Arrival of FCS F-22!

Please know that this post will be very image heavy!!! <3<3<3

I didn't think I was supposed to pick up my doll until the 13th or so, so when I ended up getting a postcard in the mail from Volks saying that my girly was done, I was so excited that I wanted to pee myself! hahaha!  Unfortunately, I couldn't just run to Nipponbashi to pick her up since I had an appointment at the Apaman Shop for settling on the apartment. But I will get to those details later! lol

So, after finishing what needed done at the Apaman Shop, I nearly sprinted my butt all the way back to the dorms and then tried getting my room mates to sprint with me all the way to Esaka Station. XD  lol  But I had waited 2 months for this!!!  I had everything ready, everything I needed and wanted gathered for her arrival, and I was absolutely STOKED!

At the same time though, I was worried about the faceup.  I was not sure exactly what to expect, and my doll is white skinned and the faceup may end up being too harsh for the skin tone.  This is what bothered me the most about all of this.

The trains were not too terribly crowded when we got on, so we got to sit down for the many stops until Nipponbashi.  We had to change trains at Namba though. The bad thing about all this?

It was 2 hours until closing time and I knew there was still a walk when we arrived at Nipponbashi.  But the excitement was so much that I could barely contain myself!!   D: 

Sooo....arrival at Volks...  I nearly thrusted the papers onto the desk (lol) and the ladies were highly amused at my excitement. :)  The ladies who helped with my FCS process were there and were both just as excited as well to see how my F-22 turned out. :)  

And when they brought the box out...and opened her up...(I swear I thought I was going to die when she took her time removing the Styrofoam. XP )...and she was beautiful!  

The FCS came with some extras:  wig brush, wig oil spray, cleaning eraser, birth certificate, booklet, and faceplate. (most dolls DO come with face plates when you buy them, especially if they are from company and have faceups. The face plates are a must have to protect a faceup.)

The asked if I wanted to carry her or put her in the box and take her that way (I think...couldn't even PROCESS the Japanese because of my excitement.. ROFL ), and we ended up taking her in the box home.  They gave us a really awesome Volks Tote Bag to put the box in and carry with. :)  SUUUPER awesome! 

I ended up purchasing a wig cap for her in addition to the rest of the stuff. The wig cap was only a few yen and I want to keep her head protected from stains at all costs.

So then there was the ride home and....It.Was.Hell.

Probably seemed like a longer time than necessary since I was dying internally to get home and get playing with my new arrival. :) 

Granted, we stopped at McDonald's and browsed through Animate (as usual) before actually heading off in the direction of Esaka. 

On the train, we got in the Women's Only car.  There was this guy that got on though, and he was standing a little too close for comfort.  He would reach around the girls pretending to hold onto something as an excuse to be touching them, and then this other guy I wanted to punt when he ran onto the car and groped all the standing ladies while pretending to "push them aside" to "let him through".  =_=  OMG  Makes me wonder though..wouldn't the ladies only cars be more prone to sexual advances since men know that there are only women on the cars, and the chances that they would protest are slimmer than it seems?  Of all the women on that car, no one said anything to any of the men.  I wonder why the hell all these geezers seem to think that this form of molestation is okay?  Are they not getting it up at home?  Are they not getting anyone at all? Gee. Wonder. Freggin. Why.  *rolls eyes*

So anyway...

Getting into the dorm, I was exhilarated! I could literally feel my heart beating as quickly as it could the entire walk from Esaka Station. XD  lol   So when I got home to do the box opening ceremony, there was a huge sense of relief. But for some reason I feel as though I didn't enjoy as much as I could...I think I rushed it a little bit.  PFFFFTTTTttt!

Amanda, Shelby, Melissa, Sam and Kris were all there for it!  8D  It was a party! lol  

She is quite heavy...heavier than I expected. ^^  And absolutely gorgeous!

But the faceup was a little too harsh for her white skin. :(   However, it was not terrible and is not terrible now.  It just takes time to get used to the contrast of shading and...no pigment. O.O   

After having her for two days now, I have started to realize that it may not be the faceup or skintone that is completely bothersome, but the fact that I do not have my other doll, Akira, here to complete the couple. 

In the storyline, Artemis (Rogue's real name) and Akira are engaged, but Akira gets killed in a battle before they married.  Kuro no Hana　（黒の花） is a love story between a princess and her knight.  A romance that should have been forbidden, but they were betrothed due to political reasons.  A great war breaks out between two planets, and Akira's death marks the end of the war and brings peace. But Artemis has been left behind, and eventually she dies of grief.  Years later, she is reborn, and Akira returns as a "living" ghost to protect Artemis's reincarnation from those who wish to end the peaceful reign of the universe.  The whole story is actually quite a train wreck, and even though I have been writing it for so long, I feel that it is far from complete. 

(btw...I know this is not necessary..however...please know that all materials are copyrighted and belong to me, Aislinn Riley and/or the Celtic Rose Project.)

I ended up finding a doll for Akira before I actually found the perfect one for Rogue.  He is a 60 cm Dollcot Loon.  (Dolkot Loon Default)  His faceup was repainted by my awesome friend Lady Samhainne, with lovely smokey eyes and BEAUTIFUL, luscious lips... Akira is just stunning and I can't wait to have him next to his beloved at last!  <3<3<3  Oh the photoshoots and photostories!! 8D

So! Here is the box opening for everyone to see! :D

Box Opening Ceremony: VOLKS FCS F-22
Rogue Riley

Awesome Super Dollfie Tote! :D

Hmmm..I wonder what's'in here?

Two wigs, booklet, certificate, etc...

Instruction and Care Manual

DAW! BIRTH CERTIFICATE!

EEEYEEES!

OMG! THERE SHE IS! :D

SQUEEE!!!

<3

WELCOME HOME!

And finally!!!

I present to you....

Rogue Riley

Japan Series I

My Memories of You Series

(I am going to leave this here for now, and then update the rest of it tomorrow. :)  Plenty of things about the apartment to write!! <3)


<3
Mimi


Associated Links:
Den of Angels Gallery: Beginning of a New Era I  
Den of Angels Gallery: My Memories of You 

Volks Japan Website

Creating Dreams FCS Guide 

Den of Angels 

 

Japan, September Updates!

It's been a while since I have updated my blog, and I dearly apologize for that. >.<  It has been REALLY busy here, and now there is so much to say.  LOL

SOoo...  For the most exciting part....

I AM PART OF GACKT DEARS....AND...

BLOODY HELL I'M GOING TO HIS YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz LIVE ON OCTOBER 27!!!!!  

....

.....

:)   I wish I could make a bigger happy face... LOL

Alright, to the more fancy stuff....Getting concert tickets is sooo difficult here in Japan. In the US, it is so easy to secure a ticket for a concert, even if it is the day of you can still get tickets depending on who you are wanting to see. But here in Japan? HEEELLLZ no.  You have to register for the fanclub (and sometimes it costs big money...), you have to register for Lawsons AND their ticket sites, and THEN...you have to HOPE you can get a ticket before they sell out, EVEN if you are in the fanclub.  Usually, concert tickets in Japan sell out within seconds of them being released. So what happens first, is the fanclub members (and SOMETIMES general public), enter to win their tickets in a lottery.  Firstly, you can't find ANY information about how the lottery works. ANYWHERE. So I am going to help yall out if you ever encounter this problem.

This is envelope for tickets/fanclub tickets/ etc

DEARS Fanclub confirmation. This is what you receive at Lawsons after you register for the club at the loppi machine.

 
HOW THE JAPAN CONCERT TICKET LOTTERY WORKS:

With Lawsons and their Ticket site, you sometimes have the option to enter into a lottery to get your ticket(s).  The lottery is usually open to fanclub members only, or fanclub members first, but either way, it is a hit or miss.  It is completely random. Winners are randomly chosen and so are the seats. The good thing about this, is that the fanclub members don't get to steal all the good seats. The bad thing is, is that you could get the worst seating in the entire house.  But that is the least of your worries. At least you have a better chance at securing the ticket. 

Now here is where it gets hard to find information.  When you register with Lawsons and their Ticket site, you have to register what bands you are interested in getting tickets and information for. Your band may or may not be registered.

Also, when you go to enter the lottery, you DO NOT PAY UNLESS YOU WIN THE TICKETS.  This information can't be found ANYWHERE in English, I tried.  I just know this from experience. If you DO win the tickets, then the money is automatically withdrawn from your credit card. 

And now it gets even more trickier...If you win, you will receive a confirmation email from lawsons telling you what you won and how to go pick up your tickets as well as how much was drawn from your account.  The tricky part? Getting the tickets.

Go to a loppi machine usually found in Lawsons. The 100円 Lawsons do not carry the loppi machine (at least not that I can see).  The loppi machine is ALL in Japanese, so make sure you have a denshi jishou, a person who can read kanji,  know your kanji, or just be really good at guessing when you go to pick up your tickets. The machine will ask you for your four digit pin to confirm your tickets, will ask you for the 10 digit confirmation you received in your email, as well as some other information about you.  Here is the most important..do NOT forget your credit card you used to pay. This is how they check to make sure YOU are the one who won the tickets, and not someone who is trying to steal them from you.  So please do not forget:

1). 4 digit pin
2). 10 digit confirmation number
3). credit card used to pay

Also know your address, phone number, DOB, etc. This is useful information when applying for fanclubs too.

Once you have your tickets, you are good and set!!

If you do NOT win your lottery, it is okay because you have a chance to purchase them later on their release date. For this, I suggest you purchase them within seconds of their release time, especially if it is for a famous artist like Gackt, Ayumi Hamasaki, X-Japan, SMAP, Kumi Koda, etc etc.  These tickets sell out within seconds of being released, so be quick and be ready!  There are actually people who wait at the loppi machines or at the computer on the ticket site, waiting for the release time to get their tickets.

Also, Japanese are obsessed with their hobbies, especially when it comes to artists that they like. So they will follow their favorite artist to every live they have all over the world. They will also purchase tickets even if they have no intention of going to the concert.  I know...It sucks...GOOD LUCK!

NIHON BUYOU

Went to my first nihon buyou lesson tonight.  I have been dancing nihon buyou for 5 years now, but I wanted to continue to learn here in Japan. I love to dance, and I love performing, so I was ecstatic to be able to continue dancing here.  

It was sooo great! I made a really awesome friend who will be joining me in my lessons. :)  She loves the things that I like too! We have a lot in common.  She is from China, but lived in Japan for 5 years now.  She likes shabu shabu, karaoke, and enka. :)  She was really easy to get along with!!!!  I can't wait to hang out with her again. ^.^

The sensei is super nice! I got served beer, some snacks... XD  And then he told me that he will teach me a harder dance because I have been doing it for a while. He wants us to perform for a big festival at the end of October. SOOOO exciting, and a bit exhilarating too.  Nerve wracking is another good word to use, I think. lol

We learned a super short song tonight, and we are going to practice it a lot. :P 



TENSHI NO SATO　天使の里

Tenshi no Sato was absolutely gorgeous! The ride to Kyoto took a little long, because we missed our station and went to the wrong one. >.<  We then had to take the bus to Kyoto Station, and get on the JR line to Sato. Tenshi no Sato was right next to the station.  When you walk in, you are bombarded with beautiful gardens and traditional entranceway. Also bombarded with a tall, modern building in the middle of it all. . . 

When you walk in, you check in at the window. If you are a VS member then you don't have to make a reservation. However, if you do not have a Volks paid membership, then you have to make a reservation ahead of time before you can come, and show id when you get there.

The shop was in the basement, and they have all of their one offs for the limited event displayed!!! <3

Speaking on one-offs... O.M.G.  They have showrooms everywhere, and they display all of their best versions and one-offs ever. Along with the limited clothes etc. It just makes you want to pee yourself. O.O  It is so amazing!  You are not allowed to take pictures though.

We met up with three very WONDERFUL ladies!  They were so nice and helpful, and we all hung out and talked about dolls for a long while! 

When we went outside, we went to the gardens to take pictures. So beautiful.  I have taken tons of pics and some video, but I am going to only upload a few of them for now.

After our visit to Tenshi no Sato, we went to a resturant in Kyoto that was famous for their pancakes. They were expensive, at about 750円　to 1000円 for two pancakes and a drink. @.@  You can also add desert to your set (in the US we call it a "meal").

But they were DELICIOUS!!  The place was at a renovated onsen, and you could tell it used to be an onsen. :)  Because of this, we could not take pictures of anything except our food. I don't have pics of my food at the moment to upload. I will have to get them from my friend's camera. :)



I think that is all for now.  Classes are super, joined Kendo and found a guy I like... lol .. .  Joining naginata club (I hope to anyway!), along with Sado club. ^_^  SUPER BUSY!!!


Mimiru


Lawson Ticket Site
https://l-tike.com