After reading a lot of inaccurate assumptions about Japanese indies visual kei lives, I decided to write this. Seriously, I’ve heard so many tall tales about what goes on here…
Note: this applies to indies visual kei.
On camping out
I’ve never been to a visual kei live outside of Japan (and don’t really care to) but I’m aware that some people will camp out near the venue and will actually sleep on the street for DAYS just to get into the front row at a show. One thing that needs to be known is that you don’t camp out here. 99% of shows have numbered tickets so it doesn’t matter if you have ticket #2 or ticket #2000, you’re not going to accomplish anything by sleeping on the street in front of the venue… aside from smelling really rank.
The exception would be free lives, but even then not many people do it. They just take the first train to the venue and wait all day.
On the front row, or “saizen”
In Japan, the system for the front row is different. Typically, each band has a “shikiri,” or a person who has a list with a diagram of the front row, where she writes down names/ticket numbers in their chosen position on the bar. Sometimes a shikiri will do this for more than one band, and if it happens to be a label event live, there may be only one shikiri who takes care of it all.
Having ticket #2 doesn’t entitle you to front row, unfortunately. For a lot of bands, especially the more popular indies ones, the front row is almost always the same, so getting into it is impossible. Ripping people off the bar to get in their place is also a bad idea. However, if your ticket number is low enough (typically under 30) then it’s worth talking to the shikiri, in Japanese, to see if you can be in front row. Doing this if you don’t know the furitsuke for the band is also a really bad idea.
I know it’s a sucky and unnecessary system, but it’s there. Going against it will only get you and other non-Japanese frowned upon, and may result in people going to tattle on you to the livehouse staff, or it may result in others physically attacking you (over being in the front row! Seriously!).
On the show itself
I’ve been reading in a lot of places that people who haven’t been to a Japanese show assume that everyone just stands around and occasionally headbangs since they don’t want to ruin their 10-mile high hair or makeup job. Uh. Absolutely NOT TRUE. Just because there’s no moshing/mindless beating up of others at shows doesn’t mean that they’re tame. In place of moshing there’s furitsuke (choreography with your hands), headbanging, and gyakudai (the crowd splits up and people rush the ones in front of them, turning at the last minute to slam into their backs with their own backs). The crush to the front happens at almost any live–indies visual kei or not.
Also, not everyone dresses like a “gyaru” which people assume to be huge hair, tons of makeup, slutty clothes, huge nails, and pearl necklaces. You’ll see people dressed in cosplay, visual, punk, gyaru (including hime gyaru), lolita, and even simple jeans and a tshirt. These people do not get into the crowd and then start shrieking when the crush to the front begins out of fear of ruining their dress/costume, either. Those who don’t want that to happen stay in the back/off to the side, meaning most cosplayers. Lolitas sometimes stay out of the crowd but I often see lots of them in the pack, doing gyakudai! So whoever started the rumor that Japanese shows are tame and full of people who will cry that you’re ruining their $500 BTSSB dress are full of it.
Screaming during songs is 100% rude. Shrieking and crying your favorite band member’s name while they’re performing isn’t something that’s commonplace here at all. There are appropriate times to do it, but in the middle of the song is NOT one of them unless it’s an “introduction” song where you shout out the band members’ names.
On manners
No moshing, which means you don’t punch, kick, and shove people to get to the front. It’s rude and don’t be surprised if people lash out against you for doing it. There have been many incidents of people who came from abroad and didn’t know the manners of a Japanese show, so they ended up pinching/yanking people out of the way so they could get onto the front row bar. In one case, the vocalist of the band noticed and told the other fans to attack said people. The result was a huge surge of racism against European fans (since they were from Europe).
Not every Japanese fan is racist, but a lot are, and see foreign fans as a lower level of human than they are. They’ll have no problem with clawing, kicking, pushing, hitting, or even biting, especially if you happen to catch an item thrown off the stage. Of course, since the chances are great that your attacker will cry and tell on you if you physically retaliate, there isn’t much that can be done… which is a sad but true fact about shows here. I’ve been clawed bloody and attacked by three people over something as petty as a pick. Catching things that fly offstage is exciting, but going to jail for rightfully punching out a girl who is biting you while trying to take something “you don’t deserve” unfortunately isn’t.
These are things that every person who goes to visual kei lives in Japan should know. It’s not some stuff I made up to try and look like I’m superior… uh. This is basic knowledge.
I’ll probably add onto this. Feel free to comment with questions if you have any and I’ll try to answer them :3
