On March 5th, AKB48 held their commemoration event for �Sakura no Ki ni Narou� at Saitama Super Arena.

They began their nationwide handshake event for this single on February 20th, which is scheduled to stop in 7 cities for 8 events. The Kantou region�s event was held at the Saitama Super Arena for two days, March 5th and 6th. For the first Kantou showcase, it was reported that approximately 22,500 fans were in attendance!

16 members participated in the stage event: Kojima Haruna, Sashihara Rino, Shinoda Mariko, Takajo Aki, Takahashi Minami, Maeda Atsuko, Itano Tomomi, Oshima Yuko, Minegishi Minami, Miyazawa Sae, Yokoyama Yui, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kitahara Rie, Watanabe Mayu, Oba Mina and Suzuki Shihori.

The event kicked off with a mini-live. The girls entered the venue while singing �Aitakatta�, and then continued on with �Ponytail to Shushu�, causing an electrifying�atmosphere�which made it feel like an Arena Live.

Oshima Yuko then excitedly announced that their latest single, �Sakura no Ki ni Narou�, had hit #1 on Oricon�s Weekly Chart and that it also sold 1 million copies. Maeda Atsuko expressed her thanks by stating, �I didn�t know that we had broke through 1 million. I�m so happy�.

Moving on, the girls played a fun game called, �Which AKB48 member is the most XX?�. When the girls are asked a question, they all point to the member who they feel best fits the answer.

For example, when they were asked, �Which member changes her character the most when she�s in front of a male staff member?� Takahashi Minami and Miyazawa Sae were tied with 6 votes each. Itano Tomomi explained, �Whenever these two are in front of guys, they all of a sudden start acting cute�. Takahashi Minami retorted, �I obviously have fun talking to the adult male staff, but I don�t plan on changing my character�. Miyazawa Sae also objected, �Even when I do my best to be cute, you guys always say I�m just cool�.

The final question was, "If a member was a guy, whose bride would you want to be?�. The votes were split, but Takahashi Minami won with 3 votes. It was also spotted that Takahashi Minami voted for Kojima Haruna and vice versa. The members called out, �It�s mutual love!�.

The girls wrapped up their 30-minute stage event by singing their new song �Sakura no Ki ni Narou�. Fans have been expressing that it was a sensational experience for them, and that they were looking forward to their new album, "Koko ni Ita Koto�.

Check out the photos from the event below!

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Source: natalie