Ameyoko - アメヤ横丁

We visited the "Candy Store Alley" near the Ueno station on November 20, 2008. It's a traditional market street where all sorts of food and goods are sold. We entered from its north entrance, from Ueno station, and was greeted by the large Garfield-like status (what is it?!)














I really like its feel - it's similar to those markets I grew up with in Taiwan. We didn't get a good chance to fully explore the area so I'll probably return to check it out fully next time.

The market runs along an alley alongside the train track, and you could see those massive exhaust vents coming out from the top floor of each shop - looks like one of those neo-Japan anime scenes.



We didn't end up buying anything there, although we did stop by a sushi place for a quick bite. It was cheap, fast - and ok. I guess you get what you pay for even in Japan's markets.

If you are interested in visiting, check out more photos on Danny Choo's Blog, and also the Official Ameyoko site (in English).

Importing Excel-based Phone Lists into Outlook

How many Excel-based phone lists do you have at your work place? In this day and age, where the average mobile phone can hold thousands of contacts, it makes sense (to me anyway!) to have all these phone numbers stored in the mobile.

I've recently bought an iPhone which even caters for multiple Outlook Contact folders. This allowed me to import different business units' phone lists as different Outlook Contact folders.

Here's a HOWTO I wrote for work's wiki, but I thought I'd share it with the wider community. Note we use Outlook / Excel 2003 so I'm unsure if the same procedure would work with older/newer versions of the applications.

A. Prepare the Excel for Importing into Outlook.

There are a few things that need to be done:

1. If the phone numbers in Excel are extensions only, you'd want to construct the full number so that your mobile has the full number, rather than just the extension. If your office has the same prefix for all of the extension, then you can add an additional column and use the CONCATENATE formula to combine the prefix with extension. E.g. if the extension numbers are in column 'E', and the office phone prefix is "03 8788", then we can have the formula as "CONCATENATE("03 8788 ", E2)".
   
   For my office there are different prefix for different extensions. So I added an additional column next to the Extension column, sort the data via the Extension column, and populated the correct prefix for each type of extension. The example formula above then becomes "CONCATENATE(D2, " ", E2)".
   
   
2. Map the fields. Outlook expects certain field names. The common ones I'd use are: "Last Name", "First Name", "Job Title", "Business Phone", "Mobile Phone", "Notes", and "Company". You can manually map the fields during import, however to do so automatically, you can just spend 5 seconds rename the fields to these exact names. Fields not matched will not be imported automatically.
   
   
3. Name the phone list range. Basically highlight the phone list area, and go to Insert->Name->Define to give the range a name. Note as per previous paragraph fields not matched will not be imported automatically. I call my range "Contacts"
   

That's it! Save the file and it's ready to be imported into Outlook.


B. Importing into Outlook.

The way I've set up my Outlook is to have a separate Contacts folder for each of these. E.g. one contact folder called BizUnitA, another called BizUnitB etc. This is so that when looking for contacts in iPhone, I can easily choose which group I'm looking for rather than scrolling through pages of phone listing. However if your phone does not support the multiple contact folders then you can still import each of this list into a single folder one after another.

1. 1. Create Outlook Contacts. Select Contacts, then File->New Folder. Name it "BizUnitA" (or whatever you fancy)
2. 2. File -> Import/Export -> Import from Another Program or File -> Microsoft Excel -> Select file location (Replace duplicate Item) -> Finish (all mappings have already been done in Excel)
3. 3. Repeat from step #1 if you intend to have multiple Contact folders, or #2 if you want a single folder
   
   To sync with iPhone
   
   
4. Connect iPhone / Open iTunes, go to Info. Chances are you won't see the new Contact folders yet. Sync once and then you should be able to see the new Contact folders. Select them and then sync again.
   

That's it folks!

Nikkor 50mm 1.4G

Thanks to Ken's friends, I was alerted to some fantastic price available for the AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.4G lens around Feb 2009, just before Nikon Australia changed the price in line with the drop in Australian dollar. I managed to get it for $585 including shipping, and this has to be one my of best buys ever!

The Lens

This is not meant to be a formal review as there are already so many professional reviews out there. Below is what I like / dislike as an amateur Nikon shooter who owns a number of quality lens:

• Me Likey: f1.4, bokeh, price (that I got it for), weather seal, af-s
• Me Not-so-Likey: size (especially the hood), filter size, price (why can't it be similar to Canon pricing?!), made in China (sorry) plastic, no protective 'glass' - easy for dust etc to get in

Immediate Thoughts

• Love the bokeh - nice and creamy! But then again this is my first f1.4 lens. I just couldn't resist taking random stuff.... (not sure how Blogger processes the images... it looks a lot blurry than the actual photo....)
  
  
• Would love VR as it's effectively 75mm on DX and can benefit from some form of VR - especially given the size of the thing!
  
  
• Colour looks more natural than my 35/f2 (however I like velvia and high-contrast....). I'd be interested to compare it to 50/1.8 (which I don't have)
  
  
• Is the premium over f1.8 or the f1.4D worth it? I guess it's a yes (just) as there will be times where that extra little stop helps (for f1.8), and the AFS is a lot quieter, though only slightly faster I suspect. The main benefit of AF-S for me is that if I can also use lens if I get a smaller and cheaper non-motorised Nikon in the future, e.g. D5000.

Plugs

A quick "thank you" for Ken's friends (Ken & James) for letting me know the great deal.

Ian from the Camera Store who was willing to give me a great deal including shipping even though my friend's orders have already been dispatched.

Oakwood Shinjuku

Japan was the first stop of our RTW trip. Although I booked and paid for most of the accommodations while the AUD was high, Japan is the one place where I did not. This taught me a lesson as our ~AUD200/night Hilton booking quickly turned into ~$400/night! I cancelled the booking and started browsing Tripadvisor for suggestions.

I ended up deciding to stay at the Oakwood Apartments Shinjuku based on the feedback on Tripadvisor, and it certainly did not disappoint! It had the right balance of cost, location, service and amenity. We are definitely going back there next time (if the AUD is still crap).

(Oakwood Shinjuku Sky Lounge by night)




The Cost

We stayed in the smallest Studio room which was around ¥10,500 per night, and Internet connection was around ¥1,050 per day. I didn't want to mock around finding free wi-fi spots and opted-in for the Internet connection.

The Location

It is located north of Shinjuku station although you'd probably take the west exit instead of the north exit. The reason being the north exit is near the east side of the station where as Oakwood is off Otaki Bashi Dori which is on the west side of the station. It is within walking distance - around 6-8 minutes (without luggage!).

There are couple of convenient stores across the street which are good for stocking snacks and drinks. There's also a 24hr bento place (オリジン弁当) next door which saved us many times in the middle of the night when we craved for some hot food. Alternatively there is also a "fast" Japanese eatery (松屋) across the road.

The Service

As expected from the Japanese, the service is very polite and helpful - nothing is too much trouble. The staff all speak a reasonable level of English.

The Amenity

Although the Studio room is super small (as expected in Tokyo), amazingly it still has all the typical apartment amenities - washing machine, fridge, cook-top etc. The bed doubles as the couch, as the TV is mounted on top of the desk. I didn't think we could unload the 2 luggage but Jen's amazing skill in packing / unpacking proved me wrong.

(as taken sitting on the bed using a wide angle lens!)

Being a male Asian, I also loved the high-tech "gadgets" of the room. E.g. the shower room can also double up as a dry room - so you can dry your washed clothes in there over night. Another example is the movement sensor as part of the light switch near the entrance - so at night you don't have to fumble for light switch when coming in. Note it also has setting for how long you'd want the light to stay on and how dim/bright you want it to be. Brilliant!

Oakwood Shinjuku also has a "Sky Lounge" which all guests have access to. It's located at the top of the building and has an amazing night view of the Shinjuku area. You can go outside to the roof-top, but you cannot go next to the edge as it's fenced off for security reasons.

(Sky Lounge by day. Jen is playing the piano in the background)



Getting There

The only gripe I have is that there are no direct airport bus from Narita Airport. However I suspect it is possible to catch the bus to other nearby hotels (e.g. Prince) and walk there. I have not looked into this - if you know an easier way (than N'EX) please let me know!

We took Narita Express (N'EX) and arrived in Shinjuku. And instead of lugging around 2 large suitcases, we decided to just get a taxi there (only ¥710 as it's so close).

Oneworld (OW) Round-the-World (RTW)

I've promised myself to write a blog about my RTW travels since 2008, and it is now June 2009 - oops. Anyway it's better late than never, and given it's a long weekend (Queen's Birthday), what better time to start?!


The Idea

...... first came about while I was reading FrequentFlyer. Don't ask me how or when I started reading it (probably it got mentioned on The Age), but I gathered from various posts that "DONE4" is quite a value-for-money way to see the world in style.

Thus begin my lesson in air-travel abbreviations (and fare rules!!!). DONE4 is the fare code for OneWorld Explorer 4 Continents in business class. "D" is one of the many codes for business class ("J" is another), just like "A" is for First and "L" is for Economy ("Y" is another). This means OW offers DONE3, DONE4, DONE5, DONE6; AONE3, AONE4, AONE5, AONE6; and LONE3, LONE4, LONE5, LONE6. If you are wondering why DONE4 and not DONE3, see the Rules section later....

Anyway, it seems such fare is published by the OW alliance, and the price is set based on your departing country. E.g. DONE4 sold in Australia is pegged at AUD$11,199 (plus taxes) and in Japan it's pegged at JPY ¥780,400. For a full listing of each country's fare, see here.

What this means is that depending on the exchange rate, you can get a really good deal. Back in 2007, the Australian dollar is enjoying a fantastic rate (see AUD-JPY history graph here). This means that I could get a DONE4 departing from Japan for AUD$7800 instead of $11,200 - a saving of $3,400, per person!!

Of course, this poses other issues:

i) you have to find someone who'd sell you the fare departing from Japan without you physically being there; and
ii) you have to depart from Japan, which means extra cost to fly there.

This is where community sites like FrequentFlyer and FlyerTalk are invaluable. I've pretty much done all my research on these two forums - thanks guys!



The Who

Luckily, American Airlines (AA) operates a telephone-based RTW sales desk from their Dallas office, and you can pay their Tokyo office by phone using Australian credit card. What this means is that you get to speak to someone in English to book the ticket (usually takes 10+ minutes) rather than trying to speak English with their Japan office which may make mistakes (see my experiences later....).

AA RTW: +1 800 247 3247 Note they only open during business hours (9am-5pm?) Dallas time
AA Tokyo (at Narita Airport): +81 3 4550 2111 option 2 is for English and 3 again to purchase tickets
Remember Skype offers free US-based 1800 calls! :-)



The Rules

Ok all good things have a catch, and DONE4 is no exception. OW has structured it to encourage you to travel on the various airlines in its alliance, while ensuring you don't "abuse" it in large countries such as US and Australia. As a result there are numerous rules on what you can and cannot do, and is usually the confusing part when I need to explain DONE4 to my friends. Here's my brief explanation:

1. Travel needs to be done at a continuous fashion around the globe by continent. This means if I travel from Asia to Europe, I cannot go back to South-West Pacific (SWP), and I have to go onto America. Clockwise or anti-clockwise are both fine, and traversing different countries within the continent is allowed.
   
   
2. However - travelling between southern hemisphere continents needs to also count in the northern hemisphere continents. e.g. If I travel from Australia (in SWP) to South Africa (in Africa), it's deemed as visiting 3 continents, not 2. The implication is that you cannot get a valid xONE3 ticket departing from a southern hemisphere country.
   
   The continents are N. America, S. America, Europe & Middle East (EMA), Africa, Asia, and South-West Pacific (SWP).
   
   
3. You have 16 "segments" to use, with a restriction of maximum segments for each continent. Without going into the details, all continents can have 4 segments except N. America which can have 6. Note that this restriction is for traversing within the continent, inter-continent segment does not count toward it.
   
   
4. You have to return to the same airport that you departed from. E.g. if you live in New York and departs from JFK, you cannot return via Newark. Also, once departed the country of origin, you cannot return there until the end.
   
   
5. Unlike other RTW ticket, xONEx is not limited by mileage. This means within a particular continent you can traverse to you hearts content. However - within large countries (e.g. US and Australia), you can only traverse between east and west once. e.g. while in N. America, you cannot fly from LA to New York and then San Francisco.
   

More Rules

Apart from seeing more of the world, one of my goals is to maximise my Qantas Frequent Flyer (QF) Status Credit (SC) to attain the Platinum status (aka OW Emerald). The benefits of Platinum status may or may be of use to you, in which case feel free to design the route as you like and skip this part. Otherwise, keep reading on how to maximise your QF SC....

• AA domestic Business class are classed as First. This means the SCs earned while flying within US are usually at First instead of Business class. This also means you can earn more SCs when flying in US, and therefore I've "spent" more segments there.
  
  
• Although you cannot traverse between east and west in large countries, you can do so in EMA. This means if you do a side trip to Dubai while in Europe, you'll get quite a bit of SCs. Another good one is Alaska, which was not on the list of restricted east-west traversing in US.
  

Now before you break into a sweat and say to yourself "Screw this - it's all to hard" (well I certainly felt like it), there's an excellent resource that helps you validate the oneworld rules and calculate the SC! The lifesaver is MileageMonkey. I could not have managed to design my itinerary without it.

Another useful resources are the OneWorld Route Map (on-line only) and OneWorld Timetable (downloadable app). These helped me determine what are valid routes and the flight times - so I won't have to get up at 4am trying to catch a flight... (well that did end up happening anyway but more due to snow storm which made access to airport hell.... more of that tale later...I think).



The Codes

As I try out different route on MileageMonkey and the OneWorld Timetable, I got more and more familiar with the airport codes - and you'd find I'll be using these codes throughout the blog. Here they are for reference:

NRT (Narita, Tokyo), TPE (Taipei), HKG (Hong Kong), CDG (Paris), AMM (Amman), BUD (Budapest), MAD (Madrid), ORD (Chicago), MCO (Orlando), JFK (New York), LAX (Los Angeles), MEL (Melbourne), AKL (Auckland)



The Route

Apart from maximising my QF SC, I also have other considerations that heavily influenced this itinerary:

• visit family in Taipei (yes, twice)
  
• try the new airbus A380 (LAX-MEL)
  
• visit Petra instead of shopping in Dubai
• visit Disney World and New York
  

So after much ado, I've finally settled on the following route:

• NRT-TPE-HKG-CDG-AMM-BUD-MAD-ORD-MCO-JFK-LAX-MEL-AKL-MEL-HKG-TPE-NRT

Here's the hidden benefit of departing from Japan (apart from the cheaper fare). Because I live in Melbourne, I could actually get 3 trips from this DONE4:

• NRT-TPE-HKG-CDG-AMM-BUD-MAD-ORD-MCO-JFK-LAX-MEL
• MEL-AKL-MEL
• MEL-HKG-TPE-NRT

It would not be possible for me to break it up like this if I had purchased it from Australia, as the rule dictates I cannot return to the departing country until the end.

As I usually fly back to TPE once a year (costs around $1350 in Y), and that I planned to visit New York (costs around $1700 in Y at the end of the year), DONE4 seems to be a fantastic deal as all segments are in Business and it also throws in a trip to New Zealand!

The main catch, as I explain to others, is that you need to commit the initial time that goes around the globe. It took us 8 weeks to do the first part.



The Execution

Here's the rough flow of how I did my first DONE4:

Determine the route. This required me to understand roughly what are the rules, and also decide what I wanted to see. This took the longest time but by the end of this I had a spreadsheet with the complete route (validated with MileMonkey), how long I'd spend at each location, and what time are the flights (checked with OneWorld timetable).

Note that you don't have to have all of the dates. You can buy a DONE4 with only the initial leg, and then just change the dates without penalty later as you figure out when, even after the journey has started. However, there is a penalty of US$125 if you have to change the route, plus other change due to taxes and exchange rates.

Book the ticket. I called AA ATW and spend around 15 minutes going through the itinerary. Once that's done, they will get it quoted (for the taxes, as the main ticket price is fixed). It usually takes 1-2 days to quote it. I'd recommend after call to AA ATW, you immediate check the itinerary online via the AA web site. This is because the agent may make a mistake, and you can call back immediately to correct it rather than finding that out later and then change it and having it re-quoted. Like any e-ticket, correct name spelling is extremely important - remember you don't have paper tickets anymore and only have your passport to prove who you are!!

Purchase the fare. Once the ticket is quoted, I had 30 days to pay the fare. This is a good time to check the exchange rate and find a good day to pay. Payment via AA NRT is quick - around 5 minutes, and the ticket is issued on the day.

Changes after ticket issue. I had to change the itinerary after ticket issue, and had major problem (see my future blog when I'm in Budapest). Anyway I'd strongly recommend that you get an email receipt for any ticket change/re-issue, and that email contains the 13-digit e-ticket number. Any other email only represents a booking change, not ticket change.

That's it! Now I go onto TripAdvisor to check out accommodation....