The Ayumi Hamasaki Concert

One of the most interesting moments of my Golden Week vacation actually occurred a few days after the end of my official vacation time. On May 10th I got to see the famous JPOP singer Ayumi Hamasaki in concert. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of JPOP music, and Ayumi Hamasaki (Ayu for short) is one of my favorite singers. I have wanted to see her in concert almost ten years. in 2001 when I came to Japan the first time as a study abroad student in Tokyo, I wanted to go see her in one of her big dome stadium shows. But unfortunately it was pretty difficult to get a ticket considering her huge popularity, so I was unable to see her concert. So after returning to Japan I had made it my goal to finally see one of her shows. In February I was lucky enough to have my pre-order chosen for one of her arena shows in Yokohama. I would finally get to see the concert I had been dreaming of!

I headed for the concert early as I wanted to do some shopping before hand. Concerts in Japan always have people selling souvenirs around the stadium, both official and not. I ended up picking up a lot of things outside the stadium. All of the so called "goods" were expensive, but worth it. I ended up buying a T-shirt, program, figure, concert scarf, a bag, poster, and Ayu's latest album.

By this time the arena was surrounded by fans, mostly young girls with their boyfriends. There were a few foreigners around too, more so than when I had saw Morning Musume in concert in 2002 (I didn't see any that day). Eventually the gates were opened and I found my seat, which was located in the lower section seats on the halfway line of a basketball court. This was great as the stage had a walkaway extension to the center of the arena and I ended up being very close to it.

The show began at 4 o'clock with the arena a glow of blue lights and lasers. Ayu opened the concert by appearing from the floor in the center section. Everyone was cheering, dancing, it was a blast! The show was very emotional and elaborate, with lots of great sets, dance numbers, unique costumes, and great music. I was really surprised by how many songs were sung during the concert, and hearing Ayu sing live in person was a real treat. You could tell she was just as talented as she appears on tv. Most of the songs she sung came from her new CD that had just been released a few weeks before, but she also dug in deep and sang many of her classic hits. After almost two hours the grand show seem to come to a end, but of course there would be an encore. This encore ended up being a real treat for three reasons. One she sang some more of her old hits which I really loved. Two, she added a nice little Japanese variety show style segment that was fun and enjoyable to watch. And finally, it was long! The encore was well over a hour, and the concert ended up being just over three hours. It was exciting and very enjoyable. It was more than worth the wait!

Interestingly I had been worried the concert might get canceled because of the Swine Flu scare in Japan. Thankfully that did not happen, but ironically just a week later many of the Ayu concerts on the tour were canceled for that exact reason. I guess I was lucky my concert happened before the outbreak.

So in conclusion, the wait was worth it, and I hope I can see her again in concert in the future. It was certainly the best concert I have been too, and well worth the hassle and money it took to get a ticket.