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Image is Everything: On being “kankeisha”

2009-01-08 8:25PM / 標準BLOG

They say “image is everything” in the world of entertainment. In Japan, no other statement holds more true. Managements, record labels, and publicity companies go to extreme lengths to ensure their artists’ meticulously sculpted images are the only thing the public ever sees. Rock stars, pop idols, actors and actresses alike are all very careful in what they choose to share with the public. Very rarely will you see candid private shots of artists in their private time posted on the internet by someone else. Artists will sometimes share self-taken photos of themselves with their fan bases on their blogs, but if you’re considered “kankeisha” (関係者) or “authorized person,” a silent decree dominates your status: upholding privacy.

Kankeisha is a loose term that describes anyone who has anything to do with the artist — whether you are management, industry, press, or just a guest, you are considered “kankeisha.” If you happen to fall in this ambiguous category, it is understood that you are someone who will also abide by the rules of being kankeisha. These rules include:

1. No screaming, cheering, racous applause, arm-waving, performing furi, jumping, or anything else that fans do during concerts. You are there to enjoy the show as a guest, not act as a fan. Kankeisha are not fans; as such, they must act accordingly. Usually, kankeisha stay seated during the show if they can see the stage; oftentimes, entire sections in the audience are blocked off as kankeisha seats for that very reason.

2. No hogging of the artist’s time during uchiage or aisatsu. Uchiage and aisatsu are the after show meet-and-greet with the artist. The only difference between them is that uchiage involves food or drinks being served to guests who have one toast with the artist before greeting them, whereas aisatsu is strictly a meet-and-greet. When taking place in a large room with all the kankeisha at once, usually guests only spend a few minutes talking with the artist. To take up too much of their time is very rude, as they have to greet all the kankeisha individually.

3. Do not talk about what you know about the artist. If there is anything you know about the artist which is not public information, even if it involves something as seemingly mundane like the artist’s hobbies, you absolutely can NOT divulge it publicly.

Of all rules to remember, however, one of the most important is:

4. Never EVER post any pictures or video of you with the artist anywhere public where fans might be able to get a hold of it, meaning blogs and any form of social networking (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) are all off limits, unless they’re private/friends only. It is okay to share pictures or video privately with friends, but displaying it anywhere public is absolutely not allowed — especially if you’re female and the artist is male. (Or conversely, if you’re male and the artist is female.)

All kankeisha are expected to act the part and to follow the rules. Any violation of the rules can result in kankeisha status being revoked and access to the artist taken away — even if you are press or good personal friends with the artist. Kankeisha privileges are only just that — privileges, not rights. In this industry, there is nothing more important than protecting the artist and keeping their best interests in mind. Image is everything, after all.

3個評論– 我來說兩句
Happy birthday to me! ...from Tokyo

2008-12-31 2:00AM / 標準BLOG

It's my birthday!

Though, really, as it's still December 30th in New York, I guess I'm kind of time warping here.

Yes, I'm a New Years Eve baby! Crazy birthday, isn't it? I've promised to update my blog whilst in Tokyo and have done a fantastic job breaking that promise, but that just shows how busy I've been. In any case, I'm trying to make up for it now!

12/19/2008 - SUGIZO @ Shibuya AX

A shot of some of the fantastic artwork. I'm not allowed to exactly take photos during lives in Japan, so, out of respect for SUGIZO, no shots here!

I didn't get home till 5AM the next day, however! It was a lot of fun, and incredible to see SUGIZO rock the stage after five years of a hiatus from his solo career. Truly a magical experience. 2009 will be an even more important year for him, so be sure to keep an eye on him... and LUNA SEA as well, as it's their 20th year anniversary! A huge milestone for any artist.

12/20/2008 - Armani Party in Ginza
Of course, I stupidly forgot to take pictures at the Armani Party in Ginza because I'm totally thoughtless like that, but needless to say, that was yet another night out where I ended up coming home at 5 or 6am.

I did get this awesome shot of the Christmas lights at Shiodome, though. About half an hour after I took this, SMAP ended up doing some special event not too far away from there.

12/23/2008 - Versailles @ C.C. Lemon Hall
Versailles is a band whose growth I've witnessed since they just started out a year ago. It's been impressive watching their climb to greater heights, and their development as an artist. They've toured Europe and the United States, and at this specific concert, they announced that they are going major on Warner Music Group. It was a great feeling to be able to witness that!

On Christmas Eve, I went out with a friend for dinner. After two glasses of red wine and some ravioli with crab in it, I suddenly came down with a severe allergic reaction to crab, which I never have experienced before in my life. It was absolutely terrifying -- red, blotchy skin, swelling of the face, and the worst symptom of all: swelling of the throat. The moment I had trouble breathing, I downed an anti-histamine, which probably saved my life, but rushed to the E.R.

I don't care what anyone tells you, people in Japan can not speak English. NOT EVEN MEDICAL STAFF.

Thank god I speak quite a bit of Japanese and was able to accurately explain what happened to me. And thank god I had anti-histamines on me or I probably wouldn't be typing this right now.

After quite a lot of rest after being discharged from the hospital, I felt better on Christmas and went out at night with a good friend from San Francisco to Christon Café in Shibuya, and then to Feria in Roppongi. For the most part, it wasn't that wild or anything as I was still feeling kind of tired.

12/29/2008 - SHAG @ Shinjuku MARZ
SUGIZO's improv band, SHAG had a live at Shinjuku MARZ so we stopped by to check it out. Though it was only a 30 minute set, it was a fantastic experience -- very SUGIZO, very ambient, and incredibly fun to watch.

Use your imagination!

Izakaya afterparties are awesome.

TJ Yong is an up and coming singer from Germany and a longtime friend of mine. He's on the search for management now in Japan. He's definitely gonna be a big thing eventually, so keep an eye on him!

This is Yuba! She's one of my closest friends and visiting me from Nagasaki in Tokyo.

In any case, we'll be at X Japan's countdown, and then PS Carnival on the 3rd. Tokyo's been an intensely amazing experience, and I've had more of a romance with it this time around than any kind of frustration. Maybe that's because I've been able to do so much of what I normally am not able to do, such as taking my time with enjoying Tokyo the way I would like to, without work getting in the way.

I'll hopefully be moving here in 2009!

Hoping that everyone enjoys their New Years Eve!

10個評論– 我來說兩句
My love/hate relationship with Tokyo

2008-12-16 7:01PM / 標準BLOG

Disclaimer: For those of you wondering, "Where the pictures at?!" scroll past the massive chunks of text below. Though, I'd much rather prefer if you read and commented!

I love Tokyo.

I really do.

It's so clean, efficient, and it's just a marvelous city -- a veritable playground with so many nooks and crannies I can't possibly uncover them all. There's so much to love about this city -- cheap food, awesome entertainment, and above all else -- incredible hospitality.

But really, that's a trait about Japan in general that I love. If it's anything the Japanese really are great at, it's hospitality. A Japanese friend of mine discovered that I'm traveling to Japan by myself and told me that he was considering moving his "leave-Tokyo-to-visit-family-for-New-Year-date" back by one day (from January 1st to the 2nd) so I don't "have to spend the first day of the new year alone." I thought that was probably one of the sweetest, most considerate things anyone's ever thought of for me, and such a gesture is, at its very root, very Japanese. Of course, I told him to go visit family -- I have more than enough friends who'll be in town, but even still, I was incredibly touched. Taking in consideration of the fact that he's not just some average Joe, but an incredibly high ranking executive from one of Asia's biggest record labels made the impact of the gesture hit me like a 500 ton mack truck. Packed with explosions, too.

Yeah, Japan, your culture of hospitality is awesome.

I've been to Tokyo 4 times in the 15 months, and in about 32 hours from now, I will be making my 5th trip out. The previous 4 times were all for work. This time, it's way more personal. This time, I actually will get to do things that I want to do and experience and explore the city in a way I never have been able to before. I'll actually have time to visit Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Akihabara, and stop by Tsukiji Market to sample fresh fish at dawn. I'll actually get a chance to soak in an onsen -- Japanese hot springs, for those of you who don't know what that is -- and let the heat and nature just melt away all my stress. I'm already starry-eyed just picturing it.

But things to hate about Tokyo?

As a New Yorker used to the most efficient transportation system in the world (or so I say with full bias), I hate Tokyo's lack of unlimited transportation passes; the fact that their transportation system is not one, but multiple; furthermore, everything closes at midnight when it comes to trains, and then taxis are exorbitantly priced! Good god! Transportation in Tokyo is probably the one thing I spend the most amount of money on, believe it or not. If that's not ridiculous, I don't know what ridiculous is.

And then there's just about a million crazy rules as well such as no using mobile phones on trains, requiring manner mode just about everywhere, not checking makeup on trains or anywhere public, etc. etc.

There's also the fact that as advanced as Tokyo is, it's still the center of quite possibly the most repressive industrialized country in the world, especially for women's rights. Women as a whole are still treated as a second-class citizen; and when they are not, they are being horrifically objectified and sexualized in every single way possible. Tokyo's unquestionably phallogocentric, but as a feminist I shouldn't be surprised about that, seeing as America's not all that much better. But at least it's not nearly as bad as it is in good ol' Japan.

But there are so many things to love about Tokyo.

If you've been to Tokyo and you haven't had crepes from Harajuku, you are totally missing out.

These thin, chewy, flaky crepes are prepared quickly and wrapped around all sorts of different condiments from your chicken-curry variety to incredibly rich and calorie-packed cheesecake slices with fresh, succulent strawberries, blueberries and thick cream to send you straight to dessert heaven. I'm hungry just thinking about it and I just had a Boston Creme donut. (Sweet tooth, much?)

Then there's the nightlife. Even for a New Yorker, I must say I'm pretty impressed by the quality of Tokyo nightlife. Japanese people really know how to get down, let me tell you. While they can't dance very well (unless you're lucky enough to be in the right hiphop club on the right night of the week to catch actual dance crews tear it up), they really know how to party. Tokyo nightlife is an unending playground, and unlike New York where last call is at 2am and the party stops at 4am, the party never stops in Tokyo. It just keeps going. And going. And going. Of course, drinking in moderation is important and knowing how to pace yourself is even more so. But I'm not the type of person who needs to get drunk to have fun anyway!

Nightlife aside, there's a gazillion things to do during the day. Just about every time I've been there, I've had the pleasure of catching a street matsuri (or festival) go on. Parades and all sorts of fun stuff happen at any given moment in Tokyo and it's totally amazing to see it all -- and that's without mentioning all the sights!

I can keep going on forever about all the things there are to love or hate about Tokyo. But at the end of the day, I think I love Tokyo more than I hate it. What I hate the most about Tokyo is the fact that every single time I've been there, I've never, ever had a chance to truly experience it cuz I was always busy working!

This time, it's going to be a totally different experience, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'll be bringing my trusty laptop, camera, and USB cord, and will be sure to update while I'm there!

Until next time, AnD.

EDIT: Before, I forget, I totally thought I was done for the night, but I just remembered I had some photos to share!

I attended the Women In Music holiday party last Monday and had a blast. I'd met one of the board's directors, Hadley Poole, at a networking event back in July or so and she invited me to go. I decided to get kinda dolled up and camwhored a bit in the bathroom before I went.

Here is the evidence:

And here I am with an incredible violinist, Heather Paauuwe, Alissa Turchen (EMG's Administrative Marketing Assistant/JRR's East Coast Director of Events) and artist, writer, photographer and model, Tré:

We had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, it was wayyy too packed to take too many pictures of us, but this one at least came out somewhat decently!

8個評論– 我來說兩句
10 things about doing business with Japan

2008-12-09 2:56AM / 標準BLOG

Running an international startup is definitely quite stress-inducing and not exactly what I'd call a healthy way to live your life. But if you're crazy enough and believe strongly in whatever it is that you're involved in, you'll do it.

The following is a list of 10 things you can expect while working between America and Japan:

1. Expect to sleep at really weird hours, or not sleep much at all.

2. Every time you call Japan and ask if they can speak English, expect that they will never tell you "NO." Come to think of it "NO" does not really exist in the Japanese vernacular because it's considered rude to flat out turn down someone. Subtlety is the key to doing business in Nippon.

3. Be prepared to never be told what someone really thinks if they don't like something about you/your business/your business practices. If someone holds a grudge against you in Japan, they will hold it forever.

4. Be prepared to go insane and have mental breakdowns. Address this situation with liberal amounts of ice cream, take out, and Crunchyroll.com.

5. Give someone unready for a position of leadership a little power and they'll get too big headed and start powertripping with gusto. (This is not partial to Japan, as it's a universal phenomenon.)

6. Skype is your best friend on earth.

7. If traveling between the US and Asia and you want to skip that horrific thing called jet lag, do not sleep the night before. Snooze on the plane and you will not regret it.

8. Virtual offices such as the type 37 Signals puts out are the best things to ever hit the internet for entrepreneurs. We use Backpack, Basecamp, and Highrise religiously. There was one point where we were heavily using Campfire, but that's subsided a bit in recent times.

9. Expect decisions to take forever to come down, and once they do come down, expect to do everything LAST MINUTE! Japan is so efficient at how they do business that they aren't quite used to the long, meticulously planned out ways of doing business we here in the US take for granted.

10. Expect that everyone in Japan will think the way they do business/marketing/promotions [fill in the blank here] in Japan will work in America and expect you to do it their way. Only a rare few are brave enough to do business the way it should be done overseas: a different practice, a different strategy to cater to different markets.

In any case, this is just a small little bird's eye view into what it is like to do business between the US and Japan. Anyone else have any horror stories to share about intercontinental business?

On a side note, thanks for the spotlight, AnD! (However short lived it might be...) ♥ ♥ ♥

10個評論– 我來說兩句
G.I. Joes Phishing on Facebook: A lesson on keeping private things private.

2008-12-04 11:02PM / 標準BLOG

Social networking is great. Except when it is used for phishing, otherwise known as a hacker or just an annoying idiot's attempt at trying to get sensitive information out of someone to later on use for their own purposes.

Now, it's no secret that I am probably one of the world's biggest nerds ever. Albeit, I do it with style, but that's besides the point. Point is, I'm online enough to know better than to respond to some shady requests for information.

So, a few days ago, I get this message on Facebook:

Good day, Ms. Yang.

My name is Terrence Lydon. I am conducting an investigation that may involve [NAME CENSORED], whom my information tells me that you attended college with.

Would you be willing to answer a few questions in order to help me further this investigation? My purpose is for information-gathering only.

If for some reason you are not the correct Krystal Yang to be contacted regarding this, please disgreard this message and accept my humblest apologies.

Best,

Terrence Lydon

Now, some people might look at this and think it's perfectly normal. This is so not normal it's not even funny. Do NOT respond to messages like these unwittingly -- you might be helping someone phish information that's supposed to be completely private.

I responded rather curtly with "What is this regarding?" and promptly reported his ass to Facebook, also blocking him. (I didn't realize at the time.) And then, I forwarded the message on to my friend, who was shocked to hear that this was happening.

This morning, I receive this message:

Ms. Yang:

My name is Cooper MacBride. You had previously been contacted by my coworker, Terrence Lydon. He says that he cannot make further contact with you, and thus I am sending a message in his stead.

To answer your last question to Mr. Lydon as to the nature of your being contacted, he is conducting an investigation for a client who wishes to remain unnamed. The investigation involves the confirmation of information that has been provided by the client, which will lead to having clearer information.

One name that is a part of my inquiry is [NAME CENSORED], whom my information tells me that you attended college with and that you were friendly with her brother.

Would you be willing to answer a few questions in order to help further this investigation? As I said, the purpose is for information-gathering only.

If you would prefer to communicate with me, rather than Mr. Lydon, that is acceptable as well.

Sincerely,

Cooper MacBride

At this point, I was rather incredulous. Yes, some of this information was true. I did attend college with this individual and I was friendly with her brother. But still, this seemed really, really sketchy to me. A client who wishes to remain unnamed? A confirmation of information to lead to clearer information? Sounds like phishing to me. Unperturbed, I responded:

If your client wishes to remain unnamed, and if you don't wish to better explain why you want me to spend my time answering questions for a so-called investigation, other than this answer you have given which is very unsatisfactory, then I will opt out of said investigation and continue to report any further attempts to contact me as harassment to Facebook.

Also, it's rather difficult to believe that G.I. Joe characters would be contacting me.

Consider your ass reported.

Get with the program, yo, I am hardly a newb to the interwebz.

Yup, ladies and gents, you read that right. G. I. Joe characters. I was so confused as to what the hell this was that was happening so started to Google these names -- Terrence Lydon and Cooper MacBride. The only website online where both names come up is this. Yes. The Complete Guide to G.I. Joe.

These names are totally fabricated. These identities are completely not real. I was talking to phishers with G. I. Joe identities trying to get information out of me about a friend of mine.

What the fuck indeed.

In any case, the moral of the story is -- be careful who you talk to online, especially if they're asking for information or conducting an "investigation."

Never EVER give any kind of personal or private information out to someone over the internet that you do not personally know. And even if you do know that person, never give anything like your social security number, driver's license, or anything that might end up constituting as identity theft.

It's a scary, scary world out there, people. And the internet just makes it easier for shitty people to do even shittier things. So watch your backs!

8個評論– 我來說兩句