I'll be in Japan from August the 18th to November the 15th and I remember many others saying they'd also be there around the same time, so let's meet up!
I suppose Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto would probably be the best places to meet. I'll be in Kansai in early October and Tokyo in late October, so if you're interested, post your dates and let's see if we can't organise something.

I'm in Tokyo right now till 25th October so I'm up for a beer or something stronger

I live in Kyoto so I'm around Kansai. Maybe the first few days of October I'll be in America for a wedding, but I think I'll be back in Japan by October 5th. So I'd be up for something.

Slightly off-topic, but I keep wondering how you can stay so long in Japan for 'vacation'.. Don't you have all work/school or what? Just curious. On top of that, staying for such a long time can get pretty pricy, right?

I'll be in Tokyo from September 5th onwards, barring several days surrounding October 19th where I'll be back in the UK.

Thurd: Well I'm planning to stay in Tokyo from the 24th, so I'm up for a drink if you don't mind cutting it so close.
Tzadeck: I'm gonna stay in Kyoto for 3 nights in mid October, probably the 14th -16th, maybe we could do something then?

I'm on a gap year at the moment, I would have gone to Japan earlier but I was sticking around until the Monbusho scholarship application stuff finished.
I'm starting in Naha and finishing in Sapporo, sightseeing etc about half of the time and WWOOFing the other half. I'm staying at youth hostels the whole way (I might couchsurf at a few places too), so the most expensive thing will be travelling costs. I'm hoping to keep the whole trip in the $6, 000AUD range . So yeah, not too cheap.

Tori-kun Wrote:Slightly off-topic, but I keep wondering how you can stay so long in Japan for 'vacation'.. Don't you have all work/school or what? Just curious.

I'm between jobs so its not a big deal and students have it even easier. I remember once I just went for a part time job in another city and just didn't go to the Uni for more than 2 weeks, nothing bad happened

Tori-kun Wrote:On top of that, staying for such a long time can get pretty pricy, right?

You'd be surprised how cheap it is when you go for long term travel and I'm not even venturing into extremes like couchsurfing etc. People associate vacation with a costly trip for a short period of time so they automatically assume a longer trip would cost multiples of that short trip. But in reality if you do it smart its really not that bad (depending on your situation of course), if you don't have to pay rent at home (no mortgage and/or lease of property), don't dine daily in overpriced restaurants for tourists (regular restaurants aimed at local clientele are usually much cheaper, but still you can't overdo it), don't buy crap like souvenirs, plan your trip ahead and figure all additional benefits (cheaper tickets, places to live, rail passes in Japan etc.). From my estimates my 2 weeks trip to US East Coast cost me about the same as 3 months in Japan will and except for a few expenses (plane ticket, rail pass, museum fees etc.) I think my cost of living in Tokyo is very comparable to Poland. Big mac costs around 2euro everywhere (not that I eat them regularly but I went once just for comparisons sake, no difference in price/taste/quality), food prices vary but you can eat well really cheaply if you go for local stuff (not everyone in Japan is a Rockefeller and they have to eat too). Sure you have to make do without some stuff you found normal at home (bread or stupidly expensive tomatoes for me) but in exchange you get access to things that weren't as cheap or tasty back home (rice, more exotic fruit like nashi).

If you're one of the lucky countries that can get a working-student visa or something similar you can always help your budget doing part time low-level jobs.

@thecite sure no problem, I plan to go on a 7 day trip (rail pass) in September so maybe we can meet around that time? I haven't decided my route yet but will keep you posted.

thurd Wrote:I'm between jobs so its not a big deal and students have it even easier. I remember once I just went for a part time job in another city and just didn't go to the Uni for more than 2 weeks, nothing bad happened

Cool! I wonder, students in Germany tend to be quite poor always and start eating instant-ramen (one package costs like 20cents here in Asian shops) and invent super clever survival-meals with rice (yes. rice. 10kg cost basically nothing when you buy them in asian shops and together with a small rice cooker rice will turn out to be the nutrition keeping you running until you finish studying lol). Studying in Germany at least is a bit pricy and I suppose I also will need to go part-time jobbing here somewhere in order to pay the rent for the apartment, so.. I wonder where to gather the money for a trip like that one lol

Quote:You'd be surprised how cheap it is when you go for long term travel and I'm not even venturing into extremes like couchsurfing etc. People associate vacation with a costly trip for a short period of time so they automatically assume a longer trip would cost multiples of that short trip. But in reality if you do it smart its really not that bad (depending on your situation of course), if you don't have to pay rent at home (no mortgage and/or lease of property), don't dine daily in overpriced restaurants for tourists (regular restaurants aimed at local clientele are usually much cheaper, but still you can't overdo it), don't buy crap like souvenirs, plan your trip ahead and figure all additional benefits (cheaper tickets, places to live, rail passes in Japan etc.). From my estimates my 2 weeks trip to US East Coast cost me about the same as 3 months in Japan will and except for a few expenses (plane ticket, rail pass, museum fees etc.) I think my cost of living in Tokyo is very comparable to Poland. Big mac costs around 2euro everywhere (not that I eat them regularly but I went once just for comparisons sake, no difference in price/taste/quality), food prices vary but you can eat well really cheaply if you go for local stuff (not everyone in Japan is a Rockefeller and they have to eat too). Sure you have to make do without some stuff you found normal at home (bread or stupidly expensive tomatoes for me) but in exchange you get access to things that weren't as cheap or tasty back home (rice, more exotic fruit like nashi).
If you're one of the lucky countries that can get a working-student visa or something similar you can always help your budget doing part time low-level jobs.

Yeah, perhaps, it's just like you wrote, but.. you really need tough luck for the exchange of € -> 円. Either you're lucky and can make a bit 'profit' or you will lose something in worst case. Well, I'm thinking of doing this part-time jobbing in Japan for a while after I graduate, because I want to get a clear head (I don't have now) concerning what to study and moreoever where. On top of that, it will be a nice experience, won't it?
thurd, you travel only with one bag or do you have more luggage? For winter (23.12.-06.01.2012) I saw a flight from SAS from Frankfurt for 620€ or something (roundtrip).. Still quite expensive

Tori-kun Wrote:Well, I'm thinking of doing this part-time jobbing in Japan for a while after I graduate, because I want to get a clear head (I don't have now) concerning what to study and moreoever where. On top of that, it will be a nice experience, won't it?

Nothing puts things in perspective like travel, so do it if you want to! Even if you'll end up paying some money its a good price for this experience and you'll benefit from it your whole life. I like to think of travel as an investment not cost.

Tori-kun Wrote:thurd, you travel only with one bag or do you have more luggage? For winter (23.12.-06.01.2012) I saw a flight from SAS from Frankfurt for 620€ or something (roundtrip).. Still quite expensive

Go for minimal luggage possible, you'll end up taking tons of stuff anyway There are some serious travelers out there doing really crazy stuff (Rolf Potts and his no baggage challenge) but the common consensus from all of them seems to be get everything you need and nothing more. For me its just my backpack as hand-luggage and a regular travel case (on wheels, the bigger and sturdier the better), depending on your airline there are different weight/size limits for each. Also 620€ is not cheap, I've seen bargins for about 500€ but you didn't have any flexibility about how long you'll be there or when you go. I've paid around 650€ for a ticket spanning 3 months with me picking dates, precise landing/wait times and airlines.

Thurd: In September I'll be in Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Matsuyama and Takamatsu, so if you're going to any of those places then we might be able to meet up.

I know you said in your other thread that you're looking for opportunities to meet Japanese people etc, you could always use the couchsurfing site just to meet up with people, that's what I plan on doing.

thecite Wrote:Tzadeck: I'm gonna stay in Kyoto for 3 nights in mid October, probably the 14th -16th, maybe we could do something then?

Sure, I'll definitely be around at that time. I know there are at least a few other forum members who live in Kyoto, so maybe they'll also be down for something?

Maybe in October
I hate leaving my apartment unless I have to in the summer months >_<

bodhisamaya Wrote:Maybe in October

Yeah, that's what I mean. We could go out as a group in mid-October.

Nobody in their right mind wants to move around Kyoto in the summer, haha. Hide in the AC!

Though, this weekend a bunch of friends and I wore yukata、 watched 鵜飼い in Arashiyama, and ate at one of the 床 by the Kamo. Was a fine day indeed.

Mid October, I'll be going to NY for the Comic con, trying to hit some Halloween events on other weekends (Niseko is having a party early in the month to avoid the colder weather that I might fly back up North for, and I've not made it to the Kawasaki Halloween event yet, but would like to).

You can contact me here when it happens.

In the beginning stages of planning a trip to Osaka at the end of November (sometime after the 22nd). If I have time in-between my awesome Japanese lady entourage I'll have following me, yeah we could hang out.

I'll be in Saitama from September until the first week of March next year. I'm not exactly a renowned forum user, but I think that a RevtK user meet-up would be a great experience.

Question, would we speak English or Japanese? Both?

Sebastian Wrote:I'm not exactly a renowned forum user, but I think that a RevtK user meet-up would be a great experience.

Question, would we speak English or Japanese? Both?

Three years and almost 400 posts... Yea, I would say you are about ready for the initial hazing period for new users. It doesn't matter what language you speak. As long as it translates into, "Thank you RevTK Elder Sir! May I the pledge buy you another beer, Sir!!??"

Well I've locked in the Kyoto dates, so hopefully we can get a few more people to come along.

I would be down for a Tokyo meetup anytime. Just contact me if interested.