Basic Details
Date: Saturday 1st June 2019
Time: 12noon to 6pm
Location: Trader Vic's, Hotel New Otani, Tokyo, Japan (Osato Chemicals - James Bond) NOTE May be subject to change. Check here or PM agilchrist if you plan on attending 24hrs beforehand.
Price: No admission charge
How To Get There
| Visa Information | British/Australians/US Citizens Vistor Visa is granted for 90 days upon arrival there is no cost- Japanese Embassy Link |
| You must have a return ticket and your passport should have at least six months validity when you visit. There are no requirements for vaccinations |
| Flights | Where to Fly to | Tokyo has 2 major airport NRT (Narita) and HND (Haneda) When searching use TYO (Tokyo) |
| Altenative Airport | Other airports such as KIX should be considered as they are only a short train ride from Tokyo |
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| Flying Time | UK - Japan around 12 hours direct but you will find an indirect flight is usually cheaper AU - Japan around 10 hours direct |
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| Best time to buy | Would suggest tickets are purchased by end January 2019 Many airlines have massive sales from December |
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| From Europe | ||
| Most airlines have sales starting from December 26th onwards Qatar sale - excellent fares from £399 (last year) starts Jan 7 British Airways (brilliantly awful) £474 (last year) Emirates (always on sale) from £469 Malaysian (last sale) £449 However current prices are starting around £463 return More Details click through to Kayak here |
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| From Australia | ||
| Flight Prices beginning at £332 AUD587 | ||
| More details through Kayak link (ex Sydney) |
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| Other search engines to use | ||
| Google Flights, Expedia, Kayak, Momondo Would recommend you book directly with the airline than through a third party |
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| Rail | See below - | all within 10 minutes walking of the venue |
| Yotsuya Station | Nanboku Line | |
| Chuo Main Line | ||
| Marunouchi Line | ||
| KojiMachi Stn | Yarakucho Line | |
| Akasaka-Mituske Stn | Hanzomon Line | |
| Marunouchi Line | ||
| Ginza Line | ||
| Bus | Services are listed below | |
| Sky Hop Bus | Direct from Narita or Haneda | |
| Local Land Mark | Akasaka Palace | This is next to the hotel |
The Meet
| Venue | The venue is in a social area of the Moxy Hotel in Tokyo. |
| Times | The meet will take place between the usual times of 12:00 - 17:00 with setup from 11:30 |
| Entrance Fee | No entrance fee will be charged |
| What's Included | Reserved area for meet, shared access to multiplayer simulations |
| Room Layout | Central Table |
| Wifi | There will be WiFi for the meet but no internet connection, however other wifi networks exist |
| Food | Link to menu will be posted |
| Drink | Large range of drinks available |
| Simulations in Use | TBC |
Where To Stay
There is a wide range of accommodation to suite all budgets.
Would suggest hotel / accommodation comparison sites like
hotels.com
airbnb.com
Alternatively in the New Otani itself Hotel Website
Other Plans
| 24 - 29 May 2019 | Rail Trip from Fukuoka to Tokyo See below for planned night stops Itinery |
| Evening 31st May | Friday Evening Meet Up Gonpachi (aka Kill Bill) Restaurant Trip Advisor Link Gonpachi Site (very slow) |
| Evening 1st June | Searching for an Indian restaurant for GM Possibly... Railway Themed Curry |
| Sunday 2nd June | Nothing planned at present...... any thoughts Posslbe Eateries Little TGV Robot Restaurant |
Itinerary
| Dates | Travel Itinerary (sites, route) | then Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 23 May 2019 | Arrive Tokyo | remm Akihabara |
| Fri 24 May 2019 | Travel from Tokyo 東京 Shinkansen (not Nozomi) |
Hotel Clio Court Hakata / Hotel Century Art (Hakata Station) |
| Sat 25 May 2019 | Visit Miyajima Tram into Hiroshima Centre Rail Fukuoka - Hiroshima 広島 |
Hiroshima Sheraton Grand / Ark Hotel Hiroshimaeki Minami |
| Sun 26 May 2019 | Visit Hiroshima Bomb Dome and Park Rail Hiroshima - Osaka 大阪 |
Osaka Moxy Hotel / Ark Hotel Hiroshimaeki Minami |
| Mon 27 May 2019 | Rail Osaka - Nagoya Visit Kyoto |
Nagoya Marriott / Hotel Resol Nagoya |
| Tue 28 May 2019 | Rail Nagoya - Fujinomiya | Fujinomiya Fukiktu Hotel |
| Wed 29 May 2019 | Rail Fujinomiya - Tokyo 東京 via back of Mount Fuji |
Tokyo Moxy Hotel / Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kinshicho |
| Thu 30 May 2019 | Sites in Tokyo | Tokyo Moxy Hotel / Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kinshicho |
| Fri 31 May 2019 | Sites in Tokyo | Tokyo Moxy Hotel / Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kinshicho |
| Sat 1 June 2019 | SimSig Meet | Tokyo Moxy Hotel / Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kinshicho |
| Sun 2 June 2019 | Depart Tokyo |
Most attendees will be buying a 7 day "Green" Japan Rail Pass. The Green part is what is effectively a business class car which gives better seat space (European/American kind of dimensions instead of Asian slim fit). There are no buffet cars even on the Shinkansen trains but they do have vending machines or a small cart selling basics like snacks, drinks, sandwiches, Bento boxes, etc. You can take your own food and drink (including alcohol) onto the trains.
The pass must be purchased in your home country. This is then exchanged for the actual pass upon arrival at the station. Thereafter, you can travel in unreserved cars (at risk of overcrowding), or you can book reserved seats with the pass. With the Green pass, you must book your seat beforehand.
The pass does not allow travel on Nozomi or Mizuho trains, non-JR lines, other private trains, ferries (except below), and most metro/subways.
The pass does allow travel on the Haneda monorail (but don't waste your days on it if you don't plan to use the proper railways until a few days later - the fare is only a few pounds or dollars) and the Miyajima ferry. Use of regular seats in a sleeper train is included, but actual berths require payment of an upgrade fee.
There may be small supplements to pay if your train uses non-JR tracks (not common, and costs very little).
It is recommended to buy a SIM card for your phone before arriving in the country, unless you have roaming that includes Japan.
You can also buy a Suica card which is a bit like an Oyster card: can be used for metros, subways, and even some vending machines and small purchases in shops displaying the penguin logo. It can be topped-up and saves carrying too much cash (but always carry some cash).
It is recommended to at least be aware of social etiquette in Japan, lest you inadvertently annoy someone. Here is one such guide . Basic words would also be helpful - things like thank you, please, etc.
For further information contact agilchrist by private message on SimSig site.
Last edited by GeoffM on 24/05/2019 at 06:45