Translation by Tina/THCanada
May 2011
As the administrators really busy, I decided to upload the 2nd part of the translation myself. Hope you guys enjoy it! Please announce this on the home page, Thank you! As with the first part, my comments are in red.
TH-crazy Director*
Full account of their secret encounters (Part 2)
*The director is a passionate TH fan. I’m not sure why they call this person a director but from what he says it seems he’s one of the Japanese staff who was coordinating TH’s schedule and the related logistical arrangements. I’m assuming it’s a guy.
10 Feb (Thurs)
Bill, what’s that on your head…..!
On this day, TH had an interview in the hotel, and also an autograph session organized by WWW(Shibuya).
Tokio Hotel who are rarely late for appointments, arrived in the interview room a little after 11. All who were in the room including me, couldn’t help staring at Bill…Was it a new variation of the Mohican? Is that a light bulb? What?! (Bill later explained that they are vacuum tube amplifiers used with guitar amplifiers)It’s kind of difficult to describe in words so check out the photos for yourself! I also had the opportunity to go to lunch with the security officers. I think its probably Bill who ordered the pasta in tomato cream sauce. As it wasn’t on the menu, I figured they actually have it specially made for him.
In order for us (writer and the German staff) to secure the area (where the signing session is held), we have to come up with a plan to ensure that the cars carrying the Tokio Hotel members could reach the location. Just as they got out of their car, a whole bunch of what looked like Tokio Hotel fans gathered around. There was some panic and chaos as the 3 Audi cars carrying Tokio Hotel arrived on site. The security personnel escorted Bill and Tom into the signing area first. Georg and Gustav who had arrived earlier were completely surrounded by fans, so we had to find a way through to the crowd to get inside.
In the waiting room/green room at the signing location, a bar like those you see at launch parties was prepared for them. The head of the German staff had to order a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato in time for their arrival.
At 6 pm, the winners1 who had gathered at the signing location were making their way inside. In half an hour, the whole place was packed with fans. The signing session started 10 minutes after schedule. The atmosphere further intensified as Tokio Hotel came on stage to the screams of many fans, especially when they saw Bill with his new “Mohican”2. Despite the short time allotted for this signing session, they were able to receive several presents and greetings directly from their fans. As for the total tally of the presents, there were some very interesting results. In first place with the most number of presents is Bill, which goes without saying. Somehow Georg came in at 2nd place, followed by Gustav in 3rd place (who is quite popular in this country) and lastly, Tom. With this second visit to Japan, it is becoming clear that the GG combination3 has a strong and passionate following.
1 Only winners of some contest(unspecified) were allowed entry in the autograph session.
2 For clarity, it does not mean that the fans reacted that way because of his hairstyle, but rather the fact that he finally appeared on stage.
3 Refers to Georg and Gustav.
The situation when making their way back to the hotel is the same as when they were arriving at the signing location. They were escorted by security to their cars and the cars took off right away. The huge crowd that gathered around the Spain-zaka street1 probably included those who didn’t get a chance to participate in the signing session. (Some portion unreadable) With cameras flashing, they screamed out their names “Bill! Tom! Geo! Gu san!”. 2
1 There is a street in Shibuya called Spain-zaka. Probably near where the signing session took place.
2 They seem to have come up with shortened names for Georg and Gustav. More detailed explanation later.
Back at the hotel, there was a meet and greet and some photo-taking with some VIPs, marking the end of a long, long day. All that’s left is just one more day!
About GG combination’s shortened names
The Japanese have a habit of shortening long words, hence they have shortened Georg’s name to “Geo” (pronounced Gae-oh in Japanese) and “Gu san” as a short form for Gustav . San is a salutation like Mr, Mrs, Miss etc. In Japanese san does not refer to a specific gender and is used for both male and female.
Why is it shortened? Well Georg’s and Gustav’s name when said the German way is only 2 syllables long. In Japanese, their names would be pronounced in the Japanese phonetic system, which would make 4 syllables, ゲオルグ(Ge-oh-ru-gu). And Gustav’s name in Japanese phonetics would be グスタフ(Gu-su-ta-fu). It’s a bit difficult to scream 4 syllables in the heat of the moment.
Similarly, when referring to both Georg and Gustav, they shortened it to GG combi. Shortening names may or may not be regarded as a nickname so I would refrain from saying that these are Georg and Gustav’s nicknames.
11 Feb (Fri)
Ice-skating Challenge 2
Finally, we’ve come to the last day of promotions from Tokio Hotel. Although the company was closed today as it’s a national holiday1, we used the Artiste Room from noon for interviews. (Unreadable portion, something about sitting in the Audi on the way to the office), we received a phone call. I wonder if everyone has noticed? It’s a request for Starbucks. It’s necessary to enable one to work happily. (I’m cutting the paragraph here because it’s getting too long)
1 11th Feb is a national holiday. Based on the earliest Japanese history records, the first Japanese emperor was crowned on this day in the year 660 BC.
I now begin to tackle the assignment that I received from the head of German staff. That is fulfilling Tokio Hotel’s dream of ice-skating after work today. After confirmation with the sales department of the local skating rink, I found out that they close at 6pm today because of the national holiday. However, as their work schedule stretches to 8pm, it looks like this is out of the question. I don’t care how much it costs, is there a rink that would accommodate us? Is there a rink that would stay open for Tokio Hotel? As my search was futile, I made a suggestion to the head of German staff to ask the hotel concierge to look into this matter. So we did, and in a short while, they found us a skating rink in the vicinity that would specially accommodate Tokio Hotel and let them use the rink for 30 mins. It seems this (30 mins) is all they can handle due to the weather conditions that affect the surface of the ice. As the head of German staff was also looking for a skating rink, it was only after he/she said “it’s alright” and informed Tokio Hotel that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
At 1845, we headed out to the location of the last promotional activity. It’s a live broadcast at the Nico Nico studio. This is a first time a Western music artiste is making an appearance in this studio. At 1930, the live broadcast from the studio started. It was obvious that the Japanese Tokio Hotel fans were watching but lots of fans from around the world also had access and it was so interesting to see their messages in different languages popping up on the monitor. For the 50 very lucky fans, it was a very precious experience. Especially with Tom’s mischievous behaviour and Bill’s silver outfit which was very stylish and cool. Interacting with their fans on the telephone and internet, the Tokio Hotel members seemed to enjoy themselves very much.
After this, Tokio Hotel and their staff got into the Audis and headed for the skating rink. In fact, it is actually located at the place where they held their December showcase, and from what I understand, the very same rink that Tom spoke of when he saw it from their hotel window. There was a look of surprise on my face as I guessed that the rink must be at the top of the building. I was also invited to skate with them, but I politely declined to participate in what would have been a visual feast. I’m sure all you fans are wondering who’s the best skater among them. Aren’t you? The best was Georg, second is Tom, in third place is Bill. And the last to come from the rink*, trailing behind by a few minutes is Gustav. Bill was holding the hands of one of the staff as he skated and all of them (excluding Gustav) played a game of tag on ice (some unreadable portion). Although we had exclusive use of the rink for 30 mins, it seems 10 mins was more than enough to satisfy them.
*No idea what the writer is referring to. They might be having a speed contest?
Photo caption: Bill putting on his skates in the locker room.
With this, my work schedule for the day with Tokio Hotel comes to an end. This time I was invited by Tokio Hotel for a meal, so I was able to find out for the first time what kind of food they have been eating. Georg and Gustav who are meat-eaters like me had beef steaks with mashed potatoes, Tom had a vegetarian sandwich and fries, Bill wanted “seafood mix” and he was presented with what looked like the tomato cream pasta that was frequently requested for lunch. For drinks, Bill had white wine, Georg and Gustav had a diet Cola, and Tom had a Cola. I came to the realization that even after work, Tom loves to bully/tease Georg, and that all four of them are on very good terms with each other.
It seems that towards the end of the meal, to quote the words of the head of German staff, Georg said that he would like to come to Japan again in April*. It seems that up to this point Tokio Hotel had never said things like that, and this seems to convey how much they love Japan. (Note: There is no plan to come to Japan in April)
*Please note that they said this before the earthquake and tsunami happened.
At the bar, we had a toast to celebrate the successful promotion campaign. After which, GG combi who were scheduled for an early return the following day went back to their rooms. Bill and Tom went back to their rooms at the same time that we were about to leave.
12 Feb (Sat)
Thanking the fans
The GG team1 left Japan on the morning flight for Germany without any disruptions. AT 3pm, the head of German staff and I left the hotel for the airport to arrange for their check-in beforehand. We arrived at the airport shortly after 4pm. We saw many fans who had lined up in 2 rows in a very impressive manner2, so I had to determine with the airport staff on how to arrange for their check in. As I spoke with the fans and the security officers, I decided that to give Bill and Tom a beautiful send off that would cause the least trouble to the airport and the guys. Just before Bill and Tom arrived, the fans were lined up in one line from the airport’s entrance(inside the building). It was a miraculous sight to behold as the fans expressed their gratitude to Bill and Tom while they made their way to the check-in counter which was some distance away. I think it is because the fans want to maintain their special connection with Tokio Hotel3. I too, would like to say my thanks to the fans.
1 A variation on GG combi.
2 Impressive in the sense that there were probably lots of them and it would have made it very difficult for Bill and Tom to get to their flight.
3 The director felt that because they wanted this special connection with Tokio Hotel, they agreed to follow his exit plan to line up in one row.
Other comments: There are unreadable portions which I couldn’t decipher so if anyone is able to contribute, please do so. I can safely say the unreadable portions aren’t really that crucial as I have captured most of the article in the above translation. After reading the whole article, I’m still not able to identify who this director is and which company he works for. The article here is also the second part of his account of his experience with Tokio Hotel. Hence there must be a first part somewhere which I haven’t read or seen (as of 24 April).
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