i was telling you last monday that i applied for a life-changing job. i found out i am one of the 1,897 people (!!) who are going to be half crazy nervous/half insanely excited until the 15th of august, when the short list will be released.
this is a private initiative (powered by a kanazawa-based travel agency, the real japan) trying to get people to realize that post-11.03.2011 japan is safe for traveling (personally, i don’t think there is any other place in the world where a city full of sky scrapers would have survived a 9.0 earthquake intact. so, in case i get to live through another big shake, i’d prefer to be there). apart from the actual catastrophes, the country’s industries had to lose as a result of the mass cancellations that followed that day: tourism income alone is said to have decreased by 73% in march, as compared to the previous year.
so, a handful of people in the industry decided to try to make a change by enabling a blogger to travel to all 47 prefectures of japan and to report to the world during the trip. the itinerary will even include tropical okinawa and on the last day, which is also, not by chance, christmas day, the blogger will get the chance to be santa claus for the children in the tsunami-affected area of tohoku. i expect that’s going to be a heart-warming moment (i admit: i have been mobbed by happy kids before in my life so i kinda know how it goes! :))
for a detailed presentation of the project, watch this video:
for more details on this wonderful initiative, click here! you will find, among others: the prerequisites for the applicants, the 101-day itinerary, the team in charge of the project, etc as well as the wonderful support offered by stars and mortals alike.
the point of the entire effort is to change people’s minds for the better so that perhaps they will decide to visit japan. even if i will not be on that list, i still intend to go on helping out this inspiring group of people because i see this as an opportunity to make the world a better place.
you can help, too: just share this post, follow the adventures of the travel blogger and consider perhaps visiting the land of the rising sun one day! arigatou gozaimasu!
7 comments
Catalina Sarivan says:
Aug 8, 2011
well…good luck! and let us know about the short list! :D
little-aesthete says:
Aug 8, 2011
thank you very much :)
the short list will be made public next monday…fingers crossed! :)
healthy peanut butter cookies says:
Aug 20, 2011
WOW! check this out!……
Amazing Post, worth a read……
eugen says:
Oct 13, 2011
buna. voi calatori in japonia intre 1-16 nov, probabil voi lua si un JR pass de la exact travel. spune-mi te rog, acest JR pass e valabil si pt transferul aeroport-centru? daca da, pass-ul se poate activa in aeroport? daca nu, ce recomanzi pt a ajunge in oras dinspre aeroport?
little-aesthete says:
Oct 13, 2011
felicitari :)
jr pass acopera calatoria catre tokyo cu oricare dintre trenuri (de la cel mai rapid/scump la cel mai incet/ieftin).
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html
ai aici lista locurilor unde poti schimba voucherul jr pass: http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en009.html. vezi ca ai chiar si programul :)
daca mai ai intrebari, da un semn
distractie placuta :)
eugen says:
Oct 13, 2011
gasesc informatii confuze apropo de costurile cu cazarea.
tu inteleg ca ai dormit prin couchsurfing, eu nu am mai folosit pana acum acest sistem si habar n-am cum functioneaza, si in ce masura ma pot folosi de el pe traseul meu. vreun sfat?
pe de alta parte hostelurile, acolo unde exista, vad ca incep de la 30 eur/dorm bed
planul orientativ ar fi o saptamana in tokyo, si o saptamana cu JR pass in zona nagoya-takayama-kanazawa-kyoto-hiroshima-matsue-totori
multuuu` :)
little-aesthete says:
Oct 13, 2011
in 2010, doar CS. in 2011, CS, ryokan, 2 hostels and a very nice hotel in nagoya (e mai dificil sa te descurci cand ai si doi baieti cu tine mai ales intr-o tara unde casele sunt minuscule).
daca ai messanger, adauga-ma (vezi ID la about) si continuam acolo. ok? :)