Tour of Secret
Encyclopedia
Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret is the first Asia-wide and ninth overall concert tour held by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki
, in support of her album Secret
. The tour started March 10, 2007, and ended in mid June of the same year, with legs not only in Japan but in other Asian countries as well, making it Hamasaki's first concert tour with non-domestic stops.
2006 a-nation '06 concert, Hamasaki announced that she was planning a concert tour that would include stops in other Asian countries; moreover, it was likely to take place within the following two years. By December of that year, Hamasaki announced in a CNN
interview that it was ascertained that her first tour of Asia would take place in 2007.
It contains "exceptionally rare footage" never seen in past tour DVDs and VCDs that filmed only the final concerts. It included moments such as the wild reception of Ayumi's Asian fans, and songs performed at only a few stops during the tour ("Memorial address," "JEWEL," "momentum," and "flower garden").
Viewers who bought the DVD would be able to either watch the concert through with the documentary footage in-between or watch the concert first and then the documentaries after. Additionally, the DVD came packed in a special sleeve design as did the VCD.
Her concert itself also caused a huge stir in the media and fans. Various shops and stores throughout Taiwan
decorated their stores with Ayumi-themed posters and signs. The media had a field day with Ayumi's concert; interviewing fans on the street, covering all unfolding events, and even filming the concert hall with helicopter shots. The show itself was the same as in Japan
. During the encore, Hamasaki spoke primarily English
with Mandarin and Japanese
phrases in the conversation. She even sang a chorus of the finale "Who..." in Mandarin. It was even reported that Taiwanese mega-star Jolin Tsai
as well as other Taiwanese superstars had attended the performance.
Ayumi had a promotional press conference in Taiwan. She stated how much she loved Taiwan, and that she felt bad that she could only perform there once during her Asia tour. Upon hearing the news of how quickly tickets sold out in Taiwan, she stated that in the next Asia tour, she would like to perform in Taiwan seven times.
fans and media comparably to her arrival in Taiwan. However, security measures were taken up a notch since her last stop; upon exiting the plane in Hong Kong's airport, Hamasaki's bodyguards reportedly knocked over a news reporter for touching her. Despite the extra security efforts, Ayumi appeared overjoyed to see her fans and media who had come to celebrate her arrival.
Soon afterwords, Hamasaki allegedly spent HK$500,000 (roughly $64,000 US) in thirty minutes while shopping at boutiques and shops throughout Hong Kong. When asked by a reporter how many shoes she bought, she replied "Not too many, only 20 to 30 this day." After buying shoes, she spent three hours eating local Hong Kong delicacies and snacks at Tsim Sha Tsui. Reporters noted that she had tried a little of everything. She arrived at her hotel at 10pm.
During her second day in Hong Kong, Hamasaki spent most of the day resting at her hotel. At approximately 5pm she headed to the Hong Kong Coliseum
to assess the venue. She stopped and interacted with fans on her way. Hamasaki persisted on signing autographs despite her staff urging her to leave; thus she kept signing autographs as she walked.
Before the Hong Kong performance, a flyer was passed out to clarify Ayumi's 9th year anniversary which had passed only 3 days prior. The flyer urged the audience to sing the first 3 lines of Hamasaki's first song, Poker Face, before the encore.
, Hamasaki launched a press conference with Avex China promoting the tour along with A Best 2
, her newest album set. She wore a qipao
to the event. During her encore in the Shanghai concert, she told fans that she went to the Jade Buddha Temple
(Yufosi) early after her arrival in the city to pray for a successful concert and for Asian unity.
and Beijing
. According to the Singaporean news, no label there can afford Hamasaki to perform. Avex's CEO has also said on his blog that since Beijing is reconstructing their stadium for 2008 Olympic games, no venue is available for a stop.
According to a press conference in Taiwan, Hamasaki apologized for only having one concert in there. She stated that she hopes to have a week's worth of concerts in Taiwan next time.
Note: The total attendee number is smaller than the venue capacities because of the large amount of space the elaborate stage took up. All venues were in fact sold out
and the most famous female singer in Japan, Ayumi Hamasaki
, has been made, and was first seen when the Tour of Secret goods became available on mu-mo on March 9, 2007. It is said they together "will make a new character". Ayumi is assumed to be depicted by her popular 'ayupan'. ("Ayu-Pan" is short for "Ayumi Panda".) In which she has large eyes that are said to make her resemble a panda
. Ayumi, as the 'ayupan', is seen wearing the same clothes as Hello Kitty, overalls, with a bow on their heads. So far, we have seen a Mirror, and an ayupan of the Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty franchise. All other information on the Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty project between Sanrio
and Avex is currently unknown. It is also unknown whether Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty will be released outside of Asia. This information was officially revealed on March 10, 2007 and came with a generally positive reaction from fans around the world.
Hamasaki released a statement on her official website about the new character:
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
, in support of her album Secret
Secret (Ayumi Hamasaki album)
Secret is the eighth studio album by Japanese pop singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released by Avex Trax on November 29, 2006 in Japan. Hamasaki herself wrote all of the album's lyrics...
. The tour started March 10, 2007, and ended in mid June of the same year, with legs not only in Japan but in other Asian countries as well, making it Hamasaki's first concert tour with non-domestic stops.
History
Although Hamasaki had performed outside of Japan prior to Tour of Secret, up until then, all of her concert tours included only domestic stops. However, during Avex'sAvex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
2006 a-nation '06 concert, Hamasaki announced that she was planning a concert tour that would include stops in other Asian countries; moreover, it was likely to take place within the following two years. By December of that year, Hamasaki announced in a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
interview that it was ascertained that her first tour of Asia would take place in 2007.
DVD & VCD Information
The DVD was released on March 12 in Japan, March 21 in Taiwan, and March 25 in Hong Kong. The VCD was released on March 28 in Hong Kong. It featured 120 minutes of live footage, including encores. Both the VCD and the DVD included a tour documentary spanning the time from her first rehearsals for the tour up through the final show—condensing 150 days worth of tour into nearly three and a half hours worth of road movie footage.It contains "exceptionally rare footage" never seen in past tour DVDs and VCDs that filmed only the final concerts. It included moments such as the wild reception of Ayumi's Asian fans, and songs performed at only a few stops during the tour ("Memorial address," "JEWEL," "momentum," and "flower garden").
Viewers who bought the DVD would be able to either watch the concert through with the documentary footage in-between or watch the concert first and then the documentaries after. Additionally, the DVD came packed in a special sleeve design as did the VCD.
Disc 1
(Documentary-1)- Labyrinth
- Evolution
- Unite!
- (Documentary-2)
- Taskinst
- 1 Love
- Until That Day...
- (Documentary-3)
- M
- Appears
- (Documentary-4)
- Part of Me
- Secret
- (Documentary-5)
- Kiss o' Kill
- (Documentary-6)
- Not Yet
- Surreal
Disc 2
(Documentary-7)- Audience
- Boys & Girls
- (Documentary-8)
- Seasons
- (Documentary-9)
- Glitter
- (Documentary-10)
- Independent
- Humming 7/4
- (Documentary-11)
- Who...
Charts
Oricon Overall Sales Chart (Japan)| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Debut Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2008 | Oricon Daily Charts | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Charts | 2 | 46,512 | 76,225 | 18 weeks | |
| Oricon Monthly Charts | 2 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Charts |
Stop in Taipei
Upon Ayumi's arrival in Taiwan, thousands gathered in Taipei's international airport to get a glimpse of her on their own soil for the first time in five years. Hamasaki's arrival caused a large media frenzy. Although she had just travelled a long international flight, Hamasaki actually seemed more than delighted to be swarmed by fans and the media alike; constantly waving to fans and smiling for the cameras, all the while being surrounded by numerous bodyguards.Her concert itself also caused a huge stir in the media and fans. Various shops and stores throughout Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
decorated their stores with Ayumi-themed posters and signs. The media had a field day with Ayumi's concert; interviewing fans on the street, covering all unfolding events, and even filming the concert hall with helicopter shots. The show itself was the same as in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. During the encore, Hamasaki spoke primarily English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with Mandarin and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
phrases in the conversation. She even sang a chorus of the finale "Who..." in Mandarin. It was even reported that Taiwanese mega-star Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd .-Career:...
as well as other Taiwanese superstars had attended the performance.
Ayumi had a promotional press conference in Taiwan. She stated how much she loved Taiwan, and that she felt bad that she could only perform there once during her Asia tour. Upon hearing the news of how quickly tickets sold out in Taiwan, she stated that in the next Asia tour, she would like to perform in Taiwan seven times.
Stop in Hong Kong
After her successful stop in Taiwan, Hamasaki set off for Hong Kong where she arrived on April 3. Once again she was received by Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
fans and media comparably to her arrival in Taiwan. However, security measures were taken up a notch since her last stop; upon exiting the plane in Hong Kong's airport, Hamasaki's bodyguards reportedly knocked over a news reporter for touching her. Despite the extra security efforts, Ayumi appeared overjoyed to see her fans and media who had come to celebrate her arrival.
Soon afterwords, Hamasaki allegedly spent HK$500,000 (roughly $64,000 US) in thirty minutes while shopping at boutiques and shops throughout Hong Kong. When asked by a reporter how many shoes she bought, she replied "Not too many, only 20 to 30 this day." After buying shoes, she spent three hours eating local Hong Kong delicacies and snacks at Tsim Sha Tsui. Reporters noted that she had tried a little of everything. She arrived at her hotel at 10pm.
During her second day in Hong Kong, Hamasaki spent most of the day resting at her hotel. At approximately 5pm she headed to the Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 April 1983....
to assess the venue. She stopped and interacted with fans on her way. Hamasaki persisted on signing autographs despite her staff urging her to leave; thus she kept signing autographs as she walked.
Before the Hong Kong performance, a flyer was passed out to clarify Ayumi's 9th year anniversary which had passed only 3 days prior. The flyer urged the audience to sing the first 3 lines of Hamasaki's first song, Poker Face, before the encore.
Stop in Shanghai
Upon her arrival in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Hamasaki launched a press conference with Avex China promoting the tour along with A Best 2
A Best 2
A Best 2 is a series of greatest hits compilation albums recorded by Ayumi Hamasaki which were released simultaneously on . A Best 2: Black debuted at #1 in Japan on its first day and took #2 in the weekly chart as well as in several countries throughout Asia. It was ranked #4 on CDJapan's Top 100...
, her newest album set. She wore a qipao
Qipao
The cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women; the male version is the changshan. It is known in Mandarin Chinese as the qípáo Wade-Giles ch'i-p'ao, and is also known in English as a mandarin gown...
to the event. During her encore in the Shanghai concert, she told fans that she went to the Jade Buddha Temple
Jade Buddha Temple
The Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai, China. As with many modern Chinese Buddhist temples, the current temple draws from both the Pure Land and Chan traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. It was founded in 1882 with two jade Buddha statues imported to Shanghai from Burma by sea...
(Yufosi) early after her arrival in the city to pray for a successful concert and for Asian unity.
Singapore and Beijing
Hamasaki's label was unable to schedule tour dates for SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. According to the Singaporean news, no label there can afford Hamasaki to perform. Avex's CEO has also said on his blog that since Beijing is reconstructing their stadium for 2008 Olympic games, no venue is available for a stop.
Ticket Sales
As with most of Hamasaki's tours, most of the tickets were sold out within minutes. The tickets also sold surprisingly well in Asia. Tickets were sold out to the Taiwan concert in less than two hours.. Similarly, tickets were sold out in less than three hours in Hong Kong and within six hours in Shanghai. This left numerous fans begging organizers for an additional performance date.According to a press conference in Taiwan, Hamasaki apologized for only having one concert in there. She stated that she hopes to have a week's worth of concerts in Taiwan next time.
Tour dates
| Japan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | City | Venue | Venue Capacity | |
| March 10, 2007 | Saitama Saitama, Saitama ' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance... |
Saitama Super Arena Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings.This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and... |
15,000 | |
| March 11, 2007 | ||||
| May 9, 2007 | Yokohama Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu... |
Yokohama Arena Yokohama Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama... |
17,000 | |
| May 10, 2007 | ||||
| May 19, 2007 | ||||
| May 22, 2007 | Nagoya | Nagoya Rainbow Hall Nagoya Rainbow Hall is an indoor sports arena, located in Nagoya, Japan. From April 1, 2007, its name was changed to Nippon Gaishi Hall, to reflect the sponsorship of the NGK Insulators. The capacity of the arena is 10,000 people.... |
10,000 | |
| May 23, 2007 | ||||
| May 26, 2007 | Yokohama Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu... |
Yokohama Arena Yokohama Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama... |
17,000 | |
| May 27, 2007 | ||||
| May 30, 2007 | Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... |
Osaka-Jo Hall Osaka-jo Hall , or Osaka Castle Hall, is a multi-purpose arena, in the Kyōbashi area, of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people... |
16,000 | |
| May 31, 2007 | ||||
| June 9, 2007 | Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... |
Marine Messe Fukuoka Marine Messe Fukuoka The Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan. is a collection of three separate buildings operated by the Fukuoka Convention Center Foundation.-Fukuoka Kokusai Center:... |
8,500 | |
| June 10, 2007 | ||||
| Hong Kong | ||||
| Date | City | Venue | Venue Capacity | |
| April 7, 2007 | Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
Hong Kong Coliseum Hong Kong Coliseum Hong Kong Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 April 1983.... |
12,500 | |
| Taiwan | ||||
| Date | City | Venue | Venue Capacity | |
| March 24, 2007 | Taipei Taipei Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean... |
Taipei Arena Taipei Arena Taipei Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Taipei, Taiwan. Built in 2005, the large multi-purpose stadium can accommodate major international sport events such as ice skating, ice hockey, gymnastics, handball, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, indoor soccer, boxing, judo,... |
15,082 | |
| China | ||||
| Date | City | Venue | Venue Capacity | |
| April 22, 2007 | Shanghai Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010... |
Shanghai Grand Stage | ||
| TOTALS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Dates | Total Venue Capacity | Total Attendees |
| 16 | 207,582+ | 185,000+ |
Note: The total attendee number is smaller than the venue capacities because of the large amount of space the elaborate stage took up. All venues were in fact sold out
Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty
A merging of Hello KittyHello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
and the most famous female singer in Japan, Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
, has been made, and was first seen when the Tour of Secret goods became available on mu-mo on March 9, 2007. It is said they together "will make a new character". Ayumi is assumed to be depicted by her popular 'ayupan'. ("Ayu-Pan" is short for "Ayumi Panda".) In which she has large eyes that are said to make her resemble a panda
Panda
Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...
. Ayumi, as the 'ayupan', is seen wearing the same clothes as Hello Kitty, overalls, with a bow on their heads. So far, we have seen a Mirror, and an ayupan of the Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty franchise. All other information on the Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty project between Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
and Avex is currently unknown. It is also unknown whether Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty will be released outside of Asia. This information was officially revealed on March 10, 2007 and came with a generally positive reaction from fans around the world.
Hamasaki released a statement on her official website about the new character: