To Hawaii, Let's go!
Due to needing to minimize my time taken off from work, I chose the shortest course: B. So this meant that I left Tokyo at night on the 21st, then left Honolulu on Sunday the 24th to arrive back in Tokyo on the afternoon of the 25th. The time difference between Japan and Hawaii is crazy, 19 hours!!! So essentially you can just think of yourself as being five hours ahead of Japan, a day behind. This meant that everyone on the tour relived a day since most flights left in the evening from Tokyo. (Tokyo being a relative term as anyone who has visited Japan knows that Narita airport is nowhere near the city.)
But, I digress. So first thing I do when it starts to approach meetup time at the airport is spot three very obvious wota, one of whom is a foreigner I have seen at several events but never said hi to. So we start talking, and they mention something about Reina losing her passport. This gets confirmed when I go to check in at the group flights desk. They inform us that Reina has indeed lost her passport, and although they will be issuing a new one by the next afternoon, they cannot guarantee she can get the US security clearance (ESTA) that is required in such a short time. So they can't guarantee that Reina will be participating in the tour, blah blah blah. They do offer a full refund even on the day, but Reina or no Reina I was going to Hawaii dammit!!! So, I check in, hand over my bag and receive these:
my pamphlet and badge! Seeing just these got me pumped, the first time I would have a FC tour ID. To top it off, my ID included a name that when written in its original roman letters is unable to be read by most Japanese staff so therefor had the staff knowing my first name very quickly and those that didn't just politely waving me over for things and saying "Sorry, I couldn't read your name." It was quite amusing.
Normal airport boarding procedures ensue and at 10pm, we are off into the sky heading out across the pacific. Dinner was served early on the flight because turbulence was expected due to the typhoon we'd be flying over, but it didn't actually turn out to be that bad. We arrived in Honolulu about 20 minutes early, I had the advantage of being able to hit up the short citizens line,and then we were all gathered together and assigned to our buses. Below you can see a map of Hawaii; we waited in front of it for our names to be called. 
Friday, July 22nd - Tour Day 1
No clue how to turn the orientation of the picture once it is embedded, there is me looking weird before the first event.
On the morning of the first day I finished all nine of my letters. Yes, I wrote something to each member, most being very very short because I just didn't have the time to think more out.
So now for a write up of Day 1's events. Early Friday morning (7:50 am meetup time, ugh) we were hustled onto our buses and over to the Honolulu Convention Center for the opening event. Got seated and finally the members came out... no Reina. But, they smiled and announced that Reina's plane had just touched down so she would be joining us from the afternoon events. Big cheers went up but then we got the strangest news of all time, the news about just what the morning's event would be.
Wait for it... Factory Tours!!! And a big EHHHHH from the crowd later, Risa chided us for not being more open to new experiences. Most of the audience's reaction was "What new experience? You brought us all the way to Hawaii and instead of beach volleyball or hiking like in the past we are going to visit factories?"
Well, the 9th gen each gave a description of the factories we would be visiting and then headed out the back while the fans were ushered out into buses. And off we went.
Stop Number One ~ Aloha Tofu
Who would have thought that sampling tofu could be so exciting ^^ Well, after we went outside, I asked permission to run across to the gas station to get a drink, as I had not thought to bring a bottled drink with me. And then we were back on the bus headed towards our second stop.
Stop Number Two ~ Menehana Mac Chocolate
Again I managed to grab the front spot for the explanation part, both Sayu and Riho looked adorable in their choclatier outfits. Can't wait to see it on the DVD. More close banter as we were shown the chocolate making process, then we were led over to our tables to make our own chocolate. I was unfortunately facing away from where the girls were but turned around as I was mixing to look at them of course <3 After a very brief chocolate making period (mine looked horrible but tasted great), we were ushered back out onto the buses and onto the last stop!
Stop Number Three ~ Lion Coffee
The tour of the coffee factory was the longest, and the nicest smelling, and so when we were finally ushered out (waving) away from the girls, all of us were more than ready to eat. And so we were bussed over to the Alomohana (sp?) Shopping center, the largest mall in Hawaii, and left there for.... THREE HOURS!!! until they were to come pick us up for the afternoon events. OK, kind of a long time but it is a huge mall and for me an American felt kind of nostalgic and fun to wander. Too bad that the first day I hadn't really made any close wota friends to wander with so just ate in the foodcourt alone (Sbarro's stromboli, yum) and then went shopping. This is where a lot of my money went, had to get some clothes and used Wii games!
The afternoon meetup time came, and then instead of a bus we were told we would be walking to the convention center. And walk we did for 15 minutes. Seriously, buses people, we paid for them. But it was well worth it, as when we arrived at the convention center and were lined up in lines of 10 for the group shots we heard excited cheers coming from upstairs. That could only mean one thing, Tanaka Reina had arrived!
When our bus got its turn to go upstairs, we saw that our predictions were true. Reina walked over to each group of ten and personally apologized for the inconvenience (according to one wota's blog the staff said she had indeed found her passport so the emergency issuing hadn't been needed after all... phew) and then we were walked over and told to kneel in front of the girls. I was on the end with Zukki (teehee) and was the one holding the bus placard so I definitely stood out. Also stood out for the fact that whenever a new staff member who didn't know my first name saw my name card for the first time they just said "Sorry, but... um you are next."
Group shots were over in an instant then we were led into the room for the fan meeting.
Fan Meeting
The fan meetings at any FC event are meant to be a forum for you to really interact with the members. This is done through quizzes, games, and even making the fans do strange things like 3-legged-races for the girls amusement. This time was no different. First they did a corner with questions and requests from the audience, which included things like "Do a sexy pose" and "Decide on the date when I will file my marriage registration" and "Show us your image of Hawaii using just your body." There was also an incident where Sayumi was asked to do her pantomine escalator out where the audience could see how it was done and as she was going back up she stepped on her dress and almost flashed the audience, had the rest of the girls not crowded in as Sayumi covered herself and ran to crouch behind the podium screeching. Many fans wondered if it wasn't a call for attention, as she had carefully looked and pulled her dress back only moments before.
Continuing on they had a team quiz section where the members were put in charge of sections of the audience and had to pick people from the audience that they thought fit certain categories to bring up on stage. This included; people whose ages add up to 100, people who can perfectly dance Maji, people who can do hula hoop, and people who could run a 3-legged race the fastest. I unfortunately wasn't picked for anything I tried to get picked for (can't hula hoop or dance so didn't even try to get their attention) but my team ended up having the most points so Sayumi and Eripon went around putting leis on our heads. Sayu put mine on, and I wore it the next day to the concert and photoshoot.
Another section of the meeting included the members wandering around the room to play the popping head out of a barrel game or do a talk section with each of the fans. At first the girls weren't very good at making what is a quite one-sided game fun but after the first time the groups seem to get the hand of it. Zukki, Aika and Ai were the greatest though. Ai pushed Aika as she quickly handed out the plastic swords to shove in the barrel one at a time, Zukki collected them. Zukki did bug impressions along with the fan who made the ball pop out of the top of the barrel as a punishment game. It was just a great combination and so fun even to watch. Overall the fan meeting was a lot of fun.
Saturday, July 23rd - Tour Day 2
Every year, Day 2 consists of the same events; the photo with the members and the concert.
So I dolled myself up cute for the picture and headed out at our assigned meeting time with the rest of the wotas from my hotel (many of whom I had befriended the afternoon before). I (and others) assumed there would be a bus to the photo location, so I wore very uncomfortable heel sandals that matched my dress. I am not girly at all but decided that I might as well step out of my element while in Hawaii. Bad idea. We walked for about 10 minutes to get to this very fancy hotel, where we were lined up to wait our bus' turn for pictures. The closer we got to our time, the more nervous I got. I kept trying out different poses in the reflection of the glass beside us, to the other wotas' amusement, but nothing seemed right. Finally we were ushered into a seated waiting room, where the girls directly handed us flyers and explained the procedure. Then, they headed out one way, and us another into the line for the actual photo.
The photo was over in an instant, many fans saying it was too quick as usually there is a little more time to atleast say hello and thank the girls for their efforts. When asked by the staff what pose I wanted, I instinctively said "cat" though I had thought of many others. As you can see below, not all of the members seem to have understood the idea of cat.
After the photos, we were walked half-way back to our hotel then left on our own. The guys at my hotel and I decided to have lunch together there, then hop in the hotel pool for a short swim before heading back upstairs to get prepped for the days main event: the concert!
Taken from another wota's blog, below is the set list to the concert and comments.
1 夏LOVEロマンス Natsu Love Romance
I was completely unfamiliar with this song before the concert, though the melody and feel of it were a great fit for Hawaii. Apparently it was an original song on Pucchi Best 4.
2 真夏の光線 Manatsu no Kousen
A really old song that I definitely wasn't expecting the current line up to sing, though since the MV was filmed in Hawaii (ages ago) I guess it fits. A perfect song for Hawaii and one of my favorites from the archives.
3 すき焼き Sukiyaki 鈴木
When asked why she chose this song, Kanon responded easily that she was drawn to it because it has to do with food. Laughter from the audience only made her smile more. She sang this in a very nasally voice, and did her best to put in the accent that the original was sung in. Since joining her voice has gotten much stronger and the fun she had while singing it made up for the few times she went off key. A great fun choice for Zukki.
4 グルグルJUMP Guru Guru Jump 生田
Bad choice Ikuta, very bad choice. The song itself is great, and her reasons for choosing it (the crowd loves it, it's upbeat, etc.) were good ones but for off-pitch Ikuta it was a bit above her level. The speed and energy required for this song are difficult for even the best to pull off though she gave her best.
5 シャニムニパラダイス Shanimuni Paradise 新垣
A great choice for the next leader. It's a crowd favorite to sing and dance along to, as well as a fitting song for Hawaii. I love upbeat songs and this one is no different. Feels a little strange to hear it sung by only one person, but was done well.
6 晴れ雨のちスキ Hare ame nochi suki 譜久村
Mizuki has an amazing voice. The girl may have the least personality of all the 9th Gen but her voice is top level. I really hope she is pushed more in the future as her vocals will definitely be necessary after she leaves. Part of why she chose this song was because she loved when Eri sang it and practiced for hours herself to be able to do it justice. Great job Fuku-chan.
7 弱虫 Yowamushi 道重
Well Sayumi, when you put your mind on it you can stay on key for a whole song. I was actually quite impressed as when she started singing this song I inwardly cringed even though she was on the original recording of it. I am not a big fan of ballads but this is one that I always enjoy hearing, it is very moving and a good change of pace.
8 常夏娘 Tokonatsu Musume 光井
Aika performed the concert seated as well, but she put out so much energy that I was moved by how much effort she was making to make sure everyone enjoyed the tour. I was also impressed that she was the only member to choose a non Musume song, and a Coconuts Musume one at that. I love this song and since it was originally sung by girls from Hawaii, it fits. I immediately thought of how I had been talking to Lehua recently and smiled. Good choice Aika, and she even filled the middle part with talking in her motherly tone of how we needed to be careful in the sun and all that.
9 シャボン玉 Shabondama 鞘師
Poor Riho and her old-lady back pain. She leaned on a chair for her solo and stood still the rest of the concert, but she did her best. And her choice of song was great, if only to hear the Riho chants. She has quite a powerful voice so even without dancing she was able to do a great job on this song, I recommend giving it a listen if you can find the concert recording.
10 チュッ夏パーティー Chu Natsu Party 田中
I LOVE this song... but I don't know if it suits Reina all that well. She said that it was the first thing she thought of when she thought of summer, but I just don't know if it fits her personality the best. She did her best to be cutesy during it though, which for Reina means prancing around and doing lots of skirt flips to the song. Sorry to tell you though, you might be a little too old to be doing this song Reina but the skirt flips as an apology for coming late are appreciated.
11 壊れない愛が欲しいの Kowarenai Ai ga Hoshii no 高橋
Great choice of song Ai! Though you skipped out on the rap... probably for the best because you would have stumbled over it. Still, the random solo dance she through in to replace the rap section was pretty good, looked like it might have been improvised. I love this song, and Ai's voice fits the melody well.
12 なんにも言わずにI LOVE YOU Nanni mo iwazu ni I love you
A bit strange of a choice after the solos, but a note here is that there was a big talk and prize give away section after the solos so this actually turned out to be a good lead in for the last section. Though I do wonder if the planners weren't just trying to make Ai cry more. She cries so easily that I wouldn't be surprised. I do like this song and the line distribution was pretty fair.
13 青春コレクション Seishun Collection
I was not a fan when this song first came out, but after hearing it performed several times it grew on me. It's a really generic idol song but works well with a bunch of members of different vocal levels. The dance is also quite simple and fun to do along with the members, and the Hawaii atmosphere felt great.
14 まじですかスカ Majisuka ska
I would say that this song was pretty much expected, since this was 9th gen's first Hawaii tour. I love this song and although it sucked that two of the members couldn't dance fully to it, I think the audience doing most of the dance perfectly made up for that. I love the cheers and this song is A+. Surprising that they didn't also do Only You, but also a nice change as I have heard too much of that song lately.
15 でっかい宇宙に愛がある Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru
My favorite song to dance along to. The dance is so simple that even I can follow along with it. I like that. Good ending song choice. Brought the audience together in one final sing-along.
After the girls exited the stage, we only had to wait about five minutes before the girls were walked over and lined up ready for handshakes. I had heard that the handshakes in Hawaii were super slow paced so I was incredibly nervous. I mean, I have no problem talking to them at handshakes, but usually it is nothing more than a blurted out comment about how much fun I had. As the line started moving from the back where I was, I saw just how slow the movement was. But I knew I had to make the most of it.
When I finally got up to the table, Aika was first and I told her how moved I was at how much effort she was putting into this tour even though she must still be in pain. She's such a sweetie. I don't remember everything I said but I do remember commenting to Sayu how great her singing sounded that day, to Eripon how cute her dancing has gotten, to Fuku-chan how great her singing is and just chatting about general things with Ai and Risa. Fuku-chan seemed almost desperate for fans as instead of handshake she was giving a death grip to everyone's wrists, which surprised me at first. All the girls were really kind and it was nice to be able to exchange a few words back and forth about general things, including telling Reina that I was glad she could make it. The handshake was in fact so slow that you actually ran out of things and had to quickly throw something into the mix so you didn't have awkward silence while holding onto a member's hand. It was so amazing. I wish all handshakes were this slow but then realize that at a general release event that would mean the handshake would take days.
Before boarding the bus we were given the photo holder below and a set of 9 VERY old pictures of the members, taken very obviously right after the 9th gen had joined based on their facial expressions and hairstyles. In fact Riho's outfit looks like the one she wore in some of the Morning Labo 2 shots. So yeah, UFA is lazy. But I was on such a high from the handshake that I didn't care. The wota and I agreed to meet up to go out to dinner but we had to wait for another friend who was further back in the handshake line so probably on another bus. I called down to the hotel room then went and hung out with them until we were all gathered together, then we went to a very delicious buffet to celebrate the finishing of the tour.
After the concert the day before we were given a memories book with 9 pre-taken (and by pre I mean obviously about 6 months ago) photos.
The next morning we received our 10-shot photo back. Riho looked quite frightening in most of hers, and not happy at all.
And the group photo we had taken on the first day. (Once again, no clue how to change the orientation)
Overall impressions of the tour
The tour itself was great. I have no complaints about how closely I was able to interact with the girls and love all the new friends I made. I loved going to Hawaii and would spend the money again in a heartbeat. The Hawaii tour used to have over 1000 people go, now it was limited to 200. I think this is a good number. It allows for a lot closer interaction and allows the fans to form a bond over the weekend. While it might have been great in the past that so many people would spend a month's salary to go to Hawaii for only 2 days of events, I don't know if it would have been worth it. Now, I definitely feel like I got my money's worth. It was over in a moment, but the moment I had was spectacular. I definitely plan to go again... well as long as they don't do it next year too. I don't think I can afford it two years in a row x_x.
Complaints, yeah I have several. I was very detailed in the survey they had us fill out and hand in on the last day before we left. The choice of factory tours for one, the way it seemed like the buses were separated by hotel class from highest to lowest and the lowest always did things last (not usually a bad thing though). The fact that there was no time to pause and say a real thank you after the 10shot. Just things in general that could have made it more worth the money. I figure that unless people give specifics of what they had problems with they won't know what to change for the next time. And it was very obvious that UFA was trying to save money this time. I mean I know they lost lots of money by canceling the cute Hawaii tour after the earthquake (why they canceled the Hawaii tour I have no clue as that was a big loss to them I am sure) and all the ticket refunds they had to issue... but the quality of the tour still matters. Factory tours etc were made great because of the girls, and they were a lot of fun. So I would like to say a big thank you to Morning Musume for giving us fans such a memorable experience.
Hmm now what will my next big adventure I wonder...
Complaints, yeah I have several. I was very detailed in the survey they had us fill out and hand in on the last day before we left. The choice of factory tours for one, the way it seemed like the buses were separated by hotel class from highest to lowest and the lowest always did things last (not usually a bad thing though). The fact that there was no time to pause and say a real thank you after the 10shot. Just things in general that could have made it more worth the money. I figure that unless people give specifics of what they had problems with they won't know what to change for the next time. And it was very obvious that UFA was trying to save money this time. I mean I know they lost lots of money by canceling the cute Hawaii tour after the earthquake (why they canceled the Hawaii tour I have no clue as that was a big loss to them I am sure) and all the ticket refunds they had to issue... but the quality of the tour still matters. Factory tours etc were made great because of the girls, and they were a lot of fun. So I would like to say a big thank you to Morning Musume for giving us fans such a memorable experience.
Hmm now what will my next big adventure I wonder...
