More thoughts on Japan

[rkold]

I think I won a ticket to see HOSHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEEEEEEEEEEEEE Now to just hope the person selling is reliable and didn't lie and all those other good things. I'm supposedly in row 12-14 seats 20-40 or something like that, so I ought to be relatively close and maybe everyone will see the dorky foreigner in! I will be able to see all the seiyuu and they won't look like dots, go me!

I discovered that February 27th/28 is Purim... and I'm not sure I want to miss Purim by being in Japan. So assuming I can get my doujinshi done on time which is a big assumption, though I am so definitely working on it today my new revised plan for Japan is as follows:

Leave for Japan Wednesday February 10 arrive Thursday February 11th
Friday February 12th shop (dinner with summer_queen ♥ )
Saturday February 13th (day with summer_queen ♥ )
Sunday February 14th (day with becroberts ♥ )
Monday February 15th (shopping in Tokyo)
Tuesday February 16th (shopping in Tokyo)
Wednesday February 17th (HAKONE/onsen! Night Kyoto)
Thursday February 18th (Kyoto/kansai sightseeing)
Friday February 19th (Osaka or more kansai sightseeing)
Saturday February 20th (Sato and dinner in Kyoto, jougetsu do you think you could make it to Kyoto for dinner, we could go to my favorite vegan place! ♥ Night Kyoto)
Sunday February 21st ( morning train to Yokohama BASARA FESTA hopefully both!)
Monday February 22nd (leave Tokyo for Takayama )
Tuesday February 23 (night Takayama and visit Shirkawa go)
Wednesday February 24 (either go to Hirayu onsen and then onto Matsumoto, does the bus run in the winter??? or back track to Tokyo)
Thursday February 25 (either Ueda and Bessho or skiing or something..though for GW might want to go to some of these places.)
Friday February 26th (HOME!)

The other option is to stay until Saturday February 27th. I would get a 2 week pass and start it either Saturday if I am going home on Friday or start it on Sunday if I am going home on Saturday.

Tell me I do not want to try skiing.. cause I keep thinking it might be awesome also some of my guidebooks say you can not take the bus from Hirayu to Matsumoto, but the bus schedule seems to suggest you can. I guess I need to ask at JapanGuide.

Sooooooo

triplepunch want to do a Sato funday on the 20th?
jougetsu want to join us all for dinner I am sure we can figure out somewhere yummy
hinoai are you available at all?
akaisakura you're busy at work most days, right?

Comments

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Yay for ticket!

(we still on for tea shopping morning of 2/13?)

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yes! I must have deleted Saturday by accident when I was moving around the new possible itinerary. ~.~

Question, how do you feel about going to: this (http://www.jnto.go.jp/eventcalendar/search_result_en.php?num=238) first? I know I will be up and the stores in Harajuku are not going to open until 10 or 11 at the earliest.

I'm so excited about my potential ticket, now to try to win one for the evening show since I may as well see both lol

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Sure, that works for me. ^_^

[rkold.livejournal.com]

And OK I don't know why, but for some reason Saturday was there but was not showing up, so I added a second copy of it.

Awesome! :D I suspect I will be up super early since I tend to have bad jet lag in Japan lol

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

I suspect I will be half asleep after a week of running around like mad. It's a good thing most of my evenings are unplanned, 'cause I may be crashing early each night. ^_^

Do you want to just meet at the temple?

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I tend to crash by 9 or 10 in Japan which is good because I also tend to get up by 7 lol

And yeah if that is OK with you? I can send you pictures of what I look like. We could meet around 9?

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

9's fine -- and I've got maps of where the temple is (and I just explored that area this past August, so I'm somewhat familiar with it). And I think you'll spot me easily -- I'm very short (under 5 feet) and I'll have very red hair. ^_^

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I'm about 5'4" and have dark curly hair. I actually sometimes blend into crowds here because my hair is quite dark.



This is me from October!

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Awesome!

And here's one of me from ... uh, two Marches ago. I'm a little rounder now, but the hair's close. ^_^

http://www.flickr.com/photos/summerqueen/4157182678/in/set-72157622930328902/

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yeah! This should be fun :D Where are you staying in Tokyo, I've got about half of my trip booked now.

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

When I get back in from Kyoto, I'll be staying at the Higashi-Ikebukuro Weekly Mansion Tokyo (http://www.wmt.co.jp/en/location/higashiikebukuro/index.html), since my usual hotel was oddly booked solid for the 13th-14th.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

OK I am staying Here (http://www.apahotel.com/~language/en/hotel/nihonbashi-ekimae/index.html) when I arrive in Tokyo and until I leave for Kyoto. I like the chain a lot and have stayed there before. They have baths ♥

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Being a creature of habit, I tend to stay at the Sunshine City Prince, because it's very convenient to subway, JR and my kinda shopping. ^_^

It's unusual for them to be booked up on a random weekend, though they appear to be doing some construction (which is how I got my first night's room so cheap -- 5500/night since there's no hot water during the day so checkin is no earlier than 6 and checkout no later than 8. Since I aim to be on the 6:34 Hikari out of Shinagawa the following morning, I think I can manage that!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh when I stayed at the Prince they were somewhat rude in Oct and kept insisting on seeing ID every single time we wanted the key. It was a bit ridiculous since we were staying there for quite some time and it got old quickly. The last time I was there I opted for the big size twin, so we were paying 5500 yen each. I think the time before that when I had a single I got it down to 7000 yen?

That's interesting though since my friend becroberts was able to book that week end. She said something about how one site claimed they were sold out but she was able to book directly. I had thought about booking there despite their rudeness to make it easier to meet them.

The APA is not really near my sort of shopping but I love being near Tokyo station/so many subway lines. I know the beds are comfy too.

Where are you staying in Kyoto?

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

I was on the Prince's Japanese site -- maybe they freed the rooms up later?

That's odd about the staff being rude -- they've always been very, very polite to me. But then, I've never had to relinquish my key to them during a long stay -- I always keep it on me.

I'm staying at a cheap, tiny modern ryokan close to the station in Kyoto, since I'll just be falling into the room to sleep. I've stayed there twice before and it's very convenient and inexpensive.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Weird, they always want the key back from me when I go out. o_O; In the past when I have stayed there they've always been polite this was the first time I ever had a problem like this. It was also the first time I've ever booked a twin as well, so that could be a part of it.

No idea, I just know my friend managed to snag that week end as well as the following week+

Define cheap lol Which one though? I am now curious. I am staying at another APA in Kyoto cause it is literally practically right outside the station. That and I was able to get the rooms for I think 5800 a night. Again I like the beds and I expect to be going back and forth to the station a lot or I would have booked the Super hotel to get the bath. >>;

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

5750 a night, it looks like. You must be getting a really good deal on the APA, since it looks like singles are 10,000 yen a night!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Oh, I lucked out then! :D But yeah I picking between there and somewhere else a little less but the convenience to the station won out. I think one night I am spending a little more, but most nights are 5800 yen. I'm at the APA Villa Eikimae, there are like 2 other APAs near Kyoto Station as well since I've stayed at one of the other ones (Horikawa dori) before. That one has a bath which is nice, but this one is the closest to the station.

Which ryokan are you doing, I love hearing more about places to stay.

[mec]

Gatecrashing the thread to explain. ^_^ I had to contact the hotel directly because you can't book more than 10 nights through the website anymore, and I wanted 11. I've got reservation confirmation from 02/13 for 11 nights and they didn't mention any issues with lack of rooms when I asked, so I'll assume they know what they're talking about. Like you, I've never given them my key during my stay, though!

(I'm not sure if my PCI membership had anything to do with it, if they reserve a certain number or rooms for members or something?)

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

I have a PCI membership too. I wonder if they were holding the rooms for something and then freed them up.

Or it could be that you were getting a different size room?

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Could also be because she called the actual hotel? I've had hotels that claim there are no spaces on their owen website but then had spaces on a reservation site. o_O;

I've also booked rooms at the Sunshine 60 and gotten free upgrades to the bigger singles when the cheaper singles were all booked. lol

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Could be -- I've never tried calling overseas to the Prince. ^_^

[mec]

Maybe so? I booked a single room, made the booking early December.

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Ah, I booked a single room, but I did it on 1/5. They may have sold out in the interim.

[winter]

Congrats on the ticket :D And Takayama is on our putative November itinerary too - I'll ask you about your impressions!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I've been dying to go to Takayama. I almost went in October but it got cut when I decided to go to Hakodate instead. I'm glad I went then since Takayama in the snow is supposed to be fascinating.

You'll have the plus that it is easier to find lodging for 2-3 people vs singles. How long do you plan to spend in Takayama/Japan?

[winter]

No more than a day or two in Takayama, I fear, and it's starting to look like 3 weeks in Japan (and again, not nearly enough with all the shows and places to see!). At least we're fine for lodging - there's a branch of our wonderful Osaka hostel in Takayama, and we'll get discounts :)

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to do 1/2 day in Takayama and full day in Shirakawago and then part of a day in Hirayu. I'm hoping I can bus my way to Matsumoto.

I'm still playing with reservations for Takayama. I sort of wish I could stay in a ryokan but most want 2 people.

3 weeks is nice, you can do a lot. This trip was originally going to be 2 1/2 weeks but I'm going back for GW and I'll fit in some things then.

[jougetsu.livejournal.com]

Saturday Feb. 20th is great for dinner. I should be able to meet you all around 6-ish in Kyoto.

Depending what time you get in to Kyoto on Wednesday Feb. 17th I could see you in the evening. I work out by Lake Biwa on day shift and my train passes by Kyoto station around 5:30pm. I wouldn't mind waiting at the station for you. :)

Takayama & Shirakawa-go are wonderful! I hope you enjoy them as I much as I did!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Sounds great, I will see if I can get everyone to go to my favorite place, even if it is a little inconvenient.

I'm not going to get into Kyoto until late, I'll probably leave Hakone around 5:30/6 ish ^^;;;;

Everyone I know wants me to get them a Hello Kitty witha rifle lol

I'm hoping I enjoy them in the snow, I have to look for boots before I go to Japan >>;

I also need to figure out hotels lol

[mec]

You got a ticket, yay! Hopefully all will be fine with the seller. ^_^

Are you still wanting to try see the Yuugioh movie?

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yes, I would love to still see the movie. ♥ We could even see it in Ikebukuro or wherever since I will be walking distance from Tokyo station hotel-wise which means I just need to catch a Yamanote train. I think Eda knows a theatre in Shinjuku that is vegan of all things but the ones in Ike sometimes sell merchandise! :D

I hope everything goes well with the ticket, it's very exciting for me.