Whose Going to Jump Festa 2010?

[naruto_ramen]

Hello everyone

My sister and I are very excited to be part of the group going to Jump Festa this December We can't wait to attend, especially in cosplay. We've never been to Japan before, but it's been something we've always wanted to do and when we saw this tour go up, we just had to jump on it! We attend a good majority of anime conventions here in the U.S., but how cool is it to go to one in Japan?

We're looking forward to shopping and buying lots of Naruto goodies and hope to see some of the seiyuu from Naruto as well, especially Junko Takeuchi (Naruto) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Sasuke) and maybe even Kishimoto himself We're also looking forward to seeing some of the historic and scenic areas of Japan and seeing Tokyo Tower. The pictures we've seen on the internet look amazing!!!

We're also coming from TX, but are looking forward to flying with the group to Japan out of LAX

Whose else is going? What are you looking forward to? Where are you coming from?

Come share your thoughts so we could all get to know whose going on this trip

[Carl_PJT]

Hello naruto_ramen!

First of all I'd like to welcome you to the new Pop Japan Travel forums! Secondly, I'd like to congratulate you for being the first to post on our new forums! We hope we can help you in attaining your desired experience on the Jump Festa tour anyway we can!

Jump Festa is going to be a huge event, and I'm sure you will have lots of fun there! I know that many Seiyuu will be there, including those of Naruto, so it will be very exciting to be able to see them!

I'm sure you will be amazed with the general layout of Tokyo as well. It really is an amazing city, and it can be fun just to walk around in at night with all of the lights and different things going on. And while the structure of Tokyo Tower is pretty cool, the best part is being able to see all of Tokyo when you get to the top. It's especially beautiful at night. They have parts at the top with glass flooring, so you can essentially stand right over the city and can get a good view of what's directly below.

If you have questions about anything else on the tour let us know! I'm pretty familiar with the Tokyo area so I'll be happy to answer your questions anytime! We hope you have a safe flight over from Texas, and we'll see you soon!

--Carl

[naruto_ramen]

Hello naruto_ramen!

First of all I'd like to welcome you to the new Pop Japan Travel forums! Secondly, I'd like to congratulate you for being the first to post on our new forums! We hope we can help you in attaining your desired experience on the Jump Festa tour anyway we can!

Jump Festa is going to be a huge event, and I'm sure you will have lots of fun there! I know that many Seiyuu will be there, including those of Naruto, so it will be very exciting to be able to see them!

I'm sure you will be amazed with the general layout of Tokyo as well. It really is an amazing city, and it can be fun just to walk around in at night with all of the lights and different things going on. And while the structure of Tokyo Tower is pretty cool, the best part is being able to see all of Tokyo when you get to the top. It's especially beautiful at night. They have parts at the top with glass flooring, so you can essentially stand right over the city and can get a good view of what's directly below.

If you have questions about anything else on the tour let us know! I'm pretty familiar with the Tokyo area so I'll be happy to answer your questions anytime! We hope you have a safe flight over from Texas, and we'll see you soon!

--Carl

Thanks so much I'm excited the forums are getting started

The Jump Festa sounds wonderful and very exciting I hope we could cosplay there

So what happens after you get confirmed for the tour? Will we be getting an information packet or various paperwork on what we should expect while in Japan?

That's so cool that you mention Tokyo Tower because I chose to go and see that. In fact, it's the first stop on the trip

I'm looking forward to seeing and experiencing as much as I can while in Japan Are there any places that you recommend seeing while on this tour?

Random questions, how will food work down there? Will we eat as a group or get snacks whenever we are hungry? Also, what do we do about converting U.S. money to yen? Do you recommend getting any shots before going overseas?

[Carl_PJT]

Hello there again! Sorry for the late reply - we've been trying our best to respond lately, but things have been pretty busy around here.

To answer your question, a month before the tour starts we will send you an itinerary packet, and when you go on the tour itself, we give you a guidebook that shows you some of the best parts of Japan!

As far as cosplaying goes at Jump Festa, I think it is fine to do so, but it will be cold so please prepare!

Tokyo Tower is very cool; I'm sure you'll be very impressed with it! Since it's on the first night we are there, you can get an overall scope of the size of Tokyo.

Personally, my two favorite places in Tokyo have always been Shibuya and Shinjuku. Shibuya is famous for it's large X-shaped crosswalk in front of the train station and many shops. I have spent many hours there just looking around and shopping with friends. Shinjuku is also very fun to walk around in, especially at night. Shinjuku is probably the place where I hang out the most when I hang out in Tokyo, because it is connected directly to my home station, and is easily accessible for my friends who work in Tokyo. It is very busy and is one of the most popular spots in Tokyo. I would have to recommend both Shibuya and Shinjuku at night. The lights and the whole atmosphere put together make for an amazing experience. Some other places I enjoy are Ueno, famous for it's outdoor shopping, and Ikebukuro, another large area good for shopping.

Generally, you will pay for your own food, as different members of the tour usually want to eat different things. This is easier because obviously price varies a lot based on what one chooses to eat.

For money conversion, I suggest checking frequently with a local bank that is capable of the service, so that you will be able to gauge if you are getting a good deal or not. You can always convert money in Japan (even at the airport), but I would not recommend waiting this long as you may get the bad end of the deal.

Lastly, I wouldn't worry about shots. Japan if anything, is a lot cleaner than America in general, and is very safe. If you have any other questions, please ask! Thank you!

--Carl

[naruto_ramen]

Hello there again! Sorry for the late reply - we've been trying our best to respond lately, but things have been pretty busy around here.

To answer your question, a month before the tour starts we will send you an itinerary packet, and when you go on the tour itself, we give you a guidebook that shows you some of the best parts of Japan!

As far as cosplaying goes at Jump Festa, I think it is fine to do so, but it will be cold so please prepare!

Tokyo Tower is very cool; I'm sure you'll be very impressed with it! Since it's on the first night we are there, you can get an overall scope of the size of Tokyo.

Personally, my two favorite places in Tokyo have always been Shibuya and Shinjuku. Shibuya is famous for it's large X-shaped crosswalk in front of the train station and many shops. I have spent many hours there just looking around and shopping with friends. Shinjuku is also very fun to walk around in, especially at night. Shinjuku is probably the place where I hang out the most when I hang out in Tokyo, because it is connected directly to my home station, and is easily accessible for my friends who work in Tokyo. It is very busy and is one of the most popular spots in Tokyo. I would have to recommend both Shibuya and Shinjuku at night. The lights and the whole atmosphere put together make for an amazing experience. Some other places I enjoy are Ueno, famous for it's outdoor shopping, and Ikebukuro, another large area good for shopping.

Generally, you will pay for your own food, as different members of the tour usually want to eat different things. This is easier because obviously price varies a lot based on what one chooses to eat.

For money conversion, I suggest checking frequently with a local bank that is capable of the service, so that you will be able to gauge if you are getting a good deal or not. You can always convert money in Japan (even at the airport), but I would not recommend waiting this long as you may get the bad end of the deal.

Lastly, I wouldn't worry about shots. Japan if anything, is a lot cleaner than America in general, and is very safe. If you have any other questions, please ask! Thank you!

--Carl

Thanks so much for answering my questions and for your recommendations

So do you recommend getting traveler's checks then?

Also, what do you recommend to bring clothwise? How cold does it get in Japan durning the winter?

Any other questions that pop up, I'll be sure to ask.

Thanks again for your replies

[Carl_PJT]

Traveler's checks can be used, but I can't say I would recommend them. You generally have to go to a bank to get them converted to cash, which is a hassle. They were a good way to handle money exchange years ago, but these days ATMs act as pretty good world citizens, so if you have any major bank card, it should allow you to get extra cash when needed.

As for clothing, I would recommend to bring fairly heavy winter clothing. You don't need an Eskimo outfit, but temperatures can fall below freezing, and snow is not a rare sight.

This is quite a contrast for me as I am usually in Japan during the Summer months, when it is sweltering hot along with unbelievable humidity, so I will have to prepare pretty well myself!

Don't hesitate to ask any other questions you may have!

--Carl

[naruto_ramen]

Traveler's checks can be used, but I can't say I would recommend them. You generally have to go to a bank to get them converted to cash, which is a hassle. They were a good way to handle money exchange years ago, but these days ATMs act as pretty good world citizens, so if you have any major bank card, it should allow you to get extra cash when needed.

As for clothing, I would recommend to bring fairly heavy winter clothing. You don't need an Eskimo outfit, but temperatures can fall below freezing, and snow is not a rare sight.

This is quite a contrast for me as I am usually in Japan during the Summer months, when it is sweltering hot along with unbelievable humidity, so I will have to prepare pretty well myself!

Don't hesitate to ask any other questions you may have!

--Carl

So what if you don't have an ATM card ^^ I was planning on just bringing cash. I'm a little confused on what to do regarding spending money ^^ What would you do?

Winter clothes, huh? Alright. I don't mind the snow at all

One more question, I wanted to buy my plane tickets this weekend, but I want to make sure that this is a "sure-go" for the tour. I don't want to book the tickets if the tour still has a chance of being cancelled. Please let me know what I should do in regards to this. Should I wait, if so, how long will it be, or go ahead and book my tickets?

Thanks so much for answering my questions I really appreciate you taking the time to do so

[Carl_PJT]

Well when I visit Japan, I just bring a moderate amount of cash and as I said, I get money from ATMs as needed, but in the case that you don't have a ATM card, you can always fall back on traveler's checks! I didn't mean to imply that traveler's checks are evil or anything; they are just not recommended these days over ATM cards because of the convenience factor. All you need to do is go to a bank or a money exchange place (they even have these at the airport), and then you can get your checks converted into cash. Don't worry! It's not that hard; I've used traveler's checks in the past myself!

I think Gigi took care of your second question, but if you have any more to ask, go ahead! I'll be happy to answer them!

o(^▽^)o

--Carl

[naruto_ramen]

Well when I visit Japan, I just bring a moderate amount of cash and as I said, I get money from ATMs as needed, but in the case that you don't have a ATM card, you can always fall back on traveler's checks! I didn't mean to imply that traveler's checks are evil or anything; they are just not recommended these days over ATM cards because of the convenience factor. All you need to do is go to a bank or a money exchange place (they even have these at the airport), and then you can get your checks converted into cash. Don't worry! It's not that hard; I've used traveler's checks in the past myself!

I think Gigi took care of your second question, but if you have any more to ask, go ahead! I'll be happy to answer them!

o(^▽^)o

--Carl

Hello.

Okay, thank you

Maybe I'll go order an ATM card for the trip.

Thanks for all your help so far!

[Carl_PJT]

No problem!

--Carl