An overseas fan goes to her first BEYOOOOONDS Kobetsu (fan report) [2023/7/22]
My first BEYOOOOONDS in-person Kobetsu event!
A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to my first ever BEYOOOOONDS Kobetsu event. For those who might not know what a Kobetsu is, these are the events where fans go get polaroids taken with their favorite idols. It's at these events where fans are also able to converse with the idol, get signatures written for them, and have dreams come true. As an overseas fan, I feel like nobody really talks about these events given how inaccessible they can be for people living outside of Japan. These events are usually announced one to two months in advance and require a quick method of receiving the event tickets-- which obviously is a VERY tall hurdle to climb over.
As for me, I got lucky this summer! The people who had to experience the harsh weather conditions that postponed the BEYOOOOONDS 4th single Kobetsu event on June 3rd were not as lucky (I'm trying not to think about it too much). With that questionable luck and lots of help from kind local fans, I was able to meet more than half of BEYOOOOONDS! But even crazier is that my wildest dream came true: I met Shimakura Rika.
Quickly, my wota backstory!
It was the beginning of Summer 2019 that I had my first encounter with BEYOOOOONDS, or rather, Shimakura Rika. Prior to that time, I used to exclusively follow the Hello! Project group Juice=Juice as a huge fan-- and I was an even bigger fan of the song "Fiesta! Fiesta!". To this day, I still don't know why I was so obsessed with it. But one day, my sister showed me the winning performance from the "Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2018 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~" and the rest was history.
There are many things I like about her: her talents, her earnestness, her aura.. Everything about her is great! In the simplest way, I love her a lot! She inspires me to be a little braver in my daily life!!
I've done a little more than 15 WithLIVE online events with her throughout the duration of my wota career (video-calls that range around 30 to 45 seconds). We'd talk about things like our favorite movies, music, current events... One time I threw confetti in the air to congratulate her... I digress. In my most recent session, I told her that I'd be coming to Japan to finally meet her and her reaction was explosive. By the end of the call we were both jumping with joy and at that moment I swore that I was going to do everything in my power to meet her as much as possible!
The kindness of BEYOOOOONDS' fans (how I got to this point)
This all started just a few days prior to the event when I received a text from a Japanese Beyowota friend who I now consider my savior, offering to get me two tickets for the chance to talk to Shimakura Rika. And of course I said yes! How could I say no! I was initially planning on buying tickets through Twitter, but due to the circumstances, it was pretty hard to claim tickets before anybody else got to them.
By the time the event day arrived, I was lined up for 3 cheki, 2 talk, 1 group talk, and 1 signature ticket. I was so nervous my legs were shaking as soon as I left the hotel. What made my nerves even worse was that the Juice=Juice event was scheduled to be the same day, same building, same room! It was chaos! But getting to the event and meeting all of the kind wota made all of the stress worth it. Everyone was so nice and gave me a really warm welcome to my first Kobetsu. Thanks to all the kind friends I made, I was able to meet so many of the members! I'm genuinely so grateful.
On this day I ended up with much more than I had initially planned for... It all went smoothly though so nothing else matters!!
Reports
Shimakura Rika, Cheki x 3
Cheki #1 Shimakura Rika
(Booth in)
Rika: Ah?! ๐ณ Chloe! ๐
Me: (losing my mind)
Staff: Spider-man pose!
Rika: Hehe (does the pose towards me first, then to the camera)
(Photo taken)
Rika: Thank you~! ๐๐
Cheki #2 Shimakura Rika
Rika: You're back!
Staff: The world's number one most happy pose!
Rika: Hmm.. ๐ค This? ๐
Me: (nodding like my life depends on it)
Rika: Ok!
(Photo taken)
Rika: Byebye!
Cheki #3 Shimakura Rika
Rika: Hey~! ๐
Me: (waving frantically)
Staff: A cute pose of your choice!
Rika: Oh... How about this? ๐
Me: (dying) (verge of tears) (whispering) yes pls....
Rika: (laughing)
(Photo taken)
Me: (dying)
Rika: Byebye~!
To me, nothing will be as magical as making eye contact with her for the first time. I got teary eyed just standing next to her. There's a few things that shocked me at first: she's so tiny, her skin is really nice, her eyes are huge... When she saw me she lit up and I felt like I was going to die on the spot. I think I can survive anything now. This was the scariest moment of my life. Really! I could fistfight a bear. I mean, this is probably in the top 10 best moments of my life.
Shimakura Rika, Talk x 2
Me: Hey!
Rika: Hey~!
Me: SPARK was the best！！
Rika: Right！！！Thanks for coming！ ๐ฅบ
Me: Japan is super hot〜 but I like it here!
Rika: Really? I'm glad! Have lots of fun〜！！！！！๐
Me: Thank you！！！
Rika: Hey〜
Me: Hey！ Thank you for everything you've done for me!
Rika: No I could say the same to you！！
You’ve finally come to Japan to see me〜๐ฅฐ thanks！
Me: I’m so happy〜〜 I cried a lot at SPARK
Rika: Yeah you did hehe〜 ๐
(I'm getting pushed out by the security)
Rika: You’re cute!!! ๐ Byebye
I finally got to talk to her!! She was grinning at me the whole time and I felt like I was going to melt onto the floor.. She was also really happy to hear that I was enjoying my stay in Japan. Rika-chan actually yelled at me to have fun.. I still hear her in my head.. I think it's always important to thank idols for whatever they do, but to be able to say it in person is an out of this world experience.
I also decided to talk to her about SPARK and her reaction was hilarious. For context- I was pretty much in the front of the crowd for SPARK and my face was covered in tears. I was ugly crying, sobbing into my hands in that crowd and the entirety of BEYOOOOONDS witnessed that. I had tears in my eyes screaming the calls to Nippon no DNA while Rika-chan was staring right at me. And now it's immortalized in memory! Wonderful!!! But I'm glad I got to express how moved I was during that performance!
Shimakura Rika and Okamura Minami, Group Talk x 1
Rika: This one is from America
Me: Yes that’s me!!
Miimi: thanks for coming！๐
Rika: (nodding furiously) ๐
Me: SPARK was my first time seeing you live and I had a ton of fun!
Miimi: Oh〜！！！！I’m happy to hear that！๐ฎ
Me: Thank you always！！
Miimi: Same to you!! Byebye！See you again! ๐
Rika: See you!
(As I'm getting ushered out)
Miimi: Her t-shirt..
Rika: She's referencing me!
My first ever group talk! This was chaotic because I didn't know how to address both of them at once, but Miimi was the more active one so she did more of the talking. Rika-chan also introduced me to Miimi which was kind of her! Miimi is the spitting image of an "idol" and she really shines, which is something I only realized meeting her in person.
My t-shirt does get a lot of attention on this day. It's one of the UNIQLO "Hiroshi Nagai UT Collection" t-shirts, designed by one of Rika-chan's favorite artists!
Kiyono Momohime, Talk x 1
Me: Thanks for SPARK！！I came from the US to go see you guys!
Momohime: Whatใผ！！๐ณ From the US？！๐ฑ Amazinng！
Oh wait I saw that “I came from America” signboard！ ๐๐
Me: I’m so glad thank you! You’re so cute! In real life and online!
Momohime: Thanks！！！Byebye！！Seriously thanks for coming all the way from the US! ๐ฅบ
My first solo talk with Hime-chan! At SPARK, some kind wota friends made and held up a sign for me during the MC that said "I came from America"! I was so happy to hear that she saw it... She's really so sweet and fun to talk to! Hime-chan is always so engaged and easy to talk to throughout the entire duration of the session. She's so amazing!!! I think it was the solidarity we had as two very "Gen Z" kids.
Shimakura Rika and Kiyono Momohime, Group Talk x 1
Momohime: The American girl！！！ ๐
Rika: Hi! ๐
Momohime (English): Hello!!!
Me: Hello!!! SPARK was the best!
You guys saw the “I came from America” sign, right…???
Momohime: Yeah we saw it！The sign!!! ๐
Rika: I saw you~! ๐
Me: Yay！！Thank you！
Momohime (English): Thank you!!!!! AMERICA
Rika (English): Thank you~~~
Me: (heart hands as my dying body is being dragged away)
Rika & Momohime: (returning heart hands)
Momohime: You’re really cute! ๐
When I walked in, Momohime jumped up and called for me so warmly I felt like falling apart... This was one of my favorite interactions of the day because these two are just so funny together. Their dynamic is super fun to look at because they both get childish when they're together.
They saw me and the sign!! I was really happy to get this confirmation but also to see how excited they were to tell me about it. It was a warm atmosphere all around!
Eguchi Saya, Talk x 1
Saya: (I walk in) Wow your tshirt’s cool ๐ฎ
Me: umm soo I’m from America
Saya: (jaw drops) What!!! America！！！！Thanks for coming all the way！！ ๐ณ
Me: SPARK was so fun！！
Saya: It really was！
Me: A fan of yours, OO-san, really helped me out there!
Saya: Oh, that’s nice of her!! ๐
Me: You’re cute！！！
Saya: Thanks！！
I used this session to tell Sayarin about a wota friend that I was with during SPARK! I was so moved by her kindness, I just felt like I needed to let Sayarin know how kind her wota are. Also, her legs are so long? Like, so long. We're the same height but her legs were just so long it was like she was taller than me. Her reaction to hearing I'm from the US was also super funny, I didn't think she'd be that loud!
Takase Kurumi, Talk x 1
Kurumi: You came here from America, huh! Thank you〜☺️
Me: You’re so cute!!!!!!!! Thank you for always working hard for Beyo!!
Kurumi: Thanks！๐ฅฐ You too!
Me: Overseas, there are tons of Kurumin fans!
Kurumi: Wow, really? That makes me so happy！
I’ll do my best so that we can go overseas someday! ๐✊
Kurumin has a really special place in my heart, and after talking to her my appreciation for her grew even deeper. According to the wota friend who introduced me, she was worried that she didn't have any English prepared, and just hearing that was touching. The way she speaks is so genuine and I felt her gratitude towards her fanbase (including me. of course!). And then like 5 days later their Thailand concert got announced... Crazy timing...
Satoyoshi Utano, Talk x 1
Me (English): Hello!!!
Uutan (English): Hello! ๐
Me: Wow….. you’re like really cute… your eyes are so sparkly
Uutan: Thanks〜๐
Me: Thank you for always working so hard！
Uutan: Oh no, thank you too！๐ฅบ Come back again! ๐
Me: Yes！！！For sure！！
There isn't much going on here because as soon as I walked in I was FLOORED. She's so pretty its mind-blowing. She also seemed relieved and relaxed which helped me talk to her without crying. Uutan has a really inviting and sweet vibe to her that makes her fun to talk to. I hope to talk to her again soon someday!!
Kobayashi Honoka, Talk x 1
(in English)
Honopi: Hello!!!
Me: Hi!!! How are you!!!
Honopi: I’m great!!! ๐
Me: Wait your English is !!!!!! Your pronunciation is great!!!
Honopi: (waving her hands and denying it) ๐
Me: You're popular all around the world, by the way!!!
Honopi: Oh really!! Thank you! ๐ฅฐ (In Japanese) Come back again！！！Byebye！
In English?! Her pronunciation is great! Her overall aura is also very sophisticated and refined, it's almost intimidating but she's so humble I think it cancels out. Even her posture is amazing, you can really feel the "extremely talented at everything she does piano goddess" aura. Spitting image of a legend. Oh she's so cool.....
Shimakura Rika, Signing x 1
Me: Hey！！！
Rika: Hey！！๐๐
Me: You’re of course really cute but you’re cuter than I ever imagined！
Rika: Thank you！๐ฅบ You’re cute too！ ๐
Me: I’m so happy thank you！！Japan’s hot!
Rika: Right? ๐ฅบ Isn't it hooooot! Be careful out there, ok?
Me: I will! This year’s [a very special summer] by the way!
Rika: What!! ๐ณ Really! Have tons of fun! ๐๐
Me: Thanks!!
Rika: Byebyeeee!
First ever signing session! The nickname "Natsu no Chloe-san" (Summer Chloe) is a reference to the song "Natsu no Ojou-san" (Summer Lady), which she covered on a music program in 2021. She seemed really happy for me to be able to have this experience... While she was signing she would sometimes stop to give me a smile, and then she would go back to signing while I melted.
I had the chance to tell her about my summer and she was really shocked at first to hear it. Thanks to her, I had lots of fun!! I really love signing sessions... I found it really easy to have a conversation with her because of the longer session time, and she's sooooo cute... I love her... I walked out of the booth and received the signature and then put my head in my hands for a quick second because I love her so much. Uhu.... I love her....
Kiyono Momohime, Talk x 1
Me: Thanks for today！
Momohime: Thank you too！ ๐
Me: You're super duper cute ....... (tears)
Momohime: ๐ Thanks 〜 (laughing) Hey, what’s your name? (in English?!)
Me: Chloe!!
Momohime: Chloe? ๐ Thank you Chloe!! ๐ Come back and see me soon！
She's SO good. I was in shock for a minute because I couldn't comprehend what she was saying for a moment, not because of pronunciation (hers is very natural English) but because of how amazing the moment was. She's so attentive and caring towards her fans I couldn't help but fall for her here. I'll definitely be seeing her on WithLIVE so we can catch up!!
Shimakura Rika, Talk x 1
Me: Thanks for today！！！！
Rika: Thanks for coming！๐ฅบ Hey you speak Japanese REALLY well ๐ณ
Me: Oh no way!
Rika: (shy) I’m also working hard studying English.. Even if it's just a little. ๐
Me: (tears in my eyes) I'm cheering you on! I’ll work hard on my Japanese too!
Rika: ๐ Yay!! ๐
Me: See you tomorrow!!
Rika: See you~~! ๐
My final talk of the day.. This was a heartwarming conversation that I still hold dear to my heart. Probably for the rest of my life. When she told me about how she's working on her English, she looked away from me and seemed shy about it.. Like she wasn't ready to talk to me in English yet, but she's working hard, and that seriously touched my heart. I'm glad I had the quick thinking to encourage her, and not to jump into it right away. Rika-chan works at her own very unique pace. I'll wait for the day that she's ready! She's always been gentle with me, so it was nice to be able to return the favor.
This day was one of the happiest days of my life. To be able to talk to my favorite idol group, and one of my favorite people in the whole wide world so comfortably.. As an overseas fan, it felt like a unique, once in a lifetime experience. I hope from the bottom of my heart that more and more people get to experience a "kind world" such as this.
After I this day, I realized that my love for BEYOOOOONDS is infinite! Supporting Rika-chan is for life! I may have turned into the crazy wota that I've always feared that I would become, but I'm happier than I've ever been!
