Anything goes

I decided to start the bangya diaries, just my own experience lol I'm @iddytheimp everywhere. '97 cause I keep forgetting to update my age

[iddytheimp]

Shiny Morelull

[iddytheimp]

Jirachi for tanabata

[iddytheimp]

✨IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries pt.4 ✨

I was thinking about some things to talk about and I've decided, to talk about gifts! Especially since it was my honmei and oshi's bday event last week.

What are gifts?

Well, they're presents lol

Actually, in Japanese, giving such gifts at concerts that are not birthday events is called 差し入れ (sashiire)! It is a way of saying thank you for your hard work/extra effort. If you work in Japan, you sometimes get little treats for working over time or some sort of refreshments during a work event(at least at the school I used to work at).

The reason why I wanted to talk about gifts is because some people might not know the rules when it comes to gift giving at concerts.

First things first, check if bands allow gifts! Usually, there's at least an announcement about gifts. Some bands do NOT allow gifts, so check ahead of time if there is rules about gift giving (usually on their website). If they do allow gifts, be aware of the following;

❌Do NOT gift baked/cooked goods. This is honestly just for safety. If you want to give food, make sure that it is in its own packaging.

❌Do NOT gift cash. This is because it might be seen as mitsu(which is where a fan gives a bandmember money, usually for dates/hook ups. I don't know much about mitsu because I AVOID it but you can find someone who goes into depth about it). You can give gift cards, but I've heard some people say it's just like giving cash so I steer clear of that.

Second, rules are different depending on the events and the bands! For example, at some events, such as birthday events, there usually is a gift box at the entrance because they expect a lot of people giving gifts or they just want to take the presents right away so there's no luggage on the floor. This means that you can't give your gifts directly to the band member. Some bands have rules against giving gifts directly to band members and must be given to staff first, so, please check the rules as each band is different. Also, for taiban(where multiple bands play at one event), you usually have to give your gift to the band's staff because some bands do not do photo sessions or they do not go to their merch table so you can't give your gift directly.

📝Note📝 I always give my gifts to the staff anyways because I feel awkward giving presents directly to people. Plus, even though I know gifts are allowed, I always ask if presents are okay because maybe my honmei or whoever I'm giving the gift to has a tight schedule and won't be able to receive it right away.

Third, WRITE THE BAND MEMBER'S NAME ON IT! That way the staff knows who to give it to. Even if the gift is color coded for the band member, writing the band member's name will avoid any confusion, especially if the band is performing at a taiban and the staff isn't familiar with them.

Fourth, you should write your name on it! I say this because I usually write my name on my gift anyways, but one time I didn't and one staff who I never met before was worried about it because she wanted me to receive credit for it (I didn't have the heart to tell her I am usually the only one giving gifts lol). But, it also helps the bandman know who gets it and they might thank you for it later at a photo session.

Fifth, don't go crazy! Spend within your limits! I say this because sometimes...they don't wear or use your gifts! So, if you give an expensive gift, you might set yourself up for disappointment. Tbh, that's why giving snacks is better because you'll never know if they ate it or not LOL

⭐Tip⭐ Don't feel pressured to give an expensive gift even if you see other fans give expensive gifts. Because as I mentioned, they might not wear it or use it! Plus, you could use that money to buy merch that directly supports the bandmember instead of a necklace or watch that won't be worn(or be given to someone they know lol).

Sixth, pay attention to what they like and any allergies they might have! It might be tempting to gift them some special chocolate from your city, however, if the band member doesn't like chocolate, they won't eat it or they won't enjoy it. For example, I like to give treats from my travels, however my honmei posted once that he is not a huge fan of sweets, so I usually give salty or different flavored snacks, with the occasional somewhat sweet snack. They also might not be too happy being gifted things they dislike, so it's best to find what they like and gift accordingly.

⭐Tip⭐ Also, if they smoke cigarettes, pay attention to the flavors since smokers generally have a favorite flavor. If you're lucky, it's listed on their profile on their website, if not, then you can try to look at old social media posts or even ask them if they do a Q'n'A on instagram lol

Seventh, fanart/handmade goods! Feel free to just draw fanart or create something to give. Some bandmen really like handmade goods, and some also really like fanart. Tbh I often gift fanart when I do not have time to go to the store to buy a gift, and I have received compliments on it.

Eighth, when in doubt...write a letter! Band members love letters (well, most of them lol)! Usually, when they post all the gifts they receive at a birthday live, the letters are also displayed because letters truly are a great present :D

⭐Tip⭐ BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU ARE TRANSLATING YOUR LETTER! If you're not afraid of sharing your interests/the contents of the letter, I'd highly recommend asking someone to help translate the letter so you don't sound rude. Ideally, it's best to use polite language unless you have talked a lot during photo sessions and don't use polite language with each other(although tbh, I do sometimes use polite form anyways to emphasize my message lol)

Eighth, if you're truly struggling with a present...your presence is a present lol But seriously! Just going to concerts to support your favorite band/bandmember is already good enough! Don't feel pressured to give gifts or write letters! Plus, if you buy merch/cheki, that's already a present for them since they get to make money lol

[iddytheimp]

random sidenote

I finally have time to draw(I have a break from work) so I can post some more art now, but I keep seeing my shiny swirlix post getting liked and I'm like??? Swirlix is popular??? Or is that not much fanart for Swirlix? 🤨

I'll draw more of my fave shiny 'mons to see what happens lol

[iddytheimp]

✨IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries- Live Report Masked 2025 ✨

lol so turns out I had this write up, FINISHED, sitting on my work computer and I just never transferred it here LMAO

But then I thought, y'know what? There is going to be another MASKED event this year, a two day event this time. Might as well try to spread the word :D

Quick note, I have added some more info because when this was written, it was before Nurie's disbandment annoucement.

-

I went to Masked on 5/25!

Most people made their plans to see as many bands as possible, especially the most popular ones alongside their faves. However, I, having experienced pushing and shoving to find a good spot back in the Do you know Vkei? back in 2023 in Roppongi EX theater and Bugsammi, I realized, I am only going to stay at one venue.

I chose Duo Music Exchange! Why? Because, I like Nurie and Chaqla the most out of the band list. They often played at taiban with my honmeiban, HOWL, and the second to last taiban was with Nurie, Chaqla, and MAMA, aptly titled-> 共鳴世代 (roughly translated into: Resonance Generation, since they are the same generation).

I also was a little sad I couldn’t see Superknova perform at Masked 2025, as I think they would’ve gotten the crowd moving. Tokyo Hanayome was fun, don’t get me wrong, their furi is fun, but I am of the opinion that the Masked audition was unfair as Hanayome and Yamitera, were QUITE popular compared to the other newer/smaller bands (they have a LOT of dedicated fans and have been making music longer). I understand that the audition was considered a challenge, but damn, the smaller and newer bands had no chance. Also out of the bands, only one band, Rurenone got invited to Masked Mini… I thought that was…interesting but okay. I'm tbf Kouki didn't do himself any favors after throwing a tantrum lol

Moving on

Because I’ve seen Nurie and Chaqla a few times, I decided to take a spot in saizen for them. However, since I’m not a regular, I decided to take saizen on the leftmost edge, where the pillar in duo music exchange would hide me from the camera they had. I will NOT be recorded LOL

No one asked for Chaqla nor for Nurie in the spot next to me. When I went to take my spot for Chaqla, the girl showed me the list of people who asked for the spots and told me to take a picture of the list so I can give it to the right person, which never happened to me before but I think that’s smart so I’ll do that if I’m ever in charge of a large saizen. I saw that no one had asked for Sugar or for Azavana.

Please note, I am an AWFUL reviewer. I always have fun no matter what, so this will not be a comprehensive review. I also am not fluent in Japanese, I’m only a beginner.

Here are my views:

Tokyo Hanayome

The vocalist came in last, sporting a pretty bridal dress. The energy was good, personally their style is not my favorite, but, they seemed to have fun. Their fans were loud, especially during member calling.

At the end, when everyone was leaving, Haruya (lead guitarist) patted his belly* and joyfully walked off. 

*this is referencing that he is…bigger than most bandmen. He mentions a lot about this on his social media, so if you’re curious about that, you can look*

Setlist-

SE 1.妄想ランデヴー 2.信者ノ行進 3.カミサマサマ 4.「秘密」 5.マリアージュ 6.魔法少女は壊れない 7.愛が狂う。

Nurie

I nervously took my spot in saizen in a spot in the far left, and regretted it. I thought, Maybe, I should run away. I can’t do this. I only know two songs. Then, a girl to my right joined saizen a few minutes before Nurie played, which made me feel better since she had a Ryutaro(the vocalist) Masked t-shirt.

Prior to Masked, they posted the furi for Overkill, and I was practicing last minute on the train. I remember thinking to myself, it’s okay, you’ve made furi for J-pop songs, heck, even for a song from the 80’s for a session performance, you got this.  The song’s furi is SO fun. When they played it, the audience was split into two, and then we all crashed into each other(wall of death). As I was about to come back, one lady from the end of the shimote saizen jumped to where I was and stomped on my foot. I remember thinking to myself, that felt like on purpose but okay??? 

But as I was doing oritatami, I realized, I was in over my head. Cause, the fence was SUPER tall. I was saizen in Veats Shibuya for HOWL fes, and the fence was pretty tall too. However, the fence in Veats Shibuya had more cushioning, so it was more comfortable than Duo Music Exchange. And I know Chaqla has some oritatami songs...so I knew my abs would suffer. They finished off with Borderless, and had the audience join in, and it made me happy to hear the Palettes(Nurie's fan's name) singing.

Setlist-

Drawing (SE) 透明に混ざる。 RooM -6- OVERKILL 自分賛歌 晴天に吠える。 Borderless 

Kakumay

I’ve seen Kakumay a few times! The first time must’ve been back in the Do you know Vkei?, similar to Nurie. I also saw them at HOWL fes, and I saw them again at Khimaira, and then I went to a free one-man they had at Edge. It was so fun, their gya really went out despite being in the back, so I picked up the furi quickly when I went. I really like the energy the fans have for the furi, it makes me want to keep seeing them.

Overall, they had great energy! When they played 共依存 (codependency), the crowd was so energetic, with everyone trying to follow the furi.

The only thing that sucked is when I went to a spot in second row some dumb lady brought her SON and FRIEND and squeezed in between me and this other lady. I like to go hard for furi, and I didn't want to accidentally hit a CHILD so I went to the back and in the center. Which was fine cause I was able to have fun without worry lol

Setlist-

IDOL BITE 噛み跡 共依存 SICK'S

Sugar

I gotta be honest, this band did not grab my attention. I know they have some fans, but they're not for me. I saw many people having fun in saizen though! I do know they did have some fillers in saizen, but I think it went well since everyone seemed to have a great time. 

Setlist- I couldn't find one :((

The Madna 

After Kakumay finished, I ended up moving up a row. Yay lol

I thought their music was interesting! Before they played, they played a bit of Shanghai Honey, a song that Yoppy, my honmei, covered for his birthday live! I was so shocked, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the coincidence.

Then they played their songs. This was the first time I saw The Madna, I was supposed to see them two years ago in July at a taiban HOWL was at, but alas, I had bad cramps because my period decided to show up that day, and I had to go home after HOWL. However, after seeing them perform, I would say they have great energy. Their saizen did NOT play around. I was impressed.

One of their songs had a gyakudai, which is my favorite furi(I will always volunteer for a gyakudai, watch out). Unfortunately, I was behind these two ladies (who were on tanuki???) and they refused to move, so I couldn’t participate without making two enemies, but the second and third row had fun! The vocalist was spitting water into the crowd, which honestly made me cringe because I immediately thought of germs(I’m germaphobic yay). He then poured the water on his head.

Honestly, their music isn’t for me, however, their music was quite stylistic if you’re hoping to switch things up. I'd recommend listening to them if you feel like you're stuck and wanting to branch out a bit :D

Setlist-

サイコ・トキシック sweet dream ビューティフルワールド SPLATTER HYSTERICAL OUTLAW

Dennou Himeca 

I ended up moving next to the left pillar afer some people moved. I felt a little sad cause I couldn’t see the drummer, Urarara! He’s actually my favorite cause he usually has cute costumes and hair. I only could see the bassist, the rhythm guitarist, and well, the vocalist when he came to our side. So when there was a bloom for Urarara, I truly was blooming for the sound of the drums rather than seeing him, unlike kao fans who will stand still despite seeing their fave lolol

To be honest, I didn’t want to move much because I wanted to save my energy for Chaqla, since I was going to be in saizen…but when they played the one song I knew, きゅるるちゃん, I knew I just had to move! Especially since the lady to my left squeezed in between her friend and me, pushing me against the pillar. I think that pillar and I became best friends lmao We also were allowed to record part of a song.

I’ve always been impressed by dennou himeca fans who have to do furi with their penlights ALL the time. Some visual kei bands do have songs with penlights, but usually it’s for one or two songs. For example, HOWL has a song titled 生きてるだけで褒められたい。(I want to be praised for being alive) where we used penlights. ふぁぼって人生。idol mix also uses penlight, but they very rarely played the idol mix. For me, even though I did like using penlights, it sometimes got annoying because most furi is right handed, and grabbing two penlights with one hand was always tricky. The dennou himeca fans were also so intense in their member call, I was so amazed and jealous. Also, it was nice seeing penlights of different members’ colors scattered amongst the dark! 

Setlist-

姫プして！ Supervision きゅるるちゃん イドロス エスター サブカルエラー ちょろあまch

CHAQLA

When I rolled up to my spot in saizen, I realized that I was royally fucked. Then, a Chaqla fan pushed her way and tapped my shoulder, asking me if the spot was free. I told her no, then she realized she meant to ask the girl to my right. It was then I realized, she was a big fan, so she should know the furi, so I would be able to count on her as I only know the furi for two songs.

The first time I’ve seen Chaqla was also at the Do you know vkei event? I only went cause of HOWL, but I watched a few bands before making the journey back to Saitama. Chaqla was the opener and they impressed me. I honestly prefer it when they are the opening act because they bring a LOT of energy, in my opinion. However, it also works when they’re the last, kinda like a good way to end the day. At least for me, they were the last band I would be seeing this day. 

To be honest, Annie A (the vocalist), is SMALLER than what I expected. I always see him having great energy on stage so in my head, it just assumed he was tall. But now that I think about it…I probably was too busy doing furi in the other taiban I saw Chaqla at to realize he was on the shorter side.

I really, REALLY recommend seeing Chaqla live. At a taiban, a one man, anywhere! Please, they are so fun!

SE.開眼 POISON 未知への旅路 hi-lite Liberation-369 ミスキャスト PLAY BACK!!

Bonus!

Afterwards, I decided to head over to Superknova’s free mini live in Shibuya Mini Deseo. It was my first time there, it reminded me a bit of Club Malcom, which is a smaller livehouse. 

The first time I saw Superknova was Raymei v Superknova. I attended because it was free, but also, because I wouldn’t be able to attend Raymei’s last concert and I wanted to see them one last time before they disbanded. I also went because Mikage, the ex-drummer of Superknova(he sometimes plays for them as a supporting drummer), often played with Yoppy in the session band, Berori Club. I might be the only weirdo to do this, but usually, I like to go and support artists who invited/worked with my honmei. Kinda like saying thank you? Anyways, I’m weird. 

They played well and honestly it was such a fun way to end the day. One thing I really enjoy is that their furi is really easy to pick up. They also have furi tutorials on their YouTube channel. The saizen mentioned that there wouldn’t be an encore, so I decided to head out right after. 

Setlist-

デンジャラスゲーム

渋谷事変

バンノリっ！

バンドマンが好き

在宅マジ勘弁^^

I live for U

万年ソノヒグラシ

AUDIENCE KILLER

18782+18782=37564

バス・ラントイヤー

電撃ビリリピリ

薄っぺRIDE

And I also developed a small bruise from the event…yay.

...

And in the end I was caught on camera doing oritatami in Chaqla’s saizen and that segment aired on tv… me and my family are just cursed to always appear on TV. Here it is in case you want to see lol

-Apologies for any formatting errors or any mistakes. I didn't want to change much from the old document since I can't remember all the details as it took place almost a year ago. Buuut, I'll try my best to write one for this year :D

[iddytheimp]

hi I love reading your bangya diaries! out of curiosity, who’s your honmeiban?

Omg yayyy, thank you so much! My answer is a little long, but the tl;dr is, it was HOWL, but after they disbanded(plus after I had some time to mourn lol) I've been going to see Superknova. But, I support my honmei, Yoppy(guitarist from HOWL), whenever he performs on stage and he takes priority. I also sometimes see Yuki(drummer from HOWL) and Mayoi (vocalist from HOWL), but they're not a priority.

Long answer with details;

My honmeiban was HOWL, but after they disbanded in 2024 I'm sorta scared to have a honmeiban again lol I actually wanted to talk about the disbandment experience cause it's a lot, especially if you've been a fan for a year or more and you go to many in-store/fan meeting events to support them. But from HOWL, I loved the bassist, Yuto, and Yoppy. I was one of the few to have both as my oshi so when it came time to trade cheki, and when people were giving away cheki, they'd give me both lol Yoppy still plays, he used to play in a session band called Berori Club(which someone put on vk.gy but there's sooo much incorrect info I gotta remember to make an account to fix it lol),although recently he's been playing guitar for Pikarin's backing Makai band. He's in this video on the right side. I'm actually not a huge fan of Pikarin(mostly her fans are just...not kind) but I suffer for the honmei. *Just to note, Yoppy was my oshi but after a while he got promoted to honmei status like, last year lol*

Sometimes, when I'm not feeling salty at the vocalist, Mayoi, for disbanding, I go to see him at events, since he has a project called Piece Art. It's actually an interesting concept that relies on crowdfunding from the fans, so I've been going to some in-store events and buying stuff(for my mom since she likes him too but she's in the US so I have to be her proxy lol). Mayoi is also the supporting vocalist for KiD, but I'm not a huge fan of their music so I never go to their one man's or see them at taiban, except for February since it was Mayoi's birthday and last year they had a special concert start at 1:30 am, which was a cool concept so I went. Yuki(drummer from HOWL) also still plays but infrequently and tbh the sessions he got invited the vocalists weren't my style so I rarely went. He will play with Yoppy tho this upcoming April as part of Pikarin's v-kei inspired session...band. I think she called it that lol Mayoi also has his first solo one man live in April :D

But as for proper bands, now, I've been going to Superknova! They're pretty fun and there are videos on all their furitsuke on their YouTube. The vocalist, Kouki, is pretty serious about doing furi, like we messed up one time and he gave us a :/, which made me laugh cause all the other vocalists(such as Mayoi from HOWL) would say, "ah, it's okay ^^" My oshi from Superknova is Kinaco! He is cute on stage and seems to be friendly(I haven't done a 2-shot with him yet). They're under the kira-kira kei subgenre, and as I mentioned, they're pretty fun.

I actually knew about them in their first band, Knowmen. I even saw them perform at a taiban while I was there to see HOWL lol They have a lot of free-on-the day tickets(where you only have to pay for the drink ticket), which is so helpful because I often overspend/surprise expenses. But, I'll be going to see them at MASKED and also at Liquidroom in May, and I applied for my tickets already :D

I also have been going to see 蛾と蝶 (Gatochou), Kakumay, and Chaqla, although Kakumay often has free on the day tickets so I go see them more often than the other two. I only go when I can tho and when I have the energy. I also like Mathilda, but they're disbanding next week :((

Also for Gatochou, the bassist and the vocalist are leaving in May, but Kaede seems to want to continue the band so I think there'll be new members after May.

Thank you for asking! It was a nice trip down memory lane for me 🫶

[iddytheimp]

✨IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries pt. 3✨

-this is pretty late because I got swamped with work and concerts lol

The topic->✨What to wear✨

Ticket in hand, money for the drink ticket prepared, now you're thinking...what do I wear? It's a visual kei concert...so, I gotta dress visual kei right??? Wear the arm covers, the makeup, dye your hair...

WRONG

People who claim this are not real bangya/ have not actually been to concerts in Japan. Also, v-kei is NOT a fashion style. It's a genre of music.

The real answer is...it depends on YOU!

Honestly the ✨classic✨ outfit I see and have worn is-

The band's t shirt (or just a normal t-shirt)

short skirts/shorts (especially if you're going to do lots of furi)

sneakers/slippers (Yes, some people wear slippers or crocs because some people feel more comfortable with those shoes for jumping around and standing for long periods of time. Personally, sneakers work better for me.)

Essentially, you're gonna see a lot of leg because in livehouses, you get really hot lol

Other common outfits include-

I just came from work clothes-A majority of gya, such as myself, go to concerts right after work with no time to change. Thankfully my work has a relaxed dress code, although we should dress appropriately. Sometimes, you'll even see bangya with their laptops typing away in between bands during a taiban.

I wanna match the scene- You can dress like the bandmen or wear v-kei inspired looks! Usually, this involves going to the same store as your faves. Honestly, WeGo sells a lot of stuff that I've seen some bandmen wearing. Also going to Harajuku helps with this.

I wanna be comfortable- Literally clothes that are comfortable for you to move in. Some people wear flowy dresses, long skirts, short skirts, jeans, baggy pants, pants with cuts in them, etc. It's literally up to the person. I put it in its' own category because this is anything, with no specific look.

Jirai kei- Some girls show up with jirai clothing! I don't dress in jirai and I have no intention of doing so, but you can find many stores that sell jirai clothes. I will say, nothing sucks more than having a jirai girl with tall shoes standing in front of you 🫠

Lolita- I don't see lolita as much, but, there are some girls who show up in lolita clothing.

Gyauru- Unfortunately, I don't see much gyauru at the lives I go to, or if they do go, they're more toned down(aka "clean gyauru," I don't like the name but ok), which is sad because I love seeing their makeup.

I wanna look demure for him- When I first went to concerts, I was confused why some girls looked like they bought off what they saw on a mannequin in the mall or what influencers are wearing. . I personally have had bad experiences with fans who dressed like this, mostly because they tend to be possessive with their fave band members and try to look cute in front of their favorite, which means lazy furi because they don't want to sweat or mess up their hair and they get mad at you when you're next to them doing big furi because you're actually having fun...from personal experience haha....

⭐Tip!⭐Dress for the season/occasion! Sometimes, bands have concerts where there is a dress code! It's common for bands to have summer concerts where they wear yukata, so, you can go to the concert wearing a yukata as well. Another common event is Halloween, where wearing a costume is encouraged! Feel free to wear any costume, however, do note that sexy costumes might have people throwing you dirty looks AND since concerts take place at night, you might get harassed while leaving the concert(especially if the concert is in Shinjuku or Shibuya). Please be aware of the risks.

Also, there some concerts where there is a dress code for free admission-> for example, the jirai fashion event! Like the name suggests, you gotta put on jirai clothing and makeup to get free admission.

Makeup is also whatever you want to put on, although if you are dressing in jirai-kei or gyauru...you should wear the respective makeup so you complete the look. Personally, I like to be sparkly/dramatic with my makeup because I don't wear makeup at work in solidarity with my students who can't wear makeup at school. Others have simple makeup looks and sometimes others are bareface, however, usually people wear makeup so their oshi don't see their bareface(...me tho)

This also goes for nails! Some people might feel pressured to wear the really long gyauru nails to be part of the scene, but it's totally fine to go in with your natural nails, or painted nails. I do paint my nails, but last year I kinda went too crazy with swapping out colors that my nails suffered badly, so now I use press-on's or go with my natural nails.

Again, you should wear what you want! Don't feel pressured to buy a whole new closet of clothes just to fit in!

⭐Note⭐ Japan is a conservative country when it comes to clothes, so please be aware when you wear tops with low cuts/showing off your armpits and chest. Some gya will look at you badly while others might spread rumors about you trying to get the bandmember's attention. Of course, you should dress however you want, but, I am advising you to be aware of the culture so you are not surprised with people on the street/train throwing you dirty looks(plus, as I mentioned earlier, the concerts often end at night and as a woman, I would NEVER wear short shorts while in Shinjuku or Shibuya). I will say, it is a little funny how some gya wear the shortest skirts that while they're doing oritatami or they are bending over the fence to be the futon for gyakudai, you see their underwear. Yet, they often have tops that completely cover their chest and armpits.

Of course, at the end of the day, what you wear is truly up to you! Just be aware and dress for your comfort.

Also, please shower. Please. I have been to lives where people don't know they STINK, and it has made me gagged.

That's all for what to wear!

[iddytheimp]

Shiny Swablu!

[iddytheimp]

Shiny Swirlix~ One of my fave shinies!

[iddytheimp]

Shiny Azumarill

[iddytheimp]

✨IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries pt 2 ✨

I got swamped by work and traveling smh

Anyways, I was gonna talk about all the livehouses I've been to before I realized...I should probably talk about *entering* a livehouse. Because it is a process in itself.

So, first things first, is to know where the heck you are going. Usually, for smaller bands, you'll probably be at Ikebukuro Blackhole or Shibuya Rex. I get lost easily so I often use google maps to make sure I'm going the right way. Also, sometimes there is poor wi-fi at livehouses because they are underground, so, please be aware you might not have any internet connection.

Each livehouse charges a 600 to 700 yen fee known as a drink ticket. You cannot escape this charge. You can say you're not going to drink, but too bad, you will have to pay anyways. I've read up on this a while back, and apparently, livehouses aren't categorized as entertainment places. They are actually categorized under food/drink establishments, which is why they charge a drink fee. This is because it's actually easier to be categorized under food/drink rather than entertainment in Japan. Don't ask me why it's easier, I don't know. But, that is why they charge a mandatory drink fee, so they are technically making a sale and it goes to keeping their license.

Back in the olden days(okay, like, two years ago), drink tickets were 600 yen but now, most have increased to 700 yen. Actually now, not many places have a 600 yen fee, I think only one or two places still charge 600 yen.

⭐Tip⭐ In my opinion, it's much better to pay the drink fee in cash and in exact change so the line moves faster and you enter the livehouse faster to get a good spot!

On your ticket/announcement, you'll notice that there are two times! Opening and Start time. Usually, there is about 30 minutes between the two times. If you really care about getting a good spot/saizen, then ideally you arrive a little before the opening time. However, if you're okay with standing wherever, even in the back, then you can come 10-20 minutes after the opening time.

If you do arrive before the opening time, it's important to not come super early because it's considered rude. The reason why it's rude is because some people use this time to give gifts or try to talk to the members. Sometimes, bandmen are arriving, sometimes without makeup or sometimes they are busy carrying or doing things, or other staff is also preparing and arriving. Because of that, it's best to arrive about 10-15 minutes before the opening time and often times if you do come very early, you'll see no one else waiting around the livehouse. One time I did arrive about 30 minutes early since I overestimated the time I needed to arrive at the livehouse (I lived in Saitama at that time) and no one else was there, so I just walked around the streets learning about the neighborhood lmao

The reason why you do want to show up a little early(like 10 minutes early) is because the livehouse staff generally line up people a few minutes before the start time, so if you have a low ticket number, it's best to arrive for that so you're not in a rush trying to find your spot in line.

*note* if you are number 1-10 and you arrive like five minutes after they start letting people in, it might not be possible to cut through the line enter-> For example, if you are number 5 and number 7 is entering, you might not be allowed to cut number 8 to enter. Sometimes the livehouse staff allow early numbers who are late to cut into line since they technically have an early number and should enter early, but be aware they might not and make you go behind the line(I've seen both happen at different times, it really is up to the staff and how they're feeling). So, if you do have an early number, arrive early!

⭐Tip⭐ Please learn your number in Japanese! This ensures that you'll be able to enter the livehouse in the correct number order.

Now, if you are entering the livehouse for a one man, then you just enter, pay your drink ticket fee, and then find a spot. However, if you are entering the livehouse during a taiban(where multiple bands play) or a two/three/four man, before paying the drink fee, you will be asked "who are you here to see?"

You say the name of the band you're there to see! Now, if you are attending the taiban because your favorite bandman is playing in a session(where different bandmen play together, usually a one-off thing), you say the name of the session. If you can't read kanji, usually they have the list of the acts on a paper that you can point at, but, you can also point at your ticket since the performers are listed on the ticket!

Each livehouse has different types of drink tickets, for example, Shibuya Rex uses a gold coin with a cow skull with horns, Ikebukuro Blackhole and other livehouses print out a small drink ticket with the date, Liquidroom uses small buttons, Starlounge uses a guitar pick, and other livehouses just use your ticket and stamp it if you have claimed your drink(like Edge). Here are some examples:

Of course, it is up to you if you want to drink or not, however, since I generally am saizen for my oshi, I tend to go all out so I often get water. I also get water if I'm going to be doing furi at other concerts I go to if I like the band. However, if I'm chilling in the back, I usually get alcohol.

Please be aware that some livehouses don't allow you to exchange your drink tickets after the performance/performances end (like Ikebukuro Edge...I have lost so many drink tickets SMH). So, it's best to quickly claim your spot, and then exchange your ticket for a drink.

After claiming your spot, you have a few options depending on the type of concert you are at. If there was no announcement against luggage being on the floor, you can put your bag on the floor. Tbh, I prefer to stand near the wall and place my bag against the wall so it's away from people. If I'm saizen, it's easier because my bag will be under or against the fence and away from people. If there are rules against luggage or you have a lot of stuff that you want to put away, then you can find a coin locker(usually they are 300 yen and only take 100 yen coins) or ask to use the クローク ("kurōku," which means cloakroom, where they put your stuff in a large, clear bag and hold onto it until the end of the concert. Usually, it's about 500 yen to do so). Personally, I try not to carry so much stuff to begin with, but if it's winter, I often just throw my winter/puffer jacket into a coin locker because I think 500 yen for a large plastic bag is too much.

*note* Not all livehouses have coin lockers, and some don't even have cloakroom. Usually, they have one or the other, but some livehouses such as Rex has both a cloakroom and coin lockers(but there aren't that many coinlockers).

Well, that's all I have about entering a livehouse! I hope this helps anyone :D

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask in my newly made ask page or ask on this page~🦖

[iddytheimp]

✨IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries ✨

I went ahead and made an ask page thingy so anyone is free to ask anything :D

I'll be answering based off of my own experiences!

Just a heads up->

I've been to smaller bands shows, so my experience lies more on the smaller band side. I have been to bigger shows/events since I do like some "bigger" bands, but, no bigger band has been my honmeiban(ultimate favorite) and it will never be that way because I unfortunately get very bad anxiety when there's a lot of people to the point where I can't easily move. And one of the reasons why I love vkei, since I can go to concerts to see the acts live(and smaller bands tend to have cheaper tickets), and tbh if I can't see the band live then I tend to not care lol

[iddytheimp]

IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries 1

✨First entry and I'll talk about tickets...because it's important✨

There are a few ticketing websites, here's a list of the ones I have used in the past years and my thoughts on them:

**Warning, some require a Japanese phone number/address and some don't accept foreign credit cards. Be aware.**

E-plus- most common, like, you will use this website, there's no way to escape.

E-plus uses paper tickets and sometimes e-tickets. However, sometimes there is no option for e-tickets and vice versa. For me, I do like e-plus, but it will freeze during ticketing sales because everyone else is buying their ticket at the same time :'D

Recently, E-plus has allowed foreign credit cards to be used, however, it still seems to require a Japanese phone number.

LivePocket- most common, I think you can't escape this site either because I've heard LivePocket is nicer on fees for the bands(according to a bandmen a while ago).

LivePocket only uses QR codes for tickets, and people love to bot it to death, so, if you have number 40, you might actually be the 10th person to enter the venue. It also accepts foreign phone numbers and foreign cards...which is kinda why it's easy to bot

Lawson Ticket- Another common one, you can try to escape it but I think it's inevitable that you will have to use it.

It is a little annoying to use because if you use convenience store payment, you MUST go to a Lawson, and when you go to print your ticket you MUST use the Loppi machine. And that machine hates me. On the bright side, the ticket is pretty :D

Yahoo! Passmarket- Some concerts are on here, however, I have noticed that most bands use this website for fanmeetings/smaller events.

It uses QR codes for tickets. However, this website is annoying because it requires a Japanese phone number due to it being part of Yahoo! Japan. And, if you're unlucky like my friend, Yahoo! Japan might have banned your phone number because the previous owner used it nefariously. Even if you contact support saying it's a new person, they will refuse.

Ticket Dive- I've recently been introduced to ticket dive, so I don't have a full opinion on it yet. But, it uses qr codes and requires a Japanese phone number.

TicketTown- I used this for BugSummit 25 and it was only an e ticket. It took so long for the numbers to come out(like the week before the event), last year it was faster with Lawson ticket. It does accept foreign credit cards.

Zaiko- I only used this once to see DIV. When I signed up, it had a dedicated page in English, and it seems to accept foreign credit cards and international phone numbers.

🎟️🎟️Moving on to buying the ticket🎟️🎟️

First, pay attention to the time when the ticket goes on sale (Chekihatsu-チケ発) If you want a really good spot, then you will buy your ticket at this time. If you don't mind where you are, you can buy your ticket anytime within the sales period, as long as they don't sell out. The sales period is also important because if a concert has more than one ticket type (for example, S and A), then sometimes those tickets go on sale at different dates. For example:

S ticket- > January 11th(10:00)- January 14th (23:59)

A ticket(general sale)- > January 20th(10:00)- February 3rd (18:00)

General sales usually end the day before the concert. If you completely forgot to buy your ticket, you can buy your ticket on the day(当日券/toujitsuken), but:

they usually cost more(unless the concert is free on the day)

it's cash only AND you pay your drink ticket alongside the ticket fee(for example, instead of 5,500 yen you will pay 6,200 yen)

you'll generally be the last to enter the livehouse

When you buy a ticket, you can use different payment methods, such as credit card or convenience store payment (only cash). If you do convenience store payment, you have a few days to pay at the convenience store and you MUST pay by the deadline or you'll lose your ticket.

Important! Some tickets will be done through lottery, where you apply for your ticket, but you must wait for the results until a certain date. Usually, if you use your credit card, you get a charge sometime the day before the results are announced, which means that you won your ticket 🥳

Also, while buying your ticket, you have to choose where you'll pick up your ticket if you don't choose e-ticket. Your options are Family Mart or 7/11(only Lawson if you buy it from L-ticket).

Second, you will receive an email confirming your ticket with a number and a barcode link. You can use either; the number is to use for the multi-purpose machine, the barcode is use at the register. You'll have to pay a small ticketing fee, but the cashier will hand you your physical ticket.

After printing your ticket at the convenience store or receiving the e-ticket, take a look at your number. In Japan, people enter by ticket number. So if you're ticket number 1, you go in first, ticket number 2 goes second, etc. Sometimes, some people don't show up at opening (common if people used bots for livepocket) so don't be surprised if you're number 30 and you enter quickly. A lower number is also required for saizen at one man shows, since if you're number 20 and you are the twentieth person to enter, by the time you do, saizen will be filled up already. At a taiban(where there are multiple bands), having a lower number is also good for asking for saizen(which will be talked about later).

Important to note- Some concerts are seated while others are all standing, so when you buy your ticket, be aware. I have never been at a seated concert, so, I can't speak about seated concerts, but usually it has your row and seat number, and also your gate/section (I'm assuming it's similar to baseball tickets).

Third, now you got your ticket! Congratulations! You can now go to the concert :D Please keep it safe! If you lose your ticket, generally they can't reissue it, so be careful!

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

[iddytheimp]

IddytheImp's Bangya Diaries Intro

Just for fun, I'm gonna talk about being a bangya in Japan/attending visual kei lives in Japan. Updates will happen when I'm not at a livehouse or dying of heat :D

Feel free to use future entries as a reference, however, keep in mind this is only one person's experiences(gotta put that disclaimer cause someone will barge in and complain their experience wasn't like mine).

[iddytheimp]

V-Kei

My favorite band has disbanded after six years. I was only a fan for a year, but it was honestly the best year I've had. I went to so many concerts, in store events, a few fan meetings, a radio station, BugSummit, etc just to see them. They were super underrated in my opinion, and deserved so much more. I actually stopped drawing because well, I felt empty. But now, I'm slowly getting back into my rhythm.

I will still be following my two faves in any sessions they play in and buy any cheki/merch of them.

But, this got me thinking... I think I'll type out my experiences as a bangya for those who are interested in v-kei and just moved to Japan or will be visiting Japan. I remember when I first planned to go to my first v-kei live I was relying on quite old information, and even though it was accurate, there were more things I wish was explained clearly or things that weren't there.

If no one is interested, it's okay, it's like my own diary of memories.

[iddytheimp]

A little Satan reading to sheep mc :)

I do animated chibi commissions like this! Please look at my commission info if you're interested :D

https://ko-fi.com/iddytheimp/commissions

[iddytheimp]

It was my birthday 21 days ago but I forgot to post here lol

Just me and Spinda