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Every Fan has Their Shangrala...
But of course, going to Japan ain't cheap ( i know..I've been there), so the next best thing would be .. that's right!! Japan Town in San Diego.. but barring that, one can settle for a convention. There is so much one can do at these great festaviles too.. Why one can.. Spend money, watch movies, play games, wacth movies, talk to people, watch movies, get in on a pannle, watch movies, eat granola provided at the con Suite, watch movies, get drunk, watch movies, buy all kinds of neat toys, watch movies, but shirts, watch movies, get Pocky (a must for any fan), watch movies, buy movies, then watch them, and did I mention watch movies? NOTE: Sleep is not an option at a convetion...With the knowledge of what one can do at cons, now let us discus some of the finer points of con survival. The last thing you want to do is have to explain to your folks and friends that you have to be driven home in a herse because you didn't make it through the weekend.
First things first.
FUNDING!!!
You want to make sure you know how much money you have to spend at one of these things, and how much room you have in your car.. trust me on that. You WILL need room in the car. Vans are pretty good on space, but if you cannot et a large vehicle such as that, you will have to be very friendly with who ever you take with you. More on that later.The best way to determine costs (before merchandise) is to go to the website promoting the con you are going to. If you don't know exactly what the URL is, check out the Anipike section on conventions (www.anipike.com), and they can help you. The con site will help you know what the ticket cost is(3 day ticket, in advance is lmost always a better aeal) and what the prospected hotel room rates are. Also, it lets you figure how far you will have to drive.. which is going to tell you how much gas the car will need. Last but not least, is a food estimate.. that you make on your own. I recomend packing a cooler and taking it with you.. restaurants get pricy very quickly, and Hotels rip you off as well as Con specials (except the Con Suite, which is free, and usually good)
All that out of the way, you should have a good guess as to what it is going to cost you. To keep individual costs down, i recomend having a large group of people go. Like say.. 4 or 5 people.
To save costs you mau want to do the following:
*stay at a hotel opther than the one the Con is at
Sure, it may be inconveinient, but it will cost less... and most express hotels and what not are within a 1 mile radius of whatever location you would need to be. Not to mention, quieter.. however.. as a trade off, you miss out on most of the surpirse romm parties and what not.*Sleep in the car in the parking lot/in viewingrooms/other localls that people from the Hotel staff wouldn't really other looking
This is the one where car space is an issue.. but this is also the cheapest way to go outside of staying at a relatives or something.. because you are not paying for a room. usually the most expensive item. Car space in the lot is risky, but doable.. just becarefull to move the car every once and a while so it isn't obvious... the viewing rooms and what not are easier to do, more room, and more comfy...but noise is a problem.*Pack food
I said it earlier, but I cannot stress it enough! if you bring food, it is far cheaper than buying it there... or rather.. bring money to go to a grocery store with. More variety, cheaper, fresher. Better. Plus, if you just bring the money.. you save room in the car.*Buy in advance, reserve, etc
If you have things done ahead of time, cost is spread out, and the cons like it when stuff is payed for in advance, as then they can get more guests and stuff to come in.Space to be
alrighty.. earlier I mentioned that the car size and room is important.. if you have a group of people, this is more true. Now not only do you have your cooler, bags, and then your stuff that you will buy, but you will have a few other bodies and their stuff as well. Also, the smaller the vehicle, the more apt it is to smell after a few days of peolple in it.Sleeping at cons is kinda a myth... it never happens.. okay.. yes it does.. but not in regular shifts like eople are used to. It is very importantthat the driver be given as much time as he/she feels they are going to need.. they are going to get you home in one piece.. so let them rest if they want to. One should try to get a nao every now and again to stay fresh. The lobby is good, the room (if ya got one) or the car can help too. The COn Suite is also provided for this reason. Bring a hand towel or something for a sponge bath/sweat rag.. depending on how you do things... as we all know.. the universe is a lot safer when you bring along your towel. Deoderant is a must.. showers for those that feel they have to have one everyday.. everyone else.. use scented products or something. You will reek after the second day.(these are usually three day affairs PLUS driving time).
While there
Take stock of what cash you have... you will want to keep yourself from going shop crazy the first day...
It is far to easy to just buy the first cool thing you see when you have the money for it.. nbut trust me.. it will still be there the next day.. and it will cost less.. maybe not a whole lot less, but it will be less.Tapes and what not can be purchased.. but conventions are not really about buying the tapes.. it is about getting the import stuff that cannot be gotten here normally.. Like CDs and toys and shirts and little nic-nacs like pencil boards and Lunchboxes. (An Astro Boy tin lunch box can easily be gotten for about $30 at a con.. try that anywhere else and it will cost you about $50 at a minimum) Also.. Model kits are huge at Cons.. not just mecs and ships.. but of people.. ya know.. the poly resin statues. Those are expensive as hell wherever you go.. but about 20% less at a con... also.. Animation cells.
But the point is.. you will come across all this cool shiznit and it will seem a fair deal.. and it is..but wait a bit.. you will get a better one.. on the last day of the con.. a lot of the cooler shit is gone, but you can get the best deals ever when they are trying to close up... for example.. I got a free genocyber Animation cell tossed in with a purchase I made at a Manga Corps. booth on the the last sunday of ACen 2 years ago.. that thing is still one of my pieces of prized wall art.
So.. hold off, do window shopping for a while.. go to some rooms, watch stuff, and get to know people... then come back to the shops.
Also.. the con IS about watching the shows and what not.. but it is lso about fandom.. sit in on the panels, play some games.. honob with the people there.. they are crazy Otaku just like all of us. Being friendly and non-judgemental can go a long way between fans. And to those of you out ther that are curios to know.. yes.. you can go to a con to meet prospective dating partners... or even the meaningless one night stand. It happens a lot.. and some cons even have Dating games set up...I haven't been involved in any of the dating games, so i cannot give you a verdict.. but they do exist. And on top of the cheesy game shows, they will invariably have a big dance/rave sometime... check it out. they are a lot of fun.. and half the people there will know the words when a J-Pop song comes on.. so then they will start the kareoke bar going.
well... I hope I have provided a bit of helpful info to you.. any questions? post them on the Forum... I can get back to on that most likely within a a few hours. Ja ne!
-Katsuhiko "Otaku" san
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