The long-awaited moment has arrived! To cheer for ANGERME once again! JAPAN JAM 2023! I have returned!

Hello! How are you doing? Even though I had work the next day according to the calendar, I went to JAPAN JAM 2023 in Soga, Chiba, early in the morning on April 30th.

Speaking of JAPAN JAM this year, a major change is that cheering out loud has been unbanned for the first time in three years. And our beloved ANGERME will be the opening act on the biggest stage of that important first day, the SKY STAGE. Furthermore, our beloved second-generation ANGERME leader, Akari Takeuchi, will be graduating this June. This means this JAPAN JAM is the final festival under the Takeuchi regime. On the same day, Morning Musume '23 and Hello! Project OG legend Airi Suzuki are also participating. I just had to go, right?

It's been a long three years.

However, for those who started liking ANGERME and Hello! Project in these times, or for the girls who became Hello Pro members during this period, having an outdoor festival as their first experience with cheering out loud must be some kind of twist of fate—the best situation, isn't it?

ANGERME's appearance is at 11:30. When I arrived in Soga just past 9:30, it wasn't raining, but the wind was incredible, creating an atmosphere like a typhoon. I even had unpleasant thoughts that, at worst, it might be cancelled.

When I bought the goods and went to the SKY STAGE, fans were already cheering along to the instrumental versions of ANGERME songs playing from the speakers, and I found it heartwarming, thinking that this atmosphere might blow away the bad weather. Everyone just wants to shout out loud, regardless of the weather.

I went to the priority area in front of the stage after 11:00. This area is decided by a lottery beforehand, but even though it was a priority area, I was almost at the very back. My position was right behind the PA tent. Last year I was around the 6th row. I didn't write a report note for last year, but being around the 6th row makes the stage incredibly close.

As I was thinking that, the fans gradually increased. Those who had likely seen the shows from three years ago or earlier started doing stretches and squats in their respective spots. As expected, their 'expressions are different,' so I also started doing squats and light jumps to prepare for 'that moment.'

And as always, the ratio of women is high. About 60% of the people around me were women. Moreover, they were genuine Takeuchi girls wearing goods from Akari Takeuchi's first calligraphy solo exhibition, 'Koukou Buyou.' Everyone must be dying to shout that phrase. I could tell they were smiling naturally. It felt like the desire to shout 'Take!' was spreading throughout the priority area.

While I was thinking that, the background music started playing, and Mr. Yoichi Shibuya, the 'Morning Musume opening act guy,' appeared. Because of the strong winds, they had been considering until the day before whether it would be possible or if they should take down the stage screens, but they apparently decided to go ahead after seeing the staff's enthusiasm and waiting until the last minute, so I was nothing but grateful.

As Mr. Shibuya said, 'It's cleared up, hasn't it?' I looked at the sky and saw the sun really starting to shine, and he said, 'ANGERME are sunshine girls, you know.'

He continued, 'Everyone likes writing on boards, don't you? You write on them as soon as you enter.' 'There's so much written. Like Takeuchi is the strongest.' He teased the fans by using the board messages that fill up as soon as the venue opens. Furthermore, when he said, 'I've been called the Morning Musume opening act guy, but I've finally been able to be in charge of ANGERME too, so I might even get a salary from Up-Front,' President Nishiguchi of Up-Front and the producer (I wonder if he still is?) Mr. Hashimoto, who were watching from the PA tent, burst into laughter.

Somehow, there was a really great atmosphere before ANGERME appeared.

What I remember about ANGERME is that in 2019, it was so hot that I was worried the performers might collapse, but when ANGERME came off stage after finishing, they were laughing and saying, 'Yeah! Shall we do it one more time!' That was amazing.

Huh, what kind of praise is that? It's the best. Just as I was thinking that, Shibuya-san shouted at the end.

Hello! Project's militant group! Akari Takeuchi's final festival! ANGERME!

At the same time, ANGERME's entrance music starts playing.

A huge cheer erupts. ANGERME appears with a flourish.

Then, the screen showed Akari Takeuchi, positioned in the center, covering her face with her right arm "like a high school baseball player." It's Take's serious crying pose that I often see during "Kousaten" at graduation concerts. "No way!" "Take-chan is crying!" "No way! No way!" The girls around me were already sobbing. Naturally, I cried too.

In an instant, the entire history of Rockin' came flooding back. At first, there were hardly any audience members, and the following year the stage was downgraded, but even so, through trial and error, they gradually attracted fans other than just the hardcore ones, and finally reached this place. There were truly many trials after Take became the leader. Even so, I couldn't help but cry thinking that today, this day, is the culmination of Akari Takeuchi's efforts, who led ANGERME positively without ever giving up or looking down. Moreover, there were the cheers we had been waiting for.

Of course Take would cry.

In a later MC, she herself said with a laugh, "Of course I'd cry! It's the last one!", but it would be strange not to cry after seeing such a wonderful sight. Not only the priority area, but before I knew it, the general area in the back was also packed.

The first song was "Bukkowashitai," just as I had predicted in my thoughts on the Hina Fes.

It's a new song, but the fans' calls are already perfectly synchronized. The pleasure of raising our fists together and shouting "Bukkowashitai!" is the best.

After jumping and shouting grandly with everyone during the second song, "Desugita Kui wa Utarenai," we were waiting to see what would come next, when the intro started to play.

It wasn't just the fans; it was the moment all the members had been waiting for, too. The "Ta-ke!" call shouted during the super Akari Takeuchi time in the interlude. At that moment, while dancing, Take took off her in-ear monitor and spread her arms, egging us on as if to say, "Come on, bring it!"

A "Ta-ke!" call with a volume I've never heard before spread throughout the venue. Take was smiling with satisfaction. The members were also all smiles. And the girls around me, who I think were hearing the calls for the first time, were also shouting "No way! No way!" and were excited, having lost their vocabulary.

What is this amazing space?

The official ANGERME Instagram has uploaded a video of the "Ta-ke!" call moment from the stage's perspective. A sight and sound we don't usually get to see or hear. I was moved to realize this is how it sounded.

"We can't rest from here on out! Drink some water while you can!" Akari Takeuchi urged us on. Then came the killer tunes "Akai Earphone" and "Manner Mode" one after another. I especially love "Manner Mode," so my excitement level went up.

And then the long-awaited "46okunen LOVE." Looking back at the setlist, it was packed with classic songs, but I think that's unique to this time, with "vocalizing allowed." After all, it's fun to jump while shouting "Love!" during "46okunen LOVE." Followed by "Aisubeki beki Human Life."

The first "ANGERME!" call, which even the person who wrote the lyrics and music was deeply moved by. A sense of unity where both old and new fans can shout "ANGERME!" regardless. It's very ANGERME.

And finally, of course, "Taiki Bansei." It's a bit cliché, but this time, the cliché is good. Because I can finally shout "Woo!" during the drop chorus part for Wakana Matsumoto, which has been two years in the making. I've wanted to say it ever since the shock at the 2021 Hina Fes. I wanted to sing along with everyone, "Taiki bansei! Taiki bansei! Taiki bansei!" ANGERME ended while it was so fun that I wondered if it had ever been this fun before. As soon as the members left the stage, someone or other started the "Takeuchi is the strongest!" call.

Finally, looking up at the sky, which had become calm enough for the sun to shine through the clouds, I deeply felt that Hello! Project is a stylistic beauty that cannot be completed without the voices of the fans. Cheers are amazing.

Can't Love on a Planet Without Rain

After ANGERME finished, I was so happy and satisfied that I ate some curry and watched ano-chan to calm down a bit. When I returned to the SKY STAGE thinking it was about time for Morning Musume '23 to perform, the weather gradually worsened and a light drizzle began to fall.

Thinking I'd watch this one in a relaxed manner, I took a spot by the partition fence of the PA tent when a small, glittering group walked by, protected by adults. Led by Take, it seemed some ANGERME members had come to watch Morning Musume, causing a stir in the surroundings. I guess that's unique to festivals. There were many casual fans among the wota, and perhaps because there are few opportunities to see the members in their natural state this close up, there was a group of girls who were speechless, saying, 'Kamiko is so small... so cute...' which felt fresh. Oh, Taisei is here too.

Come to think of it, the fact that President Nishiguchi and Mr. Hashimoto were at JAPAN JAM at this time made me vaguely think that there wouldn't be any surprise announcements at today's Hello Pro Kenshusei recital.

And with that, Morning Musume '23 appeared. Oh! New costumes? They're unusually frilly. And everyone is in pink. Is this like, being dyed in Fukuchan's color?

Just as I was thinking that, the first song was unexpectedly 'Resonant Blue,' and I felt excited inside, thinking 'Oh!' This is a good song choice. Or rather, 'Resonant Blue' heard with these members is very good. And the fans' o-ing echoing during the interlude. Ah, nostalgic. This is it, this is it. Very good.

Then the second song, 'Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan,' came on, and I got excited, wondering if I had time-traveled back to the 2000s. It was a setlist that didn't pander to the festival crowd at all; rather, like ANGERME, it was a setlist completely focused on call-and-response for the wota. I was convinced of that by the intro of the third song.

As soon as 'Shabondama' started, the wota exploded with 'Uoooooh!' When Fukuchan sang 'Aisuru hito wa,' the deafening 'Saki dakeeeee!' call followed. It made me smile to realize that just as we ANGERME wota wanted to shout 'Take!', the Morning Musume wota were dying to shout this too. The wota in the priority area were pouring their love into the leader who, like Take, is graduating this year. No, even the stray wota who spilled out from there were having a blast.

'Seishun Night' was also a song choice for the call-and-response in the middle. It's clear that the lack of satisfaction I felt when listening to 'Seishun Night' during the pandemic was because the wota's voices were missing. And personally, I got hyped for the next one, 'Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!'

Listening to 'Chihei Hongan' for the first time in a while was very good. I love it. Also, I thought around this time that every time Mei Yamazaki appeared on the screen, the wota would get excited. Mei-chan is popular, huh? I thought that, just as her name implies, she is truly loved.

With the latest 'Happy Birthday to Me!', they also focused on the new member, Rairi-chan, making it a well-balanced choice even while aimed at the wota. Morning Musume tends to have biased singing parts, but with this setlist, it felt like not just the central members, but everyone was standing out evenly.

Among them, Maria's way of standing out was head and shoulders above the rest. I could tell from watching from a distance and because of these frilly costumes, but Maria's dynamism was incredible. She was literally jumping, and her long limbs were stretching even more than usual, making me think, 'Is she Luffy from One Piece?' If she were wrong, it would be standing out for the wrong reasons, but Maria has enough persuasive power to overwhelm and convince you when she goes that wild. You could even call it Conqueror's Haki. Her presence in the center is incredibly convincing.

The final spurt was Morning Musume's specialty, a mashup medley. I learned later that this mashup was based on the 2017 tour, and its level of perfection was insane. The perverted and complex structure of the mashup of 'Souda! We're ALIVE' and 'Help me!!' is crazy. Moreover, 'Souda! We're ALIVE' has been getting renewed attention after being sampled in the Chainsaw Man OP, so it's very timely and a song choice that hits music lovers coming to the festival, which I feel had the effect of lowering the barrier to the hard-to-approach mashup medley.

Well, even if you didn't care about that, it felt like the chaotic, perverted nature of this mashup would be conveyed viscerally to anyone who loves music. I don't know, but it just felt amazing.

Now, with this, what would be the last one? I wondered if they might go with 'Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou' in anticipation of the weather getting worse, but it was the unexpected 'Namidacchi'.

I never imagined that Morning Musume, who usually feel conservative, would come with a setlist so focused on the wota while completely ignoring the general public. It's true that the lyrics were projected on the screen, but the general public doesn't know this song at all. I feel like it might even be unfamiliar to new wota, but for those who have been watching for a long time, 'Namidacchi' is sure to hit home.

Somehow, the spirit of the agency was endearing. Also, 'Namidacchi' suits an outdoor venue in the rain. As I watched the members singing with smiles and the wota, I was moved, thinking 'They got me,' and then I saw the PA tent on the screen and laughed because ANGERME leader Akari Takeuchi was singing along loudly and happily.

That's nice.

Airi Suzuki, turning JAPAN JAM into an outdoor Hello! Project concert

After Morning Musume ended, I went to the Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai performance. It seemed this was also the venue where shouting was allowed, and everyone, including the stage, was shouting and singing happily. However, due to the cold from the weather and fatigue, I was getting quite exhausted. As I sat on a bench and listened to Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, they said something like, 'With as much passion as Morning Musume!'

I wonder if my stamina will last until Airi's set at 5:30 PM.

However, Airi has been dropping hints about this beforehand. I can definitely predict that she will bring out ANGERME and Morning Musume to perform ℃-ute and Buono! songs, so I'm conserving my energy to at least watch a few songs before heading home. The rain won't stop, so it's slowly wearing me down.

Since Airi's stage featured a live band, the band members were tuning their instruments from early on. The fans were cheering them on. The band members were responding enthusiastically and hyping up the crowd even more, so the tension was high even before Airi's turn. I watched it all from the back.

The first song, 'DADDY! DADDY! DO!', is the song that gave Airi more exposure to the general public after she went solo. When Airi appeared in a bright red dress and started singing, she instantly captivated the entire venue. It goes without saying, but she is a great singer.

Saying things like, 'It's been 20 years since I joined Hello! Project, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of Hello! Project. So, since my juniors are here today, I'm going to keep calling them out!' with a big, beaming smile, she introduced the two people she 'trusts absolutely when it comes to dance' during the third song, 'Break it Down': ANGERME's Rikako Sasaki and Morning Musume's Ayumi Ishida.

The two dance machines of Hello! Project from the Tohoku region stood on either side of Airi and started dancing. At that moment, the group of female ANGERME and Morning Musume fans who were watching from the back with me started screaming and running toward the front.

Personally, I was happy to see Rikako dancing freely and looking like she was having fun.

However, I was starting to feel really exhausted, so I sat down to watch. During the sixth song, she said, 'More juniors are going to come out from here on!' and along with ℃-ute's 'Ookina Ai de Motenashite', Maria, Kitagawa-san, Kamiko, and Ise-san, who are the cute representatives of their respective groups, appeared. What is this lineup that seems to see right through us, saying, 'Fans, we know exactly what you like'? The fans around me started screaming and dancing.

Then, that intro started playing. Yes. Everyone's favorite 'Dance de Bakoon!' began, and a large number of ANGERME and Morning Musume members gathered on stage. A large-scale 'Dan-Bako'. Wait, what is this? This isn't Nakano Sunplaza, is it? It's outdoors.

Perhaps because many of the members in the 'Dan-Bako' group were younger members who didn't have much contact with Airi, they seemed to be expressing their joy at standing on the same stage as the legend Airi Suzuki to the fullest, and a pure feeling of how much everyone really loves Hello! Project was overflowing from the stage.

Airi kept the momentum going by throwing in Buono!'s 'Lottara Lottara' and 'MY BOY'. While I thought it was an unexpected selection, it was a perfect choice for getting the crowd to shout. I could tell even from the back that the fans in the priority area who have been following Airi for a long time were likely screaming with tears of joy.

Before the seventh song, she touched on the 25th anniversary of Hello! Project again during the MC and said, 'And since the two leaders who have led ANGERME and Morning Musume for many years are graduating this year, I wanted to sing with them,' and called out Fuku-Take.

Mizuki Fukumura and Akari Takeuchi, who we usually only see as leaders and seniors, looked like they had returned to their young Egg faces from back then. Take bowed with a carefree smile, saying, 'Please take care of us!'

What is this? Is this Nakano Sunplaza?

When Airi said, 'Let me sing 'Kanashiki Heaven' with these two,' the fans roared like a landslide. Then, Ayano Kawamura and Miki Nonaka also appeared, and a pseudo-℃-ute was formed on stage.

Fuku-chan and Airi sang the first verse, and Take and Airi sang the second. Seeing the two of them looking a little nervous was refreshing, and although the general public was completely left behind, a happy space exclusive to Hello! Project fans was spreading, thinking, 'Today was a 25th-anniversary Hello! Pro concert!'

In a time when regular Hello! Pro concerts couldn't be held, seeing the legendary Airi, ANGERME, and Morning Musume dancing together on the same stage made me watch the scene in a daze, wondering if I was dreaming.

Somehow, somehow, thank you so much, Airi.

My heart was warm and full, but my body was freezing, yet I still stood up slowly with a smile and started walking. I thought, 'This must be the last one,' and Airi started singing with a devilish smile, saying, 'You all wanted to hear this song, right?'

A video of that moment has been uploaded to Instagram.

The chorus that erupted when "Hatsukoi Cider" began had enough volume to reach my back as I slowly walked away. Listening to Airi's happy, excited voice that I couldn't quite make out, and hearing the great chorus of the fans, I walked along, feeling the wonder of a life with an idol I support, thinking, "So this is what a high quality of life is."

Before I knew it, the sky had been dyed in a beautiful sunset. The red dress Airi wore seemed to spread across the entire sky. On April 30, 2023, it seems we were participating in a festival led by a Hello! Project goddess in Soga, Chiba Prefecture.

Thank you.