I've been credentialled by FIFA into this year's edition of the above tournament. :yahoo:
It is back in Japan after two years (2009 & 2010) of being contested in the United Arab Emirates.
However, one thing FIFA has done which I think is a backward move is to migrate all the games which had been hosted in Tokyo to Toyota City. In the prior years of it being held in Japan, only one match was played in Toyota. I never got to Toyota. I consider that the equivalent of hosting a soccer tournament in Chicago, but having one match in Ann Arbor, MI. :distressed:
But this year, I'll have to go there to cover the match involving Monterrey [MEX] of CONCACAF.
Instead of staying of Tokyo, and travelling to Yokohama {that hasn't changed ~ the 2nd semi-final and the Final are still at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama}; I'm going to stay in Yokohama, and travel sparingly to Toyota (which is closer to Nagoya, if you can't find it on the map).
The larger problem I have is finding an inexpensive flight to Tokyo from Chicago.
They don't seem to exist now. :miserable:
Vayama wants to route me through Toronto, Canada. There is no way I want Canadian Customs to root through my bag on my return - take out the JAVs which it doesn't like sadomaso, and then notify U.S. Customs that it should really inspect me when I arrive there. :death:
It looks like I'm going to have to change planes on at least one leg. A slight advantage to changing planes is that the flights involving Japan could arrive | depart at Haneda Airport [HND]. I've never flown into Haneda; but people have described it as Tokyo's parallel to Chicago's Midway Airport.
The dates I am looking at are: Outbound = 3, 5, 6 December. Inbound = 19, 20 December.
Anybody here have any other World-Wide Websites I should check to try and get a slightly-less-expensive flight there?
The other sites I've checked include Kayak, BookingBuddy, Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, JTB-USA, Yapta, and Travelocity.
It is back in Japan after two years (2009 & 2010) of being contested in the United Arab Emirates.
However, one thing FIFA has done which I think is a backward move is to migrate all the games which had been hosted in Tokyo to Toyota City. In the prior years of it being held in Japan, only one match was played in Toyota. I never got to Toyota. I consider that the equivalent of hosting a soccer tournament in Chicago, but having one match in Ann Arbor, MI. :distressed:
But this year, I'll have to go there to cover the match involving Monterrey [MEX] of CONCACAF.
Instead of staying of Tokyo, and travelling to Yokohama {that hasn't changed ~ the 2nd semi-final and the Final are still at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama}; I'm going to stay in Yokohama, and travel sparingly to Toyota (which is closer to Nagoya, if you can't find it on the map).
The larger problem I have is finding an inexpensive flight to Tokyo from Chicago.
They don't seem to exist now. :miserable:
Vayama wants to route me through Toronto, Canada. There is no way I want Canadian Customs to root through my bag on my return - take out the JAVs which it doesn't like sadomaso, and then notify U.S. Customs that it should really inspect me when I arrive there. :death:
It looks like I'm going to have to change planes on at least one leg. A slight advantage to changing planes is that the flights involving Japan could arrive | depart at Haneda Airport [HND]. I've never flown into Haneda; but people have described it as Tokyo's parallel to Chicago's Midway Airport.
The dates I am looking at are: Outbound = 3, 5, 6 December. Inbound = 19, 20 December.
Anybody here have any other World-Wide Websites I should check to try and get a slightly-less-expensive flight there?
The other sites I've checked include Kayak, BookingBuddy, Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, JTB-USA, Yapta, and Travelocity.