hand covered with 'plastic tree' germs

MAMMOTH "PLASTIC TREE" HANDSHAKE EVENT REPORT

also know as "geri's hand is covered with 'plastic tree' germs... and she doesn't want to wash them off."

don't worry, i washed my hands (about five hours after the event). but i can still bestow indirect akira touches to elena.

***

the night before the event...

geri's facebook status:  ‎"plastic tree" handshake event tomorrow... omg, i might die!

comment from cousin cheryl: hi you! can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks. what is a "plastic tree" handshake event? inquiring minds want top know and so does this cuz! love, cheryl

geri: hey cheryl anne! time flies, doesn't it? i can't wait to see you too!! hahaha, "plastic tree handshake event" does sound kind of odd, doesn't it? "plastic tree" is one of my all-time favorite japanese rock bands and i'm going tomorrow to an event where i get to shake each band member's hand! it's kind of silly, but that's what japanese rock bands do! anyway, see you in a few week! love, geri

cheryl: oh my goodness! you must realy like this rock band! i guess it is better you shake their hands than fainting during the performance! HA! can't wait to see you either girl! it is going to be a blast with all of us together. love, cuz cheryl!

for the record, i did NOT faint during the "plastic tree" concert i went to in march [ abroad-in-tokyo.deviantart.com… ].

***

today i got to meet ryuutarou, tadashi, akira, and kenken face-to-face in person and shake their hands!

got up early to get dressed. donned my "peace now" x "plastic tree" x hello kitty t-shirt dress, the black one with hello kitty in the shape of a circus tent in honor of budokan concerts "tent" and "tent 2."

headed over to marui main store to chill out in starbucks and study for my final japanese exam on monday. got ready in bathroom, did a bit of ryuutarou-esque eyeshadow.

headed over to marui one. ticket number 116. number 100-150 were told to head up to the 4th floor. herded up the escalator and then into really hot staircase to wait in line. surprised to see only one other foriegner there. decided to try my luck and talk to some of the japanese girls in line. met really friendly girls - mika, mayu, and ai. talked in japanese about "plastic tree," j-rock, "peace now," etc. mika was also a "l'arc~en~ciel" fan (likes ken the best)! mayu made really cute neko-jirushi ("plastic tree" mascot as seen here [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvix4t… ]) doll but wasn't sure if she wanted to give it to the band or not.

as progressed in line, became more and more nervous. band inside closed-off area so couldn't see them. waited in front of entrance really cute because staff had fan and started waving it in my direction and smiled.

shaking all their hands went so quickly, like a blur, over in a flash, like a dream. shaking with adrenaline afterwards. don't remember as much as i wish. but i'll try to record what i do remember.

please note, anything i say about the band members, i say it out of love.

first up, nonchalant guitarist and tattoo master extraordinaire NAKAYAMA AKIRA-SAN! of course they put the most intimidating-looking band member first. but he was actually really friendly, listened to what i had to say, and asked me some questions. my plan was to basically tell the band members that i went to their concert in march. he was wearing really cute red-framed glasses. and i was kind of distracted because he was wearing a v-neck short-sleeved shirt that showed off his tattoos [ img27.imageshack.us/img27/6972… ] and i've always been interested in his tattoos. that's pretty much all i remember about akira.

next up, newest member drummer number three SATO KENKEN-SAN! this kid is hilarious but sometimes i want to punch him... out of love. always out of love. he was wearing the pink "peace now" x "plastic tree" x hello kitty t-shirt. and he seemed really incredibly short and tiny, but that might have been just because he was standing next to ryuutarou who is about five foot ten. kenken was surprised and excited to see a foreigner and he told me "THANK YOU" in english at the end.

next up, ARIMURA RYUUTAROU-SAN, the deity of angst and baggy clothing and angst. he was wearing all black and i also noticed he was wearing really heavy makeup on his face. he was also as i expected really incredibly shy. i think i must have been incredibly nervous by the time i got to him and it was loud in the store so he didn't hear what i said at first so he leaned over and said "eh?" so i repeated what i had to say. he then told me to "take care of myself this summer" which i guess he was telling everyone he shook hands with which was really sweet.

last was leader-sama slash bassist and, as mom calls him, "christian siriano look-alike" (even though he's probably twice as old as christian) HASEGAWA TADASHI-SAN! i really don't remember much about tadashi, even though i adore him, because i think that my interaction with ryuutarou had short-circuited my brain. i wish i had been able to talk to him longer, but i kinda ran away quickly and then realized i was shaking a little.

once i got out of the partitioned area, a staff member handed me a special postcard with a photo of all the band members and printed versions of their signatures.

afterwards, i went outside in front of the store to chat with mika and maya and ai again. we exchanged information, even though i had technical difficulties with my phone. ai had to leave but i chatted with mika and maya a bit. they commented me on my glasses. then they told me i was a "bijin" (beautiful woman) and said they thought i was "haafu" (half japanese) at first. they were really impressed by my japanese and we talked a lot. they invited me to hang out with them afterwards!

first, we got a bite to eat at "freshness burger." asked me how old i was and mika was surprised since she's a few days older than me. i asked them if it was hard for them to tell foreigner's ages and they said yes. i told them how i always get called "older sister" even though i'm usually younger than the person calling me that. talked about manga and movies. they both like "inuyasha" and "paradise kiss" and osamu tezuka.

afterwards, went to purikura! made really silly faces and poses. mayu included her neko-jirushi doll in some of the shots. will scan photos later.

then did an hour of karaoke. when we got our drinks, we said "kampai" (cheers) in honor of meeting each other. sang lots of "plastic tree" songs like "ghost," "melt," "kuuchuu buranko," "mizuiro girlfriend," etc. also sang lots of "l'arc~en~ciel" like "stay away," "fate" (one i chose to which they kept saying "natsukashii" [nostalgic]), "ready steady go," and "driver's high." wanted me to sing a song in english, so i sang the only afi song they had "love like winter" [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjhYkP… ], even though the video that showed up on the screen was tropical with palm trees, they applauded and cheered. suggested we sing "lies and truth" [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Ls2b… ] by "l'arc~en~ciel" because had the music video and hyde looks like harry potter in it. they made a bunch of jokes about hyde as harry potter. had so much fun!

tried to get some ice cream, but to crowded and ran out of time so decided to leave. going to hopefully hang out again before i leave. wish i had gone to a handshake event before because even though the actual event is a blur, met japanese girls i could really get along with and be friends with. oh well.

***

entry from ryuutarou's blog:

[i admit, i heart ryuutarou's blog. he always talks about the most random things, but somehow he makes it all sound like poetry.]

終了でございます。[we have finished for the day.]

お暑い中、[in the midst of this heat,]

ご参加ありがとうございました。[thank you for participating.]

[photo: ameblo.jp/nekozirushi/image-10… ]

刑事っぽく [like a detective]

張り込みの図。[stake out the place]

ｂｙリーダー。[by leader.]

特に意味はありません。[there is no particular meaning (to leader's statement).]

ありがとうございました。[thanks again.]

*

when i saw the photo, i was like "oh, so this is what those guys were up to while we all waited to shake their hands..."

***

later that night, mayu sent me a really sweet message:

ヤッホー（＾＿＾）／　まゆだよ！！   [yoo-hoo, it's maya!]

今日は素敵な一日だったねぇ   [today was an amazing day, wasn't it?]

メンバーさん優しくて涙が出ましたよぅ（；＿；）   [the band members were so kind that i shed tears!]

今日はカラオケまで付き合ってくれてありがとう★   [thanks for accompanying us all the way to karaoke!]

優しいジェリーに会えて幸せだよ＜３   [i'm so glad to have met the kind geri!]

また、予定を合わせて会いましょう（＾＿＾）b   [lets arrange our schedules and meet up again!]

勉強頑張ってくださいね   [good luck studying!]

***

my reply to mayu:

こんばんは、ジェリーです！連絡してくれてありがとう！   [goodevening, it's geri! thanks for messaging me!]

プラのメンバーさんとちょっと話して握手した事がまだ信じられない。   [i still can't believe that i was able to talk to and shake hands with the members of "plastic tree."]

フレッシュネスバーガもプリクラもカラオケもとても楽しかった。誘ってくれてありがとう！   ["freshness burger," purikura, and karaoke was so fun. thanks for inviting me!]

もうすぐアメリカに帰ってしまって寂しいけど、新しい素敵な友達と一緒に大切な思い出を作った事で嬉しくて感動した。   [although i have to return to america soon, i'm so happy to have been able to make a few good memories with two new and amazing friends]

また一緒にいい思い出を作りましょう！また連絡するね！   [let's make some more good memories! i'll message you again soon!]

***

geri's "plastic tree" lyric translations thus far:

1. "orange" [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

2. "nemureru mori" - sleeping forest [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

3. "andrometamorphose" [community.livejournal.com/kura…

4. "pied piper" [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

5. "tetris" [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

6. "mahiru no tsuki" - the midday moon [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

7. "sunset bloody sunset" [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]

8. "kougousei" - photosynthesis [ community.livejournal.com/kura… ]