Tutorial: How to participate to Hello! Shop Birthday Project

Every year and for every Hello! Project member, Hello Shop is organizes what's called a "Birthday Message Card" project (バースデーメッセージカード) : a project in which fans can send their fanletter/fanart to wish a happy birthday to their favorite members. Members are allowed to take pictures with every fanletters they received through this project and to post it on their official SNS. There's also a draw including every fan who participated : 5 among them will win a signed cheki with the member and the fanletter/fanart to thanks them. It's a cute project in which fans can be happy to see their fanletter/fanart next to their favorite members and win a personal signed cheki.

Foreign fans are also allowed to participate, even without being part of the fanclub. Here's a tutorial to explain how to participate.

Discalmer: I want to give a big thanks to eriponderfulworld's admin Nele for helping me by giving me the main informations to how participate! Also, the informations I give here are just from my personal experience of my participation at this official project this year.

You will need :

・A Tenso address

・A e-LineUP account

・To be careful about deadlines
・Enough money to buy the template on e-LineUP and send it back to Hello Shop

※ How to get a tenso address? How to get a e-LineUP account?

Here's a video which can help for both questions.
Please note that tenso as well as e-LineUP are accessible in english so it's quite easy to understand.

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At the beginning of your favorite member's birth month, Hello! Shop official website and official X account will post every informations you will need to know to send your fanletter, such as: deadlines, the dimensions to respect to send your fanletter, the address to send it.

※ Please note that for one member, you can only send one letter per person for this project, in order to limit the participation to the cheki draw.

Deadlines　If you bring it to one of the stores｜The whole birth month
Deadlines　If you send it in a package｜Over a period of one and a half months from the start of the birth month

Size regulations　A3 Size (297mm x 420mm)｜Tickness within 1cm
Hello! Shop addresss　〒101-0021東京都千代田区外神田6-14-2 サカイ末広ビル6階

Hello! Shop addresss　ハロー！プロジェクト オフィシャルショップ「 バースデーメッセージカード」係
                            Romaji　Postal Code｜101-0021

                            Romaji　Prefecture｜東京都　Tokyo

                            Romaji　City, Ward (Island)｜千代田区　Chiyoda

                            Romaji　Street Address｜外神田6-14-2 サカイ末広ビル6階　Sotokanda 6-14-2  Sakai Suehiro Building 6kai
                            Romaji　Name｜Hello! Project Official Shop "Birthday Message Card" Staff

    Example with Yokoyama Reina, born on February 22

If I'm in Japan, I can go to any Hello! Shop (Akihabara, Nagoya, Osaka) to give my fanletter from February 1 to February 28.

If I have to send it in a package, I can send it to the Hello! Shop official address from February 1 to March 15. 

※ Please be aware of the official deadlines because staff can't accept any fanletter received after the date they gave.

You have to buy the official template on e-LineUP for 600円 (without shipping costs; which depends on your country). You can find it easily by writing the name of your favorite member on the search bar, or "バースデーメッセージカード". On the product description as well, you will find the informations posted on the Hello! Shop official website. 
※ Please note that e-LineUP is accessible in english by changing language at the top right on the site.

Once you receive it, you will get a solo 2 pictures set, with the template to write your fanletter, and an official notice which gives you (once again) all the informations needed.

Here's the official template to fill in order to send your fanletter. The lower part is not to be removed by you but will be collected by the staff. That part has to be filled with your tenso informations profile (so in japanese and not romaji). That's how staff members will send your signed cheki if you win the draw I talked about on the introduction article.

Your favorite member will have access to the top part only. For the member's name, you can write also her nickname (example: "玲奈ちゃん" for "横山玲奈"). Don't forget to sign with your name at the bottom right, just before the "より". If you're commenting her blog regularly, you can write the name you're using in order to be recognized!

Now you have several choices : 

・If you're not creative enough, you can put your simple fanletter in the white and pink letter that you received in your e-LineUP order. Don't forget to put a stamp on the letter.

・If you like to craft some things, you can do your fanart from A to Z. Once you're finished, you can stick your fanletter with the template filled (*stick only the top part and not the lower part that will be collected by the staff!!!) on the back of your fanart. 

For the second choice, if you're scared that your handwritting in Japanese is too bad and that your fanletter won't arrived, you can do it just like I did : use the address on the white and pink letter and stick it on your own package, in order to be sure the address is understandable.

Now you just have to go to your post office and send back your fanletter to the Hello! Shop. I recommend you taking the tracking option to be sure that your package arrives. 

A few weeks/months after (*in June for members born in February), the Hello! Shop official X account will post some previews with members pictures with every fanletters they received. Those pictures are also available on each Hello! Shop in Japan, and staff members allow fans to take pictures of it. Then, members are also allowed to post them on their SNS.