woelpad, I'm from 静岡県 so it's the same sort of timescale to get there (perhaps a bit longer depending on connections!). I'll be coming with Christoph (assuming he's still up for it) but not bringing any non-forum people if that's what you're asking.

Sounds great folks.  I'll be coming alone also.  Well, by out of the way, I just meant it wasn't in the general vicinity of the train station.  But since we have an adventurous group, not a problem.  I'm excited and can't wait to meet you all:)

Reposting the meeting details:

12:00 noon on Jan 27 at the McDonald's outside the East Exit of Kamakura station (that sentence reminds of me teaching prepositions).  There are two exits, the east one has lots of busses, the west exit has none.  Go out the east exit and look to the left.  The McDs should be easy to spot.  I chose that as the meeting place because we all know what it looks like, we can meet outside if it's nice and inside if it's rainy, and if you get there early you can at least get a coke or something.

I got synewave, guppy, woelpad, christoph, and myself meeting.  Any of these guys bailing out?  Anyone else want to come?

It might be a little chilly for a hike, but perfect for avocado burgers and beer.

Checked out the train times and me and Chris should arrive at the station at precisely 11.30

Still planning on being there... Will be a bit late but I know my way around Kamakura.
See you soon:)

Yes, I'll be there! The rain is supposed to stop by tomorrow afternoon; high of 13. We can decide about the hike when we're together. No problem either way for me.

Until tomorrow! Looking forward to meeting you all.

Dreaming of great burgers and beer,
Scooter

P.S. Beer is fine, but I suppose they don't serve hand-pulled, real cask ales at Hawaiian restaurants in Kamakura, do they.....

Just now back from the RTK get together in Kamakura....

WAKELA SAVED MY LIFE!

Literally.

The seven of us walked the ハイキングコース through the woods outside Kamakura. Great day for a hike. At one point Wakela and I were in the lead where the path had a somewhat steep slope down to the right. We were walking and chatting away. The series of events from my perspective then went something like this:

  I got a bit too close to the edge of the path and thus to the slope.
  I stepped ON a root rather than over it, slipping and losing my balance
       and my book and map.
  I started down the slope HEAD FIRST and frantically attempted to stop myself.
  I realize, despite the great pain in my right leg, that something is pulling my
       left leg and I've stopped moving.
  I look back and see Wakela with a death grip--no, a LIFE grip--on me,
       saving me from certain injury and perhaps worse.

Thanks, Wake!! Man, had you not thought and acted so quickly....

Everything else about the day was also quite memorable (though thankfully not as harrowing). Glad to have met and come to know synewave, Christoph, woelpad, brose, guppy, and Wakela. We had great food and beverage on both sides of the hike. Should have seen us at lunch--two conversations going at one point, both including numerous kanjii drawn on napkins! Synewave is going to post a picture of us taken at the Daibutsu.

Thanks, guys, for a fantastic Saturday!

Scooter

Thanks guys! 
  Quite an exciting day!  It was great to meet everyone.  Hope we can do it again sometime.

guppy

Could you name people on the photo?

Any photo with 大仏 rocks! Looks like you all had a great time!

I recognised guppy and Wakela from a photo of the previous meetup that you guys sent me (there was also taijuando and The_Marshall in that photo).

I hope I'll be able to join a future get together in Japan, it looks like I'll be able to go around April~May (April most likely)! Keep some of those hawaian burgers for me, hehe.

PS: would you guys mind if I posted the photo on the homepage? (with a link to this thread)

I agree that it was a great time.  All thanks to this site.  We spent hours comparing stories and study methods.  Like I said at the time, most other Japanese students do not use the Heisig method, and certainly no Japanese do, and they don't get our crazy stories.  So meeting other RTK folks feels like a support group.

I would be flattered to have the picture posted on the home page.  Perhaps eventually will have enough meetings to make a gallery.  I hope Fabirce will be in the next picture.  Let us know when you are coming!

The most important thing I learned that day was that not only do flowers and drops of water each have their own way of falling, apparently Scooter does, too.

These free-lunch (thanks, brose), free-beer (thanks to the generosity of those who went home early), free-walk, free-talk get-together-freely's (okay, I'm overdoing it, the old make-the-story-work-by-repeating-ad-nauseam trick rearing its ugly head) are good entertainment for any odd Saturday out. Getting to know a little more about the people you're constantly encountering on these forums (yes, they do have actual names and lives, and no, I won't divulge, since it's so out-of-context, right?) is one of the best things about it. Besides the hike, of course, thanks scooter for the effort (btw, nice avatar you made there).

ファブリス wrote:

PS: would you guys mind if I posted the photo on the homepage? (with a link to this thread)

No problem for me.

scooterinjapan wrote:

The organization I work for has cabins on 山中湖.

Yamanakako, close to Mount Fuji. According to my colleague, who's from Yamanashi-ken (the district where this lake is located), public transport is not too convenient, you're a lot faster there by car (could easily be an hour difference if coming from Tokyo, if you can avoid the traffic jams). With a bit of car-pooling, it's feasible for a day excursion. (Funny, if this would've been the first rendez-vous, I wouldn't even have considered it.) I'm open to other (closer) destinations too, though.　Or were you considering a whole weekend?

woelpad wrote:

...Free-beer (thanks to the generosity of those who went home early)...

You're welcome!

woelpad wrote:

Getting to know a little more about the people you're constantly encountering on these forums...is one of the best things about it. Besides the hike, of course, thanks scooter for the effort...

Happy to oblige!... (Ouch--right leg still bruised.)

woelpad wrote:

(btw, nice avatar you made there)

Thanks, but I cannot let you believe a falsehood. I chose it from some icons already on my hard drive. Quiz: what's the keyword? (Hint: one stroke cannot be seen.)

woelpad wrote:

Yamanakako...public transport is not too convenient, you're a lot faster there by car (could easily be an hour difference if coming from Tokyo, if you can avoid the traffic jams). With a bit of car-pooling, it's feasible for a day excursion. (Funny, if this would've been the first rendez-vous, I wouldn't even have considered it.) I'm open to other (closer) destinations too, though. Or were you considering a whole weekend?

I almost always stay two nights (Friday evening to Sunday afternoon) at Yamanakako. If we went, people (families, even) could come and go as they please--day excursion, overnight, or the whole weekend.

There is a highway bus from Shinjuku every hour (two-hour travel time) with a stop just a 5- to 10-minute walk from the cabins. The closest train station is Fujiyoshida; from there it's a 30-minute bus ride to the same stop. Of course, driving is usually more economical for people traveling together.

Just thinking possibilities here. Other destinations/activities, say, somewhere in town, are fine as well.

Last edited by scooterinjapan (2007 January 29, 2:10 am)