Claris shirt left in L and the other shirt in M. And somehow it wasn’t possible to get the all in one set with two different sizes in it. So I told the girl that we then take the pink shirt in L and the black/grey shirt in set A in M (the A set was the shirt plus a vinyl back) and the stickers. So she understood and did it like I said. The price didn’t differed anyways. So we had everything we wanted and went into the hall. That means we did one step into it and had to stop because it was full.


(the hall in an empty status)

It was such a small hall I think there never were 400 people in it like it’s said on the OHP. But the show was sold out. But the good thing about it was that we could see very good even from the back. So we waited that Dir en grey would enter the stage. Steffi already was at the Girugamesh Live in Kobe so she told us that the fans aren’t that pushing, pulling and screaming when the show starts and so on so we didn’t expected to get much more to the front. But as said it was okay where we stood. We talked a bit and were still surprised about the hall’s size when finally the light was turned out and SA BIR began to play. As said we didn’t expected that we were pushed much or anything but suddenly everybody went crazy and we got a hit from the back and were pushed towards the second barrier in the hall. It was really crazy because it was even harder than Dir en grey lives in Germany. Everybody screamed and the noise was almost unbelievable. So we suddenly stood infront of the barrier and had even a better view then before. Then Shinya got on stage and was followed by Toshiya then Die, Kaoru and last but not least KYO! They all did as usual a stop on Kyo’s Box and greeted the fans and went to their instruments on their place. They all looked just fantastic! I must admit I don’t now exactly what Shinya was wearing because I have seen him just 4 short times maybe, but I think he wore something white. His hair was blond a curly with a dark streak in his banks. Die wore a shirt and jeans (I think) and his hair like it was in England too. Toshi was a real funny thing to look at. Actually I don’t now what he was wearing but I think he still had his half head shaved (but the half had grown a bit). But he had his long hair on the one side twirled together to a kind of braid and bound it around his head somehow. Around that he wore a blue bandana around his forehead. He looked like the crazy ramen delivery boy. Kaoru had very straight down dark hair. He had as always his little chin-beard and wore a shirt and jeans. He looked really cool like always. Kyo wore blue trackers with yellow or gold(?) stripes. You know his new Adidas collection. I think he didn’t wear a jacket right from the beginning so you could see his tattoos very good. His new tiger is just awesome!!! I love it also the place its on hehe. He had blond hair and no chin-beard. And I think he wore his hair-band again. But I’m not so sure about it. Anyways he looked mega cool.
After SA BIR had finished directly the first sounds of VINUSHKA filled the air. I was overwhelmed! I so wanted to hear VINUSHKA live and it was the first song. I watched Kyo all the time and was just stunned by his appearance as if I would have seen him the first time. I think it was during VINUSHKA already, but maybe it was in another song so I’m not sure. You know the operetta-like singing in VINUSHKA? It’s at about 7.45 mins in the song. At that point at the Live suddenly Kyo began to sing just like that. In this operetta voice. First I had to smirk a bit but then I just was stunned he can do that with his voice and I was even more stunned as he directly after that began shouting again. It was such a difference in just one second. But actually if you listen to VINUSHKA very accurate you can hear that even in the song on CD Kyo IS singing the operetta part (Well maybe it’s nothing new for you but I have to admit that I didn’t recognized that until now). I loved the song right from the start and now after I saw it live I just love it even more. It still gives me shivers over my spine when I hear it now. It turned out to be so epic. I can’t really describe my feelings about it. It’s just the thoughts and memories and the way Kyo sings and… just everything.
As I don’t want to describe everything so detailed I will just give the concerts best moments away now. If I wouldn’t do that I could write a book about it I think and I don’t wanna bore you.
So they played 20 songs in whole: Sa Bir, Vinushka, Red Soil, Agitated Screams of Maggots, Stuck Man, 慟哭と去りぬ (doukoku to sarinu), The Final, 蜷局 (toguro), Glass Skin, Conceived Sorrow, Obscure, Hydra -666-, 冷血なりせば (reiketsu nariseba), Bugaboo, Dozing Green, E: 凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃 (gaika, chinmoku ga nemuru koro), Lie Buried With a Vengeance, Mr. Newsman, C, The IIID Empire (This is the right order)
All the new songs rock even more than on CD. Glass Skin is so emotional and great. Just every song is great live. Kyo also did a lot of his singing like he did at the Marrow of a bone tour too. He connected many songs like this and it sounded fantastic. Over that it was strangely but in a good way to see how changed the guys are when they play in their homeland. They are much more relaxed and easy going. Die bounced up and down even more than in Germany/Europe. He grinned all the time like a Cheshire cat from one ear to the other. Kaoru was very cool all the time but went crazy from time to time. Toshi bounced as much as Die but in his special ramen-boy-Toshi-way. Kyo was completely different. I really thought when I saw him in Nagano that I never knew him before. He was smiling and grinning a lot. He also talked to the fans and did some little games with them (us). He really rocked the party. He often let us sing really long parts of the songs, shouted NAGANOOOO and talked or screamed things like (at least I understood that. And it’s translated, of course he talked in Japanese) “I’m the greatest guy here!” (俺は一番良いな男だよ！) and “come on people!” (かかって来い！). He did little games with us like he said that all the girls should scream and then all guys and after that everybody. So he shouted a lot like “onna/Girls!” and “otoko/Guys!” and then “minna/everybody!” and everybody did like he said. He stood almost all the time on his box and rocked like crazy. He was just so different to german/European lives. At one time Kaoru and Toshi came to Kyo each of them on one side of the box. Then suddenly Kyo held his microphone infront of Toshi. Toshi first looked a bit puzzled but then roared into the mic. Everybody (the fans) went crazy and Kyo showed us that she should cheer for Toshi. Kyo looked so sweet (sorry Kyo, but it’s just like that!) while doing that. He smiled and pointed from above towards Toshi and screamed something too but it was too loud to understand him. Toshi also grinned then and rocked on.
We of course did our shouting again and tried to scream Die from stage. And then shortly before the break Die noticed us. He looked into our direction and looked harder. Then he began to grin again and nodded towards us as he was playing and couldn’t do anything else. After that they did a break. During the break the Japanese fans showed us their organized system again. They really portion their powers. They don’t just shouted like crazy everything that came to their minds but did a real organized encore choir. First the fans in the front shouted encore and after that the back and so on. It was fascinating. One could really heal a bit in the break too like that. After some time Diru came back on stage. They began to play again and Die again looked towards us und grinned and smiled and greeted us in some way. Shortly after that Toshi came to our side. We of course shouted and such things at Toshi because he was at “our” side. Suddenly Toshi stopped playing and held his hand against his forehead as if he was watching out for something in the back. He then met our eyes smiled and waved towards us. Well we seemed to stand out because, as said, we were the only foreigners in the hall and in the city I think. He then began playing again and bounced away. Kyo was somehow watching Toshi while he did that and then just looked towards our direction too. He also looked right into our eyes and pointed towards us also. Did you ever had eye contact with Kyo? I always think it’s even sensible that he looks at you when he does. I watched back at him like Ö.Ö and felt this strange jimjam in my stomach. (sorry this sounds so fangirlish but I really felt like that because Kyo’s gaze is so intensive I think.) Then even Kyo began to smile and did a gesture towards us that we should cheer to him. You know this gesture of him when he puts his index finger up and raises it? I can’t describe it better. We (Dai-chan and me) then screamed Kyooooo and seemingly he was satisfied with that. He again smiled and threw a kiss towards us. (you know what I mean? Like this I don’t know the correct word for that in English. But the way he did towards us was somehow much more fondly.) I so was dying right then. I always don’t wanna be such a fangirl but everything concerning Kyo let me forget everything. And as if that wouldn’t have been enough Kaoru came to our side shortly after that. We again cheered to him but he stayed in his cool leader mode. He directly found us and also told us with his gesture to cheer for him, the god of the guitar (he really looked like that). We of course obliged and shouted for him. He then nodded like you do as greeting sometimes and stumped away. I couldn’t believe that they had recognized us. I mean one can say it’s just conceit and maybe it is but actually I don’t think so. Because as said I think you can feel when somebody is looking at you and it’s even stronger when this somebody who is in some way your hero.
There were so many great little moments and details but I can’t write everything down now. On the one hand in would be way too much and on the other hand it’s just impossible because it was just this feeling being there, the atmosphere and little gestures or ways of playing/singing. Anyways the show went on and was over way too soon. At the end All the members “said” goodbye and waved and threw things into the fans. Die seemingly wanted to throw pics towards us but failed because the hall was very low-ceilinged. So his pics always hit the ceiling and were tossed back by it. The ceiling was even so low that Kyo could adhere to it when he was standing on his box and leaning over the fans. That looked great. Kaoru also came to our side again (as there was the exit anyways) and clapped his hands for us so we did for him. Toshi again waved us and went down too. The light turned on again and the show was over. But it was the best concert I’ve ever been to. The new songs live, as said, are just mind blowing. The whole show is epic. As it was the mini-hall tour there were not much decoration on the stage or anything but still is was so fascinating and engrossing. We stood really far in the back which is very abnormal for us above all at a Dir concert but it so rocked. Another good thing about Japanese Lives is that they really don’t shout or sing along during songs or after them when Kyo is still singing or saying something. So you can enjoy the full spectrum of the music without disturbance but sometimes I have to admit it was hard for me not to sing along at my favourite parts and songs. But as said he let us sing a lot also while The Final which I love so it was okay. It was just fantastic and completely different to lives not in Japan. Not only the atmosphere but also the members themselves and somehow the meaning of the songs and the spoken words of Kyo. I even would say that anybody who hasn’t seen Dir en grey live in Japan don’t know the real Dir en grey. That shouldn’t sound arrogant or elite-like or something. It’s just that I can’t describe it better how great, mind blowing, EPIC they are when playing at home.
DIR EN GREY様！！！長野ライブ、ありがとうございました！！！出来ればだけ早くにドイツ／ヨーロッパに来てくれてお願いします！！！

We then left the hall and outside there was the staff waiting with flyers (the one you see in the photo above) and water. Another thing that’s great about Japanese lives! You could get something to drink for free there. It was just water but what else do you want if you die of thirst after a live? I don’t now if that is standard but I think so. At least at such small lives. Or maybe it was Kyo’s birthday gift for the fans? lol (Kyo: “Here you have 10 bottles of water!” *grin* I really could imagine that ). But the Japanese fans seemed to be used to that. Yeah anyways as said we wanted to get the last train to Tokyo somehow so we hurried up a bit because I didn’t know the time as my mobile phone was in my bag which was in the garbage bag with the staff. So we went to the room the garbage bags were stored and got our sack in less than 10 seconds back (!!!!). In germany that would be impossible. You need to wait at least one hour if you gave off something in a hall. So we ripped the bag open and I took a look at my mobile phone and my watch on it and saw that we had more than enough time left to get the last train. So we dressed unhurried and walked out the again building.


(Dai-chan and me infront of the Again building. In the back is the information board about the tonights concert. DIR EN GREY!)

We then went to the Nagano JR-Station calmly and waited there for the Shinkansen to open the doors so we could get in as it really was freezing cold now.


(Nagano at night. You can see snow falling too.)

Even on the streets was laying snow now and we still were heated from the live which faded away with the cold. So 20 mins or something like that the door opened and we could get into the warm shinkansen. We choose the non-reserved car as we hadn’t had a reservation because we wanted to leave Nagano the next day. But there was no need for that anyways because the train was almost empty. We then drove back to Ueno/Tokyo which took another 1 ½ hour. It was so beautiful to see all the lights in Tokyo while we drove through it. Sadly I forgot to take pictures. But the feeling then was great. I really felt like coming home. While we drove back “home” Dai-chan and me talked a lot about the live and our impressions. There were other Dir en grey fans too so we heard them talking just as excited as us in Japanese. Finally we arrived in Ueno and got out of the Shinkansen and just had to take the Ginza-sen to Asakusa which are just 3 or 4 stops. So we did that but had to hurry a bit because in Tokyo the Metro stops service at 12am. But we had managed it to get to Asakusa again. There we had to walk about 5 mins to get to the Hostel again. It was strangely dark then because as said in Tokyo most of the service stops at 12am. So normally the Nakamise-dori and the Sensoji is illuminated at night but the lights were already off. That day there was a strong wind in Tokyo so we crossed the place infront of Sensoji in the dark and from the temple, the pagoda and the little Shrines around it all kind of bells were moved by the wind and the air was filled with hollow sounds of the big bells. It somehow was a creepy but very heart warming atmosphere. One of the kind you feel your heart jump in your breast. At least that’s what it was like for me. We soon went by the little security shelter which lays on the way to the hostel, went down the little road that leads towards the candy dazzling Hotel which was right next to the Hostel. There my Mom already waited for us at the lobby and welcomed us. We talked a bit with her but then just had to go into our room because we were so tiered. There Steffi was sleeping but we couldn’t help it but turn on the lights to see anything. Unfortunately Steffi woke up because I think we were too loud (Nochmals Tschuldigung!!! m(_ _)m) but then we told her about the concert and such things and got ready for our bed. As soon as I lay down I felt asleep.