We are here!!! Japan-Land :D

[Michael]

Really good read, looks like alot of fun was had

Expensive though! £50 a night?! Jesus...

I'll be going to Thailand at the end of january for three weeks, might post a similar topic when the time comes Show what can be done with a much smaller budget

[MadduckUK]

I'll be going to Thailand at the end of january for three weeks, might post a similar topic when the time comes Show what can be done with a much smaller budget

that would be brilliant, but your going to have to go something to beat the pull of japan, and you cant just drive round on mopeds we have had that

[sleepyhead]

Now that I think about it, it's pretty darn expensive isn't it? I did consider taking Shinkansen + trains to from Hiroshima to Hokkaido to make the most of my fare, but decided that it's still too long of a journey for my limited time (I don't think it would be uncomfortable, just too long).

I am flying by Finnair £569 (excl. cashback). Not too bad for flight booked 3 days before departure (heck, a flight to Aberdeen is half that ). Air France was a bit cheaper, but having done my homework, Finnair has newer planes for Tokyo (with AC adapter for laptops) and better seat.

I hope your friend Koji is a really good friend who won't mind a 20,000 yen hole in his pocket until you pay him

The thing is, unless you are part of the fanclub (usually Japan exclusive), it's pretty hard to get at face value. And it's not uncommon for tickets to for 20,000 yen for a reasonable seat (and I do not mean front seat) at a popular artists show.

Still, while I am no AMD/Intel/nVidia fanboy, I do proudly claim to be a HUGE BoA fanboy. I was ready to bid silly money for a front/centre seat but (un)fortunately(?) the seller had some rules SMJ could not fulfil. Still managed to get hold of one in the 1st 3 row though (I hope!)

Originally when I found out that I had to travel on my own, I made the concert the main reason for the trip. And it probably still is the number one reason, though I've made a number of plans I am really looking forward to do now

Not sure if I can update as well as you guys did though, once I am outside Tokyo, I do worry that my access online may become limited. Plus, what was going to be a very leisurely trip is going to get very hectic especially after Kyoto.

LoL. Well I left Koji 30,000 yen to purchase me an item or two when they are released in Japan (which is about now).

I assume your flight is not non-stop, for that price?

Hmm..well...I guess I'll have to rethink the concert/gig idea until I actually know who I wanna go see...

Even if you don't keep up to date on a day to day basis you could spam the forum after you get back

Which reminds me...I deleted the pictures from photobucket so my old posts are going to be broken. I'll re-edit the posts to point to the blog

[TooNice]

Yeah, I bought a spare memory card just for the concert xD Anyway, I better finish my packing, I've got 5 hours top before I need to make my way to the airport. Better not forget anything.

Not really, I am changing at Helsinki. I can only think of Virgin and JAL for direct flights. Neither are amongst the most expensive, but while the £100 premium, in the case of JAL, is not unacceptable for a last minute booking, I want to find out if Finnair really has above average Economy class.

Ah, good plan xD What sorts of things did you want to buy with the 30,000 yen? Oh yeah, did you end up getting the DS with 'RabuPurasu'?

[Kumagoro]

I used Finnair last year and they had many old MD planes. There was only a few CRT TV's
every now and again, it was a tedious flight to say the least.

Flights were only £350 then and you got a 30kg limit.

[sleepyhead]

Yeah, I bought a spare memory card just for the concert xD Anyway, I better finish my packing, I've got 5 hours top before I need to make my way to the airport. Better not forget anything.

Not really, I am changing at Helsinki. I can only think of Virgin and JAL for direct flights. Neither are amongst the most expensive, but while the £100 premium, in the case of JAL, is not unacceptable for a last minute booking, I want to find out if Finnair really has above average Economy class.

Ah, good plan xD What sorts of things did you want to buy with the 30,000 yen? Oh yeah, did you end up getting the DS with 'RabuPurasu'?

Hah...don't worry, the only thing you may forget are the mundane items; in my case a specific music cd.

Unfortunately my friend Terry is not very fond of planes/flight (to put it mildly) so non-stop is the only option.

Hmm...well I got a message from Koji asking for my postal address so one would assume he has received the item in question: Gundam 00 Raiser 1/60 Perfect Grade kit HOPEFULLY with the "special" base/stand and HOPEFULLY with the clear armour parts. It was either that kit or nothing. I had the chance to buy the Gundam Wing 1/60 Perfect Grade Wing Zero Custom with Pearl Finish - the kit and model is technically outstanding but from a emotional stand point lacks something; it didn't grab me by the balls and say "buy me".

Ahh I did buy a DS Lite with Love Plus I can see why it's popular with guys and girls. Though news reports of an otaku marrying Nene is slightly worrying. The video of the event is on Nico Nico Douga.

[TooNice]

I am going to call this Day 0. Technically, I am here one day earlier than I would've liked to sort out my trip, but the next flight is more expensive than the cost of a night in a hotel. I'll start with a tip: get a Suika card at the airport instead of a Pasmo if you are going to use the Narita Express.

If you are just staying in Tokyo, they are functionally identical. I could've sworn that Suika could only be used with JR lines in the past, and assuming that's right, it's no longer the case. But if you get the Narita Express Suika card, you can also get a Narita express ride for 1500 yen (vs 3000).

Not much else today, except that I find the meal sets I've had to be smaller portions compared to the UK. If that's the norm no wonder people are on average much slimmer. Not good news for me though, I given that I am a hog (but in size, but in appetite)

Actually, it's a kinda funny that you should mention aerophobia. Finnair's magazine had an article about just exactly that (http://www.digipaper.fi/bluewings/34669/ - page 36).

Speaking of, the plane was as new and modern as I had expected. The weakest part of the flight IMO was the food (not too impressed by either dinner or breakfast and you need to pay if you want snacks). Still, it was a comfortable flight, and for the right price I would fly with them again.

I know absolutely nothing about model kits, and not that much about Gundam, but the one you mentioned do sounds glorious

Wow, I didn't realise this game was so big. I may check it out some time, but if it's a dating sim with a male protagonist, I can't see how appealing it can be to the ladies xD;

[sleepyhead]

I am going to call this Day 0. Technically, I am here one day earlier than I would've liked to sort out my trip, but the next flight is more expensive than the cost of a night in a hotel. I'll start with a tip: get a Suika card at the airport instead of a Pasmo if you are going to use the Narita Express.

If you are just staying in Tokyo, they are functionally identical. I could've sworn that Suika could only be used with JR lines in the past, and assuming that's right, it's no longer the case. But if you get the Narita Express Suika card, you can also get a Narita express ride for 1500 yen (vs 3000).

Heh...didn't know the latter part but I already got myself the PASMO card and intend to keep it. Besides, I know 3000 yen is alot but for me it'll never make or break a deal to get to Japan.

Not much else today, except that I find the meal sets I've had to be smaller portions compared to the UK. If that's the norm no wonder people are on average much slimmer. Not good news for me though, I given that I am a hog (but in size, but in appetite)

Actually, it's a kinda funny that you should mention aerophobia. Finnair's magazine had an article about just exactly that (http://www.digipaper.fi/bluewings/34669/ - page 36).

Speaking of, the plane was as new and modern as I had expected. The weakest part of the flight IMO was the food (not too impressed by either dinner or breakfast and you need to pay if you want snacks). Still, it was a comfortable flight, and for the right price I would fly with them again.

I know absolutely nothing about model kits, and not that much about Gundam, but the one you mentioned do sounds glorious

Well the WIng Zero Custom with Pearl Finish I found only one of in Akihabara (and I went there on FOUR days) and that was over 26,000 yen. It's on Hobby Link Japan for 30,000 yen PLUS shipping. The 00 Raiser has an RRP of 26,200 yen...I think from memory. I wasn't into Gundams or models - I found Gundam Wing to be drawn out and convoluted and Gundam Seed to be quite emo. I liked Gundam 00 and got 3 1/144 scale HG kits and when I went to Japan, I was on the hunt then for the one kit I wanted as a centrepiece...hence the 00-Raiser. Here is the kit from HLJ http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN961016

Ahh sorry, I switched into Otaku mode there.

Wow, I didn't realise this game was so big. I may check it out some time, but if it's a dating sim with a male protagonist, I can't see how appealing it can be to the ladies xD;

You can't marry any of the characters...but this otaku did physically marry a DS....I have no idea how legitimate it is but it is quite worrying yet extremely amusing. I'm not too sure what girls get out of playing this game but they do...I saw them playing this game on one of the trains we were on.

[MadduckUK]

but this otaku did physically marry a DS....I have no idea how legitimate it is but it is quite worrying yet extremely amusing.

a Nintendo DS?

[sleepyhead]

a Nintendo DS?

Yep...well.....he married a game character from Love Plus on his DS...

It's one youtube so it must be true

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsikPswAYUM

[MadduckUK]

you cant put this into words

[Ulti]

Well the WIng Zero Custom with Pearl Finish I found only one of in Akihabara (and I went there on FOUR days) and that was over 26,000 yen. It's on Hobby Link Japan for 30,000 yen PLUS shipping. The 00 Raiser has an RRP of 26,200 yen...I think from memory. I wasn't into Gundams or models - I found Gundam Wing to be drawn out and convoluted and Gundam Seed to be quite emo. I liked Gundam 00 and got 3 1/144 scale HG kits and when I went to Japan, I was on the hunt then for the one kit I wanted as a centrepiece...hence the 00-Raiser. Here is the kit from HLJ http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN961016

Ouch, 26,200 yen.. That's ~£180... But then again, I too love the design of it but the price is enough to keep me away from it haha.

But then again I'm already happy with my 1/100 Strike Freedom MG. I guess I'll be happy with most 1/100 MG models as I'm not too fond of lighting or special finishes when it comes to models.

Hopefully next year I'll be able to get one that's a 1/100 MG model.

[sleepyhead]

Ouch, 26,200 yen.. That's ~£180... But then again, I too love the design of it but the price is enough to keep me away from it haha.

But then again I'm already happy with my 1/100 Strike Freedom MG. I guess I'll be happy with most 1/100 MG models as I'm not too fond of lighting or special finishes when it comes to models.

Hopefully next year I'll be able to get one that's a 1/100 MG model.

It most likely will be the only PG kit I'll get as the 1/100 MG kits I have seen in Akihabara are just superb. Right, sending voucher off for the clear armour parts for the 00-Raiser and it says it could take upto a month. So I doubt I will see this kit until the New Year. But I can wait.

I also saw the completed 00-Raiser in a display/promo shelf and the only word that I said was "want".

When you get to Akihabara there are LOTS of 1/100MG kits...more than you can imagine. My advice is either spend a few days in Akihabara looking in lots of shops OR you go there know exactly what you want and look for it...just dont get distracted ;-) or you'll end up like what happened to me...the following picture accurately depicts the event...

[Ulti]

Haha, well anime figures are generally too expensive for what they are. I'm probably gonna get a billion posters though. I do have a lot of Gundam kits I want though... But I've told myself that I will only buy one for myself and no more haha. Will most likely be 00 Gundam with the Raiser 1/100 MG version. If it's not MG then I probably won't get it as normal 1/100 kinda pales to MG versions. Guess I'll see how it goes though. Might go for Destiny but I was never that fond of it though. Haven't watched any Gundams before GS even though they were meant to be the good ones so I'm not really into them. (Although I do know a bit about them as I played SD Gundam Capsule Fighter for quite a while haha)

[sleepyhead]

Haha, well anime figures are generally too expensive for what they are. I'm probably gonna get a billion posters though. I do have a lot of Gundam kits I want though... But I've told myself that I will only buy one for myself and no more haha. Will most likely be 00 Gundam with the Raiser 1/100 MG version. If it's not MG then I probably won't get it as normal 1/100 kinda pales to MG versions. Guess I'll see how it goes though. Might go for Destiny but I was never that fond of it though. Haven't watched any Gundams before GS even though they were meant to be the good ones so I'm not really into them. (Although I do know a bit about them as I played SD Gundam Capsule Fighter for quite a while haha)

Hmm...well anime figurines are something to collect if it's your thing. Price wise, well, if you kept an eye on UK prices and then pop over to Japan, you'll be slightly surprised.
If you like the Gundam Seed universe then the only one you'll want is to find the Astray Red Frame with clear armour parts. Looks fantastic and I tried to buy a display model but the shop wouldn't sell it. There is Astray Blue Frame being pimped for like 3200yen (1/100 MG) and I'm sure there should have been the Astray Mirage Frame but couldn't find that.
If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't bother with Destiny if you weren't that fond of it unless you are like my friend who is a slight Gundam maniac - Wing and Seed are his thing but he loves any of them, RX78-2, RX-0, etc. We're supposed to be having a Gundam build night soon and Tom is looking to buy another Gundam to build. Terry has a Ver.Ka. 1/100 MG Pod to build and I have...nothing (well I do but it's in Saitama in Koji's house. )...ahh not forgetting Chrissie, I think she has Exia in Trans-Am mode to build.

P.S. the previous picture I stuck up is from a show called Akihabara@Deep.

[Ulti]

Hmm...well anime figurines are something to collect if it's your thing. Price wise, well, if you kept an eye on UK prices and then pop over to Japan, you'll be slightly surprised.
If you like the Gundam Seed universe then the only one you'll want is to find the Astray Red Frame with clear armour parts. Looks fantastic and I tried to buy a display model but the shop wouldn't sell it. There is Astray Blue Frame being pimped for like 3200yen (1/100 MG) and I'm sure there should have been the Astray Mirage Frame but couldn't find that.
If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't bother with Destiny if you weren't that fond of it unless you are like my friend who is a slight Gundam maniac - Wing and Seed are his thing but he loves any of them, RX78-2, RX-0, etc. We're supposed to be having a Gundam build night soon and Tom is looking to buy another Gundam to build. Terry has a Ver.Ka. 1/100 MG Pod to build and I have...nothing (well I do but it's in Saitama in Koji's house. )...ahh not forgetting Chrissie, I think she has Exia in Trans-Am mode to build.

P.S. the previous picture I stuck up is from a show called Akihabara@Deep.

Well it'll depend on how much money I have and how much they cost over there and also how much time I spend in those type of shops lol. There are quite a few models I wanna get such as Strike Noir, Strike IWSP (sp?), Ver2 Zeta Gundam and maybe Akatsuki Gundam too. I'm not fond of the special effects/finish ones though and find them uglier than the MG 1/100 versions too.

If figures are cheap enough then maybe I'll be swayed towards them.

Just started reading the Ga-Rei manga again and I'm finding myself loving it haha. Hate how I always have to wait so long for the next chapter of manga that I forget to ever read it again :/