JETS

Japanese Expeditionary Travel Scholarship

Interaction - the 2005 World Science Fiction Convention, held in Glasgow, Scotland, established a fund to send a European fan to Japan for the 2007 Worldcon - Nippon 2007 - in Yokohama. The fund is named JETS, the Japanese Expeditionary Travel Scholarship.

The League of Fan Funds were asked to administer it and invited people to put themselves forward in a similar manner to the existing Fan Funds for TAFF (TransAtlantic Fan Fund) and GUFF (Europe/Australia "Going Under/Getting Up and over Fan Fund")

I found the requisite number of nominations, paid the bond (committing to go if selected, emergencies excepted), and found myself in a field of seven candidates (including one "candidate" consisting of two people!). All excellent people, any of whom I'd have been glad to support!

And on Saturday 14th April, a little after 6pm, it was announced that I'd won!

I'd like to thank everyone who voted; my nominators; the administrators; Interaction, and to everyone else that donated. And thanks in advance to all those that will help me prepare and execute this trip.

Blog

I will be blogging the whole thing, and at the moment the blog can be found on LiveJournal at
LJ community: jets2007   -   http://community.livejournal.com/jets2007

Note: any comments or entries posted to the above blog may be used in my printed trip report which will be available next Easter at Orbital 2008 at Heathrow, London.

Postcard

If you voted and would like a postcard sent to you from Japan, then email me your address/contact details at jets2007@magician.co.uk

Help and Advice

I'm looking for any and all advice on visiting Japan, contacting and visiting Japanese fans before and after the convention, places to see, fun things to do and any thing else that might be useful e.g. advice on packing, learning bits of language, etiquette (bringing gifts, things polite people don't do in public etc.), travel visas, best ways of taking money etc. Depending on finances and time, I may try to visit a couple of other places on the way there or back, for example China, or Hawaii, if either make sense in terms of flights, conventions, fans etc.

Also if you have any knowledgeable advice on Carbon Offsetting (for example which schemes are valid and sensible), then I'd like to make sure my flights are offset.

Contact Details

Email can be sent to me at jets2007@magician.co.uk and postal mail can be sent to me at

Thank you again

Chris

Return to SMOF.COM - MAGICIAN.CO.UK - CHRISOSHEA.COM - LJ: jets2007