G-TOUR 2: Some Details and Problems

Right, Fukuoka Tower is to be one of the stops of G-TOUR 2.

Additional details on G-TOUR 2 have been published in G-FAN, some of which have been posted on the Internet.

Jay Grymyr posted this at the Monster Zero message board:

The full details are in the latest G-FAN.

The trip will be August 2-12, 2011, with kaiju-related stops in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Mt. Aso, Nagoya, Lake Biwa, and more. Akira Takarada may have some involvement, depending on his schedule. The price is ¥248,500 ($2,400-2,900 depending on the exchange rate).

The listed stops are well-worth a visit. I visited many of these sites during my 2007 Japan trip. J.D. Lees expressed to me at the time that those would be excellent places to visit during a possible G-TOUR 2. I cannot disagree with him there.

However, it is the timing of the tour and the costs involved that I have to question. I voiced the opinion that a G-TOUR 2 would have a better chance for success (with more participants) if it were scheduled in 2012 (at least) instead of 2011.

Here's the reasons for my doubts:

The costs posted (provided what Grymyr posted is accurate) is in Japanese yen. Right now, the foreign exchange rate is a hair over 81 yen/dollar. Using the Universal Currency Converter, ¥248,500 converted into U.S. dollars is as follows:

248,500.00 JPY = 3,054.48 USD

Tying the price to the yen is a mistake.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you are aware that I keep an eye on the dollar-yen exchange rates. When I went to Japan in April 2007, I was able to get 116 yen per dollar exchanged. That's 35 yen per dollar more than what can be obtained today. Last week, the dollar hit a 15-year record low.

Keep in mind that the exchange rate will fluctuate, and the rate above is today's rate. The dollar/yen exchange rate could improve in the dollar's favor over the next few months, or, it could also worsen. Nobody knows! If the cost of the tour is actually in yen, smart people will just sit on their money (if they have any) to see if the exchange rate improves so they can buy into it cheaper. Still, there are no guarantees that the rates will improve. All one can do now is cross their fingers.

Additionally, since we are now in mid-October, that leaves 2 1/2 months left in this year and maybe 6-7 months in 2011 for people to save for the trip (keep in mind that people have to pay weeks in advance of the departure date for tours).

For couples and people with children, having this short period of time to save will make it virtually impossible (or exceedingly difficult) for them to save (unless, of course, they can tap into Bill Gates's bank account).

It was mentioned previously that the tour rate does not include the round-trip airfare from the U.S. to Japan. Unless this has changed, one can easily look at an additional $800-1,200 more (per person) they have to come up with in addition to the tour price. G-TOUR 2004's price included round-trip airfare from LAX to Narita.

As we are aware, the world economy is in bad shape and people in the U.S. are still losing jobs and homes continue to be foreclosed on. Plus, unless congress and the president act, the Bush tax cuts will expire in January and people will be socked with a tax hike. So far, the Democrats have given very little (just lip service) indication of preserving the tax cuts. This will also deprive people of disposable income to pay for a tour if the cuts are allowed to expire.

Getting back to the itinerary that was posted: All these stops are excellent ones to visit on a tour. If one has never been to Japan before, these will give the visitor a good variety of Japanese places to see. Tokyo is way different than Kyoto or Fukuoka. The local dialects are different (just like people from the New England states and from the deep South in the U.S.). The cuisines are also different.

As I said before, if J.D. can pull this off, God bless him. But, at present, I don't see how he can get the required minimum attendees (even if lowered to 25 people) to go. This will be interesting to watch.

[Note: Since posting this I checked the tour's website at G-FAN.com and airfare is not included in the tour package.]