For my first full day in Osaka, I woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel, then it was off to meet my friend Nabeela at Kuromon Market later that morning. It was my first time at Kuromon and while it was a weekday, it wasn’t as busy as I expected it to be. However, there were still quite a few stalls to choose from and we settled on one and ordered a kaisendon for ¥2,800. We had a really nice meal together, then I walked with her and her friend back to Dotonbori, as they had tickets for a kabuki performance at the Shochikuza Theatre. 

After bidding them farewell, I did a bit of shopping on my own at Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi. I returned to the hotel after grabbing a snack, then left just after 2:00pm to make my way over to Kyocera Dome. It was a bit nostalgic being back at the dome since it’s been nearly 10 years since my last concert there.

As I had tickets for the concert that afternoon, I got in line at the special tent to buy my penlight, then I slowly made my way over to Gate 10 to enter the venue. I will admit I was quite nervous getting inside, as I was petrified they would ask to check my ID to verify my [non-Japanese] address. Luckily the facial scan went off without a hitch and I was able to pick up my ticket. I’m so glad they asked fans to upload their photos prior to the lottery to make the verification process easier. 

Once I made it inside, my second order of business was trying to find a staff member to help me activate my penlight. Since I wasn’t able to download the app on my region-locked phone, I needed a staff member to scan my ticket to pair with my penlight. Thankfully she was able to do it and didn’t question why my phone couldn’t download the app. =P

Finally I made it to my seat which was in the lower stands towards the left of the stage. My friend Sherly was a section over and I could see her from my seat. The concert started right at 4:00pm and I was pleasantly surprised by the setlist. I purposely didn’t look anything up prior to the show and I think it made the experience more enjoyable.

Arashi was my reason for learning Japanese. They pushed me out of my comfort zone when I moved to Japan for my working holiday. Most importantly, they gifted me with friends from around the world and now we have so many shared experiences together. To be at their second last show and watch them end their journey on their own terms was truly the biggest gift. My heart is definitely full. 

It took a while to make it out of the dome after the concert ended. I made a quick stop at the hotel, then went back out to meet Sherly and her friend for dinner at Saizeriya. It was nearing 9:30pm by the time our food came and I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I scarfed everything down. I’m still shocked by how cheap the prices are after all these years  – my tarako pasta with baby shrimps, a side of sautéed spinach and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks was just under ¥1,000. 

I had to finish most of my duty free shopping that evening, so I was out until 11:00pm trying to get things done. It was a long and exhausting day by the time I made it back to the hotel, but I was so grateful I got to spend time with friends and see my favourite group in person one last time. <3