#tokyo x

[cloudyraptor7]

For my jojo gacha event at Tokyo x!!! Limited supplies

[sugawarasensei]

Tokyo X 2025 Memoir

I decided to write it all down while it's still fresh in my memory. We were all requested by Miyu to not share our photos on SNS, so I'll only add some miscellaneous photos.

I arrived at the venue in the morning and spent some time exploring the merchandise shops, cultural corners and food stalls. I got an autograph of veteran seiyuu Noriko Hidaka-san

(I did scan the area near the main stage for some time to try to catch a glimpse of Miyu walking by, but couldn't find him anywhere.)

My lovely friend @tottymatsuno arrived just in time before the Q&A started. And then, Miyu finally graced us with his presence. I noticed him when he appeared near the barricade in front of the stage and thought, "There he is! This isn't my imagination. He's real!!!"

He was wearing a checked white shirt, a gray t-shirt underneath and jeans. Miyu's usual casual attire. I was slightly disappointed his hair was hidden under a cap, but he looked gorgeous nonetheless. Even from a distance, it was noticeable how nice and defined his features are (maybe the back lighting was just perfect). I admired his cheekbones for a minute, while he waited for the host to start the session. I also tried to take a video of him but my grainy, zoomed-in camera did not do him justice 💔

Q&A Session with Miyu Irino and Noriko Hidaka:

The Q&A session was entirely Ghibli focused. I don't recall every question in detail, but a few highlights stood out to me.

(1) They were asked about their filming memories. Miyu said although he himself was very young, his character Haku had a commanding presence and it was a little stressful for him to have to "yell" at his veteran co-stars—who were many years older than him—in some scenes.

(2) Miyu recalled recording his lines in front of the production team (incl. Miyazaki), being able to hear their comments and getting super nervous. He said Miyazaki gave him tips and advices that he was too young to fully understand back then, but those came in handy years later as he became more experienced as an actor.

(3) Hidaka-san recalled a particular scene where Totoro had to make really forceful noises (I'm sorry for not remembering the movie well enough to be more specific). Totoro's seiyuu Hitoshi Takagi first took off his shoes, then almost all his clothes one by one to get into the scene. Young Hidaka-san was both amazed and inspired by his dedication, although she did NOT take off her own shoes when Satsuki tried to imitate Totoro 😆

(4) When asked about an item or ability they'd want to bring to the real world from Ghibli universe, Hidaka-san said she would want a universal vehicle like the neko bus which could drive, float and fly all at once. Then Miyu said he'd want to be a dragon like Haku, and drive around Hidaka-san across the ocean, the earth and the sky! It was a really wholesome exchange.

Throughout the session, Miyu looked over to different parts of the crowd when he spoke, but he also observed us and smiled when he wasn't the one talking. He noticed us at the front row a couple of times too, although I was too nervous to keep looking straight into his eyes, so I looked away after a moment 😭 At one point he was just looking around and got startled when the host asked "What about you Miyu?" to a question originally for Hidaka-san, so he pointed to himself and went "Wha- Me?!!" 😭

...Wow that got way longer than I'd expected, lol.

Photo Ops:

After the Q&A session was over, we headed towards the photo booth. Here I finally met in person a Japanese superfan of Miyu I talked to on X a few days ago. We introduced our other friends to one another and decided to take a group photo along with our individual photos.

Personally I was calm until it was my turn to go inside the booth. He said "Hi!" with that sweet, precious smile of his and said "Nice to meet you!" I managed to return the greeting but struggled to strike a pose (I'm already super awkward IRL for photos so in front of Miyu it was 20x worse). He noticed and said "Let's do this?" and threw a peace sign ✌️So I also did the same. I can't fully express in words how comfortable he made me feel despite my initial stiffness. His eyes are just SO kind, and his smile melted my heart every time I looked at him. I hadn't realized just how close he was standing to me until I saw the printed photo. Never imagined I'd get so lucky 😭

I only had 10 seconds so it was over in a flash. But me being as clumsy as I am I walked the way I came in instead of the exit, then they told me I should be going the opposite way. So I was back where Miyu was waiting for the next person, almost running towards the exit now saying "I'm so sorry I'm so sorry-" and I heard him actually laugh out loud. The moment of embarrassment ended up being a blessing 🥹

OKAY. SO. When we were all done with our single photos, we went back for the group photo. The photographer tried to instruct us first, but we were all nervous and couldn't decided what we should do. Then Miyu stepped in instantly once again and helped us make a formation. I ended up right next to him AGAIN, I really couldn't believe my luck.

With that, the photo op was done. We had some time before the autographs, so we went our separate ways to explore around the venue. @tottymatsuno and I got a signed art book of Japanese ink artist Takumi (Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tkmtakumi_ig/).

Autograph Session:

This session was, as expected, the most colorful one. Lots of fans of brought all kinds of merch. Sora, Totty, Haku, Sugawara, Cyno, Sabo...I saw at least one item of each of these characters. Someone came dressed as Roxas! Someone brought an entire PlayStation. The Japanese fans brought pamphlets of Miyu's stage plays, including Camelot. There was also another fan with a 7 year old pamphlet with two photos of Miyu—one signed by him in 2018, and the other one they got signed today!

I wasn't the only one who brought his music, but I was the first in line to ask him to sign a CD. He was really happy to see me with the copy of 愛さずにはいられない, and I told him I loved his music. I kind of froze in front of him trying to decide which thing to say out of the million things I wanted to tell him. I was also distracted by his beautiful hands and the way he writes and also the cute strands of his hair poking out of his cap. In the end I only managed to say "Make more 'SUGOI' music!" (not even a "please" at the beginning to be polite, I'm sorry Miyu 😭). His face lit up when he heard me say "sugoi", then a moment later he realized I meant "keep making more 'awesome' music" but said "sugoi" as a reference to his song "SUGOI MUSIC"... and just, the way he smiled. I wanted to cry tears of joy. I will forever cherish that smile he had on his face at the last moment I made eye contact with him. I couldn't possibly have wished for anything more.

After it was all over, we all took photos of our signed items together. I love that each of us brought a different kind of media, representing how unique and versatile Miyu is as an artist.

A few more photos from the event:

Ghibli ice sculpture

A wish I hung on a wishing tree branch for "more chances to see Miyu". I thought it was neat because for this to be true I'd also have to be super rich with a flexible job. Ahaha 🥲

Absolutely adorable doggo salesman who tilted his head after seeing my camera

Three-color dango 🍡

Before leaving, we decided to take one last peak at Miyu when he did his second autograph session. One more time we admired how beautiful he was, and in my heart, I hoped it wouldn't be the last time I saw him in my life.

Despite the IRL struggles, I can say I'm content with everything I got to experience at Tokyo X. I'm thankful that I got to meet a few more wonderful people through Miyu. We all missed @datenshi-luci very dearly. I hope we can meet again one day, and tell Miyu how he really is the bridge that connected all of us together.

[twilight-low-low-163]

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😭😭😭

I hope u all have the best time in Texas 🫶

(I'm still in school down under so I can't do shit 💀💀💀)

Sending love ❤️

[datenshi-luci]

Miyu Irino is going to appear in Tokyo X (Texas)

🌟 Miyu Irino is coming to Tokyo X! 🌟 We’re beyond excited to welcome Miyu Irino to Houston this June! 🎉 If you’re an anime fan, you’ve definitely heard his voice before—he’s brought so many beloved characters to life! 🎙️ Some of his most iconic roles: 🔥 Haku – Spirited Away 📖 Syaoran – Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 🎭 Sabo – One Piece 🏐 Sugawara – Haikyuu!! 💥 Ritsu Kageyama – Mob Psycho 100 🎲 Astral – Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal … and so many more! 🎥 Miyu Irino has a special message for you—watch now and get hyped! 🙌 Don’t miss your chance to meet him in person! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for his autograph ending 2/26 @7pm cst 📍 NRG Center, Houston 📅 June 14-15, 2025 (Father’s Day Weekend) 🎟️ Tickets available now on Eventbrite!

[dremagonstudio]

Exploring @tokyonightfest in Houston!