that foreign music blog🌎

Now, for those of you who read my blog regularly, you’ll know a little about the doppelganger I discovered while at a small indie show in Nagoya. NAGOYA, of all places. Beforehand, I’d only known Yamada Yuki through my friend’s occasional fangirling, but after finding someone who COULD’VE been him–but probably wasn’t—my research ended up turning me into a pretty big fan, too. So, when hearing about this talkshow, there was a part of me that honestly wanted to approach him about the incident. Or, at the very least, get a facial confirmation. I’d even prepared a letter in Japanese explaining the freak incident, though I never got a chance to get close to him.

By this point, I’m pretty convinced that wasn’t him at the concert in July, but my being introduced to his fandom is completely dependant on that random encounter. Even if Yamada Yuki has no idea of who indie band SideChest is, I can’t ever listen to them without thinking about him because that doppelganger was such a big fan. It’s due to this connection to music that I’d decided to write about my experience at the talkshow in this music blog.

So, since the talkshow was all the way in Saitama at TEN A.M., I knew that getting there from Nagoya would take time. I decided to endure the night bus, this time a bit more prepared with steam eye masks and warm clothes. Shockingly, I managed to get a lot more sleep on the bus than I expected, but walking around in my dirty clothes didn’t feel all that great. My hotel didn’t allow me to check-in early and I couldn’t find an internet cafe without needing some sort of membership. I ultimately got dressed in a bathroom stall, albeit a bit guiltily. Still, I didn’t want to smell or look all weird in front of my favorite actor—or in general. I hadn’t prepared anything fancy to wear, though, instead choosing the same outfit I’d worn to that concert with a way-too-hopeful heart. I’d even hooked on the BUNS TOUR keychain I’d gotten from the show, thinking that maybe if I flashed it to him, he’d recognize it.

Basically, I was REALLY hoping to meet him. I realize this sounds a bit over the top, but it should give you insight into just how much this person looked like Yamada Yuki. It was just insane, and I needed to see for myself.

Upon arriving in Saitama, I took the subway to Niiza (新座) station and, following Google maps, I decided to take the walking route to Atomi Girl’s University. The trip wasn’t all that scenic, surrounded by wood buildings, factories, and gas stations, but it was a pretty direct path that several people used between the station and the university. There was a bus directly to the event—and actually, I had totally missed it, but there’d been some guides at the station who were there to lead you straight to the talkshow. Even so, being too exhausted of people, anyway, I felt that a nice walk would clear my head.

I listened to the High and Low soundtrack the entire twenty or so minutes, mentally practicing the necessary Japanese phrases. Once I approached the school gates, I felt a rush of relief in finding the familiar ’52nd Annual Festival’ banner. I then wandered past the red-clad student guides towards one of the school maps, but one of the guards addressed my confused–and probably fatigued–expression before I had a chance to read it. He asked me where I was going and I hesitated to say my destination, accustomed to the blank reactions I often received at the mention of Yamada Yuki. There was also part of me that was still nervous that I’d still somehow arrived at the wrong school, but the second I said “talkshow”, the guard smiled and guided me towards the slew of people rushing down the wide, rocky path bound for the gymnasium.

This was the first time that I’d been around people who knew who Yamada Yuki was, and I shivered in seeing his name plastered everywhere like he was famous. I mean..he IS famous, but considering how few of my peers know who he is, it was really interesting to go to a place where he’s so heavily praised. In fact, I noticed a Murayama phone case as soon as I joined the queue! I wanted to compliment it, but my shyness got the best of me. I didn’t really interact with anyone there, even when I noticed another BLACK GIRL a few rows ahead of me. I’m not sure if she noticed me, but when I saw her, I almost ran up to her like, “WHAAAAAAT SISTAAAAAAA YOU A FAN, TOO?”

As far as fans go, though, I was extremely surprised by how quiet everyone was. Being so used to live shows and…energy, when Yamada Yuki addressed us from the stage, I naturally wanted to respond. For example, when he asked us if we wanted him to stand up so we could see him better, I almost answered “Do whatever you want~”, but bit back my tongue in noticing the following silence. That was just so bizarre, at least for someone who’s used to the audience being way more involved. It was like that the whole time, too. The host asked us fans if we were too nervous and, as I began to shake my head, I was again faced with overwhelming silence.

When he first appeared, he’d surprised us on the ground floor and drew out a lot of incredulous squeals. I, too, awed and clapped as he neared the front row and jokingly charged forth to evoke a shriek from the close fans. I could understand why they’d reacted that way, but it gave me an idea of just how different these events were from concerts–not only in how they’re held, but just how people ARE. For instance, fans at Rushball Festival rushed TOWARDS Go! Go! Vanilla’s Tatsuya Maki when he jumped into the audience; when Yamada Yuki dared to enter the audience, everyone moved AWAY. I’m not saying fans should mull the guy, but there were times when I did feel a little sorry for how shy the fans were.

I COULD kind of understand how they felt, though. Yamada Yuki is extremely…EXTREMELY handsome in person. My seat was in the middle of the floor so I didn’t have the best view, but I could see well enough that my heart skipped. He was wearing a green suit that matured his childish demeanor a bit, but only a little.

That was probably my favorite part of seeing Yamada Yuki live; he’s just absolutely precious, and for sure one of the nicest guys ever. He cracked a lot of jokes, particularly when addressing fan’s questions and comments. Before the talkshow, we could write down one question and one comment, which would be put in a box to be hand-chosen by Yuki, himself. Having the worst luck with lottery ANYTHING, I lost all confidence that I’d have any chance to interact, but I honestly wasn’t all that disappointed. I mean, usually famous people say they love their fans, but I could really REALLY feel that at the talkshow, just by how he tried to address us all. He even called out individual names—of fans whose numbers or surveys had been chosen. I didn’t really feel the need to “fight” for his attention, though it would’ve been nice to be one of the luckier fans who’d gotten to say ‘hi’. I mean…I dunno. I just can’t emphasize how good of a guy he is. Truly. Just a really good fucking guy.

In fact, during the small interview portion, he mentioned how he considers everyone a friend—if my Japanese is correct. He said that he finds the whole level of closeness kind of—and I’m paraphrasing—bullshit. When he meets people, he said he takes his relationships really seriously and prefers to approach even his new relationships as if they’re going to last forever. Basically. That’s kind of how I remember the conversation, but because it was all in Japanese, there were a lot of things that I could only half-catch. I’m sure there’s something about it in a recent interview, though—in fact, I’m sure there is. Maybe in Vogue?

Another point that really stuck to me was hearing about his past. How his family said he was different from everyone else with his weird little quirks and whatall. Inspired by comedians, he said he wanted to help people, but he hadn’t immediately decided on entertainment. In fact, he’d been thinking of becoming a COUNSELOR because of his interest in how people think. As someone who’s the same way, I felt so much closer to him. More than before—more than even about that concert, I suddenly wanted to talk to him JUST to talk.

The talkshow was divided into three sections: interview, Q&A, and lottery. For the lottery event, the ticket stubs we turned in at the entrance were selected for a chance to receive merchandise signed and given to by Yamada Yuki, himself. The fans were all so cute with how they trembled when he extended his hand for a handshake. There were about five different prizes, the last being a photo. As the most extravagant prize, you could ask Yuki to pose however you wanted, and you’d be the only one to have that picture of him. It was a really REALLY sweet idea. The pose he’d decided on was from some drama that I hadn’t watched—drama or cartoon–where he lifted one finger and spread his legs like a superhero.

That was one thing I felt kind of bad about. As a new-ish fan, as well as a Japanese-LEARNING fan, I often can’t watch or fully understand the interviews and variety shows he’s on, so I felt there were a lot of inside jokes that I wasn’t catching. During the Q&A, Yuki gave a lot of insightful answers, though. While he often jokes around and seems really playful, the way he gave advice to fan concerns and thought seriously about all of our questions, I could see how genuine and brilliant of a person he was.

Maybe I’m talking him up too much, but that talkshow was basically the most magical hour of the month. I’m not sure I’d go to another one, but I’ve certainly been trying to see him at more live events. Granted, I’m not looking NOW because of my recent new-band obsession, but since Yamada Yuki remains as my lockscreen, I suspect that I’ll be scrolling through event tickets soon enough.