Forum - View topicGo to Japan with ANN and PacSet Travel!
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Engineering Nerd
 Posts: 902 Location: Southern California |
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Frankly, if anyone out of Rebecca, Zack, Jacob, Theron, Nick or James is going, I will sign up for the trip instantly, I lived in Japan for years and I did visited some of the spots covered in this trip, but having a group experience in western perspective will be a blast.
Unfortunately, Theron and James are middle/high school teachers so that is out of question, and Rebecca /Nick is always busy and occupied, so... 
Oh well Last edited by Engineering Nerd on Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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OjaruFan2
Posts: 673 |
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As much as I would like to go, I won't be able to. Hope the people that go have lots of fun!
Lol 
Never tried any of those, but they all sound pretty good. 
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 3028 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Uh, sorry it's just me? |
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Engineering Nerd
Posts: 902 Location: Southern California |
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Oh no no no, that is not what I meant, Since you are already confirmed so I didn’t count You on that wishlist. Make no mistake. as a loyal reader of Interest articles and The List, I know you will be a great travel companion. I only mention those names as wishlist since the article mentioned more ANN staff to be announced in the future. I worded it in a misleading way, please pardon my mistake, I certainly would never meant it that way 
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 3028 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Oh, no worries! Sorry if I put you in the spot!
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10455 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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When did you do this? Prices have gone up a lot the last couple years in Tokyo. Many hotels closed down for several years to renovate for 2020. Next year, due to the Olympics, Airfare and Hotels are priced even higher. That increased price will probably last for a few years then slowly come down in the mid 2020s. Airfare from LAX is about $850 (that's why the base tour is $850 cheaper). If you hop online now and look for airfare for a direct flight from LAX to Haneda on those dates (9/30-10/12), and you'll find that $850 is a very reasonable price. At $50 a night, you were not staying in a very nice hotel. I can actually find hotels in Tokyo for under $30 a night. Would I want to put ANN's readers in them? Nope! The ANN tour is a guided tour, staying in decent hotels, includes 11 days of meals, JR Pass, Onsen, Museums, and lots of other things. And we're taking people places where they can't go on your own (Anime studios don't sell tickets; most fans will never get to visit a studio and see animators at work). Quite simply, when ANN and PacSet set out to make this tour, we didn't set out to make the cheapest budget tour available, we set out to make something great. Certainly you can go on your own for less than the cost of this tour, but that's not a fair comparison. This tour is guided and includes access to places you can't go on your own. It's just not an apples to apples compassion. Now, if you want to go on your own, or with a small group of friends unguided, you can definitely do it cheaper. PacSet can even organize it to your budget if you want (for a fee), or you can do it completely alone. If that's the way you prefer to do it, I encourage you to do it. One way or another, whether it's the ANN Tour, another guided tour, with friends, or on your own, everyone should go to Japan and should do it at a cost that is reasonable for them.
Last edited by Tempest on Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:17 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10455 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Jacob works for our competitor right now. Not that we're banning him from participating in ANN activities, he's still family, but we wanted to include a current ANN staff member. Zac would have loved to go, but sadly, we can't send Zac and Lynzee to Japan at the same time, the site would fall apart! We've also already sent Zac to Japan a couple times, it was Lynzee's turn! If we sell a few more tickets though, we might actually be adding another ANN staff writer to the trip. Hopefully it's someone you like (lots of people like this person). Kim, Egan and myself will likely pop in from time to time, but won't be with you every day. (Kim and Egan live in Tokyo and I have a place there, so I've committed myself to spending all of October 2020 in Tokyo - I usually go October 15 - November 8, next year I'll just go October 1 - November 1... Can't leave before Halloween!) |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10455 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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R&R or solo/smaller group activities. The guides will have a list of recommended activities, and can help you arrange anything else you might want to do. |
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HyugaHinata
 Posts: 3505 |
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Thanks for the heads-up. I live in Japan, but I was just curious. I appreciate the time you took to reply. |
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Saffire
 Posts: 1256 Location: Iowa, USA |
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I wrestled with going but I can't quite swing it right now after buying a house. Hopefully there will be more in the future!
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4618 |
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Haven't decided for sure yet, but this looks really interesting.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18435 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yeah, I think a base price of around $3,200 is pretty reasonable for an 11 day guided tour. Back in June my friend and I did a 7 day tour through a different company that had everything paid except a few meals and alcohol and that ran us around $2,700 each (not counting airfare), so this price is in line with that or on the cheap side. Main recommendation from that trip for first-timers? Try shabu-shabu if you get the chance. Both of us thought it was the best meal we had on the trip. |
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zrdb
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I'd really like to go but just can't afford the price of admission. Maybe next time.....!
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Cutiebunny
 Posts: 1767 |
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The price is only steep if you value your tour guide's time at 0. If you look for small group guided tours in areas like Tokyo on sites like Viator, it's not uncommon to pay $200/day. Realize that part of what you're paying goes towards your tour guide's room/board since they'll be doing the heavy lifting portion by planning out the day's activities and navigation. And while I agree with you that, for the most part, getting to tourist sites like Kaminarimon, Tokyo Tower, etc. is not difficult, a knowledgeable tour guide can impart a lot of information that you couldn't otherwise get by reading signs and internet guides. Public Wi-Fi is not reliable unless you're on the shinkansen or in a restaurant like Starbucks, etc. I use a portable Wi-Fi unit while there, all of which you can book before you arrive and pick it up at the airport. $70/2 weeks for reliable internet even in the mountains was very helpful. I agree with the advice regarding walking. If you're out of shape, start working out months before you're going to leave. There are a lot of stairs in Tokyo, particularly if you're going to use the subway system to get around. I usually walk a minimum of 15 kms a day in Tokyo, and that's using the subway system. And break in a good pair of walking shoes before you go. Nothing worse than bringing the wrong kind of footwear and being in pain from it throughout your trip. |
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HyugaHinata
Posts: 3505 |
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If you don't have wi-fi, don't pay for data roaming. It's very expensive if it's outside the country your mobile phone plan was registered in.
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Positive reinforcement on all your purchases. "Yes, that looks amazing on you, get two."
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