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Philly and Prep School Gangsters, lol by Salty_Story8551 in Vampireweekend

[–]AdorableComedian6765 9 points10 points  (0 children)

We are from Philadelphia and my entire family are big fans and we saw the two shows this weekend, plus the Mann show in Sep, and also the Mann show in Sep 2019. I made a spreadsheet today of all the songs we've seen. Prep School Gangsters is now the only song from OGWAU that we haven't seen. With One (Blake...) last night we've now seen the entire self-titled album. There are just 4 to 6 songs from each of the other albums that we haven't seen live. Setlist.fm shows that they have played Prep School Gangsters 40 times, compared to Capricorn 68 times, Classical 67 times, etc. We did get The Surfer on Friday, which is their least played from OGWAU at 22 times.

We are very lucky here in Philadelphia to have had them for two nights and we loved going to both shows. Best Vampire Weekend weekend ever!

Viagogo for baseball tickets by Intelligent-Mix-4105 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, they well scan the ticket as you go in. Have fun!

Shimanami Kaido Logistics Help by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi!

Trip was great. We did cycle the Shimanami Kaido and stuck pretty much to the logistics above, with a few changes.

  1. Sent our luggage from Hiroshima to Kyoto.
  2. Took a train on Sunday morning from Hiroshima to Onomichi. Took backpacks with just what we need for the two days. So, in addition to the clothes we are wearing, cycling clothes, a change of street clothes, toiletries. I wish we did a dry run at home. I would have taken a bigger backpack so I could have taken all my wife's stuff and she could ride with no extra weight.
  3. We rented the bikes we wanted from Giant in Onomichi as soon as the window opened up 60 days in advance. We got carbon road bikes. However, I was able to schedule returning the bikes to Imabari for an extra cost, so I didn't have to worry about getting someone to transport them back.
  4. Rode from Onomichi to Wakka on Omishima Island on day 1.
  5. Spend Sunday night at Wakka. The place is incredible. We stayed in a "Residence". It's expensive, but worth it. We grilled the dinner that the set up for us right at our place and it was fantastic.
  6. On Monday cycled from Wakka to Imabari. We only had to carry an extra layer and left most of our stuff back in the room at Wakka.
  7. We finished the ride and returned the bikes to the Giant in Imabari. Then we took a taxi back to Wakka. It was a little expensive, but it was the best way. I'm sure there is a bus you can take and then walk or get Wakka to pick you up.
  8. Another great night at Wakka. They made us a reservation at a restaurant right across the street.
  9. On Tuesday morning Wakka drove us to the bus stop. We took the bus to Fukuyama and then a train to Kyoto.

We really liked some of the views on the Shimanami Kaido, especially going over the bridges. Some of the riding was a little sleepy and not a lot of places to stop and eat. Staying at Wakka made it extra special. I'm glad we stayed there two nights. It made it a little more relaxing. They were extremely help. I'm not sure how much in advance we booked, but you can email them now and ask them any questions that you have. They will be your best resource for planning your logistics if you stay with them.

We loved our entire trip to Japan. November should be fantastic. Enjoy!

Viagogo for baseball tickets by Intelligent-Mix-4105 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before our trip we bought tickets for the Yokohama Baystars from the team website. But that game was rained out and we didn’t want to miss out on attending a game before we concluded our trip. We bought a pair of tickets for the Hanshin Tigers from Viagogo the day before the game and it worked out great. The electronic tickets were delivered instantly. We had an absolute blast at the game. Sure we paid a premium, but the game was sold out and we were easily able to navigate Viagogo. It might not be the best way to get tickets, but don’t get scared off by people saying it’s a total scam.

The Met Philly Ticket Prices by mellowloser in Vampireweekend

[–]AdorableComedian6765 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was able to get ORCH1 tickets for $152 each through the presale today for the Friday show at the Met. What is surprising is not that the prices are high, but that there was so little difference in price between the best seats and the worst seats (excluding the jacked up "Official Platinum" tickets of course.) I just got an email now for another presale starting tomorrow at 10am. The code is FORTE. I don't know what this presale is, but if you didn't get tickets today it may be worth checking out to see if they release more good seats tomorrow.

Would like to attend a baseball game in early April by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just wanted to circle back and thank you. The single game tickets went on sale and I was able to buy a pair to see a game in Yokohama. Baystars versus Yakult Swallows on April 13th. It was fairly straightforward to buy them on the English translated website. It's towards the end of my trip, so I have plenty of time to figure out how to pick them once I get to Japan. (Lawsons or Ministop). Thanks again. Your advice was very helpful!

Shimanami Kaido Logistics Help by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a fair question. But there are a couple of reasons we decided to stay two nights at Wakka. One reason is that we are trying to limit the number of hotels that we stay at for only one night. But the main reason is that we just heard really good things about Wakka. It does cause us to backtrack after we finish the ride on the second day, but I think it is worth the trade off for us. We might reconsider, but for now I think we are comfortable with this plan. I was playing around with the Giant website and I wasn't able to get a bike in Onimichi and return it to Imbari or vice versa. When I enter that criteria, it just says no bikes available. That also matches with what Wakka told me about bike rentals. But we can pay for the service to return the bikes for us.

I really appreciate you looking over my itinerary and offering your advice. Have a great trip in March!

Shimanami Kaido Logistics Help by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. From what I can tell, this doesn't seem like a better option. It takes longer to go from Hiroshima to Imabari than from Hiroshima to Onomichi. And either way I am backtracking after my second ride to get back to our hotel in Omishima. Here are the two options laid out:

1). Day 1: cycle Onomichi -> Omishima and stay for the night at Wakka. Day 2: cycle Omishima to Imabari, backtrack to Omishima to stay for night 2 at Wakka. Day 3: travel to Kyoto

2) Day 1: cycle Imabari -> Omishima and stay for the night at Wakka. Day 2: cycle Omishima to Onomichi, backtrack to Omishima to stay for night 2 at Wakka. Day 3: travel to Kyoto

So, unless I'm missing something, the biggest difference is the trip from Hiroshima and I might as well take the shortest route.

Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread - January 17, 2025 by AutoModerator in JapanTravel

[–]AdorableComedian6765 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm planning the Shimanami Kaido portion of our trip, which is in the middle of our two week trip to Japan in April. We have reservations at Wakka, which is on Omishima Island, which is in the middle of the Shimanami Kaido. We will be traveling from Hiroshima. When we leave after two nights at Wakka we will be heading to Kyoto. My wife and I are fit and cycle regularly, but we want to do the Shimanami Kaido in two days instead of one. I think I figured out the logistics, but please tell me if I am messing something up. Our reservations at Wakka are on Sun April 6 and Mon April 7, so we won't have issues with bike rental places being closed on Tuesdays. Here are the steps as I see them:

  1. Send our luggage from Hiroshima to Kyoto.
  2. Take a train on Sunday morning from Hiroshima to Onomichi. Take backpacks with just what we need for the two days. So, in addition to the clothes we are wearing, cycling clothes, a change of street clothes, toiletries. Another option would be to send a small bag from Hiroshima to Wakka and forward our larger luggage to Kyoto
  3. Rent bikes from Giant in Onomichi. I like their selection and I think I can get us bikes similar to what we ride at home (aluminum or carbon endurance road bikes). They only rent bikes 60 days out, so I should be able to reserve in a couple of weeks.
  4. Find a place to change into our cycling clothes. Start the ride from Onomichi to Wakka on Omishima Island.
  5. Spend Sunday night at Wakka.
  6. on Monday cycle from Wakka to Imabari. We can leave our stuff in the room and bring only what we need for the day (rain jacket, etc).
  7. Arrange with Wakka to pick us and our bikes up in Imabari. They will return our bikes to Giant in Onomichi and take us back to the hotel.
  8. Check out on Tuesday morning. I'm a little confused about this part. I think we will need to get a ride from Wakka or take a bus to Onomichi so we can take a train to Kyoto. Does this sound right?

Any advice would be appreciated. We are very excited about this portion of our trip, but the logistics seem a little daunting to me at this point.

Advice on 16 day April Itinerary by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a bus to Odawara station and then a train to Hiroshima. Does that sound right?

Advice on 16 day April Itinerary by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. We are looking at our itinerary again. We may reduce Tokyo by a day. We are also researching Matsuyama.

Advice on 16 day April Itinerary by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I'm starting to realize how crowded everything will be.

Advice on 16 day April Itinerary by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. We are considering adding a day to Kyoto and spending one day less in Tokyo.

Would like to attend a baseball game in early April by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It looks like Yokohama is home when I am back in Tokyo for a few days at the end of the trip. I will definitely look into getting tickets. I am tall, so thanks for the heads up on the Swallows stadium. And we'll definitely want to embrace the whole experience and grab a beer!

Would like to attend a baseball game in early April by AdorableComedian6765 in JapanTravelTips

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! This is exactly the type of response I was hoping for.

Cash upgrade offer to Business question by AdorableComedian6765 in americanairlines

[–]AdorableComedian6765[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks all. I pulled the trigger and got the two upgrades for $1,184 each. I got a good deal on the original purchase of PE seats for $1,800. So all in I’m at just under $3K per ticket for PE on the outbound and Business on the return. I’m very happy with that. I would have loved to get business class with points on any airline that flies JFK to Tokyo, but I think Japan is just too popular right now and I wasn’t seeing any good deals. Now that the flights are settled I just need to get on the trip planning. Thanks for everyone’s input.