Japan Expo 2015

  • Thread starter Thread starter Firak
  • Start date Start date
F

Firak

Guest
Japan Expo 2015 is starting July 2nd. Is anyone from here planning to go there? I vaguely remember this being mentioned some time ago, but I'm not sure any more...

I will be there mainly for the Azumi Inoue and Eir Aoi concerts (plus some of the gaming related activities).
 
I'll attempt to come on Saturday, should my boss let me have my day off (I asked him for it three weeks ago and I know there's not much work, so I'm really confident, but one never knows...)
The main reasons why I'm coming are because in 2014, all my time was dedicated to Kalafina, thus I had no time to explore the venue, then I want to wander in freely this time; to try getting signs from Akamatsu Ken and Kawahara Reki; visit the Japan National Tourist Office and the Kyoto City stalls.
I'm finding the music schedule very weak this year compared to last year (Kalafina for sure, WagakkiBand, Shōko-tan, Moumoon...) - besides Eir Aoi, which I don't like much, I never heard about a single artist which will be there this time...
 
Yes, the music lineup is very weak this year, and dominated by idol pop artists. But last year, I was positively surprised by many of the events on the smaller stages that were not even on the official schedule - so I still have hope that I will not be disappointed. I originally didn't plan to attend this year, but the announcement of the Studio Ghibli tribute concert with Azumi Inoue changed my mind (and you probably have heard her sing, even if not knowing her by name). Eir Aoi's songs are hit and miss for me - but if I'm there anyway, I will go to her concert and signing session (but will not have any luck at the draw as usual). I did not make any detailed plans yet, but I might skip one day again and visit Paris instead like I did last year.

If you manage to be there on Saturday, we may meet up somewhere - if you don't mind.
 
Oh now that you bring the name "Ghibli", yes, I think I've already heard the name of Azumi Inoue! Isn't it her who sings the theme of Laputa?
This year I'll wander freely with no real aim, only the two signing sessions (actually, three, because Kawahara Reki has two, so I hope I'll have my chance at one of both draws...).
I don't mind at all meeting - but as I have no schedule at all, I don't know whether I can help deciding on a particular moment...
 
Was planning on going this year, but now I'm going to Japan in October instead I'll have to give it a miss. Luckily most of the guests are also at Hyper Japan in London which is considerably easier and cheaper to get to, plus I have a friend in London who's letting us stay over so that's even less costly. Got Eir Aoi at least.
 
I'd like to go, but things are too busy atm sadly. :TdT: It would've been great to see you guys again though - half the fun of last year's event was meeting up with people. @Daiima @Firak I hope you have a good time!
 
Thank you ^^ seems there's Haruna Luna too – the songs from her I listened to are not memorable in my opinion but I might come see her, if she's singing on Saturday, but there's nothing about her on the official JE website...
 
Daiima said:
This year I'll wander freely with no real aim, only the two signing sessions (actually, three, because Kawahara Reki has two, so I hope I'll have my chance at one of both draws...).
I don't mind at all meeting - but as I have no schedule at all, I don't know whether I can help deciding on a particular moment...
Click to expand...
I checked the programme for the next days, and now it is likely that I will use Saturday to visis Paris, since tomorrow is another Azumi Inoue concert and the Eir Aoi concert is on Sunday - so it looks like we won't be able to meet on Saturday, after all.

And I think you mixed something up there: Kawahara has only one signing session on Saturday, the other signing session was today.

Thank you ^^ seems there's Haruna Luna too – the songs from her I listened to are not memorable in my opinion but I might come see her, if she's singing on Saturday, but there's nothing about her on the official JE website...
Click to expand...
No, she is not. Maybe you mean Haruna Ai? She had a short performance on the Karasu stage today, but I had to leave after about two minutes because I really couldn't stand it any longer.
 
I'm sure Haruna Luna is here, she posted on her Facebook. Maybe did she only came as a visitor though? Or on a minor stage, invited by a company holding a stall, not by the organization.

The same way, Kawahara/Abec actually have two signing sessions. One on the morning, held by the publisher, and one on the evening, held by the organization. On the Japan Expo website, you find only what has been scheduled by the organization. The first session has been announced only by the publisher.
 
I'm not 100% sure, but Rio Hiiragi might be back again this year. I didn't expect a guest to show up two years running, but Jaru Jaru are listed there again so maybe she is too. Jaru Jaru are great fun to watch btw. :goodjob:
 
Wouldn't surprise me, she's at Hyper. I have no idea who she is, though, but I think she's on when I'm there so I'll likely end up checking it out.
 
Daiima said:
I'm sure Haruna Luna is here, she posted on her Facebook. Maybe did she only came as a visitor though? Or on a minor stage, invited by a company holding a stall, not by the organization.
Click to expand...
Yes, it looks like she is here to report on Japan Expo for a Japanese TV channel (if I read google correctly).

Martin said:
I'm not 100% sure, but Rio Hiiragi might be back again this year. I didn't expect a guest to show up two years running, but Jaru Jaru are listed there again so maybe she is too. Jaru Jaru are great fun to watch btw. :goodjob:
Click to expand...
Rio Hiiragi is back too (I saw her only briefly today and was not impressed), as is Orange Port. Both are part of the "Welcome to Japan" local idol project.
 
Japan Expo was quite terrible for me. Having not bought my ticket from the Web prior to the opening, I had to buy it on site, thus entering not before 10:15. As soon as I entered I aimed directly to the signing draw booths; there was only one line for the Kawahara Reki's session at 17:30, none for 10:30. It was the same queue than for Akumatsu Ken though, so I thought "I'll try both at the same time". While waiting, the draw for the latter got over as there wasn't any ticket left. And like usual, I lost at the draw for SAO.

I nevertheless aim at the SAO stall, buy the book, put back my pouch with my papers/keys/money/cards inside into my large messenger bag... that I thought! Actually I think I had inserted it between my messenger bag and myself, so it fell on the ground without me noticing it... After rushing at the SAO stall asking whether anyone would had found and given to them my pouch, I go to the Information/Lost & Found booth (with a very cute hostess), to no extend. I go outside, phone parents, assistance, police, and so on. At this moment I see some guest – Aoi Eir ? – arriving at the Expo in a luxury car, stopping just in front of me...

I have to make my car removed from the parking lot as I don't have the keys anymore! I wait 1 1/2 h for the tow truck to arrive, and I think that I'll go away with it... no, that's not included in my insurance contract, I have to find my own transportation to go back home... I'm outside the Expo, with no means of transportation, and with prohibited re-entrance, so I call my parents to bring me back home (2 hrs of road). While I'm waiting for them I notice people exiting the Expo through a broken panel of enclosure, so I decide to make the trip back. But there's a second encluse, throughly kept by safety agents. I walk down the whole enclosure to find the last checkpoint, I decide to try... The safety agent doesn't well understand my problem and gets rid of me saying "OK, go through"!

I'm back into the Expo, in which I can finally kinda relax, noticeably thanks to the band "NeoBallad" on the traditional music stage. I go back to the Lost&Found booth to meet again the cute hostess — who really looked like a girl I knew from school, but she can confirm me she's not that one –, but no, still no pouch. My parents being close to the hall, I finally leave once more and wait for them outside.

Back home, I get a phone call from a number I don't know... "I've found your pouch!" Here am I relieved. Still, that's not a great day I've had... I still need to retrieve my car back from the garage where it will be brought to get a new set of keys, and to retrieve my pouch, both being near Paris, and all of this before Thursday, when I'll need my papers to make the application for my passport...
 
@Daiima, wow, that sounds stressful. (The worst I felt in Japan was when I thought that I had lost my mobile phone near or in NHK Hall, it was actually caught on my back-pack and I didn't notice it until I was catching a train home after doing nearly an hour of searching. My illness and University of Tokyo Hospital stay in 2012 wasn't as bad as thinking that I'd lost my mobile phone).
 
Argh, I hope your car is okay. You got your pouch back, at least. Driving to conventions is always a problem (e.g. my fave UK con was held near Coventry, a really nice town that's a nightmare to drive in and out of), although public transport isn't ideal either if you don't know your way around.

The Paris Expo is one of the more...accessible events I've been to though. Is it as well-organised as last year? I remember most stuff went really smoothly, apart from some of the autograph signing sessions.
 
My car is secured at the tow truck company – at least I hope :XD:. I'll ask to the assistance company whether I can come to claim it before sending it to the workshop, if I bring my emergency duplicate key. I still have to retrieve the pouch, and I'd like to make all this as soon as tomorrow, then the plan would be going to Beaumont-sur-Oise to visit the great guy who found it at his home, then to the towing company in Mitry-Mory. If it's not possible, I'm afraid it would last for days, but since I'll need my ID card for no later than next Thursday, it would be better to make all the stuff on the same day.

Organization was, as much as I could see, quite fine. The checkout booths at the entrance of the Expo opened sooner than expected, which allowed me to enter not too late into the venture; the queue was quite well going. They added a security check of bags before the entrance, in an additional hall the wasn't used last year, but this check was almost a joke, there were so many people entering. I opened my messenger bag to show the security agent all that was inside, but I barely had the time to greet him – and I think I've been almost the only one to... – that he already just gave a stare and said "OK". I didn't attend any concert like Kalafina's last year – that just didn't appealed me –, then I can't judge these. Autograph sessions... well, just were autograph sessions, as they were last year. Didn't notice anything especially weird as, like I mentioned, I only wanted to try the draw for two authors.

Something great was that they added A/C. Unfortunaltely, the crowd was as huge as last year, making it inefficient but when you were just under it. And yeah, coming to the Expo is quite easy, by car as well as by train. My parents, who never came before, had some difficulties to drive through Meaux, and they called me several times for me to try to guide them, otherwise they reached the place quite easily.
 
Oh man, that sounds like a terrible experience. I thought losing my wallet in my local town was bad :@_@:. I've vowed against ever not pre-booking tickets for reasons like yours, though, although it's not as bad as a friend of mine who had to wait over four hours to get into a London event last year (LGCC, for those who know) but it still doesn't seem like a pleasant experience. I saw the queues last year for on-door entry and they looked horrifying.

At least you've got your pouch back and can sort things out, though. Despite all the issues it's always a relief to be able to reacquire lost items.
 
Yeah, I got everything back – the pouch and the car – last Monday. Getting the car back was really easy actually – the insurance company told me that everything they would take charge of would be towing the car until the towing company, then it was no issue to come claim it there – although I had to call them early on the morning to make sure they wouldn't carry it somewhere else to make it "repaired". I got the pouch too, with the car keys inside, but the cash holder had vanished. The guy said "I found it all pockets wide open" :touched:So, thankfully, all my papers still were inside so that I could go to the city hall today to give the requested elements to make my passport.

The queue went surprisingly well, I think. I expected to wait longer, honestly. There was no less than 12 cashiers only for cash payment – plus those for credit card payment – then we never remained stopped for more than 30 seconds I think. Payment booths weren't expected to open before 10:00 but they actually opened at 09:30. But I had to go through this step because I didn't know almost until the last day whether I could come or not, because of the job, and pre-sales were over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top