Himari and Momo Sakura: A Fan Meet Double Feature

Our story begins… well, it’s actually a bit difficult to put a precise date on its beginning, but let’s say it begins with the announcement from another writer of ours, oplove, telling me that he would be in Tokyo on the 25th of May, and asking if it would be possible for us to meet up. As it so happened, an Ichika Matsumoto event in Akihabara was announced on that date around the same time oplove made this announcement. So, upon learning of it I resolved to pick up tickets to it on the same day I went to Rizu Suzuki’s hanami event.

As you know, things got a bit complicated for me with that event, and while things all worked out in the end, when I came to the store that was selling tickets to the Ichika event, I discovered to my horror that they were all sold out. But thankfully, while getting tickets to the Hazuki Wakamiya event during this same Akihabara trip, I discovered that there was an actress named Himari, who would be having her debut event at the same Alibaba store on the same date as Ichika. So when I went to the Hazuki event, I could snag tickets to Himari’s event, meet up successfully with oplove, and also write an event article for the big boss man to earn my keep and train fare.

Of course, when the day of Hazuki’s event came, things got a bit complicated then as well. When I snagged a DVD to purchase (for this event, instead of more DVDs getting you more benefits at the event, the first 40 tickets would get to have their holders’ picture taken with Himari and all that fun stuff, while the rest of us would have to contend with merely being in her presence) I asked the clerk at the register if I was within the 40-DVD window. He didn’t seem to understand the question, and standoffishly asked if I wanted to buy the DVD or not. I tried explaining myself again, but nothing was getting through to him, and I could see he was growing more impatient with me, so finally, not wanting trouble, I simply bought the DVD and left the man in peace. Perhaps this was the same man my pal Friendpatine encountered way back when in my failed attempt at meeting Mao Hamasaki?

I don’t know, but what I do know is that after putting my things by the entryway to the event room, and hearing Hazuki’s voice chatting with the event organizers, I couldn’t find a ticket in my bag! Your man at the register had failed to even give me the ticket I had just bought, and I had to go back to the register to ask for it, which resulted in his complaining that I hadn’t made myself clearer. I’m still baffled by this, but I was getting tired of dealing with this dude, so when I finally got the ticket and put it in my bag I went back to the entryway to relax before the event started.

It was a thoroughly unfun experience, but as the date of Himari’s event drew nearer, my apprehension began to grow, as I played the events of my ticket-purchasing over and over again in my mind. I’ve been to a fair number of JAV fan meet events at this point, and had enough experience in purchasing tickets that I was starting to worry that something had gone wrong, and that I needed a backup plan.

That was when a miracle happened.

By sheer, wonderful coincidence, whilst checking the AV Event site’s listing on Himari’s debut event, I discovered that there would be a Momo Sakura event on that same day at a later time. And while I couldn’t reserve tickets, I could deploy my pal Friendpatine to get tickets for me. Given how he’d been burned by that clerk at Alibaba, Friendpatine was reluctant to try and possibly get burned again. But with my assurances that I would reimburse him for any ticket costs regardless of whether the event worked out or not, I finally convinced Friendpatine to go down to the store and get me a ticket. I desperately, desperately wanted to attend a Momo Sakura event before I returned to the States.

Those of you who have read enough of my work know that while I love great tits and an amazing ass as much as the next guy, it takes a little more than that to really captivate me. I’m drawn most to women like old film starlets, the kind of stately, classy ladies that Madonna sang the praises of in her hit single “Vogue”. Momo Sakura is such a woman, having thoroughly earned her position in the latest Beauty Venus vid (a series that showcases the exact type of women I love most).

And while one could wax poetic about the charm points of the most popular porn performers out there, ultimately the appeal of most actresses boils down to a single, unique quality. In the case of Momo, I think that quality is the way that she pouts. I could go on and on about her raven hair contrasting her alabaster skin, her soulful, wide, wonderful eyes, or her charming smile that you see when she laughs out loud. But ultimately what makes her a venus of beauty is her pout. It isn’t simply with her lips, but her eyes, the tilt of her chin, the purr in her throat, the way she drapes her arms around her man, the way her whole body bends when she looks pitiably up at you. Momo has mastered the art of pouting, putting her whole body into it, and as any man can tell you, a well-placed pout can drive one to do many things. Whoever Momo’s boyfriends are, I’m sure they have no chance whenever she wants something. All she needs to do is pout, and no matter how outlandish her requests are, her partners’ only response can be “Sure thing, honey!”

Seriously, look at her.

To the surprise of both Friendpatine and myself, the event only allowed one ticket per person, with the clerk at this location being quite clear on the subject. So Friendpatine only got one ticket for me. But just one ticket was still enough to see Momo face to face, and that was enough for me. I figured even if things went wrong with Himari, getting a few pics of Momo would help give me enough material to get a good article. So as the 25th drew closer, I was feeling pretty good.

Of course, you all know me. You’ve all read enough of my work to know how these stories pan out. Something went wrong, didn’t it? Some act of God or force majeure striking me down just to make things difficult. A stomach bug. A cancellation. A sprained ankle. Something like that, right? And you’d be right. In this case the lightning bolt was a cold. I caught it the night of the 19th, and while I dutifully took my medicine and drank plenty of fluids, confident that through this I’d at least be well enough by Saturday, on the 20th I scalded my throat, and it got infected by all that mucus I was producing from my cold.

As such, by the time Friday rolled around, I was almost incapable of speech. I quickly went to the doctor’s that evening (God, that may be the thing I miss the most when I go back to the States, being able to just go to a doctor when you get sick, instead of having to tough things out), and received some meds for less than 10 USD (another thing I’ll miss most enviously). But even so, by the time I got up bright and early to head on down to Tokyo, I was barely able to speak.

I got to Akihabara an hour before Himari’s event started, and after snagging a not-at-all spicy curry made my way to the Alibaba store. It was just as it always was, and I hit my head on several promo posters as I tried desperately to squeeze through the narrow shelf spaces and take my position at the back of the line. I was still early, but luckily I’d a book to read while I waited (Jake Adelstein’s Tokyo Vice), and this time I wasn’t positioned right next to the big-ass tv that was playing the stupid Tenga rap.

I must confess, when I first bought tickets to Himari’s event, I didn’t actually know anything about her. And even after attending her event I don’t know that much about her. But I know that she’s quite popular amongst our writers and, I would hope, our readers. So I hope you all appreciate the pics I got with her. Also, even not knowing too much about Himari, this was a debut event. The very first time this actress would get to meet the general public in a face-to-face manner. I was curious to learn what special stuff they would do for those of us lucky enough to be here for the premiere.

Well, uh, unfortunately the answer to that question was “Not much”. Or at least, not much for me. As you might have guessed, my fears of the jerky clerk being a berk were well-founded, as my ticket only ended up being good for 10 seconds of picture-taking, not even being allowed a picture together with Himari. I did get a series of snapshots to take home with me, but didn’t even get Himari to sign them. 

However, lest this experience sour you in any way, I must stress that Himari herself was nothing but very sweet and very polite. It was the same sort of kind, professional behavior towards us paying customers that I have grown accustomed to in all my time going to JAV fan meet events, and it is a quality that I think will take Himari far in her journey to stardom. I still don’t know that much about Himari, but I do know that she’s got what it takes to go far in this industry, and I wish her nothing but the best.

As for that clerk though? He doesn’t deserve the ice cream I got for him and the other staff members. Yes, I’m still an ice cream boy. I forgot the ice cream for the last couple of events, but was determined to remember this time around, especially since the weather’s getting warmer, and so such cool, creamy confections might be more appreciated.

And that was that. The last Alibaba event I shall ever attend. Honestly, I can’t say I’ll miss going to that store. But I at least appreciate it giving me the chances I got to see Akihabara. I texted Friendpatine and told him I was done and ready to meet him in Akihabara Park, where he could drop off the Momo Sakura ticket and we could attempt chatting. And then after his confirmation, I sat down at the park and finished up Tokyo Vice.

When Friendpatine arrived my throat was still pretty shitty. We went to a cafe and got a nice drink for my throat, but after attempting to talk my coughs grew too loud and hacking, and we had to excuse ourselves, much to my embarrassment. We were at least able to confirm that the other was doing alright, save for my coughing problems, and after Friendpatine handed over my ticket, oplove texted me to let me know he was in Akihabara and free. I checked the clock and it was indeed the time oplove had told me he’d be free to meet up when we first hashed out the details of his trip on the 25th. Even in my sickly state, time had flown in the presence of a pal. And so when oplove showed up in Akihabara Park he found me with Friendpatine.

I confess, up until that point I was still a bit worried. Meeting up irl with someone you’ve only ever known online is always a gamble, and I wasn’t sure how well we’d get on once we were face to face. But as luck would have it, we caught on like a house on fire. Friendpatine still wasn’t that familiar with our line of work, but as we chatted about it and discussed particulars and brass tacks, Friendpatine seemed quite elated by the idea. Upon hearing that my return to America would leave ZENRA without a field reporter, Friendpatine volunteered himself, and was quite serious about it. I don’t know how much of a writer he is, but I confess, I’d feel more comfortable leaving Japan if I knew I was leaving my field reporter position to Friendpatine.

At this point, Friendpatine had to pick up his dog from the groomers, so oplove and I went to a Starbucks to get something for my throat, which had been run pretty ragged from our conversation. We talked, or, rather, oplove talked and I texted, and we had a wonderfully pleasant chat about life, love, and JAV. I must say I’m very glad I got to meet oplove face to face. If I’d had the use of my throat perhaps our conversation would have been even grander, but I am more than appreciative of what conversation I did manage to get with him. And when the clock struck four, both he and I left on good terms.

It was now time for me to go see Momo, and I really needed this to be a good event. I got there early, and unlike Alibaba, this event was not held in a neighborhood specifically for nerdier, naughtier venues, instead being further south across the Kanda River. And there were no special markers or signs to specify what portion of the tiny, triangular city block I was supposed to enter. If not for the fact that I went to go get some ice cream, and when I came back a small crowd had congregated outside one area of the building, I might not have noticed where I was supposed to go. But I’d been to enough events at this point to know what a crowd meant, so with a smile I took my place in line and waited for the doors to open.

We were standing outside a camera and phone shop, and on the balcony of the second floor above said shops I noticed two gentlemen staring down at us, almost surely the event organizers. My suspicions were confirmed when one of the gentlemen came down to check our tickets, during which time I handed him my business card, and a little while later he said the first batch of us could enter.

I was in the second batch, so after waiting a while longer I was let in, where I gave the ice cream to the staff and saw why each participant was only granted one ticket earlier. The first section we were allowed into was the entry area, wherein we would show our tickets, and, if we desired it, purchase extra activities to do with Momo. I paid for the 2 shot option to get my picture taken with Momo, and was given two more tickets, before we were shuffled off to the hallway on the left to stand in.

As we stood in the hallway, Momo’s voice could be heard entering the hallway to the right of the entryway, and I peeked into the room our hallway was leading towards to see the first batch of fans sitting in some fold-up chairs. Once Momo was settled in her area, the seated fans were slowly led out of the room allowing those of us in the second batch to take their vacated seats. It was a welcome relief.

I think of all the events I’ve been to, this was the one with the most hoops to jump through for its attendees, and the one with the most Prussian, clockwork efficiency to it. Not that I minded, mind you. But it reminded me that I was about to meet an A-list actress, and it worried me a bit that I wouldn’t be able to speak very much when I finally reached that moment.

After a while, we were led out of the room, back the way we’d come, and down the other hallway, where we could purchase some polaroid pics of Momo, and another ticket fellow would come to ask what activities we wanted. This is where my throat became an issue. When your man came up and asked me what I wanted, it went a little something like this.

“Okay. So you have two tickets, so you can do the 10 seconds of picture taking or the pic with Momo.”

“Yes, please.” Hoarsely. Barely audible, and followed by a cough.

“Okay, so which one do you want?”

“I…” Trying to speak. Unable to do much more than wheeze though.

“He wants to know which of them you want.” A kindly gent who spoke fluent English and looked eerily like me in thirty years’ time intervened, assuming I’d misunderstood. But I hadn’t, I simply couldn’t speak without a hacking cough. Thankfully I was fully masked, and the raspiness of my voice made it clear that I was having issues with my throat. But I was only able to confirm that I wanted both options after a great deal of effort on the part of my inflamed and infected larynx, and I wasn’t sure if my loud wheezing had come off as desperation or anger.

Whatever the case, the matter was sorted, and soon enough I was in the room where Momo was. A train could be heard passing directly over us as I saw her, and I confess my breath was truly taken away, and not just because breathing too hard made me start to cough. I don’t think I’m shattering any illusions when I mention that porn is touched up. Through the aid of makeup and after effects, the women we see on camera don’t necessarily look like that in real life. So I wasn’t surprised when I saw that Momo looked a bit different than she does in her films. What surprised me though was how, upon seeing all the little imperfections of her body in real life, I found myself even more attracted to her. Now she was real. A real, actual human being, right in front of me, rather than just a series of pleasant pixels on my computer screen.

Momo was masterful at her job. With each successive person making their way down the line, she was able to find something about them to discuss and compliment. She effortlessly knew just what to say to make the person she was talking to feel good. And to my surprise, when she ran into the fellow who looked like I hope to look like thirty years from now, I discovered that she speaks English! She’s not native level, but she knows a pretty decent amount, and she’s been studying it recently. The guy is a photographer and has been a regular to her events, and he complimented her on how much progress she’d made since the last time they’d met, before she noticed his arms and deftly drew attention to how much progress he’d made on them since the last time they’d met. Like I said, she always knew exactly what to say.

And then it was my turn, and things got… strange.

I want to preface this by saying that, in all the articles I have ever written for this website, I have always strived to give you all the truth and nothing but the truth. I may misremember all the exact details of a conversation, event, or interaction, but I have always recounted the basic gist of things as accurately and as properly as I could.

I mentioned Tokyo Vice earlier. Those of you who know of that book know that its author has come under fire for possibly exaggerating or embellishing events in the book. I don’t know enough about the situation to comment or pass judgment on it, but I hope that I have earned enough trust in you readers from my past field reports that you know I would never exaggerate or embellish things here.

I bring all this up because I’m still unsure of what exactly happened this day, when I finally got to meet Momo Sakura face to face. It still doesn’t quite feel real, and I fear that by putting it down in print I may come across like the sort of bragging blowhard we all grew up around who would insist that he totally fucked all the Hooters waitresses because he’s just that irresistible. I’m not irresistible. I’m not even that attractive, I know. And even if I was attractive by the standards of the small-town Americana that produced me, I know a woman of Momo’s caliber has her pick of the litter when it comes to men. There’s a reason I said boyfriends plural in my earlier descriptions of her, because I’m sure that if she wanted to, she could have both Shep and Kingsley.

So it was a genuine surprise when I walked up, apologized for my throat, and was greeted by Momo’s face lighting up and eyes widening at my height. Now, this is nothing new. Every actress I’ve encountered has been impressed by my height. But that’s the thing, they’ve been impressed. Their responses have all been along the lines of “Oh my!” or “So cool!” or “Jaysus! Yer a big, mean-lookin’ cunt, ain’tcha?”

Momo’s response was simply “Oh! W-wow… I… uh… wow!” She stammered at the sight of me, which baffled me, because here was a woman who I’d just seen effortlessly know what to say to everyone, now suddenly at a loss for words. She even had the coordinator pause his timer so that she could see my head reach the top of the archway that stood between me and where she was. And for her benefit I just… stood in the archway with my hair brushing up against the top as she gazed intently at me.

After I took my 10 seconds of photos, I got to get my picture taken with Momo. In the pre-pic chat beforehand though, neither of us did very much talking. I of course had my throat, and Momo continued to stammer, only being able to say “So… big! You’re just so… big!” while her eyes darted down to my chest which her hands were now petting. Even when she maintained eye contact with me, her hands didn’t stop stroking my chest, and I felt… well, about how you’d expect to feel when a beautiful woman is stroking your chest and staring at you with obvious interest and a loss for words in your presence.

We took the picture and said our farewells, and Momo said she was looking forward to seeing me at the next event. At least things ended like they normally did at these events. And I remembered myself as I walked out the door and said goodbye and thank you to the staff. Yet even so, I couldn’t shake that weird feeling I now had. I’ve been to a lot of fan meet events at this point, and met a lot of actresses. But none of them have ever looked at me the way Momo looked at me that day. I couldn’t explain it.

I’m not an idiot. I know in the rational part of my brain that Momo was simply being polite to me, the paying customer, in the way that actresses always are at these events. No waitress at Hooters ever sees a customer that makes them think “Whoa! He’s really hot!” And I know no actress I meet will ever want to go to bed with me. But this is still the only event I have ever been to where I have felt attractive, instead of merely impressive.

I know Momo wasn’t really attracted to me. Come on. I’m not Brad Pitt or Ryan Reynolds or whoever Shania Twain is using in her concerts now as the pinnacle of male attractiveness. But there’s a part of me that wants to believe that she was. Not so that I can brag about it to my friends. But because I was so nervous about being normal around Momo, given how breathtaking and high class she is, only for her to end up being the one stammering and at a loss for words around me. Even if she wasn’t into me, if she was attracted to me… me, just a small-town American fella who tries to go through the JAV world like Ted Lasso goes through the soccer world. Well, maybe when I go back to that small-town America, and I bring with me all the things I learned about eroticism and myself from my time here, maybe I could also bring a bit of confidence with me. Like, yes, maybe I will go up and say hi to that girl I see across the bar. If Momo Sakura thought I was attractive, maybe I’ve got a shot here too.

I will never see Momo Sakura again. I’ll never get a chance to know if I’m attractive to her.

But it’s a nice thought.

In the meantime, I’ve got to make the most of what time I have left in Japan. My plane ticket has been booked. My apartment and local town hall have started the paperwork for my departure. But hopefully when I do leave, I’ll leave Japan better than when I arrived.

P.S. If Jake Adelstein reads this site, maybe I can meet up with him the next time in Tokyo. Now that’d be awesome. Drop us a comment, let’s make this a thing!