UlasanAnime.com – This piece aims to consolidate thoughts and information, serving as an update on personal leisure time spent outside of family, work, and anime viewing, with a current focus on a “Made in Abyss” marathon.
The author is planning to attend Otakon 2022 in Washington D.C., with the specific goal of seeing Mariya Ise. An invitation is extended to anyone who might spot the author there, potentially at the “official” off-venue rave hosted by Aniparty.
Otakon is scheduled to feature a significant K-pop concert on Friday and a musical event on Sunday. The latter will include Kaoru Wada, accompanied by fellow musicians such as Yuki Hayashi, who previously appeared at AnimeNYC. A rock performance is also slated for Saturday. The author notes that the event schedule appears to be very packed, with considerable overlap on Saturday, which is described as “terrible.”
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The author is also exploring the possibility of traveling to Japan, now that the country has reopened to certain tourists who can obtain an entry certificate for a visa. Currently, all individuals except those with re-entry permits or citizen status require a visa for Japan. This new requirement significantly increases the cost and complexity of visiting Japan. Tourists are subject to registration and monitoring, and the protocols for contracting COVID-19 remain uncertain, likely involving mandatory quarantine and tour cancellation.
For those planning to attend concerts, this presents a completely new set of challenges. The situation is also described as potentially transient, given the possibility of new variants emerging and altering travel regulations, similar to how Omicron impacted the Delta period. The author has identified private tours as a potential, albeit expensive and not universally applicable, solution.
This option is feasible but not cheap, and the author intends to undertake one to share their experience. It is acknowledged that this is not an ideal solution for everyone, particularly those with limited budgets or those who wish to freely explore Japan, attend multiple concerts, or socialize casually. The rigid structure of mandatory tours means that spontaneous activities, extensive sightseeing, or even meeting friends might be difficult unless those friends are accommodating to the tour’s constraints.
Furthermore, the author expresses uncertainty about the compliance of this private tour approach with the Japanese government’s official tourist agreements, as the information is based on hearsay. The operational standards for foreign tourists in Japan are described as having a high level of stringency, increasing the risk of tour cancellations and forced quarantines.
The author characterizes the current tourist program as more of a facade to maintain Japan’s image as a G7 nation while continuing xenophobic isolationist policies under the guise of COVID-19 prevention. The experience is unlikely to be enjoyable and is primarily suited for individuals with an absolute necessity to visit Japan for a specific purpose.
This leads into the next topic: the upcoming “Master of Idol World” concert, announced as a five-brand event at Tokyo Dome in February. While the author expresses a strong desire to attend, they acknowledge the challenges. On a positive note, the concert is confirmed to be streamed, with potential overseas theatrical live viewings in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. The author also mentions a desire to attend the Million Live show in January, indicating that the coming period will be difficult.
In summary, the current situation is described as suboptimal. With the resurgence of Omicron variants, conventions are returning, albeit with varying levels of risk. This is presented as the reality of attending events in the post-COVID era.
