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    Planning a trip to Kan Geiko

    Steve Leadbeater
    Steve Leadbeater


    Posts : 205
    Join date : 2013-02-26
    Age : 68
    Location : Sydney Australia

    Planning a trip to Kan Geiko Empty Planning a trip to Kan Geiko

    Post by Steve Leadbeater Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:20 am

    Believe it or not, I have never set foot on Japanese soil,
    and now I have to plan a trip to the Kodokan for several
    of us at my Judo club.   thumbs 

    I need HELP !!  banghead 

    We are planning on attending Winter training in January 2015 a lead time at present of 18 months. Very Happy 

    What do I have to organise ??  confused 

    every suggestion will be taken seriously (with the exception of those requiring medical assistance and the Karma Sutra) affraid 

    Please let me have your thoughts and well used advice.  thumbup1


    Last edited by Steve Leadbeater on Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:08 am; edited 1 time in total
    BillC
    BillC


    Posts : 806
    Join date : 2012-12-28
    Location : Vista, California

    Planning a trip to Kan Geiko Empty Re: Planning a trip to Kan Geiko

    Post by BillC Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:34 am

    Steve Leadbeater wrote:Believe it or not, I have never set foot on Japanese soil,
    and now I have to plan a trip to the Kodokan for several
    of us at my Judo club.   thumbs 

    I need HELP !!  banghead 

    We are planning on attending Winter training in January 201,5 a lead time at present of 18 months. Very Happy 

    What do I have to organise ??  confused 

    every suggestion will be taken seriously (with the exception of those requiring medical assistance and the Karma Sutra) affraid 

    Please let me have your thoughts and well used advice.  thumbup1 

    A winter trip is very, very wise. Summer in Japan is inescapably muggy and hot. Alternate ideas since you have plenty of time. Cherry blossom season around the end of March which is my favorite time and place to be anywhere, any time. Besides that I actually prefer to end my year in Tokyo ... the Kano Cup .... errr Tokyo Grand Slam of European Jacket Wrestling is in early December ... excuse enough to drop in a cute video.

    NBK
    NBK


    Posts : 1298
    Join date : 2013-01-10
    Location : Tokyo, Japan

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    Post by NBK Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:33 am

    Lose two stone.

    Nyuck, nyuck.... Cool 

    2015? Man you don't screw around. ..

    Kangeiko is what it is. What do you want to do otherwise? Tokyo has some 90+ museums etc.

    NBK
    Steve Leadbeater
    Steve Leadbeater


    Posts : 205
    Join date : 2013-02-26
    Age : 68
    Location : Sydney Australia

    Planning a trip to Kan Geiko Empty Re: Planning a trip to Kan Geiko

    Post by Steve Leadbeater Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:04 am

    Hi NBK,

    Weight loss continuing.........slowly Smile 

    It'll be nice to catch up with you again when we get there.

    There are 6 of us (so far) to attend KanGeiko, then we plan about 10 - 15 days doing the tourist thing.......

    Osaka Castle, Hiroshima Dome, Mt Fuji, Watch a Katana being forged, Drink copious quantities of Sake with you ....etc. etc.

    Including travel time about 30 days all up.
    NBK
    NBK


    Posts : 1298
    Join date : 2013-01-10
    Location : Tokyo, Japan

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    Post by NBK Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:47 am

    OK, there are tons of things to be done. Winter changes it some.

    Kyoto is a must see if you have interest in culture. And if you're in the area then I suggest at least Nara, and if time, Horyuji. By that time you'll be temple'd out, but can see some fabulous sites. Horyuji predates the discovery of Australia.

    You'll have lots of time in Tokyo between practice, so canvass the group to see what individuals want to see (modern, art, traditional, handicrafts, museum[s], etc). Once they get switched on to public transportation they can head out in small groups but it works to have a plan ahead of time, and closed days can vary.

    JR passes will likely pay off and must be purchased with passport in hand, etc.

    There's actually not much to see at Fuji unless you like touristy lakes and picturesque temples - it was just named a World Cultural Heritage Site for its traditional religious sites from which worshippers launch their summit attempts. Sit on the right side of the shinkansen when you go SW and you'll get quite a view of it if the wx cooperates.
    Steve Leadbeater
    Steve Leadbeater


    Posts : 205
    Join date : 2013-02-26
    Age : 68
    Location : Sydney Australia

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    Post by Steve Leadbeater Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:57 am

    Thankyou NBK............that's another Sake I owe you !!

    All suggestions from anyone who has made the trip we are about to make will be more than welcome.
    BillC
    BillC


    Posts : 806
    Join date : 2012-12-28
    Location : Vista, California

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    Post by BillC Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:35 am

    Steve Leadbeater wrote:Thankyou NBK............that's another Sake I owe you !!

    All suggestions from anyone who has made the trip we are about to make will be more than welcome.

    Yes, in winter a trip to a good onsen is essential for the whole Japan experience (shabbiness x constant = 1/price is nearly always observed but the old places can be fun too ... partying with a nearby table of drunken oba-chan on holiday has its charms).  For example there are some near Mt. Fuji, especially Hakone ... quite a few as well on the Boso peninsula near the Budo University ... but either of those can be over-run by Tokyoites (Tokyoans? Tokyoegians? Tokyorinos?).  Personally ... by 2015 the shinkansen will have extended to Kanazawa ... the west coast of Japan is becoming a personal favorite ... I would like to see the Kenrokuen in (a little bit of) snow ... the onsen a little further down the coast are where many of my friends prefer to soak communally in hot water ... and enjoy the home brew ... sake of course ... and the unique local seafood is unforgettable ... in a good way I mean.

    Encore video ... NBK either didn't like or didn't get it or both ... not a strawberry milk fan I guess ... but as a Van Halen fan here it is one more time.

    Q mystic
    Q mystic


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2013-02-10

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    Post by Q mystic Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:28 am

    $$$. I've heard that Japan is the most expensive place in the world.Sad 

    Also, that the girls won't even look at you.Sad 
    Cichorei Kano
    Cichorei Kano


    Posts : 1948
    Join date : 2013-01-16
    Age : 864
    Location : the Holy See

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    Post by Cichorei Kano Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:20 am

    Steve Leadbeater wrote:Believe it or not, I have never set foot on Japanese soil,
    and now I have to plan a trip to the Kodokan for several
    of us at my Judo club.   thumbs 

    I need HELP !!  banghead 

    We are planning on attending Winter training in January 2015 a lead time at present of 18 months. Very Happy 

    What do I have to organise ??  confused 

    every suggestion will be taken seriously (with the exception of those requiring medical assistance and the Karma Sutra) affraid 

    Please let me have your thoughts and well used advice.  thumbup1

    Tokyo is often not too bad in winter. Hokkaido is a different story.

    Other posters have already suggested helpful options. Personally, when I am in Tokyo, for some reason I feel a lot less motivated to visit things than when in Kyoto or Nara. I guess that is partly because, well, I can't say I really like Tokyo.

    There are at least 4 good places to stay around the Kodokan all for a varying budget, going from the cheapest ryokan, over a budget hotel, to the more expensive hotels. Make sure you plan and understand how to get from the airport to where you have to be. Don't be a foreign idiot who takes the taxi from Narita to your hotel, or you should already start doubling your budget.

    The other thing that requires planning is about the only financial advantage you can do in Japan and that is find out about the Japan Railpass. It can only be bought abroad before coming to Japan. So don't come to Japan and then start asking around where you can by a Japan Railpass; you can't buy it in Japan. It allows free travel or huge discounts on many trains. Since NBK mentioned Nara and Kyoto in his post, you really want one of those passes or you are going to spend a fortune by 'shinkanshen-ing' through Japan.

    That being said personally I am not a great fan of the kangeiko. I think it is overrated. If you want to be a stud, you are born too late, I don't know of any real kangeiko held anywhere in Japan anymore when it comes to judo. I doubt if they still exist for kendô either. The original kangeiko involved hanging the sweaty gi overnight outside in the freezing cold to 'dry', and in the morning with training sessions starting at 4 am, putting that frozen gi on your body in an unheated dôjô and have it melt into suppleness by your own sweat. Then of course, physicians started to understand how arthritis developed, etc.

    So, far less macho today, but then again it has become something meek where only the early hour is significant, but even that is later today than what it used to be. If you attend sufficient sessions and are present during roll call, you'll get one of them certificates which the Japanese and Americans are so fond of, but which in the real world obviously isn't worth the paper it's written on. On the other hand, I also appreciate that it may be important to visit the temple of judo and have these special memories in the context of a discipline you have devoutly attributed a good part of your life to. From the positive side, it's much more pleasant in sense that there isn't the crowd of foreigners there in January which you find in summer. So, go for it !
    NBK
    NBK


    Posts : 1298
    Join date : 2013-01-10
    Location : Tokyo, Japan

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    Post by NBK Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:23 pm

    Q mystic wrote:$$$. I've heard that Japan is the most expensive place in the world.Sad 

    Also, that the girls won't even look at you.Sad 
    Obviously you've never met Mr Lead Beater! What a Face 

    Steve I can follow up w a ton of suggestions. Pls email me later.

    Q mystic
    Q mystic


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2013-02-10

    Planning a trip to Kan Geiko Empty Re: Planning a trip to Kan Geiko

    Post by Q mystic Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:58 pm

    NBK wrote:
    Q mystic wrote:$$$. I've heard that Japan is the most expensive place in the world.Sad 

    Also, that the girls won't even look at you.Sad 
    Obviously you've never met Mr Lead Beater! What a Face 

    Steve I can follow up w a ton of suggestions. Pls email me later.


    My name's Steve, too.Very Happy 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE9xYUmPaZ0
    NBK
    NBK


    Posts : 1298
    Join date : 2013-01-10
    Location : Tokyo, Japan

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    Post by NBK Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:47 am

    BillC wrote:
    Steve Leadbeater wrote:Thankyou NBK............that's another Sake I owe you !!

    All suggestions from anyone who has made the trip we are about to make will be more than welcome.

    Yes, in winter a trip to a good onsen is essential for the whole Japan experience (shabbiness x constant = 1/price is nearly always observed but the old places can be fun too ... partying with a nearby table of drunken oba-chan on holiday has its charms).  For example there are some near Mt. Fuji, especially Hakone ... quite a few as well on the Boso peninsula near the Budo University ... but either of those can be over-run by Tokyoites (Tokyoans? Tokyoegians? Tokyorinos?).  Personally ... by 2015 the shinkansen will have extended to Kanazawa ... the west coast of Japan is becoming a personal favorite ... I would like to see the Kenrokuen in (a little bit of) snow ... the onsen a little further down the coast are where many of my friends prefer to soak communally in hot water ... and enjoy the home brew ... sake of course ... and the unique local seafood is unforgettable ... in a good way I mean.

    Encore video ... NBK either didn't like or didn't get it or both ... not a strawberry milk fan I guess ... but as a Van Halen fan here it is one more time.


    Dissin' the Colonel? I might've capped 'em, too.

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