Japan Do #5 - Tokyo, 13-15 April 2017

[vincent_z]

Have you still not yet gone to Japan?
Here is another chance for you.
If you scroll down earlier in this rubric, you will see a post I began about an assemblage of people from airline frequent flyer programs who, once a year, have an event where they converge on an area to engage in group-worthy action. In 2016, it was in Osaka.
I had an enjoyable time. I do not orbit around similar functions as do the majority of the people who are/were there, but for me that is part of the excitement.
I thought for 2017, they were heading for Sapporo. But instead, they decided to split the Do in two: There are three days scheduled for events in Tokyo, Japan, to be immediately followed by three days in South Korea.
I urge you to begin saving your coins and greenbacks to go to Tokyo for Japan Do #5 (at least). (I am investigating the logistics of going to Korea afterward also.) Recall that starting in November, there will be more non-stop & direct flights from U.S. cities to Tokyo Haneda (HND - but use TYO to find flights to both airports). More flights should lower the average cost of a flight.
With that in mind, I am conducting another poll to gauge interest in joining me (and the other FlyerTalkers) on this escapade. The poll does not identify you, and you can change your vote up to the close of the voting.
I hope to meet you there.

 

[vincent_z]

I have booked my flights to Tokyo for Japan Do #5. I got a good deal on flights ($693) for one nonstop to Haneda (HND), and the return flight requiring a transfer in Beijing, China. Two of the three flights are on All Nippon Airways.
If you have not booked your flights, you need to do that now. The day after I booked myself, the fare on the flights I selected went up to $1,008. But there are still slightly more expensive flights available on American/Japan Air Lines. On those, you would have to change flights in Shanghai, China.
Click on the link to the post on FlyerTalk for more details of what will occur over the three-plus days in Tokyo. Some of them will go on to Korea. I will not. I will remain in Tokyo / Yokohama.
Am I going to shop for JAVs? Ha ha ha ha; of course. I will try some areas where I have not yet shopped. So give it another thought, but make it a swift one. If you need an excuse answer if the Japan immigration officer asks you why you are visiting Japan, you can honestly tell him it is for the get-together of airline frequent flyers. (Do not blurt that you're there to buy AVs and Junior Idol DVDs!)

 

[mp413]

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[vincent_z]

Oh wow.
Amazingly, a cheap flight option is still available to you even this close to the flights.
Come on, bunky. You spend close to $756 in internet, "premium" downloader, and VPN fees. Come here for this and recoup your investment by posting those bizarre, obscure AVs, and idol DVDs here on Akiba-Online. I know you would love to meet me. If you espy the list of people attending the opening night drinks at the venue in Akasaka, that is as much a clue as to my real, above ground identity as will ever occur. Plus, doing it this way means you can share the cover images here as well.
Is Aquamarine still active here? I will send him a PM.

 

[vincent_z]

{deleted - duplicate reply}

 

[vincent_z]

I've been away from Akiba-Online for a while.
On the prior posts of this thread; I did go to Tokyo in April 2017.
I bought 283 JAVs.. :8D: Yes, I'm still going through them. At least one which I scrounged was good enough that somebody I know would show it in public.
I really have to stress to people registered here @ A-OL that the real world solution for DVDs which have been withdrawn from on-line purveyors is to get here and buy the {bleeping} physical DVD from a shop in Tokyo / Yokohama / Osaka. Get it back to where you are. I have to trust that you can do a respectable job of ripping the DVD. I then have to further trust you won't upload your rip to a site that makes it nearly impossible for people who are not paying members of that site to download that DVD.
I perceive the 1st part is probable. The 2nd part is likely going to be substandered. The 3rd part is going to be horrible as the uploader decides he wants to profit off his meager effort.
I have a soft rule when I visit Japan and hit purveyors of JAVs and Idol DVD: Do not spend more than ¥500 for any one disc - whether it's in a multi-DVD box, or just generally unavailable on commercial DVDs websites.
Paid uploader/hosts will do in forums like A-OL before an American host removes all its Japanese content - leaving its paid members wringing their hands and shaking their heads at 'What happened?'
They may use more savory language than I just did.
I can't hit you over the head more than I can. But if I did have a blunt object which could be aimed @ your head here on the internet; this would be the entry on which I bolded and italicized sections thereof and which would be discarded thereafter.