Warriors of Legend Tour Price
The price of the tour package will be USD$1,100. I realize that this is
more than we had anticipated, but it's the cheapest we've been able to set
figuring the costs. Here is the breakdown, which details what will be
included in the tour.
3 days, 4 nights (double-occupancy rooms)
INCLUDED:
1.) Four nights at the luxurious MIELPARQUE HALL in Shiba-Koen, in the
shadow of the Tokyo Tower. Not only is the Mielparque Hall one of Tokyo's
premiere lodgings, positioned conveniently in downtown Tokyo and right where
we want to be in Minato ward, it holds a special relevancy to our tour. As
will be detailed in Warriors of Legend Volume 2, the Mielparque Hall was the
location the Dark Agency used in the Sailor V manga as its base of
operations! That's right, if I can reserve the rooms early enough, we'd be
STAYING IN an important series location.
The hotel's rooms will be based on double occupancy, which means you'd be
sharing a room with someone. The rooms are $170 a night, but double
occupancy means we can split that cost in half. The total cost for 4 nights
would be half of what people would pay normally, at $340 total.
This is CHEAP for a hotel like this in that part of Tokyo. Once you see what
the Mielparque Hall is like (there are some nice shots at their website
http://www.mielparque.or.jp/tky/sty_sise.htm ) you'll see why it'd be
incredible to make our stay in this city at that location. But there's a
problem, to lock in that low price we need for those four nights to be
weekdays (prices shoot up even higher on weekends), and I need to make the
reservations as soon as possible. I am hoping to accept payments beginning
in March, at which point I'll be able to reserve the rooms, but they may
even be sold out by then. Keep your fingers crossed!
2.) Four dinners with the whole group together in several upscale Tokyo
restaurants. With a tour like this, we're not going to be feasting together
(and feast we shall!) in a ramen joint (although we'll certainly go to one
for lunch some time, so you can experience what it's like to have real,
freshly prepared ramen). I am figuring $50 per person per meal, totaling
$200.
3.) All transportation costs within Tokyo proper and to Yokohama if the
group wants to go there. Subway, bus, train. $150 for 3 days.
4.) Costs of tickets and cover charges for the various events and locations
we'll be going to. Tokyo Tower observation (and special deck!), karaoke
joints, etc. I believe $200 is a reasonable estimate to cover these fees.
This alone is nearly $900, but we also have to cover miscellaneous expenses
such as phone cards or prepaid cell phones for the entire group (so you can
keep in contact if you get separated), custom Warriors of Legend Tour hats
and polo shirts, and many other tour related items such as the various color
information packets you'll be receiving. (Just printing stuff is expensive!)
Then there is taxes and fees that we have to pay (both in America and
Japan), which is why the total cost is so high.
And to be honest, I'm seriously afraid that the final cost is LOW; I can't
afford to pay out of my own moth-balled pockets, and I'm concerned that
there'll be more costs than I've even anticipated.
NOT INCLUDED:
-Airfare to and from Japan.
-Transportation between the airport and the hotel.
-Breakfast, lunch, and personal expenses.
--
The pricing is NON-NEGOTIABLE, this is the final setup we've come up with
after a lot of thinking, but it is possible it will change (e.g. increase),
particularly dependant on factors such as the unavailability of the hotel,
or the possibility of studio tours which would add to the fees.
There is a 6 person minimum for the tour to take place, and a 10 person
maximum.
Payment will work as follows: within the next few weeks we will open deposit
registration. USD$100 guarantees you one of the 10 slots. If the ten slots
are filled, I will turn back any other deposits and put them on a waiting
list.
The people who pay the deposit will then negotiate what days in June they
would like the tour to be held. I urge you to consider early or mid-June,
because late June is hot and the tourist season is in full swing. In
addition, the four days must be weekdays if we are to get a decent price on
the hotel. Also, keep in mind you will be losing and entire day in the air
(Japan is one day ahead of the US and Canada).
When the date is settled, those who cannot make it will have their deposits
refunded, and those on the waiting list will have a chance to join the tour.
If we do not have at least six tour members who can agree on tour dates, the
tour will be cancelled.
Once the date has been settled, we will require full payment immediately. I
need to go about arranging the hotel, getting the tickets for our various
events, etc. It must be paid at one time, as soon as the dates are settled;
I am sorry but I cannot do a payment plan, as I cannot risk the possibility
of not receiving the full payment. I'll be putting all those reservations on
my own credit card and I'm going to need to pay those bills. In addition,
there will be no refunds. Please be aware of this!
We will accept the money either through bank check or money order. The money
will be paid to Jay Navok through Genvid LLC, a government-registered
company, so it's as safe as paying any other tour group.
I believe a fair estimate for the total cost you should expect to pay for
this tour is about USD$2500. If you can get to a NY or LA airport, direct
flights to Tokyo's Narita airport can be gotten at bargain prices of around
$650. In addition to this flight cost and the tour cost, the rest of the
$2500 would come from the various expenses I suspect you'll incur, such as
airport transportation, food, and of course all the anime goods you'll want
to buy.
And to be frank for a moment, this is an unbelievable bargain for a custom
tour of Tokyo. I'm doing this tour solely for my love of Sailor Moon as a
fan; for-profit tour companies would charge nearly double for what you'll be
receiving on the Warriors of Legend Tour.
Of course, by now you may be asking yourself, what is it you will be seeing
on the Warriors of Legend Tour? Not only will we visit nearly every place
mentioned in the Reflections of Japan book, but we'll be going to many, many
other places (that will be discussed in Warriors of Legend Volume 2, whose
chapter on locations is nearly double in size!) from Sailor Moon, as well as
key sites important to Tokyo's history and modern Japanese culture. Places
you've seen in Sailor Moon but also many other anime and manga, like
Shibuya's famous multi-directional crossing. You'll get to experience this
with other fans, and furthermore, you'll have a personal guide to take you
through this vast city, giving you the background to understand the
relevance of what you're seeing, hearing, and smelling; in turn learning a
lot about Japan, Sailor Moon, and maybe even yourself in the process.
If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. I would also
like to hear from you, now
that you know the final pricing, as to whether you are still interested in
attending. We'll have a short video up in the next few weeks to show some of
the many places you'll be seeing.
We will not be holding this tour again. Please join us on this
once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience what very few fans from the millions
across the globe (and indeed even in Japan) have ever seen or done.
Sincerely,
Jay Navok
Sushil K. Rudranath
Jonathan Mays
Genvid L.L.C.
