I agree -- do Tokyo area first, save Hokkaido for next trip. Hokkaido is magical in winter, if you can stand the cold.

I'm sure many ppl can advise what to do in Tokyo in winter. In any case, Hokkaido deserves more than just 2 nights in Niseko. Should spend more time on the island, visiting other fascinating places too. Btw I've never seen such beautiful powdery snow like in Hokkaido.

Some talk about visa prob here. I went to JP several times, no prob with visa app, as long as all requested docs in order. Sometimes queue a bit long, so I popped upstairs to their library to catch up with my mangas (huge collection there). Not painful at all.

Any visa app, as long as all the conditions are met, and docs in order, should be straightforward. The queuing is another matter, and I vote Canadian High Commission as the worst!

But AU visa A$20 maaa, JP punya free!
Actually AU visa is a great deal -- valid for 12mths, multiple entries, up to 3mths! If no visa even better deal.

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"Nikko is Nippon", "Hakone is Fuji-san" -- must not miss one.

Hahaha, yes, it's their slogan ... see (in HD 720p if possible):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...e&v=Pd7ou8i_Ly8

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This Dec, I go visit volcano Sakurajima, dunno Japanese no problem.

Passed through Fukushima 2x last Dec on way to Hakodate. Balls glowing in the dark for a few days. Potent stuff.

Seriously, you get more radiation flying at 33000ft on the flight to/from Tokyo lah.

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Jun 25 2012, 09:41 AM

See live Geiger counter reading from Tokyo -- http://park30.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

Top chart -- live reading as of now.



Bottom chart -- reference, reading from 5/12/2010, before Fukushima accident. Any difference from above chart?




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At bottom of both charts, see 'mean' -- yes, mean has negligible increase of 0.28 CPM (clicks per minute of the Geiger).
The 14 CPM reading is most likely just background radiation, same stuff you get at home, in office, etc. You get more in plane since you are high in the sky with less atmosphere to shield you. For more on Geiger reading see: http://modernsurvivalblog.com/nuclear/radi...iation-network/

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Jun 25 2012, 10:59 AM

Hey, you went to Pinatubo, right? Got radiation there too, y'know.

Btw, last week we were in PH, and this is my first view of Pinatubo as the plane swooped in to land at Clark. But no trip to climb it, rainy/typhoon season. We instead went to Mindanao (sorry O/T).



This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Jun 25 2012, 12:22 PM

'Mean increase' of 0.19 clicks/min of the Geiger counter is less than 19 extra clicks in 1.5hrs. That's not 'slight high', that's nothing, no practical difference. Taking the flights there exposes you to more radiation than a week's stay in Tokyo.

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Jul 1 2012, 08:09 PM

When you hear Geiger Counter like this, then you are in deep sh*t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSdmvO2yBis

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Added on July 1, 2012, 9:11 pmThen must pray to god, otherwise bring own Geiger counter and test everything.



This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Jul 1 2012, 09:11 PM

What a competitive market Japan is gonna be!

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Budget carrier Jetstar takes off
Kyodo, Bloomberg

The first flight of Jetstar Japan Co., a budget airline funded by Japan Airlines Co., took off Tuesday from Narita International Airport bound for New Chitose Airport near Sapporo.

With the launch, Jetstar became the second discount airline to serve domestic routes in Japan, following the Osaka Prefecture-based Peach Aviation Ltd., a budget carrier owned partly by All Nippon Airways Co. The move appears to set the stage for a full-fledged price war between discount carriers across Japan.

Starting with the launch of Narita-New Chitose and Narita-Fukuoka routes on Tuesday, Jetstar next week will fly between Narita and Kansai International Airport in Osaka and between Narita and Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture. On Aug. 24, it will start services connecting Kansai International with New Chitose and with Fukuoka.

Jetstar Japan has said it may grow its fleet to 100 planes by the end of the decade as it lures travelers with fares less than half those charged by JAL and All Nippon Airways Co., the nation's two biggest airlines. Besides Peach Aviation, AirAsia Japan Co. is starting budget flights in Japan this year following the addition of new capacity at Narita.

Peach, which began services in March, estimates up to 40 percent of its customers are first-time fliers, President Shinichi Inoue said last month. The airline and AirAsia Japan are both part-owned by ANA. AirAsia Japan is also backed by AirAsia Bhd., the region's biggest low-cost carrier.

Jetstar Japan expects budget airlines to roughly triple their share of Japanese air travel to 35 percent by 2020.

Skymark Airlines Inc., Japan's biggest discounter, is also boosting services.

Jetstar Japan is offering one-way tickets to Sapporo from Narita for ¥4,490 on its website. JAL is advertising tickets from ¥12,300 flying from Tokyo's Haneda airport in August and September, according to its website.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb2012070...ml#.T_Pgs4Qt234