Each concert tour will have different goods, so I can’t say for sure what the concert you are going to will have. However, usually a few days before the first concert, Johnny’s net will have the goods list up. You can check on Yahoo Auctions! after the first show/shows to see if they have pictures of any the goods up. Johnny's Net now puts up some pictures of the goods so you can check there to see some samples.
Typical goods include (but they may not always be there): pamphlet, a penlight (of some kind), shopping bag, pictures (original a.k.a. studio, and if it isn’t one of the first dates, live), uchiwas, T-shirts and posters. Other goods range from towels (bath and face sized), jewelry, keitai straps, books, badges, and toys. But each group will have different kinds of goods, so never expect the same kind of thing.
A note on pictures - the picture sets at concerts usually contain only 4 pictures, and there is usually only one set per boy (a live and an original). Occasionally they will not have group live sets at the concert. Some tours have multiple sets as the tour progresses (for example the Kanjani8 47-prefecture tour). The JE store will have more pictures (both original and live) that you can purchase. Often the JE store will not have the pictures they sold at the concerts.
Getting goods differs on venue, time in the tour, and really random things. Sometimes the goods line isn’t bad, sometimes it is horrible. Generally, if it is early on in the tour, the line will be bad. If it is for a dome concert, the line will be bad.
Many people will line up for hours before the goods line actually opens (that time is announced on Johnny’s net along with the information about the tour. Don't expect the time to be added until 1-2 days before the concert though).
Speaking from personal experience, this may not always be necessary, but you never can tell. For some concerts (such as SMAP), you almost need to. For others, you may wait for four hours at the beginning, and someone might come much later and only wait thirty minutes. Often, if you can go while the concert is going on, getting the goods is easier since most of the fans are inside the venue for the concert. This is not always possible though, so do not count on it.
Sometimes you can purchase goods inside the venue, but you may miss the show if you do this as well. It depends on the venue.
For musicals and plays, the goods line is usually inside the venue and you need a ticket to get inside. For other concerts, especially arenas and domes, the goods are often outside and anyone can join the line.
Also note that goods frequently sell out. Popular items will go first. Sometimes they are restocked later in the tour, sometimes they are not. Sometimes they will be available in the Johnny's store, sometimes not. In the past, they used to sell some goods on JWeb, but they haven't done that recently.
The goods line itself isn’t really that confusing. You will wait in line, and then get to the goods area. Typically, the goods area is broken down into sections, with different registers open for each section. The best way to tell is to look up above where you are standing and they will have pictures of what is being sold at that station. If there are not pictures above the sections then all of the goods can be purchased in one line (this seems to be a recent trend, at least for some arenas).
Generally you can buy the shopping bag at every station, and the pamphlet is usually at a few places as well. When you go to buy your goods, some places will have a picture of the goods so you can just point, other places you will need to say what you want. You will always need to say how many. I tend to hold up the number of fingers when I say it just so there is no confusion. Note that as a general rule there is a limit of five of any one good per person, although that can be different. If an item is really popular they will limit it to something else (that will be marked or they will simply tell you when you go to buy the goods). If they do limit the item it is usually between 1-3 of any kind.
Sometimes while waiting in the goods line the staff may hand you a sheet with the goods being sold. They will have pictures of the goods, along with the prices. Also, many places are now using scanners to ring up the goods, which means that you will get a receipt (and it eliminates the need for the people to count and use calculators). This is a welcome addition if you are buying many items, but not so welcome if you only want one thing. Note - this is not true of every venue.
Also, make sure to say the artist’s full last name, not their nickname. Many times the people working in the goods lines are not fans. For example, do not call NEWS's Yamapi by that name, call him Yamashita, or use his full name. The two exceptions would be SMAP (I am sure they know the names of the SMAP members, but you never know) and KinKi Kids (because you need to say which Domoto you want – Tsuyoshi or Koichi).
Sometimes they will sell the concert goods in the JE store. You can also buy from
Yahoo Auctions!, or other similar auction sites, although the majority of the sellers will only ship to Japanese addresses.
last updated February 7, 2011
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