Dec 31, 2015 | Uncategorized |
2015 is nearly over and a new year will begin soon.
I want to thank you guys for all your support! I am very happy to have people beneath me who are thinking about me, helping me, enduring my (sometimes difficult) character and giving me warm words when I need it.
2015 was an awesome year!
I was allowed to give so many great concerts and signing sessions, I met so many great people.
And I realizes it every time again how much luck I have to have so many fans cheering for me, supporting me, writing me and coming to my concerts. Thank you!
Also regarding to Cosplay 2015 was a sucessful year.
I had about 24 new cosplays. 20 shootings and could become the representive of Germany for the World Cosplay Summit in 2016.
Let 2016 be such an awesome year as 2015!
I had difficult times and I am always grateful to know and be supported by so many awesome and great people.
Thank you for a great year 2015 and I wish you everyone a great, prosperous and healthy 2016!
Dec 30, 2015 | Cosplay, Cosplay Tutorial, Travel, Travel Reports |
Japan is the country of Anime and Manga.
And of course of Cosplay!
One of the main purposes of my last trip was to go shopping for my World Cosplay Summit Cosplays for next year in Japan.
We not only visited several Cosplay related shops in Japan but also in Taipei and Dubai.
All countries have a large choice of fabrics, wigs and other small materials like laces or gemstones.
Part 1:
Cosplay shopping in Taipei:
Taipei is well known for cheap and good quality fabrics. We visited the
Yongle Fabric Market and found a large choice of fabrics and dry goods such as laces or gemstones.
The most fabric shops are located directly in the market at the 2nd floor. If you are looking for dry goods you should leave the market and take a look in the side roads.
Be aware that nearly no one speaks English
and that they are making different prices for foreigners. If you can
speak Japanese you can be lucky. We communicated mostly in Japanese or
just pointed the fabrics we wanted
to buy (this only works if you don’t have any questions…). You can
bargain if you are buying a bigger amount of fabrics, because there are
no prices shown. Special fabrics, like embroidered ones or Chinese ones
where quite cheap. But if you want to buy normal
unicolor fabrics be aware that it could be more expensive than in Japan
or Germany.
Generally speaking: Fabrics in Taipei are more expensive than in Japan-
But if you are looking for high quality and special fabrics you can make a good deal.
The dry goods had all price tags. Bargain
wasn’t possible, but if you are buying a bigger amount they just give
you some free dry goods. We could found a lot of awesome stones and
special accessories for Cosplays for
a very good price. We weren’t satisfied with the choices of laces and
most of the shops sold the same items. Also be aware that high quality
stones and gold laces are easier to get in Dubai for a cheaper price.
We were very disappointed regarding to wigs in Taipei. We only found one shop who offered cosplay wigs for order.
Because we had only a limited time in Taipei we didn’t looked further for Cosplayshops.
But we got the advice that you can buy good Cosplay accessories in Ximending.
Yongle Market Taipei
Operating Hours: Mon-Sat 10-18 hr
Next MRT Station: Beiman Station
Dec 23, 2015 | Travel, Travel Reports |
Recently a lot of people asked me how much I am spending for a Asia trip or a trip to Japan.
First of all; Japan is an affordable country, cheaper than Germany. Food, accommodation and travel expenses are very affordable.
The problem is, that a lot of people are just to going to the travel agencies or do not spent enough effort and time for the preparation of the trip.
I think it is ok to spent more if you don’t want to spent time and effort. But be prepared to pay for it. You need to realize that the people who are spending this time for you want to be payed. So of course its more expensive if you want to save time.
Booking and planning by yourself may save you money but be aware that in Japan nearly no one speaks English. Even in the 4 star hotels. If you want English speaking people I would recommend Hostels, because they are used to foreigners.
Also be aware that no one will help you if you have problems with hotels etc.. Because there is no travel agency involved you also cannot expect service.
This time I ve been in Asia for 5 weeks, 2 weeks in Japan.
My flight (without stay in Dubai) would be about 560 Euro. I payed for Hotel and long distance traffic (night bus) 422 Euro.
So the trip was about 982 Euro for long distance traffic, flight and Hotel.
I want to note that we stayed several nights in a 3 star Hotel, 1 night in a 4 star hotel incl. expensive traditional dinner and breakfast course. We only stayed 2 nights at a Hostel.
So you can guess that you can cut more expenses if you don’t need a 3 star hotel.
We also visited 6 different cities (not next to each other…). If you decide to stay in just 2-3 cities you also can cut travel expenses.
The most important thing is to book early. I normally book the hotels a year before and just check every two weeks if there are cheaper and better hotels on 5-6 different websites in the internet. Of course this only works if you can cancel for free.
If you can speak and read Japanese you have bigger chances to get cheaper accommodations. Also traveling with a friend can save you money, because you are paying mostly the same price even if you are staying alone in a double room.
Flights:
When I am looking for flights I use different websites to find the cheapest and best flight. If you are paying more than 600 Euro for a flight (notable airline, normal transfer time) you should wait a bit or just over think your traveling time. The cheapest flights are usally going on Wednesday /Tuesday in the afternoon.
I don’t like to use websites to compare the flights because they don’t show all notable airlines. I like to check the flights directly at the airlines website and book it there. The flights might be cheaper on other websites but they often charge you a large service or paying fee.
I recommend Emirates, cheap and very good.
You can also check in as much baggage as you want until 30 KG. So if you like to buy figures in Japan you don’t have a problem with the volume of your baggage.
 |
| Ryokan in Kanazawa for 28 Euro per night/ person incl. breakfast |
Hotel:
Normally I am paying for a 2 star hotel in the center of the city, next to a public transport hub 50 Euro for a double room (60 incl. breakfast). Of course it depends on the currency exchange.
If you don’t care about an own bathroom you can also use a Hostel. Japan is a very clean and service orientated country, so even if you are staying cheap it is still good. We stayed in Kyoto (one of the most expensive cities regarding to accommodation in Japan) in a very beautiful and clean Hostel for just 14 Euro a night/ pers. (private room). It was cheap but we got a 4 star service and English speaking staff!
If you like to eat a lot for breakfast I recommend to book a Hotel including breakfast. You can cut food expenses because the breakfast you get is mostly buffet style. Just be prepared that you might get fish, rice and miso soup instead of bread.
Travel expenses (long distance):
A lot of people are using the Shinkansen or Japan Rail way pass. Be aware that you cannot use every bus, train etc with the JR pass. If you are unlucky you can only use this pass for the Shinkansen but have to pay additional for the public transport.
Even in Tokyo the most lines are not run by the JR but by other private companies.
If you want to use the Shinkansen a lot or don’t want to travel by bus, a JR pass might be right option. Just be aware that you are paying a huge sum for comfort.
If you can sleep in a bus (not normal busses; night busses with extra leg space and special designed seats) I recommend using the nightbus.
We payed for Kyoto to Tokyo about 31 Euro (one trip). If you are taking the Shinkansen you would pay about 100 Euro (without seat reservation).
Because you are taking the night bus, you are saving one night in a Hotel and don’t lose precious daytime for sightseeing.
If you are going by Shinkansen it is of course faster but you are loosing 3-4 hours of the day, need to book an additional Hotel and are maybe paying an additional fee for a seat.
Bus -> 31 Euro/ Shinkansen-> 100 Euro plus 25 Euro for a Hotel
-> 94 Euro difference
Of course If you cannot sleep in a bus, Shinkansen is still the best option. Because if you are tired, you cannot enjoy your trip. And using your limited time to the fullest is in my opinion the most important thing.
I hope that this guide might help you a bit for your next trip to Japan.
If you are interested I also can write about saving food and public transport expenses in Japan.
If you have further questions don’t hesitate to ask.
