gunmajet.net

...forgot to note - I can change my departure & arrival a bit if necessary. Think a lot of people have sports day this Sat.

I'm in. I don't know anything about a sports day that Saturday yet though, so if there is I'll have to let you know on that count.

Oh, what kind of stuff are you wanting people to bring for this? I suppose I should find that out first to see if I have it all.

What to bring: Nothing special, probably no need to buy anything. Rugged clothes you don't mind getting a bit dirty while climbing around rocks in the ocean & easy hiking. I really want to visit Ise shrine, the most sacred in Japan. So maybe a change of kinda nice clothes for that (something more than a tshirt, but wouldn't have to be as nice as what you wear to school). Some camping gear, like a headlamp, if you have it. I have extra sleeping bags, but bring one if you have it. Have 2 tents, need to set them up again to check for problems first. I'm fine w. spending nights in hotels if the weather is bad. Swimsuit, onsen stuff. Rain jacket / rain gear if you have it, in case a storm hits. I have an extra rain coat or 2. Bring your iPod / MP3 player; my car stereo has a USB connection. And headphones in case everyone else in the car doesn't like your music, though my music tastes are very wide, not much I don't like. To Mie pref., the ride is 5 to 6 hrs if there's no traffic. To the town of Tanabe in the SW corner of the peninsula is about 8 to 9 hrs.

And of course you should bring money for gas, tolls, onsen, food & such.

On this trip, I basically want to drive to an interesting place, check it out, move on to the next place of interest, stopping by anything along the way that looks good.

If a typhoon hits & stays for days, I have friends we could stay with in northern Kyoto pref., towards the sea of Japan. We could also do the town of Obama in Fukui pref., but I really prefer to stay in Wakayama / Mie, since it's one of the few regions I haven't explored yet.

The group wouldn't have to stay together all the time, either. If we want to split up & do different stuff for the day, that's fine. With cell phones & maps, meeting up again isn't so hard. I'm a runner & would like to go for at least 1 run. Everyone might not want to see Ise shrine, that's fine.

Alright, I'd have to buy some stuff then. Like a sleeping bag. I've been meaning to buy one anyways so that's no big deal. Anyplace short of Costco you can recommend getting one? Don't have much in the way of camping gear over here, but I've got stuff that will suffice.
And it looks like my sports day is on Thursday that week, so no problems from me for Saturday.

price guesstimate?

i may be more keen to buy a new turbo and drive around gunma that week but if i can afford it I may be tempted...

I love roadtrips.

only one request... I would like to share the driving cos its the best part of the road trip (I dont care much for destinatons... I am in it for the journey)

Here's a rough estimate for this trip, or for anyone else wanting to do a road trip w. a destination about 680km away.

Tolls: Y4,000 with ETC discounts (could be lower or higher; the different discounts for tolls on weekends, different times of the day & thru certain urban areas are very confusing to figure out). Oneway tolls for 660km are about Y14,000 without ETC. Search www.navitime.co.jp or google to get toll rates.

Gas - Y20,000. Again, this one can really vary, & this is a rather high estimate for my car, a whiteplate that seats 4 people comfortably, 5 would be a squeeze. Gas would be less for yellowplate cars, of course.

Food - rough estimate of Y2,500/person / day. It could easily be more expensive, could be less if you eat really cheap. Bento from supermarkets are much cheaper than going to nice restaurants. Over 5 days: about Y12,500 per person.

Onsen, souvenirs, admission fees: Y10,000, but your costs may vary. This is maybe a high estimate for a cheapskate, way too low for someone doing a lot of shopping.

lodging - free, if camping. Staying at cheap hotels: estimate Y5,000 per person, but again, this can be much cheaper (stay at hostels, then about Y3,000) & of course there are much nicer hotels.

If tolls & gas are shared by 4 people: tolls + gas = Y24,000 total, then divide that by 4 people = Y6,000 per person. If food, souvenirs & misc. are included at Y22,500 per person, then the total is about Y28,500. Safe to budget Y30,000 though.

DaRC & kalandorl, it'd be great to have you join me. I have one more person interested. Would be great to have 4 people sharing tolls & gas. I have extra sleeping bags, so no need to buy one if you don't have one already. Hopefully this post gives other people ideas for their own road trips. Have a good silver week everyone! later, john

Alright, cool. Works for me. I was willing to budget ¥50,000 for this, so no problems here.
Oh, and I figure by you saying Kalandorl you don't know who this is. This is Ken. You know me. :p

I am at the mercy of the info on this site: http://www.loudpark.com/09/tickets/

If the 1 day tickets get sold out for the 17th by friday, then I will join you. If they are still available then I will decline.

seeing children of Bodom live is the last major goal I have in my life so I cannot let it slip by... pity I am still a slave to the wage however.

If my last minute decision making is ok with you, can you email me your keitai details because I will be cutting it quite fine and this site may not be quick enough.

bakadaruku[at]gmail[dot]com

if COB is sold out then I will be good to leave anytime after 7pm friday.