...but they ended the double miles promo. Shoot, I lost out. Am looking at late May dates also. Maximizing the Mon-Thurs depart/return w/two weekends is a good idea. I may just get the ticket, and figure out the specifics of the trip later after the 1st trip is over and I can think about it. I could have used those double miles. Oh well.
Is EXPO over by late May?

The double miles offer is still available and you can register as late as June. The double miles are for the SFO-NGO and NGO-SFO flights 830 and 831. I called MP and they believe (as I do) that travel doesn't have to originate in SFO. It would be 10,600 bonus miles on top of the 15,000 actual flight miles.

United's flights to Nagoya start March 26 which is maybe 1 day after the expo starts. The expo runs all summer, till September, I think. I saw a calendar of the nationality days at the expo and the USA day isn't until June 16 or so.

Here is a link to the MP air promotions:
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1252,00.html

Let me know if you have any trouble registering for it. I think the trip migh be a bit shorter via ORD on AA, if you chose that route. The Japan Derby is late May in Tokyo and there will be a grand sumo tournament in Tokyo too. j-ball season, of course. You'll have plenty of time to work out the specifics.

it has been an up and down day, but it is defintiely ending on an up note! many thanks. wow. no problem registering. wow again.

mrw: My "sweet lips" came in. Sat. Wash Post E1. Headed to the United website soon.

Congrats! I will go out this morning (!) to get yesterday's Post and see what's up.
Nephew may take a break from securing the Korean DMZ and come over to travel with me.

Hello all
Would anyone know if it's easy to get to Nagoya from Tokyo? Is it possible to do the expo 2005 as a day trip from Tokyo?
Thanks

uh, well, please get him back over to the DMZ safely, we need him there too. re nephews, i just found out that my soon to be nephew's bro pitches in MLB.
Sunkist 101, just a thought- you might want to start a new post. This one is kind of old and has to do w/hotel rooms and assorted other stuff regarding the the low fare situation- but I think there would be alot of interest in the question you ask and if others see your question topic in a new post, they probably need the same info, w/the expo gooing on in Nagoya, the new airport there, etc.

United extended the Nagoya promotion thru March 31. They show a sample fare of $285 each way, so $570. That is more than I paid in January ($539) but still quite good. To change my ticket all I have to do is change it to higher fare, so $30 higher is fine, if I can get it. Tried jtbusa to get a twin room for the Takayama spring festival but haven't heard back. Just spent a 4 day weekend in Zurich. Tried hot springs there but they were not nearly hot enough, not like an onsen.

That is good news on the fare extension, but will have to see if they have extended the dates to fly, as I have new work now and may have to go a bit later...

Just got back from AZ. If you ever get back to AZ Hwy 179, let me know, as I found a great little Japanese place w/sushi bar, w/a Japanese sushi chef named Moshi (who has good taste in woodblock prints) in the Village of Oak Creek. Very unpretentious place. Best sushi I've had in many full moons, but maybe part of it was that it came after intense day of solo hiking, seeing a wild boar, a herd of white tail deer, and yes, 25 Native Americans who had carried drums deep into Boynton Canyon and were chanting just off the trail I was on, two hours into an awesome hike where I had not seen another person. I think the animals were coming out in response to the chanting and drums. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.
Travel is an awesome life affirming thing. And we have only 12 more nights to sleep til we wake up and get on the big flight to Narita.

btw, I have my Mutter's relatives in Zurich and have gone there to see them several times. I hope you got to the lake, but it was likley very cold. I have a funny story about that lake that involves the police. What a clean, pristine, on time, functional city. Great shopping and great watches, so they an all be on time. Not a stereotype, it's true.

Bonjour emd

I may go to AZ next April to visit friends (Prescott area). I'm sure they would appreciate (and be rather surprised) by me taking them to a sushi place in Oak Creek. Full name and address, please ?

That's great!! I'm glad I mentioend it. It is called "Minami", at 6586 Hwy. 179. 928-284-0684. As you come into the Village of OAk Creek, look for Desert Quail Hotel on the left. Slow down, and just past it is Minami on same left side of the road. If you spend $10 on sushi or other food, you get miso soup and edamame (sp?) thrown in. Moshi is the sushi chef, and everyone knew him and called him by name as they entered. I was the only tourist there- it was all locals. It is small, like 8 tables for 4 people each and a sushi bar that seats about 12. Very good appetizers, sushi, sashimi, tempura, fish specials, and some noodle dishes also. I had several a la carte Sushi (the unagi and hamachi were particularly good) and a vegetable tempura roll, and the lightly fried tofu appetizer (also very good). There is a nicer, more formal japanese place in Sedona but Minami was very casual and met my needs perfectly.
BTW, there is a very nice small "big screen" theater in the Village, in the outlet stores right across from Minami. They show first run films there on a very big screen. I saw "Hotel Rwanda" at 8:45 pm there after eating at Minami. It was also showing "Neverland" in the afternoons.
You will have SPECTACULAR flowers in April due to the incredible amount of rain they have had this winter.
Someday on one of my hiking trips I hope to stop in Prescott. It is supposed to be a nice little town. I am always trying to spend the last minute hiking though, and in fact I missed my flight out of Phoenix on Sunday evening due to that. But an extra day in Phoenix wasn't bad, considering it was snowing at home and there were people in the pool in Phoenix.

Merci mille fois, emd,

I'll drink some Sake to your health when I get there.

Prescott is indeed a nice town, and the geology around is really fascinating.