Potential Forum Meeting May 2017, updated to May 2019..

[Harry]

Turns out my employer is closing my office at the end of March so depending on whether or not I find something new before May I will either be completely free and able to go for the whole (pre- and) basho or I will have started a new job and won't be able to take time off. With the way things are looking in my job search so far I'd say I have a good chance of being in Tokyo in May but these things usually go like this, months of searching without luck but when you find the right one it comes together quickly. Guess I'll have to make the call if it looks like this event is happening, to take a few months off the search or not. Would be good to take a break but I would hate to miss something good. Hmm...

[gijo]

I've just changed my job and the new one comes with a preset holidays planning, which won't allow me to be in japan for the whole year. Hoping 2018 will be better. I'm sorry, so sorry. But I'm sure I will make it one day.

[kuroimori]

So... who is still in for this?

I might be going to Tokyo on a biz-trip in April-May, but not sure at which dates, would be ideal if it would be early May so that I could combine it with the Grand Sumoforum Gathering.

[Harry]

Still up in the air for me but no new job yet so still a chance :D

[orandashoho]

I'm in for a visit in early May and attending the first week of the basho.

[Kuroyama]

My own job schedule changed -- or so rumor has it; I need to seek official word -- so chances are I'll be able to go if I can scrape together enough vacation time.

Edited January 10, 2017 by Kuroyama

[Kuroyama]

It's not in my nature to be pushy, but if this is going to happen I think we'll need to start making travel arrangements approximately now.

[orandashoho]

16 hours ago, Kuroyama said:

It's not in my nature to be pushy, but if this is going to happen I think we'll need to start making travel arrangements approximately now.

I totally agree. I've been waiting for the possibility of group bookings for the overnight stays, but I will make my reservations within two weeks of now regardless.
My flight is booked now and days are fixed -- Arriving in Japan Sunday May 8. Leaving Monday May 22.
Ho(s)tel is not booked -- I have to watch the cost a little, prefer to be not too far from the Kokikugan, don't mind sharing. Something basic is fine, as long as luggage is safe.
Anne Hostel looks good to me, and they have an adequate locker facility.

Edited January 24, 2017 by orandashoho
updated dates.

[Kuroyama]

On 1/24/2017 at 03:35, orandashoho said:

I totally agree. I've been waiting for the possibility of group bookings for the overnight stays, but I will make my reservations within two weeks of now regardless.
My flight is booked now and days are fixed -- Arriving in Japan Sunday May 8. Leaving Monday May 22.
Ho(s)tel is not booked -- I have to watch the cost a little, prefer to be not too far from the Kokikugan, don't mind sharing. Something basic is fine, as long as luggage is safe.
Anne Hostel looks good to me, and they have an adequate locker facility.

Well, I guess I'd better then! I'll try to get arrangements made over the coming weekend, although I'll also be busy with other things.

I'm unsure of my own timing at this point. @Kintamayama's original plan was to arrive a few days before the basho started, if a Japan-based contact could do us the favor of arranging an asageiko visit or three, but if that's not going to happen I'd think it would be better to arrive closer to the basho itself.

Edit: Putting off making arrangements until Monday. I want to triple-check that I no longer have a vacation blackout on those days.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Kuroyama

[sesom]

On 20.11.2016 at 09:43, sesom said:

Not reading "Off-topic" sometimes is a mistake, glad that somebody in the Shermin-chat mentioned the meet-up today. I'll be in Tokyo anyway, so count me in.

Unfortunately I had to change my plans, I won't be in Osaka in March, but in Toyko in September. 

[Kuroyama]

Wow, thank you! I had no intention of asking you since I assumed you'd be very busy pre-basho.

Me putting on a mawashi would be on the pathetic side anyway. That wasn't something I was "looking forward" to. My own martial arts days are long past.

If it wouldn't put any of the young guys off to be taken out someplace by some weird gaijin while they're trying to focus on a tournament, that would be amazing.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Kuroyama

[Kuroyama]

I've just booked my travel. @orandashoho, sorry I won't be staying at the same place, but I got a really good package deal at the Ryogoku View Hotel that only cost me about $100 more than the hostel would have. And my sleep habits are so irregular I'm not sure how I'd get along sharing a room with people anyway.

It's still Sunday here so I haven't checked my actual vacation availability yet, but one reason I booked now is that 1) they had 1 room left at that price; and 2) they offered free cancellation within 24 hours. So, subject to a vacation blackout at work which I'll check tomorrow, I'll be there. Edit: I'm good. Yay!

I'm leaving on the night of May 7th, but thanks to the International Date Line I won't arrive until May 9th, Tuesday. (May 8 is actually a Monday, not a Sunday.) I'll be leaving on May 20, which will just about use up all the vacation time I can expect to have accumulated by then, and leave me a day to recover from the flight before heading back to work.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Kuroyama

[orandashoho]

Got my bed reserved too now. Ryogoku View Hotel was a little too expensive for me, sorry. I don't think it will matter very much, I don't think I will be spending a lot of time in my room.

[Kuroyama]

11 hours ago, orandashoho said:

Got my bed reserved too now. Ryogoku View Hotel was a little too expensive for me, sorry. I don't think it will matter very much, I don't think I will be spending a lot of time in my room.

Eh, it's right down the street anyway.

[kuroimori]

On 9.1.2017 at 16:53, kuroimori said:

So... who is still in for this?

I might be going to Tokyo on a biz-trip in April-May, but not sure at which dates, would be ideal if it would be early May so that I could combine it with the Grand Sumoforum Gathering.

Okay, it turns out that my business meeting in Japan will be in early April, that would mean a third Japan trip a few weeks later - following a holiday trip to Kyushu in early March. Maybe I can pile up enough miles for a flight...

[orandashoho]

56 minutes ago, kuroimori said:

Okay, it turns out that my business meeting in Japan will be in early April, that would mean a third Japan trip a few weeks later - following a holiday trip to Kyushu in early March. Maybe I can pile up enough miles for a flight...

Wow, that's a lot of trips to Japan. Which airline do you use and where do you fly from? From STR it turned out to be best to go via AMS (least travel time).

[Kintamayama]

I'm still not sure if I can make it as family affairs have cropped up. If I do fly, it will be around May 6th till May 15th or so. That will give me enough time to meet up with friends and see some keiko..

[kuroimori]

1 hour ago, orandashoho said:

Wow, that's a lot of trips to Japan. Which airline do you use and where do you fly from? From STR it turned out to be best to go via AMS (least travel time).

Well, being based in MUC gives me 2 direct flights and plenty of other options, which I have tried in the past (via ZRH, VIE, HEL, DXB, AUH).

Depends where I get the best cost/comfort ratio and where I can best earn and/or spend bonus miles, HEL-NRT in JAL Business Class was the best so far - but let's not charter hi-jack this thread...

[orandashoho]

Given how shockingly fast the tickets for the Haru Basho sold out, we need to plan on how to buy our tickets.

Pre-order site 'BuySumoTickets.com' does not give an exact time (just "end of February") but for a thing like this, I want to be sure of the tickets. How certain is it that you will get the tickets you pre-ordered? Is there a better way?

[Akinomaki]

51 minutes ago, orandashoho said:

Given how shockingly fast the tickets for the Haru Basho sold out, we need to plan on how to buy our tickets.

Pre-order site 'BuySumoTickets.com' does not give an exact time (just "end of February") but for a thing like this, I want to be sure of the tickets. How certain is it that you will get the tickets you pre-ordered? Is there a better way?

No way to be sure (except via NSK connections) - I don't think they have a contract with the NSK to get a reservation before anybody else.

The pre-order at the NSK starts during the Haru basho - you can select the type of seat and have a choice of 3 days, in order of preference. This ticket lottery will likely be the only way to get A seats at all - and you get the notice if you have got a ticket or not only one hour before the actual sales start.

I have booked my flight and will be in Japan from May 4th till the end of the month.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Akinomaki

[Rocks]

It's hard to even read this thread I'm so envious. Have a great time guys.

[orandashoho]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

The pre-order at the NSK starts during the Haru basho - you can select the type of seat and have a choice of 3 days, in order of preference. This ticket lottery will likely be the only way to get A seats at all - and you get the notice if you have got a ticket or not only one hour before the actual sales start.

Do you mean that you can only get one ticket for one day? And if you make separate orders, you might end up with two tickets for the same day?

[Akinomaki]

6 minutes ago, orandashoho said:

Do you mean that you can only get one ticket for one day? And if you make separate orders, you might end up with two tickets for the same day?

This way you can only pre-order once per name and per phone number - and it's not easy to do from outside of Japan. But there are 2 ways, I always tried the one for one ticket, but I think the other allows multiple days.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Akinomaki

[orandashoho]

Please forgive me my incompetence in this matter, but what is the other way then?
I was planning to get multiple tickets, I do not want to spend the days watching on TV!

[Akinomaki]

23 minutes ago, orandashoho said:

Please forgive me my incompetence in this matter, but what is the other way then?
I was planning to get multiple tickets, I do not want to spend the days watching on TV!

The rules change all the time - I'll have to look up the new ones when they are available. I think it was either 3 chances to get one ticket from a choice of 3 days or one chance for all of the 3 days.

One option may also be 4 person masu seats - I think one could squeeze 3 average foreign males into one, 2 in the corners in the back and one in the middle in front. Till makuuchi, definitely till juryo there will be room to sit elsewhere - and if 4 take one, in turn one could wander outside during makuuchi, watch from the entrance and otherwise try to shake hands with the rikishi who are leaving. With that you also have entrance to the lower floor all the time. And it may be possible to have a better chance for a ticket if you order via a chaya, but then with costly sets attached.

Also, there is a special phone number for groups who want to book tickets.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Akinomaki