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rkoldHappy Belated Birthday to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
becroberts, I only semi forgot your birthday. I knew it was in October at the end of the month. ;;_;; I'll send out your late gift on Monday.
Speaking of gifts, I have a favor to ask of the people I know in Japan. Most of you I've done favors for in the past, and I am happy to send you money via PayPal (balance not CC), I can possibly get you yen, I'm willing to send you stuff from here in the US, pay a commission as well etc. I believe 11/2 is when Animate is putting out the new Seed and PoT charms. I desperately need the Kira and Lacus ones from Seed and the Yuuta/SyuuYuu one from PoT. I'm a bit worried about things selling out, since when I was in Japan, some of the FMA ones seemed to have sold out (like the December one ~.~) If you're willing to help, please drop me either a comment or email me (yuutafan)(at)(gmail)(com)
Many thanks in advance.
becroberts, I only semi forgot your birthday. I knew it was in October at the end of the month. ;;_;; I'll send out your late gift on Monday.Speaking of gifts, I have a favor to ask of the people I know in Japan. Most of you I've done favors for in the past, and I am happy to send you money via PayPal (balance not CC), I can possibly get you yen, I'm willing to send you stuff from here in the US, pay a commission as well etc. I believe 11/2 is when Animate is putting out the new Seed and PoT charms. I desperately need the Kira and Lacus ones from Seed and the Yuuta/SyuuYuu one from PoT. I'm a bit worried about things selling out, since when I was in Japan, some of the FMA ones seemed to have sold out (like the December one ~.~) If you're willing to help, please drop me either a comment or email me (yuutafan)(at)(gmail)(com)
Many thanks in advance.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 07:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 12:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 07:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:04 pm (UTC)They're for sale at Animate, and I can give you some quick directions to how to get to the main branch. If you can, you might want to go to check it out in person. I know you like Ryoma and there is a cute Ryoma one for December.
How to Get to the Main Branch of Animate (There are many branches but this one I think is the easiest to find)
Take the Marounochi Subway Line or Yamanote Line to Ikebukuro. Exit towards Sunshine 60. Keep walking towards Sunshine 60. Animate is 8 floors and directly across the street from Sunshine 60/the Sunshine 60 Prince. Just look for the Starbucks or Mexican place in Sunshine 60, and if you look across the street, there is Animate. lol I believe floor 5 is merchandise. (8 is DVDs? 7 is CDs? I forget what 6 is, 5 I think is merchandise, 4-2 is manga I think, 1 is new arrivals) The street across from Sunshine 60 is full of anime stores. There are a few K-books branches, some other random store, Mandarake, and a few others. I know you're going with your mom, so if she is with you, you might want to skip some of the doujinshi only shops, cause some of the covers can be raunchy lol Animate is good since it is mostly official things. ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:16 pm (UTC)(I have some leftover and Jenn has some as well since the eye order didn't happen, because Hitomiya is scary, I also have PayPal balance if you prefer) I just want 3, the Kira one and the Lux one for Destiny/Seed, I think that Kira is Jan and Lux is March or February? and the Feb one for PoT which should be Fuji Kyoudai with the incredibly cute Yuuta I want to snuggle. (At least according to the slip I have and the promo picture I saw Feb. is Fuji Kyoudai)
We ought to switch birthdays, since I bet you want the December one for Destiny/Seed while I want the January one lol
If you coudl get me those 3, I would be so so so so so happy, and I will see if I can get together something small to send you as a thank you that I think you will like judging from a past entry in your LJ. ^_^
BTW, I would highly recommend sugar scrubs if they have them at Lush.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:32 pm (UTC)I have no idea what post you are talking about. ^^;;;
In the above please for help, I am talking about official metal charms for various months that are being relased in Animate. There was a set of Bleach, FMA, KKM, and Naruto ones already released, but I want some from the Seed/Destiny and PoT sets. The Feb one for PoT features chibis of the Fuji Kyoudai, and I need it for the Yuuta.
You can see the FMA ones as an example on This page (http://www.animate.co.jp/chargoods01.asp). I can't find a picture of the PoT ones. I listed a while ago who was on which charm. This is all official merchandise though.
As for SyuuYuu douujinshi... I believe the copyhon circle from Osaka is still coming out with some as well as Pupira. There might be some other circles but I've not been to an event since GW. In general, most PoT circles are jumping ship to something else. ^^;
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:35 pm (UTC)BTW, where are you staying in Tokyo and are you going to make it elsewhere?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:43 pm (UTC)I'm not sure quite where in the city we're staying just yet - since we're staying with family friends and not in a hotel, I never asked! But I should, because I am curious. I believe we may spend a day or two in Kyoto as well, though that might be with a tour guide, not sure yet. ^^; I just reminded my mom that it's two and a half weeks away and we need PLANS! :D;
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 09:55 pm (UTC)If you're looking for a hotel room in Kyoto, I really like www.asiarooms.com, I've lately been using them to book hotels.
The Atlas book is like $25, and I find it wonderful. Tokyo addresses often make no sense to tourists, and so you can use the book to actually find things. lol
For touristy things in Tokyo, skip the Imperial Palace, it's really boring. Meiji Jingu is nice, you can easily do an X tour of Tokyo and take in most of the famous sights as well lol Going to the top of the Metropolitan Government Office Building is free vs. going over Rainbow Bridge which is not. lol Tokyo Tower is wonderfully cheezy and tacky. Kamakura is just beautiful, and only about an hour south of Tokyo on the Yokosuka line. If you don't make it to Kyoto or Nara it can give you a similar feel in terms of temples. Make sure to eat a mikan for me ^o^
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 10:23 pm (UTC)But thanks for the doujin info anyway, hah. :D; There is like I said a circle who are still doing some Fujicest books (I own 2, I guess they're SyuuYuu but they're really just angstbuckets both of them, so I'm not totally sure I'd label them as that...). I got their book which was released June 25 earlier this year for an example. So yeah. xD;
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-29 10:35 pm (UTC)Generally, circles don't release doujinshi except at large events, and if I remember correctly, you were not in Japan during any large events. ^^; The copyhon circle released their newest book in August, unless they just released a new one in Oct. They generally involve Syuusuke being insanely jealous and Yuuta being very o_O;; I adore them lol My favorite involved Syuusuke wanting to shoot Mizuki and Tezuka trying to make him put the gun down lol
Pupira also came out with a book in August, they might have also had a new one in Oct. Their art is not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them a lot. They're generally REALLY wrong and are definitely SyuuYuu. lol In the August one, Syuusuke becomes a catboy and screws Yuuta to make him one too. lol
There could be other circles still coming out with new things, I didn't go to summer Comiket. But PoT is really really really slowing down. My favorite Niou/Marui circle moved onto Gintama, and lots of other big circles are jumping ship. PoT is really old in Japan and the manga has totally jumped the shark. It's why you don't often see doujinshi for any school past Rikkai.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-30 02:42 am (UTC)Yeeeah, I've heard many interesting things about their addresses. I think I will suggest that to my mom and see what she thinks, but I'm betting we may invest in one! It sounds like such a good idea.
And thanks for the touristy info! I'm totally compiling a list of things I want to see, and I want to do an X tour if I can convince my mom. XD; I definitely want to see Akibahara, but after that I think I need to actually sit down and look at places to go~ ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 06:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 08:10 pm (UTC)the ISBN# is 4-7700-2503-3. It's the 3rd Edition Tokyo City Bilignual Atlas. I had an earlier edition, but they've actually built some new things in Tokyo since it came out. lol
If you get a copy, PLMK and I can help you find where various places are you might want to go to.
For example, the Ikebukuro Animate's address is something like 3-2-[unsure of building #] Higashi Ikebukuro. So you would look for Higashi Ikebukuro 3 on the Ikebukuro map, then block #2, and then well the actual building # but by that point you're pretty much there. ^_^
X is good, a lot of the locations in it are the big tourist sights in Tokyo. One thing to remember, is if you are going to Kyoto, none of the temples in Tokyo are going to compare, and you don't want to necessary do too many or you will have temple overload.
I forgot, are you a Yami no Matsuei fan as well?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 08:22 pm (UTC)Ooh, okay, I will make note of that too. Since we're going to be in Kyoto for two days, maybe we'll hit up the temples there and skip the Tokyo ones. I think a few temples is enough for me, not to mention my forever-on-fastforward sister. :D;
Yep! I am indeed~ I haven't seen it in a good long while, but it will always hold a special place in my heart~ ^_^
Oh! And one more question (thanks so much for all your help, btw!! <3) - about getting money, since I hear cash is the way to go. I keep hearing that just using an ATM when I get there to take out cash is probably the best thing to do, but I'm not sure if my bank card will work in their ATMs. Do you know anything about what kinds of cards their ATMs will accept? My debit card is also a VISA card, so I was thinking that was pretty generic and I should be able to use it to take out cash, but I was wondering if you knew anything about it. ^^;; I never knew international travel required so much planning! :D; My mom's applying for a Citibank card, since we know it's accepted there, but I was hoping to take cash out myself instead of having to pay her back.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 08:36 pm (UTC)I believe Tatsumi on his date with Tsuzuki takes him to Kiyomizu dera, which is really nice as well as Daitokuji. The Shinigami all discuss what is going on while walking along the moon bridge in Arashiyama. I'm also pretty sure Tsuzuki walks along the Philosopher's Path, possibly with Muraki.
And yes, depending on where you are shopping it is cash only, though more and more places take credit cards than use to. Make sure you let your credit card company know you are going to be abroad.
I generally bring traveler's checks and exchange them in the airport in Japan (everywhere in Japan has about the same rate and they give you a better rate on traveler's checks than US cash. The rate here is always much lower than in Japan.) I don't do ATMs cause you always get some nasty fee and I can't control which of my bank accounts the money is coming out from. ~.~ I know you do get a good exchange rate with ATMs, and I have heard that pin codes more than 4 characters might not always work abroad. I've taken money out a few times from ATMs, there are actual Citibanks in Tokyo. I have a plain ATM card and it worked fine other than having no control over which account the money came from. One important think to note is ATMs are not 24 hours in Japan and they do close.
Animate, as an example, takes credit cards. K-books does if you spend more than 3000 yen. One thing that will happen is they will ask you if you want to be charged the money one time or over several months. ichikai, or one time is the answer i would recommend.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 08:41 pm (UTC)Ah, it's nice to know a few places do take credit cards (especially Animate and K-books, because I'm sure I will spend plenty there @.@;). And I'd never even thought of traveler's checks, so that's worth looking into (as well as letting the company know I'll be abroad, definitely wouldn'tve thought of that either!). I figured there would be some kind of ATM fee, but it's not cool if you don't know which account you're accessing. I'll pass the info along to my mom, thanks!! <3
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-01 08:58 pm (UTC)Yes, Animate doesn't have a limit either, which is really really nice. If for some reason I don't have my charms yet, I am so going to ask you to get them for me lol I so need a Yuuta one and Kira.. *______* It is REALLY easy to spend a lot at Animate. ^^;; Make sure you get a point card when you are there, every 1000 yen you spend you get a point, and when you get 20 points you get 1000 yen off. If you spend way too much money and go through a whole 60 point card, if you turn it in you get a free phonecard and another 1000 yen off. (We are not going to talk about how many free phone cards I have lol)
On the same block as Animate is the K-books that sells used CDs, DVDs, plushies, trading cards, and figure type stuff. Finding what you want can be very catch as catch can. (BTW amke sure to have space in your luggage to bring things home cause the post office is cash only and shipping is high!) I always bring a huge 36 inch or so wheelie packed with a smaller bag which i then fill up with stuff lol If you want I am happy to give packing advice, remember there are no porters in Japan... if you're just going to Kyoto for 2 days, see if you can leave your things with the family friend and just bring along a small book bag or travel bag for the trip. I now do that often. ^^;
I like traveler's checks. All banks will exchange them and you can easily exchange them at Narita for a good rate. BTW if you're a AAA member you can get traveler's checks for free at AAA. ^_^
Most depatos take credit cards too, it's just more a mix bag at restaurants. Temples do not take it for admission, neither does the post office or the buses (which is the best way to get around Kyoto) BTW if you want to splurge and can get a room, the Granvia is where they stayed in Yami in Kyoto. Also make sure to look around the Kyoto train station, it's REALLY cool, I love the escalators and the view from the top. It's especially nice at night.
If you want, I can try to help you come up with a touring plan if you let me know how many days you're going to be where. ^_^ it's important to remember travel times when planning stuff.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 02:53 am (UTC)I do have a rolling duffle bag that's at least 30", and I know we're bringing some smaller bags too (I think two bags per person) and shipping some stuff home as well (my mom says she'd rather pay to ship it than carry it all back on the plane, so who am I to argue?). All the same, I do plan on packing light. And thanks for the info about getting traveler's checks from AAA, because I am a member and I'm going to look into that!
We're still looking into Kyoto - I guess apparently November is a really popular time to go there, so our friend is having trouble finding a hotel with rooms available! I guess we'll see - we may still do a long day trip or something like that. I'm going to talk to my mom later tonight, so hopefully I'll have a better idea of what we're doing soon.
Thanks for the offer! I may definitely ask! I'd better start going through that travel book! o.o
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 03:06 am (UTC)Shipping adds up very very very fast if you send things EMS. BTW here is another tidbit that I learned from personal experience and is not well known, if an item is too big and too heavy to send air mail small packet (which btw has no insurance) it is actually cheaper to send it via EMS then via airmail. I do not know why but it's true lol EMS generally takes 2-3 days delivers 365 days a year and has insurance and tracking. It's how I ship my dolls. I would avoid Sea Mail. Someone on my flist had their items ruined, and mine just took 2 months to get to me and with insurance it was still like 9000 yen. (I brought home 42 manga that trip lol) Airmail small packet and airmail are NOT the same.
Yes, November is momiji leaf time in Japan and so Kyoto in particular is going to book up. If you have a rail pass, you can stay in Shin Kobe, it's a 30 minute by shinkansen trip to Kyoto or Shin Osaka (only 15 min) a day trip to Kyoto is VERY taxing cause it is 2 1/2 hours each way, from Tokyo station to Kyoto Station. I've stayed in Shin Kobe when Kyoto has been hard to get a reservation in. Because the Japanese can't get passes, it is unlikely to be booked. You can also stay near Osaka station, take a 5 minute train trip to Shin Osaka and transfer to a shinkansen. (There are direct trains from Osaka to Kyoto but they take 30-45 minutes, if you have a pass, the transfer is MUCH faster)
Point cards are free at Animate but have a fee at K-books and you have to buy a lot to make them worth it. Since I got mine in like 2002? I've made it worth it, but if I was just going once to Japan, I would not get one. ^^;
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 04:10 am (UTC)I think we're looking into a Kyoto trip through JTB Sunrise Tours or something like that; they have a 2-day Kyoto trip for about $200 a person that includes train and hotel, so if we do that I don't think we'll get a rail pass. If all the hotels are booked the only way we might be able to get one is through an agency, but my mom is going to call tomorrow and ask. I'm assuming the rail pass is only good for, say, shinkansen, and not something like the Tokyo subway? I have nooo idea. :D; But I will also look into Shin Kobe if the Kyoto tours are all booked up for some reason.
I think I might go with the point card for Animate, then, but not K-books, since I don't think I'll spend enough in the one trip to be worth it~
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 04:55 am (UTC)No, you can't for the subway, but you can use a rail pass on JR trains within Tokyo like the Yamanote line and Chuo line. The pass is good on all JR trains except the nozomi. (Hikari, RailStar, Kodama, Tohoku, and Nagano shinkansen only) But it is good on local trains as well as exprsses, specials, limited expresses and all the other permutations on JR lines. It will cost you 3000 yen per person per way on the NEX cause the airport is 1 hour or so from Tokyo. The traffic can be HIDEOUS and the train is much faster when there is traffic.
BTW are you sure that is train, for only $200 a person? Make sure it is not a bus, cause I know a lot of tours do buses instead. Also make sure it is a shinkansen ^^;
If you can get a Sunrise tour that is great, but you need to decide soon cause you have to get a rail pass before you go to Japan.
I am so excited for you! ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 05:23 am (UTC)Okay, noted! I believe we're taking the bus from the airport when we arrive, but I'm not sure how we're getting to the airport when we're leaving. The tour to Kyoto should be a train, from what I can tell - the Hikari Super Express, I think (this one (http://act.jtbgmt.com/itdt/scripts/sunrise/sunrise_detail.asp?webyear=2006&orig=web&webg=1600&t_gp=Y&t_no=S310) if there are spots open). I believe we're going to have a plan by Friday, so if we need to get rail passes we'll order them Friday and my mom can get them FedEx'd to our house. But it kind of sounded like the rail pass was mostly worth it if we'd be traveling long-distance (like to Kyoto) but if the ticket is included in the "tour" then we might not get them. Maaan, it's so confusing! And my mom doesn't know any Japanese, so all the terms (like shinkansen, ryokan, etc.) are foreign to her and she can't remember them.
Thanks~! Now that it's starting to sink in, I'm going crazy, but in a good way. XD;;
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 05:33 am (UTC)The bus from the airport can take up to 3 hours if the traffic sucks, just to warn you. In good traffic, it is fast, but I once had horrible traffic coming back from a tour and we just sat for so long. ~.~
I think I stayed in the Karasuma. The room was VERY small. ^^;
And yes a rail pass is not worth it if you are doing a tour like this.
I can give you some packing hints, #1, only bring one pair of shoes and make it a pair easy to slip on and off if visiting temples. ^^ #2 try to dress in layers and pick layers you can re-wear.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-02 05:46 am (UTC)I thiiiink the reason for the bus is because the stop is easier for our friend to pick us up from (because she'd drive us the rest of the way to her house). I guess we may just have to hope for decent traffic. ::crosses fingers!:: Then again, since it'll be my first time in Japan, I could probably be content to sit on a Japanese bus for a few hours and just... squee. XD;; Though I'd rather be doing other things in the end, I'm sure~
Ahh, right, the shoes! And nice socks, since everyone will be seeing them, huh? XD; My sneakers are comfy and easy to slip on and off so they're what I think I'll be wearing most of the time, with maybe one set of nice shoes in case we go out. And I am so all about layers. Man, I should start laying out my wardrobe now!!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-04 01:02 am (UTC)I've only stayed in the Karasuma of the ones listed. If you could pick your trains, it would be possible to do Kyoto as an overnight, but with the rules concerning only taking trains during certain periods, you really need the 2 day. ^^;
Yeah, I think it is easier to meet people at the bus with a car. Hopefully she will drive you back there for when you leave and you can catch a return bus. Japanese traffic looks much like traffic anywhere. lol
Usually I just bring one pair of shoes, just because shoes are heavy and take up space. Though in the future I will prob wear my sneakers and bring my new lightweight little slip on flats, as those look better with skirts and can be worn without socks. In May I might just bring those lol
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-04 01:44 am (UTC)Heh, well, I definitely want to bring my sneakers to walk around in the whole time, but I'm told we may be going to one or two nice places so hence the extra shoes. But I'm totally going to bring the lightest nice shoes I have!