Japan Squee!!!!eleventy!!!!!: the nitty gritty

[jemz]

Err...yeah. I just needed to have EVERYTHING in one post so I can find it since I am a lazy fangirl and I like having everything neatly explained in one post. yes, I have picked up wifey's OCD habits, why do you ask? This is mainly for the group going with me: sandpanther, seshat, shinigamitabris, lady_gemma, yzo, rightsock, damiri, sakon76, kazuhiku04 & 2 others who do not use LJ D:

feel free to skip if you ain't on the roll call...or peek if you're curious:


Flight Info

march 27, tuesday [for shinigamitabris & lady_gemma]
nashville -> houston -> san jose [continental 3025/0421]
depart: nashville (bna) 2.45pm
arrive: houston (iah) 5.oopm
depart: houston (iah) 6.o5pm
arrive: san jose (sjc) 8.23pm

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

march 30, friday [for yzo]
san francisco -> seattle -> tokyo [united 0512/0875]:
depart: san francisco (sfo) 06.00am 03/30
arrive: seattle (sea) 07.59am 03/30
depart: seattle (sea) 01.01pm 03/30
arrive: tokyo (nrt) 03.00pm 03/31

march 30, friday [for seshat]
san francisco -> vancouver -> tokyo [alaskaair 853/japanair 11]
depart: san francisco (sfo) 09.14 am 03/30
arrive: vancouver (yvr ) 11.34am 03/30
depart: vancouver (yvr ) 03.05pm 03/30
arrive: tokyo (nrt) 04.50pm 03/31

march 30, friday [for Mel, Diane, jemz, Tabs, Andi, Scarecrow, & M]
san francisco -> tokyo [united 0837]
depart: san francisco (sfo) 11.23am 03/30
arrive: tokyo (nrt) 2.1opm 03/31

march 30, friday [for sakon76 & kazuhiko04]
los angeles -> tokyo [united 0891]
depart: los angeles (lax) 12.34pm 03/30
arrive: tokyo (nrt) 03.55pm 03/31

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

april 15, sunday [for sakon76, kazuhiko04 & Jan]
tokyo -> los angeles [united 0890]
depart: tokyo (nrt) 04.55pm 04/15
arrive: los angeles (lax) 10.39am 04/15
*note* Ko-chan will be on the return flight from Japan with you.

april 15, sunday [for yzo]
tokyo -> los angeles -> san francisco [united 0890/0114]
depart: tokyo (nrt) 04.55pm 04/15
arrive: los angeles (lax) 10.39am 04/15
depart: los angeles (lax) 12.25pm 04/15
arrive: san francisco (sfo) 01.45pm 04/15

april 15, sunday [for Mel, Diane, jemz, Tabs, Andi, Scarecrow, & M]
tokyo -> san francisco [united 0852]
depart: tokyo (nrt) 5.55pm 04/15
arrive: san francisco (sfo) 11.10am 04/15

april 15, sunday [for seshat]
tokyo -> vancouver -> san francisco [ japanair 18/alaskaair 594 ]
depart: tokyo (nrt) 06.05pm 04/15
arrive: vancouver (yvr) 10.45am 04/15
depart: vancouver (yvr) 03.25pm 04/15
arrive: san francisco (sfo) 06.00pm 04/15


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

april 16, monday [for shinigamitabris & lady_gemma]
san jose -> nashville [continental 1848/3038]
depart: san jose (sjc) 2.2opm
arrive: houston (iah) 8.o8pm
depart: houston (iah) 8.5opm
arrive: nashville (bna) 10.46pm




Hotel Info

This is for the entire group barring the few days that sandpanther & Jan are off roughing it in who knows where parts of japan and the initial night seshat, sakon76, & kazuhiko04 are spending in Tokyo due to trains and curfews D:.

tokyo [for seshat, sakon76, & kazuhiko04]
suzuki ryokan
check-in: 2007.03.31
check-out: 2007.04.01

kyoto
hotel iida
check-in: 2007.03.31 [for everyone else]
check-in: 2007.04.01 [for seshat, sakon76, & kazuhiko04]
check-out: 2007.04.06


tokyo
ryokan kangetsu
check-in: 2007.04.06 @ 01.00pm
check-in: 2007.04.10 @ 01.00pm [for sandpanther & Jan]
check-out: 2007.04.15 @ 10.00am




Touristy Info

♥ Ghibli Museum
♥ Metropolis ~ a cool english magazine for what's poppin' in Tokyo. May need to pick up to randomly look at cool restaurants to eat at.
♥ w-inds. FC events & Aiba's parents' restaurant
♥ Japan-Guide dot com ~ something interesting to muse through during spare time.
♥ Ebisu (Yebisu) Garden Place ~ for your shopping needs and fangirling the spot where Doumyoji waited for Makino on their first date in Hana Yori Dango (season 1 episode 3 yes, i am that much of a geek. *sticks tongue out at tabs*)
♥ Eating & Drinking in Tokyo ~ a nifty restaurant guide.
♥ Japanese lessons ~ extremely useful for vegetarians & those who do not eat certain things
♥ Renting a cell phone ~ seshat's preferred service of cell phones
♥ Listings of Pepper Lunch in Tokyo ~ Foooooood. one of seshat's favorite restaurants
♥ Otaku tour XD
♥ Rental cell phone <~ yzo's preferred choice (note, has already ordered and will have cell with him when traveling on 03/30/07)
♥ Maico, g-ori ~ places to check out if we want to dress up as 'maiko' (i.e. apprentice geisha) in Kyoto
♥ gojapan's link for geisha ~ more info on geisha tours
♥ Butler cafe/Swallowtail ~ Butler cafe ~ sounds a lot like Antique Bakery (as seshat suggested) and very cool. Any takers? Need reservations asap. Thanks to halffling for the suggestion. <3
♥ Cultural Liasons for Kyoto & Tokyo ~ has some interesting links for tours and such.

♥ How to get to and around Miyajima~ Pretty shrine gates in water!
♥ Kyoto Nama Chocolate Organic Tea House
♥ Food in Tokyo!
♥ Sake Brewery Museum in Kobe
♥ Hakatsuru Sake
♥ Ramen Museum outside of Tokyo
♥ SMOKE FREE RESTAURANTS! ~ I want to check some of these out!
♥ a cafe Jeanne thinks is interesting
♥ Right on target for cherry blossoms blooming when we get to Japan!






Group Info

~*~ Note: Posts are friends-locked and for teh homies on teh trip, so click if you like to look empty space, y0. ~*~

~*~ Tentative Plans: itenarary & cost
~*~ What to expect when leaving Narita Airport, i.e. Welcome to JAPAN and Jetlag!
~*~ Info on Luggage Handling [the Make Your Mad Dash to Tokyo Station Easier! post]
~*~ Hotel Maps and Access; How to get to our Hotels!
~*~ Costs Revisted!



Notes:

* I will be constantly updating this, so people on the trip, feel free to put this in the memories for easy access.

* sandpanther, I didn't include Jan's flight itenarary as I do not know it. Feel free to forward and I can add it in.

* any other fun suggestions on sightseeing things? One of these days, while puppypiling, I will be forcing everyone to look through their lonely planet guidebook and pick out interesting sights in which I will put in a spreadsheet. I'll email said spreadsheet a week or two before trip. XD

* I will be off to the JTB office to buy JR passes on Feb. 12, 2007. So far, I am buying mine, seshat, shinigamitabris, & lady_gemma (all verbally confirmed with me) as well as rightsock & damiri (text confirmed). yzo, wanna come with me on that day? Since you work down the street. We can pick up other ducklings' passes as well. Just let me know in advance!

* Current USD:Yen Exchange rate: 1USD : 121 YEN <~ as of 10.54am PST 01/26/2007
1USD : 1117Yen <~ as of 3:41pm PST 03/14/07

* 3/14/07 Just re-arranged flight info by who's leaving first. ^_^ and added the link to Transportation information on Miyajima.

* 3/21/07 Just added more links! XD

Can I just say I am TOTALLY EXCITED!!!! I think I need a countdown thingy for this trip. :3

Comments

[halffling.livejournal.com]

I think I mentioned this to tabs the last time she was in Japan, buuuut methinks a visit to the Swallowtail Butler Café (http://butlers-cafe.jp/) is in order ;D (more info (http://www.boingboing.net/2006/05/21/tokyos_butler_cafes_.html))

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

OH EM GEE. I DO WANT TO DO THIS. XD

Thanks for the link/suggestion!!! *snuggles*

[halffling.livejournal.com]

XDD I hear that it's reallllly busy, though - so make reservations a.s.a.p.! *^^* THEN TELL ME HOW IT GOES... AND TAKE PICTURES.

-- some info from a post I found on LJ (http://chiizupan.livejournal.com/18571.html)

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

I am going to see if anyone else wants to go. And I read that they don't allow pictures! D:

[melblue122.livejournal.com]

ahahahaha, this DOES seem like something they'd want to go to xD

[sandpanther.livejournal.com]

Diane is on the same flight we are. And you do have her flight itinerary there, hon. :)

Jan is arriving a day earlier than we are, to Kansai. I don't have her flight information for the flight out. Returning, she's on the same flight as sakon76, kazuhiko04 and yzo. So no one comes home alone. :)

We probably should coordinate efforts at some point, since I've also been compiling this info in a document. I think it's good to have it in LJ as well, so everyone can refer to it. (My document is mainly so that everyone can have the information in hand when we're on the ground.)

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

Got it. *facepalms* I corrected myself.

I've also updated it to include your post on how to get to our hotels as well as Jan's return flight home.