I first saw Kamijo in Barcelona in 2018. The reason for that was that tickets came through around my birthday and neither them nor the upgrades were expensive, it was easy to get there, and I thought I would support a V-kei artist in the country. I was not expecting to like him as much as I did – it probably had to do with the brief interaction we had when he “sang” to me. The next year, I joined the fanclub and attended two shows of the Persona Grata Japan tour with a fanclub ticket. Then Covid struck and I just let membership lapse, because there was little disposable income and even less chances to make anything out of it.

At the end of 2023, Kamijo announced a new Europe tour, and I weighed out France or England. I decided on London due to easier language, worry about the Olympics creating issues – price gauging, controllers’ strikes – and because the French fandom can be too intense for me. In February, I rejoined the fanclub with a cheaper “four-month web membership” so I was able to access the pre-sales on the 19th. I managed to buy a “VVIP” ticket, which included first priority entrance, a meet & greet, a solo photo and a signed poster for 152 €.

I checked for planes and accommodation. Flights were okay, but hotels were stupidly expensive. In the end, I could not find anything reasonable in my usual areas, so I decided to just book two nights at the closest hotel I found near the venue. It was still stupidly expensive, but I thought it would be convenient. When I had time, I checked for stuff to do, bought a few tickets, and just a couple of days before leaving, I had a credit-card scare. Because what would a trip be without a hiccup? But I needed a mental break, and this long weekend was it…

Thus, I was off to London.