[Tutorial] "How I made it to Tokyo and Arena Tour 2006" =P

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by Corybobory

^Not at all! I went to Japan for 3 weeks on 3000$ bucks, and that included an expensive train pass. If you satisfied yourself with 60$ far away tickets and budgeted, I bet you could to the trip for 2000$ each Hostels and food are cheap!

Really? Hmm, maybe it is possible then. Do you happen to remember how much your flight to Japan was? In my situation, what would probably happen is I would pay for my flight's ticket, and she would pay for her own ticket, but I'd buy both of our concert tickets. Also, wouldn't it suck to go to Japan and be seated wayyy way back from the stage where Ayu is on? You won't even be able to see her or will you? I guess I need to check out the Yokohama stage setup or something.

This is all still way up in the air for me, but it's really interesting and I wish I could do it. I'd be afraid of paying for the flight to Japan and then not being able to find a ticket reseller shop with ayu's tickets for the date I want - plus they are all over-priced.

[Corybobory]

My flight cost 1100$ CAD (back when the dollar was low so like 1000 US maybe?) and that was after tax, from Vancouver to Tokyo in May (I thought I got a good deal but my teacher was like what?? You can get them cheaper than that). I took a picture of a for sale sign of an Ayu concert ticket for 6000 yen at one of those shops...

And if it's an artist you really like, and as big a production as Ayumi puts on, I dont think being far away from the stage would ruin your experience I saw Robbie Williams in Germany with 80,000 others and he was just a speck on stage (though there were massive screens) and it was the best show just because I love him (even though it was sprinkling rain and it was sooo chilly and windy).

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by Corybobory

My flight cost 1100$ CAD (back when the dollar was low so like 1000 US maybe?) and that was after tax, from Vancouver to Tokyo in May (I thought I got a good deal but my teacher was like what?? You can get them cheaper than that). I took a picture of a for sale sign of an Ayu concert ticket for 6000 yen at one of those shops...

And if it's an artist you really like, and as big a production as Ayumi puts on, I dont think being far away from the stage would ruin your experience I saw Robbie Williams in Germany with 80,000 others and he was just a speck on stage (though there were massive screens) and it was the best show just because I love him (even though it was sprinkling rain and it was sooo chilly and windy).

6000 yen for an Ayu ticket sounds great! Do you still have the picture available? I assume the seat was pretty awful, but still. Also, a pretty important thought just came to my head. This would be mine and my gf's first time in Japan - it wouldn't be a good idea to get separated just yet. I just realized, at ticket reseller shops, do they ever have tickets for seats next to eachother? I already know my gf will not want to go if we are separated. At least, I'm pretty darn sure.

Anyway, that's a good point. If it's an artist you really like it doesn't really matter too much how far away you are. Do most of Ayu's concerts have those big screens as well? I'd assume they would, but I don't know. I think I remember seeing one in a live performance. Or does it depend on the venue? If that's the case, we'd probably be going to the Yokohama one - do you happen to know if they have the screens?

The main problem with all of this is still money - we're both 19 & 18, just about to start college, which is going to be expensive with tuition and everything. I'm sure we'll have to pull out loans sometime, too. :\ Ayu & japan are so expensive! If you happen to remember, let me know which site you did your flight plans on. I'm curious to see how much it'd be in USD from Georgia, in June.

Thanks for all of this information, by the way!

[Corybobory]

^I got my flight from flightcentre.com which isn't the cheapest. I just booked a really cheap flight that I found through kayak.com

And as far as I would guess, no ticket seller is going to sell tickets that are single and dont have anything beside each other... who would buy them :p Here is the picture:

[jonneh]

Thanks again.

"Who would buy them?" - you know, people who aren't with anyone else (like a friend or anything)? I don't know.

I tried looking through kayak.com for the flight prices from Atlanta to Tokyo - it was pretty expensive (I've closed out of the window now for some reason so I don't remember the exact price). My brother told me it may be cheaper to do a flight + hotel package together, so I went to expedia.com because it was the only one I knew that did a flight + hotel package. Since the concert I'm looking at is the JUne 7th and June 8th Yokohama Arena one, I typed in "Yokohama" for my destination instead of Tokyo, thinking maybe it'd be a little cheaper. Anyway, the cheapest I can find so far is this:

[img=http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8327/flightinfopc5.th.jpg]


So, average per person is $1292 (so I'd pay that much and she'd pay that much), for the flight. Then I guess the total for everything (except food, subway/train passes and Ayu tickets) is $3537.43 . This price includes a 1 bedroom for 7 nights, though. Just to be safe, the average per person is pretty much $2000 - so 2,000 from me and 2,000 from her. Yikes.

So is this pretty much normal? My first time flying to Japan, if I go through with it this summer, so I wouldn't know. I know I'll have $2000 by the summer (considering I have about $1000 right now), but it will pretty much be almost all I'll have, and I'm not even sure my gf could come up with $2000 by June.

How disappointing...money ruins everything.
Well, if you or anyone else knows of any cheaper flights with hotels thrown in, let me know, please! And again, thank you for all of your information.

[Hatix]

Well, since you're flying from the US, it's a bigger distance than from Belgium (where I'm coming from) to Tokyo. But I'd say that price is quite normal. Also, don't type in Yokohama, search Tokyo, Yokohama doesn't have an airport, and you'll be going through Narita anyway.
Also another tip for flights, try to wait a bit with the flight, there are always some weeks where the prices drop significantly but as this is unpredictable it might not be of help to you. My experience tells that between 2-3 months before departure you have such a week. I've gone twice to Tokyo before and had it both times. I even waited too long and missed a very cheap flight, and ended up paying 100$ more, and while it was still cheap, it was a missed oportunity. I can give you the prices but you cannot compare them because your distance to Tokyo is bigger.

Then, about your hotel, that's quite an expensive hotel there :p. Since you entered Yokohama as destination you got a hotel in Yokohama, but that's not really necessary. You better take a cheaper one in Tokyo, and then take the train to Yokohama, that's easier (and cheaper). I recommend hostels, they are quite cheap being around $50/night, and probably less if you're going with another person, and they are actually just like other hotels. Try looking for Oak Hotel or Sakura Hotel or look on hostelworld.com. I think you should be able to book only a flight on expedia, no?

Lastly about ticket prices, you have 2 options: buy them up front or buy them in the reseller stores. Buy them up front by using auctions on Yahoo Auctions Japan. Tickets can range from (indeed) 600$, to 50$, depending on their location in the arena. Those 600$ ones are really front front A-block row. Stay away from those ;p. Try non-front rows or Block B (which is still very good), and you can get prices from 100-300. But since they're auctions, prices can vary and can get bigger. And since they don't send them internationally, you'd have to use a 3rd party and that also comes with a cost. But, this way, you end up stepping on the plane with your concert ticket. While the second (and mostly a bit cheaper) option is to buy in the reseller shops. The closer to the concert date, the cheaper the tickets become, but also the smaller the availability.
Last year I went to 2 concerts in Yokohama, for the first date I bought them in advance, but quite expensive but B-block seats, and the second date I bought them at a reseller shop. Locations of reseller shops and arena layouts & block numbers you'll find throughout this thread, but I think it's still a bit early to buy them, wait until next month at least.


Just my 4cents ;p

[jonneh]

Thank you Hatix!

On the expedia page I was able to do a package deal where you can do a flight and a hotel bundled together, so yes that is possible. But anyway, $50 a night sounds wayyyy better than what I was looking at before...$118.01 a night! So, a hostel is usually cheaper than a hotel then, huh? I'm definitely going to check out those sites you mentioned - thanks a bunch! "Yokohama doesn't have an airport" - really? Why did it give me search results when I typed it in, then? That's stupid of it to do, and confusing. Well, thanks for the heads up. So, we'd fly to Tokyo (and our hostel should be in Tokyo as well), and then ride the trains to Yokohama to find Yokohama Arena. The only ticket reseller shop I know of is that one right by LOVX lingerie. "For those that want to buy concert tickets in Japan, go down Takashita Dori in Harajuku. About 3/4ths of the way down you will see a lingerie shop called LOVX on the left, the staircase above that leads to concert ticket meccha. - see? haha. So do you know if Harajuku is far away from Tokyo, where my hostel will be? Sorry, I know I'm throwing a billion questions out at everyone. I'm quite the noob at Japan. Anyway, I'm going to look at hostelworld.com and try to find a better hotel than my silly $118.01 / night one in Yokohama. And, I'm also going to do a google search for the Yokohama Arena layout Thanks again!

[Hatix]

Well, how far is Harajuku from Tokyo..., erm, Harajuku is a neighbourhood IN Tokyo. Remember Tokyo is the biggest city in the world, it has 23 wards which contain a lot of neighbourhoods.
And Yokohama just blends into Tokyo, you could say it's one big city. Take a look on Google Maps and see for yourself. Also, Tokyo has one of the biggest subway & train systems in the world, so depending on your hotel in Tokyo, you'll be in Harajuku in 10-40 minutes depending. But there's another (and a bit more choice) reseller shop in Ueno too. But you should find all these shops somewhere in this thread as well, with descriptions how to find them.

The Yokohama Arena layout, you can find on the site of yokohama arena. It will probably be the same as last time, so that means 3 blocks wide and 4 blocks long in the center. (go a few pages back in this thread and you should find quite a lot of discussion about this ).

And for some extra info: when you fly to Tokyo, you're actually flying to Narita, that is where Tokyo International Airport is, which is one hour by train from the city .
Try to read something about Tokyo on japan-guide.com too. You'll find a lot of interesting things to see and do in Tokyo there as well, and there's quite a lot. How long are you going to Japan? If you're going 2 weeks, I'd recommend 1 week Tokyo and 1 week more to the south (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Himeji).
(Btw: you can read about my previous trip(s) on my blog, link in signature ;p) Feel free to ask more info if you want

[polka-dot-jewel]

I'm actually doing a lot of research for Japan, also. (I plan on going to both Yokohama concerts, too!) As of right now, I won't be staying in Yokohama, but I'll be staying in Asakusa. Here's a website for a hostel that's in Yokohama:

http://yokohama.hostelvillage.com/en/

Well, there's two airports in Tokyo - Narita and Haneda. Narita handles all international flights, so I bet the site you used figured you would be landing there and you'd find your own other transportation to Yokohama. Also, I'm pretty sure Harajuku is about 20-30 minutes away from Tokyo.

Hope all this helped you some more! =)

EDIT: And Hatix beat me to saying all of this. =P

[Corybobory]

I recommend against getting a flight and hotel package- I stayed in 5 different hostels in Japan all under 35$ a night and they were really clean, quiet and fun, and an easy place to meet people. I stayed one night in a hotel after I got back to Tokyo late, and for over double the price I had the noisiest nights sleep just so I could have my own bathroom and a breakfast in the morning (many hostels in Japan are not open all night and close at 10pm). There is a nice hostel in Yoyogi but you're going to Yokohama... I think I remember meeting people who were staying in Asakusa and I dont think they liked it I don't know is it's the same hostel though.

And about airports- Yokohama i really just an extension of Tokyo. Nartia, the airport, is not right in Tokyo. If I remember correctly it is about a 30$ train ride and 30 minutes to the city. I dont know how to get to Yokohama. When you typed in you wanted to fly to Yokohama, the computer knew you really meant Narita airport.

[polka-dot-jewel]

Originally Posted by Corybobory

And about airports- Yokohama i really just an extension of Tokyo. Nartia, the airport, is not right in Tokyo. If I remember correctly it is about a 30$ train ride and 30 minutes to the city. I dont know how to get to Yokohama. When you typed in you wanted to fly to Yokohama, the computer knew you really meant Narita airport.

Yeah, Narita Airport is right outside of Narita, which is about one hour away from Tokyo. Yokohama would be 90 minutes from Narita Airport. I know there's a straight route from Narita Airport to Yokohama, and that would require taking the N'EX train. (Which, correct me if I'm wrong, but you'll need a special Suica / N'EX pass in order to get a N'EX ticket.) Taking a N'EX train would definitely be the easiest way to get to Yokohama, since you'd be staying on the same train and wouldn't have to transfer anywhere.

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by Hatix

Well, how far is Harajuku from Tokyo..., erm, Harajuku is a neighbourhood IN Tokyo. Remember Tokyo is the biggest city in the world, it has 23 wards which contain a lot of neighbourhoods.
And Yokohama just blends into Tokyo, you could say it's one big city. Take a look on Google Maps and see for yourself. Also, Tokyo has one of the biggest subway & train systems in the world, so depending on your hotel in Tokyo, you'll be in Harajuku in 10-40 minutes depending. But there's another (and a bit more choice) reseller shop in Ueno too. But you should find all these shops somewhere in this thread as well, with descriptions how to find them.

The Yokohama Arena layout, you can find on the site of yokohama arena. It will probably be the same as last time, so that means 3 blocks wide and 4 blocks long in the center. (go a few pages back in this thread and you should find quite a lot of discussion about this ).

And for some extra info: when you fly to Tokyo, you're actually flying to Narita, that is where Tokyo International Airport is, which is one hour by train from the city .
Try to read something about Tokyo on japan-guide.com too. You'll find a lot of interesting things to see and do in Tokyo there as well, and there's quite a lot. How long are you going to Japan? If you're going 2 weeks, I'd recommend 1 week Tokyo and 1 week more to the south (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Himeji).
(Btw: you can read about my previous trip(s) on my blog, link in signature ;p) Feel free to ask more info if you want

Good info! I didn't know much of any of this - thank you very much. "But you should find all these shops somewhere in this thread as well, with descriptions how to find them." - That's awesome, I'm going to flip through a couple pages back and see what I can find about reseller shops besides the Harajuku one, incase I can't find that one when I get there, or I don't see any Ayu tickets in that one.

We will probably be going for about 2 weeks, as you guessed. But like I've said, this is all still way up in the air. I'm just trying to get a good feel on what all I'm up against financially, etc, to see if it's even possible to do this this summer. And I figured why not go see Ayu in concert while we're there? The biggest issue so far is just money - we'll both be starting college right after the trip if we do the trip, so money is a big issue. I guess I need to just do this the absolute cheapest way possible - which may mean buying the crappiest Ayu tickets ever. A really cheap hotel and flight would work wonders, though. haha

I'll check your blog out and leave you comments on there if I have any other questions - thanks again!

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by polka-dot-jewel

I'm actually doing a lot of research for Japan, also. (I plan on going to both Yokohama concerts, too!) As of right now, I won't be staying in Yokohama, but I'll be staying in Asakusa. Here's a website for a hostel that's in Yokohama:

http://yokohama.hostelvillage.com/en/

Well, there's two airports in Tokyo - Narita and Haneda. Narita handles all international flights, so I bet the site you used figured you would be landing there and you'd find your own other transportation to Yokohama. Also, I'm pretty sure Harajuku is about 20-30 minutes away from Tokyo.

Hope all this helped you some more! =)

EDIT: And Hatix beat me to saying all of this. =P

It did help me some more! Thank you!
Hey, you should come meet up with my girlfriend and I if we decide to go! It'd be great to have someone else around for the concert, who's new to Japan as well Besides, making new friends through Japan and Ayu sounds fun. If you're interested at all, let me know and I'll let you know further on down the road if we're going to go or not. Don't worry though, you won't hurt my feelings. By the way, are you going to get your ticket from a reseller shop, or before you go from yahoo auctions?

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by Corybobory

I recommend against getting a flight and hotel package- I stayed in 5 different hostels in Japan all under 35$ a night and they were really clean, quiet and fun, and an easy place to meet people. I stayed one night in a hotel after I got back to Tokyo late, and for over double the price I had the noisiest nights sleep just so I could have my own bathroom and a breakfast in the morning (many hostels in Japan are not open all night and close at 10pm). There is a nice hostel in Yoyogi but you're going to Yokohama... I think I remember meeting people who were staying in Asakusa and I dont think they liked it I don't know is it's the same hostel though.

And about airports- Yokohama i really just an extension of Tokyo. Nartia, the airport, is not right in Tokyo. If I remember correctly it is about a 30$ train ride and 30 minutes to the city. I dont know how to get to Yokohama. When you typed in you wanted to fly to Yokohama, the computer knew you really meant Narita airport.

That price is unbelievable compared to the hotel price I was looking at before.. Thank you so much. Hostels seem like a much better idea for us, then. =)

Originally Posted by polka-dot-jewel

Yeah, Narita Airport is right outside of Narita, which is about one hour away from Tokyo. Yokohama would be 90 minutes from Narita Airport. I know there's a straight route from Narita Airport to Yokohama, and that would require taking the N'EX train. (Which, correct me if I'm wrong, but you'll need a special Suica / N'EX pass in order to get a N'EX ticket.) Taking a N'EX train would definitely be the easiest way to get to Yokohama, since you'd be staying on the same train and wouldn't have to transfer anywhere.

How much are N'EX passes and where would I get one? Do they sell them at the Narita airport once we get there? And, I assume I'd have to buy two (one for both me and my gf), right?

[Corybobory]

If you're going to be there for 2 weeks and considering going around on the trains I'd suggest looking on buying a rail pass You can use it to get to Tokyo from Narita, and any JR rail is free from then on. It'll save you money and gie you the chance to go wherever you please, whenever you please! I really enjoyed mine... I got one for all of Japan for 3 weeks, and therefore got to go up to Sapporo and down to Hiroshima! I liked the trains... but man, terrible coffee

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by Corybobory

If you're going to be there for 2 weeks and considering going around on the trains I'd suggest looking on buying a rail pass You can use it to get to Tokyo from Narita, and any JR rail is free from then on. It'll save you money and gie you the chance to go wherever you please, whenever you please! I really enjoyed mine... I got one for all of Japan for 3 weeks, and therefore got to go up to Sapporo and down to Hiroshima! I liked the trains... but man, terrible coffee

Is what you bought called a "JR Rail Pass"? I've heard great things about those!
Thanks for the idea! Do you buy them once you get to Narita (are they sold in the narita airport?)

[polka-dot-jewel]

Originally Posted by jonneh

It did help me some more! Thank you!
Hey, you should come meet up with my girlfriend and I if we decide to go! It'd be great to have someone else around for the concert, who's new to Japan as well Besides, making new friends through Japan and Ayu sounds fun. If you're interested at all, let me know and I'll let you know further on down the road if we're going to go or not. Don't worry though, you won't hurt my feelings. By the way, are you going to get your ticket from a reseller shop, or before you go from yahoo auctions?

That would be a great idea! More people would definitely add to the excitement of this. =D I'll end up bringing a friend with me, too. I'll probably buy one (or both) of the tickets online, unless they end up being too expensive. I'll definitely go to a reseller shop, though, see what their range of tickets + seating are.

Originally Posted by jonneh

How much are N'EX passes and where would I get one? Do they sell them at the Narita airport once we get there? And, I assume I'd have to buy two (one for both me and my gf), right?

N'EX tickets are discounted tickets (that are discounted throught the SUICA cards). The SUICA cards are 3,000 yen. They're rechargeable cards, too. (I'm pretty sure you get to use that 3,000 yen you pay towards it, too.) You can buy these at the Narita airport.

But as Corybobory said, the Japan Rail Passes are very good to use, too. You pay either for one, two, or three weeks, and you get to ride all the trains that are supported by the JR (Japan Rail). Unfortunately, they cost a bit of money. For one week (these are all standard car prices), it's roughly $250. For two weeks, it's about $400. For three weeks, it's about $525. It's an okay price, but I'm sure it's worth it if you're going to be doing a lot of train / bus / boat riding. =) As far as ordering it, I know you can get the coupon online, but I think you have to pay for it once you get to Japan. (You can exchange the coupon at a number of stations, including the Yokohama one.)

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by polka-dot-jewel

That would be a great idea! More people would definitely add to the excitement of this. =D I'll end up bringing a friend with me, too. I'll probably buy one (or both) of the tickets online, unless they end up being too expensive. I'll definitely go to a reseller shop, though, see what their range of tickets + seating are.



N'EX tickets are discounted tickets (that are discounted throught the SUICA cards). The SUICA cards are 3,000 yen. They're rechargeable cards, too. (I'm pretty sure you get to use that 3,000 yen you pay towards it, too.) You can buy these at the Narita airport.

But as Corybobory said, the Japan Rail Passes are very good to use, too. You pay either for one, two, or three weeks, and you get to ride all the trains that are supported by the JR (Japan Rail). Unfortunately, they cost a bit of money. For one week (these are all standard car prices), it's roughly $250. For two weeks, it's about $400. For three weeks, it's about $525. It's an okay price, but I'm sure it's worth it if you're going to be doing a lot of train / bus / boat riding. =) As far as ordering it, I know you can get the coupon online, but I think you have to pay for it once you get to Japan. (You can exchange the coupon at a number of stations, including the Yokohama one.)

Damn, JR Passes are expensive. I guess I'd have to talk with my girlfriend and try to figure out how much train riding we'll probably do. Thanks for your information =) And when you said you will probably buy yours online, you mean through yahoo auctions, right? I wish I could do that just so I don't have to rummage around Japan trying to find reseller shops & hoping to have enough luck to find ayu tickets that don't completely blow - but I can't read the auctions and someone (I think "hatix"?) mentioned they don't ship internationally so I'd have to put up extra cost to get them shipped to me before I left to Japan.

Man, I really wish I knew someone in Japan so they could buy the tickets for me and I could pay them back later

[Hatix]

The JR Rail Pass is especially handy if you're going to use the Shinkansen a lot. Since you're going 2 weeks, and possibly a week in the south (Kyoto,...). you'll have to use the Shinkansen quite often, so it'll pay off. I also recommend a side trip to Nikko when you're staying in Tokyo (for which you'll have to use the shinkansen and a JR line, so it's all covered by the rail pass).
Also, it's a JR rail pass, so it's only valid for JR (Japan Railways). There are still many other railway & subway companies (like Toei, Tokyo Metro, Keisei, ...).

Going to Yokohama from Tokyo can be done in 2 ways. Take the Keihin-Tohoku line (which is cheap but slower), or the shinkansen (which is a bit more expensive and only 17 minutes from Tokyo station). But JR Rail Pass covers both .
And another tip, look for the english website of the shinkansen, and download the pdf with fares. And add them up to where you want to go (when using the shinkansen), and if it's worth it. It was worth it for my 2 weeks. I think I rode the Shinkansen about 12-14 times, and sometimes great distance, so it was worth it. The JR Rail Pass is only worth if you do great distances. And it's one pass per person.

[jonneh]

The Shinkansen, that's the bullet train, correct? Well, sounds like a JR Pass is best, even though expensive. Thanks for all the info =D