Greetings from the beef tongue and soybean-based-milkshakes capitol of Japan! As we wake up and pack our bags for the next leg of the journey, it's time to reflect on the City Of Zunda.
The short version is, we didn't actually get to see a lot of it. The evening we arrived was spent shopping, our first full day here was spent mostly in Morioka, we spent the second full day recuperating before a concert (and attending the concert), and now we're on our way out.
Sendai seemed nice. We only ran into two Japanese Nationalist protests. They were both small (one consisting of one old lady, the other about 10 people with a megaphone) and we didn't wander too close for worry of being berated in Japanese for not being Japanese. Which is... ya know, kind of a silly thing to do. If you're going to scream at people for not being from where you're from, at least scream at them in a language they understand.
We went to a few stores, found a few CDs (Angie: Jeff found me music CD soundtracks of DDR music!), and then stumbled into what may be the tippy-top tier of Japanese Family Style Restaurants: Bikkuri Donkey (so named because the founder wanted to make people laugh, and nobody thinks donkeys are cool). They, much like Cafe Gusto, were running a Cheese Festa event - so we grabbed some cheese-covered items. It was very tasty. Best hambagu I've had on this trip so far. (Angie: It was really good! I liked my cheesey dish as well!)
After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we took the train north. Way out to the northern business district, where the concert was to be held. Now, I am not a fan of the man we went to see. I've only really listened to a few of his songs. But lemme tell ya, he has some charisma. Even though I only really understood like 20% of the jokes and banter he was having with his costar, he was just so charming. I'll let Angie fill you in more on the details of the concert:
(Angie: Yeah, I wasn't expecting so much talking! So the concert was Last Songs featuring K. K is a pianist and singer born in Korea (Kang Yoon-sung) and under contract here in Japan. In this concert tour Gackt wanted a more slow, sad, moving tone and sang only his ballads accompanied by K on the piano, two violin players and two cellists. The concert opened with what I thought was going to be a big production clever way to tell people to turn off their phone (it started with the sound of a cell phone ringing) but ended up being part 1 to a 2 part short film that bookends this concert. A man answers his cell phone and it's his mom. He tells his mom everything is fine with him but he doesn't have time to talk, he's a busy man, and hangs up. Then he just sits there, not a busy man, and suddenly Gackt is just standing there???? Then the concert begins. They had a sheer black screen that they could pull down in front or behind the stage and used some beautiful projections to add to the atmosphere and ephemeral tone of the ballads while Gackt sang in his beautiful voice, he spotlit by a purple light and K lit up with a red spotlight (Gackt's favorite colors BTW), so you could see them if they were behind the projection screen. After the first song Gackt starts talking with K, they banter back and forth and the stage is set up with some candelabras and wood and amber tones, kinda like a cafe or jazz club. They talk about (from what I could glean and what my Google translate was able to pick up) being late to the show, having to eat quickly, how people here in Sendai and Tohoku do things differently, how K does so well being a gaijin, how hard they work on their music, and then general banter with the reactions of the fan club (if you are part of an idol's official fan club or a Diamond or Platinum ticket holder, you get first dibs on ticket sales and seats up front. Needless to say we were 3 rows from the back lol). The fan club had various shoutouts for both K and Gackt, usually cute official nicknames (Gacchan or Maou-sama for Gackt. It sounded like they were calling K "Pe"?) It was cute to hear Gackt laughing so much, and I know he really is a funny guy that is pretty humorous. Sometimes his humor can be very dry and straight-faced during interviews, but tonight he seemed to generally be having a good time and talking with K like friends sitting in a bar having a chat. He sang about 2 more songs and then had the crowd stand up where we were divided in half for two different clapping patterns. That was a fun upbeat song! And then we continued standing and the songs became more sad. One was a tribute to the drummer of Luna Sea, Shinya Yamada, who just passed away this February of 2026. And we continued standing for two more songs. And then Gackt ended the concert with Sakura Chiru and used the projection screen really wonderfully with sakura petals floating around (also, very seasonally appropriate) and actual petals falling on the stage. Then we watched part 2 of the short film as the man tries to call his mother back, feeling bad for hanging up on her, and doesn't get an answer. So he goes to her apartment and finds her unresponsive and dead at the kitchen table with a craft he had made as a little boy. It was all very sad and moving.... until suddenly there was Gackt again. Just looming in the corner of the apartment with the ghost of the dead mom. And THE END. Uh...what? Was Gackt a shinigami? Then we got Manheim Steamrollered as it went right into a preview for an upcoming movie with Gackt in it. A crummy commercial! Then the concert was over at 7:00 on the dot and there were no demands for an encore and everyone filed out efficiently and even the train wasn't that crowded. I bought some merch, a tote bag, a hand towel, and a little acrylic keychain of chibi Gackt. All in all it was a great experience! Again, a big thanks to Amanda, a friend of Sarah when she was here for school in 2011, who helped us by letting us use her Japanese phone # to obtain tickets! We will be meeting up with her in a few days for a baseball game in Tokyo!)
Afterwards, we headed to Yoshinoya for a quick beef bowl, or (as I taught you before) 三つビシ. Say it with me now "三つビシ". Now you're on the trolley. Angie had a limited time variant with Taiwanese Braised Pork in Sauce on top. Smelled delicious. (Angie: It was REALLY good!)
We retired to our hotel room to relax. This next part is as much for my memory as it is for you, dear reader: APA Hotels are incredibly cheap, but there's a reason for that. The beds are hard, the pillows are basically napkins, and the staff (while kind) desperately seems to not want to interact with non-Asian guests. Ah well, such is life in the zone.
On to Nikko, where Angie's Aunt Chris (G-d rest her soul) has graciously splurged on a very nice hotel for us to enjoy in Japan's Most Lavish Shrines and Scenery.
Angie, anything more to add?
Nope, you got my long play-by-play of the concert! That's all I got! Thanks to Jeff for setting up the Takkyubin for our luggage to be sent ahead to Tokyo so we will be carrying light for two nights in Nikko at our fancy ryokan and in-room open-air onsen tub! I can't wait!
