FACE in Japan

I think all of us have heard of that pending lawsuit filed against KeyEast by the Tohgashi corporation. I am not qualified to discuss anything about this matter. I happened to attend FACE in Japan while I was visiting here this past summer, so I'd like to share my impression here. As you know, Hallyu Expo was held in Jeju from Nov 29, 2006 to March 10, 2007. Yong Joon was the publicity ambassador for this event and took part in the opening ceremony. You still remember all the excitement when those kind sisters who were present in Jeju released his photos and video almost instantaneously to the rest of the Bae world?

I felt very lucky when I heard about FACE in Japan, which happened to coincide with the schedule of my Tokyo visit. I was even more ecstatic when I learned that Ryu Si Won was the publicity ambassador for this event. As you can see even back at its July 9 advanced ticket sale date, neither BYJ, BOF nor KeyEast's names were on the announcement.

Even for the main performance event on August 14/15, none of the stars like BYJ, SSH or KSW that Tohgashi mentioned in its allegation was mentioned in the advertisement. Frankly, I don't think BYJ fans expect him to appear in FACE because we all know he was in the midst of intense shooting for TWSSG.

Even though the timing was perfect and the opportunity seemed to present itself, and as much as I love to see RSW in person, I refrained from doing that. First, I really didn't expect Japan to be this hot in the summer, the city was baked in sweltering 40 degrees heat. Second, the thought of standing alone in the middle of 5000 screaming fans, not understanding what's going on was a big discouragement. So I opted to go the next day, fully expecting another big crowd but at least no one would be screaming.

Ha interesting, Prism Hall in Tokyo Dome was so quiet (and cool) that you could hear the drop of a pin. No line up, no crowds, worst, no patrons! The entire exhibition hall was very dark, the only light source was the illumination of the pictures and its reflection from the gleaming floor. The entrance was set up like a time tunnel with violet blue lights radiated from the transparent glass floor, on either side hung the huge pictures of BYJ on the right, RSW on the left.


Looking straight there were drooling pictures of some of the biggest Korean male stars. Miahnae-yo, I am not very knowledgeable about other stars. I only recognize So Ji Sub and Lee Dong Gun and hey, of course our HRH :)

Turning into the main exhibition ground, you can see the 2 faces of Hallyu Expo : BYJ and RSW. Imagine how I felt when I saw my 2 favourite stars being honoured side by side?

Well, someone must have spotted how awkward and clumsy I was holding my bag, eyeglasses, multiple copies of whatever flyers that have BYJ's pictures on it (hehe, for sisters around the world who can’t make it here) and at the same time trying to position my camera to take a decent picture. A young lady came up to me and introduced herself as a guide for FACE. She asked me what language I speak and offered to take me around the exhibition. She told me she is a Korean student in Japan and can speak Mandarin. Now sisters, I don't really speak Mandarin, but when you are desperate enough, you'll try your darndest, right? Hehe, so Miss Korean and I merrily started off our broken Manglish (Mandarin + English) tour.

I asked her about yesterday’s opening ceremony, she told me RSW is very handsome and courteous, but she likes Se7en, ha, a definite generation gap here! We also laughed about why all the displays were male stars, except Ha Ji Won. My Korean guide is so patient and sweet, especially knowing that I am a BYJ fan, she took pictures of me in front of all the BYJ drama sets - April Snow, Winter Sonata and Hotelier. Sorry sis, I wasn't a blogger then so I had pictures of myself in most of the pictures, I know better now to just take the pictures - san moi :)


Hehe, it was a dream come true to actually touch MinHyung's long camel coat - so soft, so big. No chinggu, I didn't sniff it, kiss it or flip it open to check out his size, but I did notice the green suede jacket that Insu wore in April Snow is a Gucci because the name spells all over the buttons. Hehe, soft as butter, I mean the suede :)

This is the handprint that he left at the Hallyu Expo, together with the gloves and scissors that he used to cut the ribbons.

There was a souvenir section at the end and only portraits of BYJ were displayed. They were for sale ranging from 21,000 – 84,000 yen.

This ‘glow in the dark’ one sells for a whopping 840,000 yen! @@

Even though the hall was spacious and there were plenty of staffs tending to the patrons, the exhibition itself was relatively small scale. It took me less than an hour to finish everything - of course, I only went for the BYJ ones. For someone who didn’t have much real-life BYJ exposure, I was more than satisfied with what I had experienced. I thanked my Korean guide for making my visit so pleasurable.

We have no doubt about the drawing power of BYJ, he can make or break an event with his presence. For a fan knowing his genuine attitude and prudent management towards his career, we trust that he will not promise such engagement that he cannot fulfill. I hope he knows that his fans fully support him and this lawsuit will be settled in a fair and timely manner.