The event is to be held in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California on December 20th. Throughout this day, we will be dining, shopping, and experiencing what is hopefully a memorable time with other like-minded Arashi fans! Please do not be discouraged by the Western Tri-State part, as anyone from anywhere is welcome to attend. We welcome all kinds of fans -- young or older; veterans of fandom or newer fans; male or female to join us for what we hope will be a remarkable event to share stories of for years to come.
Arashi | AMNOS Kamikaze
Arashi is a Japanese boy-band consisting of five amazing young men – Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno, and Sho Sakurai.
Debuted in 1999, these boys have been marking themselves in entertainment history with their astounding record of #1 singles, amazing drama ratings, and general knack for being really silly.
Arashi as a group have shown no sign of stopping anytime soon! They’ve shown that as a group, they have a very close relationship- one where they have hardly ever fought or quarreled.
Arashi’s passion or entertaining us fans is apparent as well, and their hard work is always displayed during their various concerts, performance, stage plays, and the like.
Fan Meet | What is a fan meet, exactly?
A fan meet is when a collective of fans meet at one point in time to essentially be amongst other fans who share their common interest.
A common factor of a fan meet is to have fun activities that revolve around said fandom. Things such as games, watching videos, trivia, general discussions, or even cosplay (costume play) have become elements of what makes a fan gathering fun!
The goal for this fan meet is to turn up the excitement factor! It will be a full day of Arashi related fun and activities, thought up by the attendees! Prior to this, we surveyed all potential attendees for an idea of what would make this fan gathering the most exciting. After hearing all your voices, we have attempted to come up with what we hope is a thrilling day of Arashi-related fun!
Parent's Guide to a Fan Gathering | Most asked questions by parents
To be sure that all ages could attend and that parents could let their kids go without worry, we surveyed potential attendees ahead of time. We asked the basic question, “What types of information does your parent want to know ahead of time before an event of this sort?”
Who are the adult(s) in charge?
The three people helping run this event is myself, Destini and my two friends Jovi & Alleen. We will be accompanying all the guests throughout the whole day and can be contacted at arashifanmeet@gmail.com with any questions or comments.
What will we be doing?
Specifics are listed on the schedule. For a brief idea, we will be hanging out together in Little Tokyo, playing games, having fun, and then closing with dinner at Oiwake Restaurant in Japanese Village Plaza Mall.
How long will the event be?
In total, eight hours. The times are from 12-8P.
How many people are coming?
No less than fifteen (15) and no more than thirty (30).
What are the age range(s) of the attendees?
The ages differ but it will be ranged from around 13 to about 25 years of age.
What do I need to consider in terms of transportation?
Everything will be in immediate walking distance. Therefore, the only transportation this event would ask of is getting to and from Little Tokyo.
Who can I contact to ask more questions?
You can contact us at arashifanmeet@gmail.com for any answers that are not immediately answered within this guide.
What is the estimated price range of this event?
After listening to popular demand, we are looking to keep the event’s price range around $20-49 dollars. This however does not include traveling expenses and that should be considered separately by the attendee.
Is this fan gathering "kid-friendly?"
Yes. The goal is to make this an open event where anyone can participate. There will be no activities or promotion of activities that anyone under the age of 18 cannot legally participate in.
Schedule Of Events | Planned itinerary for the day
Here are the planned events for this year's fan meet! Please be reminded that all events are subject to change in cases of unexpected interferences, weather, lack of space, and the like.
Noon - 1:30P
Arrival of Guests | We will be stationed in the Japanese Village Square. All guests should head straight to this area so that we can keep track of who has arrived. This is will be a great chance for people to introduce themselves and reunite with old friends from past events.
Badge Distribution | We will also be distributing badges during this time for any registered guest.
1:30P-3:00P
Shopping Excursion | We'll have some fun in Little Tokyo, shopping for all kinds of Japanese goods and such!
I ♥ [Ichiban] Team Scavenger Hunt | Make your Ichiban (favorite member) proud by playing on a team with fellow fan girls/boys to find the five items on the list! Winning Team gets a special prize!
3:00P-4:45P
UdaUda (Meaningless) Time | It's not really meaningless, but during this time guests can explore Little Tokyo Shopping Center or the rest of Little Tokyo until our dinner celebration! You can do one of the suggested activities or choose your own weapon to kill time.
Karaoke Session | Within Little Tokyo Shopping Center lies Max Karaoke Studio. Go in for an hour session and sing your heart away to your favorite Arashi tunes!
Japan Arcade | For those who love to game, we salute you! Also in Little Tokyo Shopping Center, this arcade holds tons of popular Japanese titles to keep you going for at least an hour, if not longer!
4:45-8P
Dinner at Oiwake Restaurant | We'll be enjoying dinner at Oiwake Restaurant, acclaimed for their great Japanese food at reasonable prices! Also! There will be cake and possibly bad Engrish in celebration of Aiba-chan's 26th birthday!
Nama (Live) Arashi Game Time | We'll play all the recommended games by the fans in high tension, Arashi Spirit!
Arashi Fan Awards | Everyone likes awards, right? Well at the end of the day, we'll award the best of the best of out of our attendees! (Don't worry - EVERYONE will win something!)
Closing Ceremonies | We'll close the night with something special, something funny, and hopefully something heartwarming.
Further Links | Other links to help you out
Guides, Shops, Restaurants, Entertainment
Oiwake Restaurant | http://www.oiwake.com/
Max Karaoke Studio | http://www.maxkaraokestudio.com/
Little Tokyo Walking Tour | http://www.visitlittletokyo.com/
Little Tokyo Town Guide | http://elittletokyo.com/En/
Arashi-based Sites
Arashi Around America | http://www.freewebs.com/aaa2009/
Age Around Arashi | http://www.imeem.com/agearoundarashi/
Contact Us | Getting in touch with us
We can be reached via e-mail at arashifanmeet@gmail.com with any concerns in regards to the fan meet!
Closer towards the event date, if you'd like to contact me via phone for any reason, you can e-mail arashifanmeet@gmail.com with the subject, “Phone Contact” and I will give that to you individually.
Closing Words | Thanks for everything
If you've reached this point, firstly my greatest congrats to you! Secondly, I truly hope this guide was informative and answered a lot of questions you may have had about fan gatherings in general and this one in specifics. I also truly hope that this guide will allow those who needed that extra nudge from their parents the green light to join us all for what I expect to be a exciting time in Little Tokyo!
Arashi has brought a lot of us joy and happiness and dare I say hope! Arashi for a lot of us is more than a group of pretty boys who sing much. Arashi's existence has created some of the coolest fans within the Johnny's Universe and I hope that this meeting will bring us all together to share some great old memories of our boys, as well as amazing new moments together as friends.
With that, we hope to see you there!