A tower of balloons in bright colours adorns the side of La Foret in Harajuku, acting as a beacon for all of Omotesando: Sale time is here, enter at your peril. Inside is the closest thing to consumer hell (or heaven, depending on your viewpoint); it would test even the most ardent shopper as every Japanese woman within the confines of Tokyo descend on the department store. To add to these heaving masses (that make browsing like wading through whitewater) there are the clerks. Bearing placards with characters reading TIME OFF or 100 YEN scrawled colourfully in childish marker pen, they bellow at high speed and pitch, often accompanied by bright plastic megaphones to ‘entice’ shoppers in. Or rather coerce given the frequent screaming matches that escalate between various shop girls. The only problem in this extreme cacophony is that you cannot make out the difference from one sale to the next. Even the stairs are rammed full of people; packed with women waiting to enter particularly popular stores while other shoppers navigating their course between the 8 floors have to pick their way between the hazards of shopper bags and heels. For the uninitiated it is terrifying but for the girl with a mind to spend money the only answer is to dive in. It is a true test of anyone’s sanity, as a friend said ‘I got to the third floor and I just had to get out of there!’

La Foret is not unusual. While other sales (excepting perhaps Shibuya 109) are not quite as manic the frenzied fever for bargains in Japan is huge. Following the Bubble Burst and the recession that followed, the Japanese learnt to become more careful with money and developed a keener eye for a bargain. The spate of 100 yen shops that opened in the wake of the sudden economic downturn are evidence of this. A few jumbled racks of clothing with 20% discounts in the UK is nothing on the madness of a Japanese sale where 70% is the order of the day. Here, 20% is quite simply stingy. Normally such a huge discount may suggest a brand in trouble, but it is usual practice in Japan where fashions change fast and despite the continuing popularity of many items, every store slashes the prices. With their highly disposeable incomes, Japanese women cannot resist as the giant La Foret sales bags become ubiquitous across Harajuku. Shops set out wagons for girls to root through the cheap clothing with a noticeable rush for the coveted items. It is like the opening of Roberto Cavalli for H&M in London, but 12 hours and for five days. After the five days are up, La Foret returns to normal with barely a sale sign in sight. As fast as it came the madness vanishes as if it were a terrifying nightmare.

Watching the biannual scrum of consumerism it is easy to think ‘what economic problems’. Japan has only just started to feel rising prices after months of resistance, not that that would probably affect the single minded determinism of young women wanting new, cheap clothes. As the Japanese economy started to recover the country began to enjoy some high spending once again although the lessons learned during the harder recession years at least taught the young women to bargain hunt fiercely. For a nation obsessed with consumerism and branding to then offer these brands for super cheap prices is too tempting an offer even if that economic situation is once again taking a turn for the worse.

Economic discussion aside, the La Foret Bazaar is a grand circus, a retailer’s ultimate fantasy and for bemused foreign visitors, a unique slice of modern Japanese life that is worlds away from the placid shrine just up the road. The colour, noise and crowds is un-rivalled and un-equalled anywhere else in the world and like much of young Japan, crazy, manic and loud!

Prior to arriving in Japan, I thought Cross Gate was only an annual event, it appears not as tonight I attended my second this year. As before Versailles headlined and Chariots made an appearance, but beyond that it was quite different.

Inugami Circus Dan started the billing and I…. missed it. It was a gamble based on the order given on the ticket but I hoped that by arriving at 5:30 I would miss them. Mission accomplished. I really cannot stand that woman’s voice.

So onto bands I do like.

Tonight was my first time watching Moran, the new band of Hitomi/Sanaka/Kanoma (that one who was in Fatima). I have been admiring their visuals in Cure magazine for a while; they have that dishevelled look that reminds of fairytales, Gormenghast and something rather organic. With Hitomi at the helm I knew that vocally they would sound good and hopefully this would translate to the music too. This was somewhat akin to Fatima, as one might expect but with a slightly more metal edge. Tight melodies prevailed throughout with Hitomi’s clear vocals. I particularly enjoyed their final song, a track tinged in electronica. While Moran were not as mindblowing as I perhaps had hoped (unlike the first time I heard Versailles) but I thoroughly enjoyed them and will actively support them in the future.

Galneryus followed with a full onslaught of ear-obliterating guitars and wailing hair metal vocals. They sounded quite perfect on stage and I quite forgot I was watching a Japanese band! It was great fun and their song, Stardust, from the forthcoming album was rather addictive. One of their members, YU-TO, the bassist is also in my new band-based addiction, Deluhi so to watch him perform a different role in a different band was rather interesting.

I moved forwards after to prepare for my two main bands. Chariots came first. I like Chariots, I like their sound live but unfortunately they are a band I will enjoy watching at an event but afterwards they barely leave an imprint upon my memory. I struggle to remember details beyond how Riku looked. The Chariots sound is very much in the screamo visual kei mould and when they are surrounded, as they were tonight, by bands with much more interesting concepts, Chariots kind of fade into nothingness.

Thankfully the sets at events are quite short so it wasn’t too long before the studs appeared. Daisuke’s new band along with former deadman members might have taken some flak for unoriginality of their music or how much they resemble the members former bands but as one who loved both Kagerou and deadman, I won’t complain. It was fantastic to see Daisuke again. Starting with the Intro track from and hate, Aie, Yukino and Hibiki rocked out over this opening number before Daisuke strolled on stage to his adoring public. They immediately began to play Thursday replete with Daisuke’s growling vocals and Yukino’s pounding basslines. the studs managed to capture the attention of every eye in the room with such awesome stage presence and perfect musicianship.

The whole set consisted of 7 songs, within which rain drop was played. It was lovely to hear a band do a ballad instead of the usual thundering melee of sound. It was a beautiful rendition too and interesting to watch how Daisuke sang it. He acted his words with his eyes and gestures putting heart and soul into the performance. Yukine too, although stood stoically over his guitar the concentration in his eyes was mesmerising. It was a shame their whole set was so short.

I just checked their website and it turns out they have a picture of their setlist attached to the ground, and in full it reads like this:

01 Intro
02 Thursday
03 disclosure
04 raindrop
05 Niji no iro
06 advance insane
07 (kanji are too blurry)

I found it quite amusing that Versailles then followed the studs or that the studs preceded Versailles for the sheer about-face in musical styles. Nagoya-kei to epic gothic metal. Versailles, as before, were stunning. I doubt if they will be as good but as the curtain raised on the five members in their elaborate dress, Yuki’s drumset attired in climbing roses and a giant banner reading Versailles while an ominous classical piece served as introduction I was dragged back into their beautiful world. I even started to doubt my new interior design plans as the beautiful images of gothicism and vampires washed over me while I stood in awe of their beauty. I don’t think any band had such an effect on me.

Kamijo was in a slightly playful mood that night, asking Teru to sing a couple of times and communicating to the crowd on my side with a cheeky set of smiles and gestures. As for the setlist, they began with Aristocrat’s Symphony, a grand and opulent piece of melodic metal fused with classical orchestrated notes that created the feel of an opera house out of O-West. This was followed by two heavier numbers, Red Carpet Day and ZOMBIE. The latter I adore for it’s sinister carnival sound. It is less aristocratic vampirism and more circus sideshow with unique use of guitar to create this effect. The finale was Revenant Choir, starting from the first chorus/bridge part. It is impossible to get bored of that.

Versailles release their new album, Noble, soon. Simply from the sound of the Prelude on the website I know I will love this.

I was admiring the new outfits throughout too. Near to me was a girl in Hizaki cosplay from The Revenant Choir PV and it got me thinking again in that direction. Jasmine You was resplendent in purple with a giant headpiece and Teru near him in hues of indigo and lavender equally so. I would quite like to attempt a Jasmine You piece one day.

Versailles did no encore, like CROSS GATE back in January, so I headed back into the Shibuya night. I noticed then how many foreign faces there were at Versailles… and many foreign faces that all seem to know each other. Maybe there is some big Versailles relation to all this as I never see as many or indeed the same faces at any other VK live. I still lack the confidence to talk to people though, which is strange as one of my best friends here now was made when I asked about the ‘next band’ back at an event at Shibuya BOXX back in March.

It has been a while since I wrote about any lives properly. I have been attending concerts, with less frequency than in March and April perhaps but I have been。Recently my efforts have concentrated less on my own live reports for a bundle of three reports for JaME that I wrote a short note for earlier. For now however some recent live experiences… such as AnCafe, one month (sigh) ago.

AnCafe have been through a few changes since I last saw them almost three years ago in Japan. Bou left to be replaced by Takuya and Yuuki, and the band has made a couple of visits to Europe. Miku`s dream that he relayed to Nia and myself way back when in Sendai has been acheived. “I really want to play in London!” he told us.　In April of this year, they did.

This date at the NHK Hall was a continuation of the tour that had visited the UK. However now AnCafe were back on home ground playing to their largest indoor audience in Tokyo. Any tiredness they may have felt was thrown away for a night of pure fun, sugar coated in bright neon oshare colours and repeated calls of `nyappy!`　(Miku`s word for `happy`)。NHK Hall was surrounded by an eclectic mixture of girls, the usual crowd that populate these gigs who gradually made their way into the hall. The merchandise line inside was long and I had to question the sensibility of opening the doors a mere 45 minutes before the scheduled start. Staff members strode up and down the line bellowing warnings of the approaching start time like wailing sirens. I held my ground in the line although cut it quite fine and scooped up the goods just before the live began. I had a third floor seat – annoying at first but as with all things you eventually become accustomed to misfortune.

Lock on the new sekai provided the thudding instrumental SE as the band assumed their positions to the calls of the audience. This eventually became a proper version of Lock on the new sekai. This song is fun, it is designed for lives but the sound was off. The guitars were woolly and I could barely hear a word Miku sang. A touch disheartened, the realisation dawned that while AnCafe would play excellently the bad acoustics of the NHK Hall would ultimately spoil the experience. I am not a fan of the NHK Hall. Despite hosting the annual Kouhaku Utagassen New Years concert and weekly Shounen Clubs, it is not a venue suited to live music; a rock band sounds more like a moss-covered-stone band. It appears that the technicians agreed with me and gradually the sound became crisper as they battled against the hall. They managed to sort out the problems for a glorious performance of `Naniro crayon de egaku hikari` that stunned the audience into silence as NHK became a starry wonderland. Miku`s vocals were beautiful and as the song came to a close a few audible sniffles came over the reverberating bass.

As AnCafe launched into a medley of oldies, starting with Candyholic and including Ese Uranai, Escapism and Tekesuta Kousen the live came alive. The dancing from the crowd became more enthusiastic as did the singing which steadily increased in volume. I was quite taken with the inclusion of so many old hits and more so that the Tekesuta Kousen furi is much harder than I remember! It was not the only section of oldies either as later Miku brought out the blue Donald Duck puppet for a bit of coordinated `saku` from a couple of thousand people and a host of duck noises filling the NHK.

Music aside, because music is only 75% of the live experience in Japan, AnCafe were rather conversive tonight with a number of short MCs. At the midway point, Miku left the stage with Takuya and Yuuki for a comedy skit from Kanon and Teruki. They began a rhythm game of `Ancafe exercise`.　They took turns in directing the audience in clapping slow at first for the `Antique Cafe no exercise…`　and then fast as they chanted `la la la la` followed by saying something amusing or, as Kanon demonstrated later, putting their heads between each others legs. Takuya was called on stage to join in, and as he came to the end of his chanting both Kanon and Teruki`s heads appeared between his legs. Takuya looked down in shock and shouted `What are you two doing?` Kanon and Teruki could only reply with giggles. Miku`s turn however at the exercise game resulted in the audience shouting `nyappy` together and, naturally, led into Nyappy in the World 3 and some fabulous pom pom dancing from Miku the cheerleader.

The other MCs were more of the conversational type: early on Miku made some comments about the importance of the concert in NHK Hall and rechristened it `Nyappy Happy Keropi` as he pointed to some girls in the audience wearing Keropi Kigurumi. Meanwhile the longer Encore MC was a Teruki story time MC. Teruki is like Nero; an active drummer, however unlike Nero, Teruki is a ball of energy bursting with stories from tours to embarrass his fellow bandmembers with. This time it was a tale about Yuuki and some chocolate ice cream and Miku in a car park.

This encore was preceeded by some newer songs being played; Kakusei Heroism, Cherry Saku Yuuki and Koritsu Hospital all proved themselves to be fan favourites judging by audience reaction. Cherry Saku Yuuki was greeted with a loud cheer and a lightshow of school related symbolism. Throughout the closing segment both vocals and music were perfect; any issue with the acoustics had been solved and AnCafe were able to show their full potential.

The first song of the encore was Orange Dream, a sweet balladic number played semi acoustic for the occasion and then in complete contrast, 3p with all its aggressive power. They drew it out for a while and the fans continually hurled themselves over their seats tirelessly until the final chord and the departure of the band. Finally the band played Bonds ~Kizuna~ for which we rased our orange towels for a bit of whipping the air. A venue like NHK Hall or CC Lemon Hall is good for one thing: whipping ones towel around as there is little fear of being actually whipped by high-speed material.

My hopes were raised for a big announcement as a video projector screen came down before the band re-merged for a second encore. The video showed a history of AnCafe over the past five years with sad sighs emitted as Bou’s image appeared on screen. This is the 5th Anniversary year of AnCafe and as a result they are having a celebration, the AnCafe Summer Festa in Yokohama at an outdoor venue. Sadly it is on a Saturday thus ruling out my chance of attending. I was however filled with pride for the five members who continue to grow as a band. Following a trend I have noticed recently there were many boys in attendance, something that shocked Teruki. This can only bode well for AnCafe if this sugary rock is appreciated by the male populace!

This finale was, as I had expected, Smile Ichiban II Onna and what a finale it proved to be. A pastel neon lightshow, the by now usual silver streamers and a band who couldn`t have been having more fun. As Miku asked the audience to sing the final words, NHK Hall erupted with a triumphant `Taiyo sa!`(for the full lyrics of `You are my sun`) and it certainly felt like those words were meant by both audience and band.

After an initial rocky start the live became supremely memorable and a lot of fun. Fears quashed, AnCafe are still the best oshare/light visual kei act around.

Yesterday an erratic schedule at work gave me a lovely long break early in the morning, time I used to wander down the road to Ginza in search of a MAC shop. I hadn’t counted on Japanese department stores being closed until 11am so, after entertaining myself in Starbucks for half an hour with Minna no Nihongo, I ambled back to Matsuya Ginza. For the first time in my life, I queued for a department store to open.

Of all the department stores in Ginza, Matsuya appeals the most both aesthetically and in the brands they hold in store. The facade is interesting and verging on modern art with riveted white metal that is cover by clear squares of glass across the whole building. At night it takes on a distinctly futuristic feel with white light emanating in horizontal lines from between the sheets of metal. The design of Matsuya is elegantly modern and ensures it stands out like a shining beacon at Ginza 4-chome.

When I arrived it had not yet opened and was being peacefully guarded by two clerks who just stood silently watching a bunch of obaa-sans straining to get in. At 10 it finally opened it’s doors and I headed towards the MAC stand. The utterly bizarre thing was the bowing that became a highly discomforting feeling as you walked down the shop pathway. Every shop clerk was stood at the door to their store and as the first people entered there was a domino effect of bowing and announcing ‘Irrasshaimase’. All of which left me feeling quite strange as I wasn’t quite sure what to do. In the end I just smiled nervously at them and quickened my pace to the safety of the MAC store. Later I asked one of my Private students, Hiromi about it. She told me that people just ignore the bows and in recognising them I was being a friendly person. Interestingly she also said that she finds it odd but at the same time it is just all part and parcel of the service culture in Japan that means a customer received treatment we could only dream of in the UK. Thing is, now I want to go to La Foret first thing and see if the same happens there; a bunch of punks and lolis and the Like a Edison staff bowing…. that would be extremely surreal.

On an unrelated point, the weather or rather the forecasting of said weather is annoying me. Today they predicted Thunderstorms and heavy rain all day. I thus cancelled the picnic I had arranged, although I left it until 1am to get more accurate reports. So today I open my curtain and what do I see? SUN! FFS!!! Every weather forecaster I checked got it oh so wrong! It had better be sunny next week now when I want to re-hold it as it is too late to change everyone’s plans again. Instead I shall go to the gym and then to Jiyugaoka for the afternoon.