Pray for Maiko

Not sure what you do when you get a request for prayer, but why not shut your eyes after reading this and pray straight up!

Maiko is preparing to speak on a KGK weekend away this weekend and is concerned about how her talks are not yet coming together. Please ask that she'll have clarity, be able to say 'no' to things that don't matter and that God would prepare the hearts of the students attending.

Clothing summary

Hey guys, here's what we've discovered so far in the clothing department:

1. In Osaka we can wear jeans and the weather is likely to be "jeans and jumper" kind of weather

2. In Tokyo we're tourists so we can do whatever, but it might be a bit colder than Osaka.

3. In Kinomoto (the village near Biwako) you'll need that same jeans and jumper but with thermals and a jacket standing by!

4. Two of the three churches we're visiting are a little more formal, so slightly better than jeans and jumpers would be appropriate there.

I'm really going

My return flight is finally booked - I'm really gonna be joining you guys now!

It's good to see the exchange rate heading back in a good direction - I got on the same flight as Serene and Ruth and didn't pay too much more!

Now, I did joke about leaving Jono there as a long term missionary - how about it team?

Summer of Youth on the Night Train

So, Japan Rail passes have fallen in price (highest was $555 from Student Flights Wednesday 2 weeks ago) to $436.

Here's a novel way to save some more money...

Seishun Juhachi Kippu: 5 x 1 calendar day per person unlimited travel for Y11,500. That's Y2,300 per person.

I'd known about these for a while - we did a 17 hour trip on it once! Limited to local trains (no shinkansen) so not great for travelling between Osaka and Tokyo - think 12 transfers with luggage - yuck!

BUT, bring on the Moonlight Nagara. It travels from Tokyo to Ogaki, which is just short of Osaka, but close to Biwako. And, not being a Shinkansen you can use the Seishun Juhachi Kippu!

Due to it being an overnight, non-sleeper equipped train, it's no good for Rachel and the boys. So they'll take the Shinkansen regardless (just under Y14,000 one way). Anyone else would be welcome to join them.

For anyone on a tight budget, we can buy one or two Seishuns - 5 or 10 person vouchers - and take the overnight train - it takes 2 vouchers per person in the Osaka to Tokyo direction. This means Y4,600 for the trip to Tokyo. Back to Biwako we could all take the Moonlight Nagara, catching it after midnight and thus using only one set of 5 travel vouchers (Rachel will stay in Tokyo).

To put this in perspective, a few comparative prices:

Japan 7 day rail pass...............Y 28,300

Minor trips not covered by pass.....Y  2,500

Shinkansen (Osaka-Tokyo)............Y 13,470

Moonlighting as Seishun (Osa-Tok)...Y  4,600

Shinkansen (Tokyo-Biwako)...........Y 11,760

Moonlighting (Tokyo-Biwako).........Y  2,300

5 days train in Tokyo (no JR Pass)..Y  4,000

So my estimate is, with the pass we'd pay around 32,000.

No pass and using Shinkansen: around 30,000. 

Shinkansen up, Seishun down: around 20,000. 

Seishun up and down: around 11,000 

The main problem taking the moonlight train is the loss of half a day to sleep. If we went up to Tokyo this way I'd suggest going a half day early and checking into our tokyo apartment and sleep, waiting for Rachel and whoever else to arrive. This wastes a night's accomm in Osaka (Y2,600). Back to Biwako we can use our accommodation as booked but we'll be tired on our first day in Biwako (but we'll get there 9 hours earlier than otherwise planned, so hopefully can sleep). Is the sleep deprivation worth Y21,000 ($320) to you?

6 nights in Tokyo

Here's where we've booked in Tokyo. Comes to Y2800 per person per night...

http://www.monthlychintai.com/en/room/D017-201/

So then, accommodation cost...

In today's money (Y65 to $1AUD) Osaka + Tokyo accommodation will cost $580 - that's about $40 a night for 14 nights. Just so you know, the best price we saw for a dodgy backpackers was $34 - so we're paying an extra $6 per night for the freedom to come and go, added security for our stuff, the luxury of our own space, the ability to cook up a storm, and for Jono to sleep during the day ;)

For both Otemae and Shibaura, these were two of the first places Rachel ever found, but the 40 hours of combing websites and asking Japanese friends for help yielded nothing better - we're confident that if the exchange rate stays roughly where it is, that we've got a pretty good deal for both. Of course judgement should be reserved til we get there... but what can i say, we're excited!

Thanks Rachel for sweating on this!

8 nights in Osaka

Mother House Bethel is off.

Weekly Mansion at Otemae is on!!

Bethel sounded more and more restrictive as time went on (curfew at 10pm, meals only available at fixed and inappropriate times for our timetable) and I was worried we wouldn't get there in time on our first night - nothing like the prospect of being locked out to start our time in Japan huh?

So yeah, for half the price per night, we'll stay here in a "3 bedroom standard". This is the almost the biggest apartment we've seen in Japan - there were a couple bigger in Tokyo but for double the price.

http://wmt-osaka.com/otemae/index.html

The only problem with this place is that it's 35 mins on the train out to Mukonoso Megumi Church, and further again to most of the campuses. However Bethel was going to be 25mins to Mukonoso from the other direction anyway. The extra distance means about Y400 to Y600 per day in extra train fares, but if we can keep our food budget down then we'll be a long way under the Y5000 per person per night of Bethel.

Advantages:

-We can come and go as we please - if you're not going on a campus visit or something at church, you can sleep or wander around Osaka Castle (nearby).

-There's an airport shuttle bus - saves us about Y2300 each.

-It's under Y2600 per person per night!!

-We can cook for ourselves - potentially cheaper than eating out

-Closer to the sights and sites of Osaka

Thanks Rachel!!

What not to wear - Osaka

Maiko writes:

For clothing in December: It is unpredictable the weather at the beginning of December. It can be still warm in winter.
However, it is usually not too cold around that time. Jeans and woolen top with light coat/jacket would do. It would be similar to Sydney winter. I hope this helps.

Mother House Bethany

Strange name isn't it?

This is a place Maiko and Grahame Smith (CMS missionary with KGK up to a few months ago) recommend we stay.

Its's about 5000yen per night ($90 with today's terrible exchange rate) but it includes breakfast and dinner. So think $60 per night to sleep and a $10 brekky and $20 dinner. Back in the good old days (ie June 2008) I'd be telling you $30 per night, $5 brekky etc.

To put the meal prices in perspective, Rachel and I used to eat out at a dinner place for 1500yen each. This was the cheapest place we could find, and we often used to go there because it cost about the same to cook at home! So even tho a $20 dinner sounds expensive for every day eating, our cheapest dinner (1500Y) would cost $27 in today's AUD-JPY fiasco.

Suffice to say I'm thinking it's good value especially because we save on train fares compared to any of the hotels/hostels we'd found previously.

Other advantages:

-it's on the same train line as Mukonoso Church

-it's closer to a few of the unis Maiko visits (2 or 3 of us can come per visit)

-it's a place where people will more readily understand why we are in Japan - missionaries use the place for conferences etc.

-it's in Kobe - tell your friends you're going to mega-earthquake town

-it's under 20mins by train to most of our ministry locations, which cuts off 30mins travel time (and 300yen) compared to Osaka city youth hostels and hotels.

Your thoughts - should we book? Our other main option at present is a "Weekly Mansion" in central Osaka for 2500Y each per night. It's at least 33mins train ride from the church and 300Y more in 1-way train fare. No food is included, but we can cook for ourselves.