2016 Sapporo
Yuki Matsuri/Snow Festival
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Basic InfoWhat?
MAJET’s annual Yuki Matsuri trip Where? Sapporo, Hokkaido When? Departing Sendai Port, evening of February 5th (Fri.), arriving back in Sendai morning of February 10th (Wed.). How much? TBC, see section below 15,000 yen deposit to be paid by December 22nd NOTE: Only a certain number of spots are available, so make sure to sign up early!!! Nenkyu? You're going to need to take three days of nenkyu (Monday-Wednesday). Depending on where you live, you might also need to take a couple of hours on Friday afternoon in order to get yourself to the ferry terminal in time. Sign me up!Hang on there!
MAJET spends months planning the Yuki Matsuri and getting you a group discount. This means we cannot finalize a total cost for the trip until the end of January. Last year’s trip came to a total of around 40,000 yen altogether. That is not this year’s final price; it may well be less, there is a slim chance it will be more, we simply can’t tell you now! You will need to get saving, but you have two pay checks to spread the payment out of! So, how do I get to go then? To secure your place you need to do three things:
We need you to have done all three of the above things by the respective due dates to secure your place. Even if you pay a deposit, without the form and the e-mail, we won't book you a place! NOTE: Only a certain number of spots are available, so make sure to sign up early!!! Paying the deposit should be done via furikomi. Details on how to furikomi are available here: http://www.miyagi-ajet.org/furikomi-info.html Allow lots of time to make the furikomi, and remember many banks and post offices are not open at sensible times! Don’t leave it till the last minute! 
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About the TripWhat’s the Snow Festival?
Yuki Matsuri, or the Snow Festival, is held annually in Sapporo. It features a collection of snow sculptures built by sculptors from all over the world. Some are chin-scratchingly artistic, some are outright silly, and some of them are ENORMOUS. Expect all sorts of surprises! There are even bars made of ice! So, there’s some snow. Anything else? As well as the Yuki Matsuri itself, there are plenty of things to do in and around Sapporo. Sapporo has hosted the Winter Olympics before, so snowboarding and skiing are very real possibilities, the city is famous for butter ramen, soup curry, and crab, so there is some really good eating, and one or two of you may have heard of a little thing called Sapporo beer. There is even a beer museum! MAJET publishes a guide to the fun every year, which will be sent out nearer the date. Traditionally, MAJET organizes a night out, too - usually a group booking at the Sapporo Brewery to enjoy their lamb and beer tabe-nomihoudai, or as it has come to be known, the lambyhoudai. It's awesome, and one of the finest yaki-nikus you will ever witness. You even get given your own apron. Trip Schedule Day 1 (Feb. 5 Friday)
Day 2 (Feb. 6, Saturday)
Day 3 (Feb. 7, Sunday)
Day 4 (Feb. 8, Monday)
Day 5 (Feb. 9, Tuesday)
Day 6 (Feb. 10, Wednesday)
Important: Things are a bit different this year! The trip dates are set and we offer this trip as a package. Unfortunately it's logistically impossible for us to change timings and other aspects of the trip for individuals' preferences. However, we are aware that some people are interested in staying a bit longer in Hokkaido. For those people, you can opt to pay a smaller trip fee which only covers the outbound ferry and accomodation till Tuesday morning. It DOESN'T cover the cost of your return journey. The onus then falls on YOU to book and pay for your own accomodation from Tuesday night onwards, and to book and pay for your own way back to Miyagi. Once you sign up, YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR CHOICE. Please confirm your nenkyu situation and workplace calendar before signing up. Columbo moment: just one more thing… In previous years, the MAJET committee has received what could be termed politely “a firm telling off” from the Board of Education for going to the effort running this trip. The BOEs, understandably, don’t like to think there is a date upon which all ALTs from across Miyagi suddenly down tools to drink beer in the snow. In their eyes this is not acceptable. To make it clear, the Board of Education is right. It’s not totally kosher that every ALT should flee Miyagi for a weekend of fun. However, nenkyu is awarded on a school by school basis, and you are contractually allowed it (if it doesn’t inconvenience your school), so this shouldn’t put you off. You can help MAJET enormously in avoiding another “firm telling off”, by doing a couple of things:
Details/FAQsWhat does my fee include?
If you sign up for the standard trip, you get:
If you opt for the modded version, you get:
What do we do when we get there? Whatever you want! MAJET are going to get you there and put you up, but only you can have your fun! There will be a MAJET guide to the city sent out for your perusal nearer to the time, but once you are in Sapporo, the time is your own! The cost of the trip includes an eat-all-you-want and drink-all-you-want meal at the Sapporo brewery on one of the nights (TBC). You may want to bear this in mind when planning your stay! I want to go snowboarding/skiing. What do I do? There’s a guide to various slopes and how to access them in the MAJET guide that will be published nearer the date. If you want to transport skis and snowboards, you can mail them to the hotel near the time, so they are there when you arrive. What should I bring? Anything you will need! Medications, clothing, beers for the ferry, a book to read, whatever you want! We will publish a list of suggestions nearer the time. One thing worth noting is that Hokkaido is pretty cold. So pack your heat tech, some thermal socks, hats, gloves, and if you are more balance-challenged after a nomihoudai, you can get strap on spikes for your shoes. We recommend the spikes, but don’t spend much money on them; you can buy them in Sapporo from most combinis. I want to make my own way there and stay with MAJET. Can I do that? Well… MAJET books everything in one go. We get group discounts for many of the activities, and we expect to take a group of about 20-30. It is a long and drawn out organizational nightmare, which we take no payment for. Tailoring each individual’s trip would be lovely, but it's simply not feasible. If you wish to make your own way, however, we are happy to tell you where we will be staying, so if you want to stay in the same hostel, you are more than welcome. Book fast though! And transport can be pricey! I missed the due date, but want to go! What should I do? We can't guarantee you a place. However, if someone drops out we can forward you their details and you can arrange to fill their space. This is a pretty agreeable situation, as the seller doesn't lose their deposit, and the buyer gets a spot. This arrangement is first come, first serve. I signed up/paid the deposit and want to drop out! What should I do? I'm sorry, we can't accept dropouts after December 14th, and we can't promise we can return the deposit (with enough notice, and in the right conditions, it is only ever a faint possibility). However, if we have a person that missed the deadline that wants to go, we will put them in touch with you and you can arrange to put them in your place. This is a pretty agreeable situation, as the seller doesn't lose their deposit, and the buyer gets a spot. It is a first come, first serve arrangement. I want to change from the standard plan to the alternative plan, or vice versa. What should I do? Similar to above, if there is a participant signed up who wants to change plans in the opposite direction to you, the two of you can organise to change places with each other. But if not, unfortunately you're out of luck. We will have to hold you to what you signed up for and charge you accordingly. |
