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Japan is so expensive!!!

Here is a pragmatic trip report aimed mainly at providing information for those of us without large budgets. A JR pass didn't make sense for me economically so I didn't buy one.

I went to Japan alone for 11 nights as a rehabilitation trip. I redeemed 50,000 miles with AF for the flights (there in J, back in Y) and paid taxes.

The average price for my accommodation was ¥3,000 a night, travel expenses came out at ¥1,000 a day, my food and entertainment budget was ¥2,000 a day. I decided to go on this trip the week beforehand.

DAY 1 (27 May)

I was booked on AF1282 departing LHR at 12:50 and purposefully slept as little as possible the night before.
Photos of AF Lounge at LHR T.2:
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Bar area:
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MAC and PC (I think) for web browsing:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_n1sjt7SfiAw/...Lounge+Web.jpg

Heading to the runway I got to travel around one of Singapore Air's A380s

from the side:
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from the front:
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from the other side:
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Onboard:

AF Business class seat:
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leg room (I'm 165cms tall):
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a glimpse of my white surgical stockings there!

My lunch:
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Having removed the chicken part:
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(no seafood or vegetarian meals available)

-------
At CDG:
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No photos of the lounge, which was heaving with people

JL438 craft:
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(required a bus to reach it - photo taken from bus)

Seat 3K up
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Seat 3K down
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I can't stress how much I preferred JAL's to ANA's business class seat. Only when the JAL seat was totally upright for take-off/landing did it feel a little uncomfortable (I still have back related sciatica). As soon as the chair tilted even slightly the problem vanished. Best of all, when fully reclined I was able to turn to the side and sleep very well, what impressed me was that in this position the seat actually felt as if it was horizontal - the ANA seat never fooled me in this way for a second.

Downside was the food. I had opted for the special seafood meal.

Appetizer was fine:
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Next part was decidedly below average (they forgot to serve me with salad dressing, I got a profuse apology for this - thankfully I had my own from the previous flight)
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Here's how I got punished for not wanting to be served with foie gras:
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It may look like chicken, but at some point it did have gills. Not nice at all, and the saffron just made the rice astringent, it was rather vile.
No menus with the seafood meal, I don't actually know what it is I had.

As the last dish was pretty much inedible I requested some Japanese rice, I got a bowl with a packet of shrimp and sesame furikake (no photo). This was the best thing I had on the flight.

I ordered some udon from the express menu later, that was OK, but not a patch on what you can get for ¥200 in Kagawa. The 'special' seafood meal served before landing was really lackluster, but at least it was edible, it was too depressing to photograph.

On the upside, the service from the FAs was superb ^^^. The Japanese crew members were excellent but there was a Polish lady with perfect English who went beyond expectations I wouldn't dare to harbour. I felt like a pampered rock star. The service was so warm, so charming and so friendly the whole awful food part became insignificant and this ended up being one of the most memorable and pleasurable flights I've ever been on. :-::-::-::-::-:

And to top off a wonderful flight I even got to see Mount Fuji
http://bp3.blogger.com/_n1sjt7SfiAw/...F+JAL+Fuji.jpg
(doesn't come out well in the photo - sorry!)

Further comments on the flight

You have probably realised that by my sitting in 3K this flight had no First Class section. The flight back (which had no award availability in C) did have a First Class cabin.

The headsets given to pax in C was the same as those used in Y. They did not reduce engine noise. I had my own Bose headphones so this didn't bother me in the slightest, a two prong jack is required.

I personally liked the entertainment options, most of the Japanese movies had English subtitles and this allowed me to watch films that wouldn't get released in Britain. Nevertheless, I noted which films would still be available on the return flight and slept for as much of the journey as I could.

DAY 2

JAL flight arrived on time at NGO Centrair airport at 12:50
Immigration was a breeze, I popped into the toilet
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(note the bidet functions)

And my case was amongst the first onto the carousel.

As I have a bad back, on clearing customs I went to the Takkyubin service desks and sent my case to Shiraishi Island Villa using the Yamato company (I'd noticed that this company is used by the islanders). The cost was ¥1,800. Now I just had a small roller and a camera bag.

I then went to the airport post office to withdraw money and to send a package by mail to Tokyo. By then I was ready to proceed to Nagoya with the Meitetsu train line (¥850) but I was advised that there would be a half an hour wait until the next service. I wandered out into the open air and the waterfront.

This photo shows the proximity of the Comfort Inn to the airport (there is a Toyoko Inn next to this, but I'm not fond of their anti-gay policies )
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And looking out:
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I returned to the airport rail station, boarded and proceeded to Nagoya.
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I had already booked a bus from Nagoya to Osaka with www.123bus.net. This cost ¥1,500 paid with a credit card over the internet in English. This departed at 19:00. Nagoya station is immense, so finding the bus wasn't straightforward.

Nagoya JR station has a silver clock at one side and a gold clock at the other, this is worth looking out for.
Here is the map and directions from the bus company
http://www.123bus.net/map/detail/nag...gencyCode=4307
These seem correct now - my printout is completely different. Despite arriving half an hour early I would have missed it if a couple of young Osakan angels hadn't approached me - they were on the same bus and were also confused. They cleared it up with a couple of phone calls and we got there in time.

Here is a shinkansen pic showing the location of the MacDonalds (the fountain is just behind). Silver clock side.
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The bus was called the Willard Express
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and there was a seat map with passenger's names printed on it. Everyone finds their seats and there's a roll call before departure. The bus wasn't new, seats were tired but they weren't dirty.

The trip takes 3 hours and stops midway at a service station:
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Lots of food was available, I chose these onigiri with fried prawns
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Even the pickles that came with them were delicious.
Irony is that I enjoyed my meal on this bus ride more than I did in C on JAL.

At 10pm we arrived first at Umeda, where the majority of passengers (including the two lovely girls) disembarked, and then at Namba. From Namba I needed to go to Uehonmachi to my hotel. As you can imagine, I was quite tired by now.

I bought my ticket and found the platforms, there were lots of people there and it was all a little chaotic. Two trains came and I asked another passenger which one went to Uenhonmachi and boarded.
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I boarded the wrong train which meant a telling off when I got out at Uehonmachi one stop later. I'd got on a limited express. I should have got on the train you can see through the window. Thankfully, I was just chastised and not fined.

I was now ready for bed, and directly above the station was my hotel.

LapLap

I wasn't sure what to expect here.

I'd booked two nights at the Osaka Sheraton Miyako Hotel using Cash & Points (just 1,600 points per night plus ¥3,000) but this hotel enjoys a mixed reputation depending on which room the guests stay in. Would I get an older Mr Hyde or a newer Dr Jekyll?

The check in process couldn't have been more delightful, both the lady who took my details and the other who escorted me to the room were very sweet. My non-smoking room request was acknowledged and honoured and I was placed on the 16th floor (much higher than I expected).

I got the Jekyll experience

The bed (a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper King)
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desk area

TV & DVD
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Minibar - with space for personal items ^

Entrance and full mirror

Bathroom

Non-mist mirror ^

Night View

Day view

An iron can be requested

Iron board

----
Day 3
I woke up at 6am, did some ironing, got dressed and went to Nara for the day. Staying up the night before my flight and sleeping in a business class seat paid dividends, I had no problems with Jet lag.

There are a few posts on FT saying how inconvenient the location of the Sheraton Miyako is, but for visiting Nara it is pretty much unbeatable.

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Day 4

Alas, I'd only been able to get the Sheraton on Cash & Points for 2 nights. This meant I had to check out and stay elsewhere on the Friday.

I booked a single room at the Raizan Kitakan (North) Hotel near Shin Imamiya on the JR loop line. I walked from the Sheraton, about 20 minutes.

There are two Raizan Hotels, there is another next door called Raizan Minamikan (South). This is slightly more expensive (only by ¥200) but has the advantage of no curfew, there is also a ladies' floor at that hotel. For myself, the 11pm curfew didn't bother me as I had an early start the next day. A room here cost ¥2,100. It included access to the sento/public bath and sauna (there were two, one for each gender, so I didn't need to worry about bathing hours) which had a sauna. There was also a computer room with free internet access. Bathing at a public sento costs ¥400, saunas usually cost an additional ¥3-400, so I regarded this as a valuable perk. The only pitfall is that the sauna takes a while to warm up, so not suitable for morning ablutions.

I stayed on the 5th floor, there was an elevator to all floors.

Single room at Raizan Kitakan:
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I peeked into a twin room (518), it was as big as the website suggested

5th Floor plan

Ladies' bathroom: Sinks + Toilet

The staff at the Raizan Kitakan, whilst lacking uniforms and the poise and polish of the staff at the Sheraton were every bit as friendly and welcoming. They spoke basic English and were able to explain all the necessary points (some pamphlets showing times helped) but it was wonderful to be able to practice Japanese with them, they were so patient and encouraging.

The area where the hotel is located is quite down at heel, not so different from the Minowa area just to the North of Ueno in Tokyo. I never felt at all intimidated though. Just to give you an idea, I found this extraordinary vending machine not far from the hotel.

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Day 5

The sento at the Raizan opened at 6am, by using it then I had the place to myself. I checked out just before 7am and got a ticket at Shin Imamiya station for Himeji, this required a simple change at Osaka station (journey time 1 hour 42 minutes, ¥1,620). I visited Himeji castle, saw some of the city (which was gearing up towards a Matsuri the next day) and returned to the station for 2pm to get the train to Kasaoka (2 hours 15 min ¥2,210), this journey involved a quick transfer at Aioi which involves crossing the platform, no steps are involved. At Kasaoka station both platforms have lifts.

I arrived at Kasaoka hoping to get a ferry that departed at 5pm. Although the ferry terminal is just a 5-7 minute walk from the station this is just for the terminal used by the Sanyo Kisen company, the 5pm departure is with the Shiraishi Ferry company, their terminal was a considerable distance from the station as well as being much harder to find. Thankfully, the last ferry of the day to the island, leaving at 17:50, is with Sanyo Kisen so I left my luggage at the office and walked around Kasaoka.

The ferry toll was around ¥500 and the crossing took just over half an hour, stopping at two other islands on the way, it's a very pleasant journey. On arrival at Shiraishi I collected the keys from the Sanyo Kisen office there and proceeded to the villa, there are two blue signs in English that make getting there straightforward. The Villa manager was there when I arrived and received payment. For those sharing a room it's usually ¥2,500 a night each, as I was alone it was ¥3,000 for room of my own. Everything is covered, basic kitchen condiments, even the washing and drying facilities (and powders) are complimentary. There are two toilets (with sinks) for the 5 rooms and a separate shower room with a large deep bath.
More information about the Okayama International Villa scheme can be found here: http://www.harenet.ne.jp/villa/

This was the main reason I'd chosen to come to Japan, and I was booked in for the maximum stay possible - 7 days. The island's hiking trails are absolutely gorgeous, probably the most beautiful I've ever been on, and the water was warm enough for swimming. It was everything I hoped for.

Villa photos:

Lounge

Deck

View from Deck
(the tree was a very popular spot for the swallows)

Open 'courtyard'

Bedrooms from the back of the house

Front of the bedrooms (note the 5am alarm call crow checking out his reflection)

Japanese room - room 5 (this is the furthest from the main house area and toilets and the only bedroom with two windows - size: 10 tatami mats)

View from bedroom window

Homeless cat (after some milk and a raw egg)

There is food available on Shiraishi Island

I put this in bold as part of the advice given to people with a booking at this villa is that there isn't any food on the island and that they should do their shopping at the Marine Mall in Kasaoka.
From speaking with Amy Chavez at the Moooo! Bar, this is indeed what most visitors to the island do, arriving with tons of carrier bags and spending little money in the Shiraishi Island community.

Once you get there it's obvious that the local economy could do with your money. If anyone is planning to visit this Villa, here are photos of the main grocery suppliers on the island, the Amano Store (there is a sign showing how to get there next to the first blue sign you see from the port showing how to reach the villa)

Amano Store あまのストアー Open 7:00-19:30 7 days a week

Front:
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Inside:
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(to the left of this photo is a shelf for fresh meat and a freezer with frozen fish but that photo didn't come out, sorry!)

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An added advantage of buying food on the island is that you may buy less than you thought you needed. The Villa supplies some basic condiments - soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, oil, however, there is also the potential bonanza of leavings from other guests - this might be unopened cans of lager, snacks or yogurt, it could be unfinished squeezy bottles of Kewpie mayo or bags of Japanese rice, there's no way of knowing until you get there. Some of the stuff you'll want to bin, some you could give to the homeless cat, but you might be surprised by how much is perfectly acceptable for your own use.

There is also the Amafuku Licor store 天福商店 with a selection of beers, sake, shochu as well as soft drinks and snacks and milk (in the fridge behind the counter). This is open from 6:30 to 20:00 every day.

The villa manager recycles PET bottles, you can help her out by giving them a good rinse (you can put them in the bin labelled PET inside, but there's a plastic bag for them in the little shed behind the kitchen)

At the villa there is a sign showing how to get down to the beach from there, it's a nice walk through an array of vegetable gardens. My tip is to focus carefully on the part which joins the beach promenade, it can be hard to find after a few drinks. I eventually committed it to memory by remembering it's the path that intersects the beach where the sea wall begins.

Don't count on getting a lie in in the mornings, if the crows don't wake you at sunrise, the 6am Island wake up call (the chimes of London's St Stephen's Clock Tower broadcast through tannoys) will. The weekend offers no respite, you get a 6am call on Sundays too.

There is a pay phone in the villa, you can be called on this phone (you'll receive the number with your booking confirmation). However, unless someone is in the lounge/kitchen area at the time and willing to pick up the phone you won't get the call. If you want to stay in touch whilst you're there, you may want to arrange a time in advance to receive calls. The telephone is not near anyone's bedroom and won't wake anybody up, so arranging to receive them at Japanese unsocial hours shouldn't be a problem.

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Day 12

I had two plans for today depending on how successful I'd been at keeping my costs down. The standby option was to travel by train to Kurashiki (¥480) and catch the onward Tivoli Express bus there or at Okayama (an extra ¥320). This would have kept me within the budget I gave in my first post.

I blew this budget by a few thousand yen by going to Takamatsu on Shikoku, plan A.

The Hyperdia website has a couple of glitches which initially prevented me from figuring out the most economical ways of journeying to Takamatsu, the http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/ was a little better, but the Japan Forum was better still with NewbieRunner and jib71 offering valuable assistance and pointers.^

The best options for me were to either take the train there or the ferry from Uno. From Kasaoka the rail option took 2 hours and cost ¥2,080, the Uno ferry option takes just a little longer and costs ¥1,670.

Except another option presented itself. A wonderful couple from the Netherlands had been staying at the Villa and they were picking up a hire car in Okayama and travelling on to Shikoku via Takamatsu. This didn't make the journey cheaper (the road tolls are a killer and I contributed money I would have spent using the train/takkyubin) but the company was unbeatable.

To start, we checked out of the villa (a simple process that involves handing your key in at the Ferry Office) and took the first ferry at 7am (¥500). This got us to Kasaoka 35 minutes later.

I'd spoken to my companions about this trip a couple of days beforehand and they'd agreed to help me with my larger bag (which has wheels) over any obstacles, this saved me from having to send it on via takkyubin to NGO (¥2,500 made up of ¥1,800 plus a ¥700 airport surcharge). As both Kasaoka and Okayama have elevators, in practice this just meant helping me get the bag on and off the ferries and trains.

We travelled from Kasaoka to Okayama, ¥740 43 minutes. At Okayama I stashed my bags at a coin locker and left the station.

Outside Okayama Station (Momotaro - peach boy - and his companions setting off on a similar journey)

Once the hire car had been collected we headed off. The journey didn't take long and I relearnt the Dutch words for Left and Right. I was dropped off outside Ritsurin Koen at about 11am.

Irises at Ritsurin Koen The park is gorgeous. The shops inside the park also seemed to offer the nicest selection of souvenirs I saw in Takamatsu that day.

I was particularly glad to have got a lift to the park as the tiny train between here and Takamatsu station can be so infrequent (the Northbound and Southbound service shares the same line). The journey back was around ¥200, the bugger was having to wait half an hour for it - I'd recommend keeping notes on the timetable.

It was Saturday and at Takamatsu station there were many happy people
Free flowers at Takamatsu Station

I went from here to the Tourist Information Office to get some maps. The ladies who staffed this office were exceptional (I had a couple of tough questions that stumped them but this just got them making some phone calls and I found out everything I needed, they were marvellous!)

Unfortunately, there is no information about Udon in English. The tourist office do have maps showing a large number of Udon places in the city on a Japanese map and these are easy to find if you cross reference them with their English map.

I'd been assisted by some lovely egullet members, this map and its links were particularly helpful:
http://www.e-sanuki.com/udon/maptakamatu.html
Unfortunately, my ink cartridge ran out as I was printing it The udon map I got at Takamatsu has even more shops on it.
Although I enjoyed the udon very, very much at the shops I did go to, I wish I'd been able to have a few extra days to put in gathering and consolidating information.

Although things were rather quiet on Saturday afternoon in central Takamatsu it did perk up after 3pm or so and there were events lined up near the waterfront for later that day. I'd very much like to go back and spend some more time there.

The Ferry to Uno departs from the North East of the city, on the way there you might pass
Takamatsu Castle

The ferry costs ¥390, departs regularly and takes an hour. On the way you'll see Megijima, where Momotaro is supposed to have fought the demons. It's a lovely trip. Unfortunately, anyone in a wheelchair will probably have to stay on the car deck as the upper decks are only accessible by stairs.

Ferry from Takamatsu to Uno
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At Uno, turn right and keep going, the station is about a 5 minute walk away. The trip from Uno to Okayama takes just under or over 45 minutes and costs ¥880. Again, don't rely on hyperdia for information about this particular journey, there are at least two trains an hour throughout the day.

I went around Okayama in the evening, (most of the large stores close by 9pm, if you're tired you can slump into a masssage chair until then in BIC camera :-. At Okayama Station
The shop with a heart
I collected my luggage and went to the Bus stop.

TIVOLI EXPRESS

I booked this bus from Okayama to Nagoya from this website:
http://www.ryobi-holdings.jp/bus/kousoku/nagoya.htm in Japanese using the translation tools from http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english. Reassuringly, when I sent an email to confirm the details, the reply was in English. I was concerned about how to pay for the trip, I was told I could pay the driver before boarding.

Where to board? The information I had was ドレミの街１０(DoReMi stop #10).

On exiting Okayama you will see a large area full of numbered bus bays. It isn't any of these.

Instead, go straight on onto the main road. The first landmark to look out for is the gigantic BIC Camera store on the left side of the road. Keep going down this road on the left and you'll start noticing some bus stops (there are some on the other side of the road too). Once you get past BIC Camera you'll see that the buildings are called DoReMi. The 10 bus stop seemed to be the last on this road and details of the Tivoli Express and its 22:10 departure time were on display. There's a coffee shop just by the stop.

I'd selected seat 1A when making my booking and the driver was able to locate me on his seat map and took the fare - ¥6,500
Seat 1A on the overnight Tivoli Express (Kurashiki-Okayama-Nagoya)

The seat on the bus would have once been excellent. The seat reclined by about 40 degrees and featured leg rests that swivel out from under the seat as well as a flap down carpeted foot rest. Alas, that leg rest wouldn't swivel out and I couldn't see anyone using theirs either... they seemed to all be broken. Still, it was a very comfortable chair nonetheless and because I was sat in seat 1A there was a partial wall with a ledge I could rest my straightened legs against (similar to seat 1C - avoid the front row 1B middle seat at all costs, worst on the bus). This put my sleeping body at a 100degree angle, but I suffered from no aches and pains as a result.

Passengers are supplied with disposable slippers and a loan blanket. There is also a personal curtain that wraps around your seat so that it becomes a private cocoon. There is a toilet and a complimentary refreshment station with a couple of tea bag varieties and hot water.

I slept remarkably well on this journey

Day 13

and got to Nagoya station 20 minutes early (06:10). This bus was perfect for me, better suited to my itinerary than any train, including a shinkansen.

It was a bit of a hike from the bus stop to the Meitetsu line. The only stairs I came across from Shiraishi Island to this point were at the entry to the Meitetsu ticket area, there was an elevator, it was just tricky to find, and a passenger helped me get my case down. The elevator to the tracks was much more obvious. The trip to the airport cost ¥850, and I've only just found out that there's a bus that does the same trip in under half an hour and costs only ¥500.

At Centrair Chubu Airport I checked in my hold luggage, this took no time as there was hardly a queue, and headed up to Level 4 for some breakfast and a few onigiris for the flight back.

NGO Centrair Airport, Level 4
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I was at the Sento for the 8am opening time.

Airport Sento - Ladies' side

This cost ¥1,000 and is much better value later in the day when the Sauna has heated up, even so, it was wonderful to wash away the bus journey and left me relaxed and invigorated.

The sento wasn't as hot as others I've been to and several pools are available including an area with electric currents that give you a sensation of 'pins and needles' as well as another pool offering a more conventional jacuzzi type pummelling. Just past the pools is an open air area covered in fragrant ceder wood decking, this allows you to feel the breeze on your skin whilst looking out at the aircraft, the unnerving part is that you'll see plenty of clothed passengers on the nearby sky deck, however, they should only see you from the neck upwards... if you are female and very tall, beware.

The sento provides you with a towel and flannel and there are shampoos, bodywashes and conditioners at the wash stations and showers, in the changing rooms there are some moisturisers and hairdyers. All you'll really need to have at hand are a fresh change of clothes, toothbrush and paste and a comb or hairbrush.

This experience beat going to any Airline lounge I've ever visited.

Clearing security and immigration took about 20 minutes, if I'd still wanted some pampering on my no-status Y ticket I could have opted for these

¥100 massage chairs at the gate

JL437, NGO-CDG, 10am departure, Economy class - Aircraft

I preferred the entertainment options on this return flight and my own Bose QC2 earphones helped me enjoyed them fully.

The special seafood meals prepared at NGO were better than those provided for C pax at CDG.

1st seafood meal

Mid-flight snack was a banana where the rest of the cabin got a savoury pastry - the FA got me one too. It was so tasty I asked if there were any spare for the next flight (I had no Euros for CDG)

2nd seafood meal

The outward flight in J and return in Y ended up being ideal. To combat JetLag I stayed awake throughout this flight and the movies kept me thoroughly entertained. The relief was that this particular seat (middle aisle with no-one next to me) proved to be extremely comfortable in the upright position and with the recline and the footrests were welcome.
Best of all was the service from the crew. I'd been given star treatment up front, it felt little different behind. I could gush on and on about a German crew member in particular, she was wonderful! Again, a very pleasant and memorable flight, both flights ranked amongst my best air experiences on the strength of the warmth and charm of the crew members. :-::-::-::-::-:+
I spoke to a few other Y passengers who had flown with JAL before, all of them commented on how exceptional the service was on this flight.

At CDG these chairs were next to the gate for the onward flight to London.
Chilling out at CDG

They were extremely comfortable, so much so I worried about falling asleep and missing the connecting flight.

At LHR MrLapLap (who'd arrived from Valencia on Clickair a couple of hours beforehand) was there to greet me and we journeyed back home together on the tube (2GBP)

I was so successful at avoiding JetLag that I spent most of the following week waking up at exactly the same time I had in Shiraishi Island - 5am.

OttoMH

Great pictures! Looking forward to seeing the rest!

PS. I can't believe you managed to get a Web@award!? I thought those things were like hens teeth!?

dunk

Maybe they release late availability for some lightly loaded routes ? I managed to get LON-BOM rtn in J next weekend for 55K miles on a Web@ward, booked 3 weeks ago ^

LapLap

I know!

I decided to go after trying to use AF miles to go to Corsica to stay with my uncle there. The trip was so long and convoluted, the taxes so expensive, and if you try to book online, it supposedly costs 40,000 miles for a London-Calvi return trip in Y, that I just gave up and plugged in LHR-NGO thinking nothing would come of it (I noticed this web@ward has been on offer for over a year now).

And there is was! The offer was so enticing I decided to do all my hiking in Japan instead of the Mediterranean.

The best part was that I didn't even need to fly the long haul part with Air France.


Congratulations, dunk! I hope you have a wonderful time!

LapLap

all updated now

NewbieRunner

Hi LapLap,

This trip is pretty impressive - for the amount of money you spent - or didn't spend! Have only read it quickly and haven't had the chance to look at all the photos but I'll be back.

Glad I could be of some help planning your most extravagant day of the trip.

LapLap

It only took me a few hours to decide where I was going, staying, and send off the necessary emails/finalise the bookings.

It ended up being the day trip to Takamatsu that took most of my time in trying to organise. Thanks again for your assistance, trying to wring out the details from hyperdia was driving me nuts!

The terrible thing about developing a taste for good udon is that I just want more of it. Instead of fondly remembering what I did eat I can't help but despair of all the udon I didn't get to try...

CosmosHuman

I was in total awe reading your report. Wishes I would have gone.