Japan Worldcon 2007

[Padraig]

Great. We'll have to do something at the con then. I'm only booked in the main hotel from Sat to Tuesday morning (I cancelled the earlier nights) but I might come down on Friday if we want to meet then. Are you staying in a hotel Felice? Meeting in the lobby of the Intercontinental might be the easiest thing. But you might have a better suggestion, given your knowledge!

Edited to add: Ok, i'll probably meet Plunja in Tokyo on the 26th. At a place/time to be decided. I'll still meet up with Alchemist on the 28th at the previously mentioned destination/time. And meet people at the con also if possible. Assuming I survive all that and seeing everything I want to see.

Anyone else is free to come along to any of those!

[catalyst]

Hello there. I'm in my hometown (north side of Japan) now.

I'll be back to Tokyo and stay from 29th to 4th. Maybe I'll see some of you in Yokohama.

At the convention, I intend to have a party for the young.

If get interested, plz check the below.

http://community.livejournal.com/nippon2007/59359.html

[Padraig]

Well i'm off in less than 24 hours. Should be interesting. Don't think I have any last few words of wisdom to share.

Might see you at the con Catalyst! And anyone else that will be around! There will be the 3 Amigos and a few others at least.

[Padraig]

Ok...well the last few are standing at the Worldcon. Its been interesting.　：）

[mormont]

Ok...well the last few are standing at the Worldcon. Its been interesting.　：）

What is this, a teaser trailer or something? Where's the con reports, bunny!

[Ran]

Early report is that the 2009 Worldcon will be in Montreal.

No word yet on the final results of the Hugo awards... Correction, results here.

Vinge for Rainbow's End (I figured he was likeliest of the lot, alongside the Eifelheim book). Novik got the Campbell Award (a fair result, though a bit of a shame Sarah Monette -- who's been writing some interesting short fiction besides her novels -- missed out, as this was her last year of eligibility). Early prognostication: look out for Rothfuss and Lynch battling it out in 2008.

[Werthead]

Yeah, I was expecting stories about drunken exploits involving sake, samurai and manga.

Like I said elsewhere, next year should be McDonald vs Morgan (with Lynch an acceptable also-nomination; Hamilton as well but Worldcon has ignored him up until now so I expect that to continue) with Rothfuss as front-runner for the Campbell.

[Ran]

I am about 95% certain that Brasyl will be a nominee. From all I've heard, Black Man is more like a 20% shot. Still need to read it.

[Padraig]

What is this, a teaser trailer or something? Where's the con reports, bunny!

I haven't time to be posting.　

I will say that I met a grand total of 4 other BwBers at the con (GoN, Daj, Caress and Alchemist). And met Plunja outside the con. Although at the con we hung out with a few other people. Maybe some of the stories have drifted into livejournal.　　Some hilarious moments.

Not sure how the con went as such. I didn't attend much except for the Hugos and a couple of panels, but i'm sure people on the blogsphere have judged Japan already.　They really do their best to help you though.

I will post more at some stage...

[GoN]

Glad that you didn't die on Mount Fuji, Pod. Was good to see you again, and get to spend time with Alchemist. The non BwBers we met more than made up for the low numbers by sheer awesomeness. There are stories and pics in LJ, but are pretty personally skewed as to not be that interesting to anyone outside of my circle of friends, I think. I could be wrong. Its been known to happen

Short version: It was the most fun I've had at a worldcon, I think people missed something special

[Stego]

I missed a couple of something specials. Glad you're back.

[Filippa Eilhart]

glad you guys had fun. did you wear red dragon kimonos?

[Alchemist]

Con Report, Part 1 of 2

Subject: The Actual Con

I didn't spend much time doing con-related stuff. I've gone to cons in really boring parts of the United States without attending a single panel; here, I was overwhelmed by all the sightseeing possibilities. I stayed in Yokohama at the Intercontinental Hotel for 5 nights. I went out for two day trips, one to Kamakura and one to Hakone. I also went to see the Sankei-En Garden in Yokohama (which is supposed to be one of the three best gardens in Japan), and two Yokohama museums.

But you guys don't care about any of that.

I arrived in Yokohama on Thursday, but didn't run into any other BwBers until Friday evening. Pod and I checked out some of the parties (which were all on the 6th floor of the Intercontinental, in traditional Japanese tatami rooms where you had to take your shoes off to enter). Pretty soon we gave up on trying to put our shoes back on between rooms, and just left them in a pile somewhere in the hallway while we wandered up and down the floor looking for booze. Pod was staying at a youth hostel that night, and not checking into the Intercontinental until Saturday, so he had an 11 p.m. curfew and had to leave early. After he was gone, the evening devolved into a blur of sake, whiskey, Japanese guys giving me fans, and snacking on random weird foods (I think). I met some cool non BwBers - a Finnish woman named Sanna, and this British guy Ed who lives in Australia. But I got drunk pretty quickly and had to stagger back up to my room around 1 a.m. or so.

Which was a shame, because apparently GoN, Daj and Caress started up an improptu bar at the bellhop station right outside the hotel, which went on until 4 a.m., and I totally missed it. Oh well. I wasn't in any condition to have enjoyed those fesitivities (which apparently you can read about on various LiveJournals).

On Saturday, Pod and I decided to go to the Hugo awards. I keep thinking that the Hugo awards will be interesting, and frequently make the mistake of attending them. I was wrong this year, too. Maybe this is an awful thing to say, but I wish that whoever presents the annual Big Heart award (a fandom-related thing) didn't have to spend 15 minutes going on (and on, and on ... ) about how wonderful and unique the sf fannish community is. I realize it's an important part of people's lives, but 15 minutes is an awfully long time even without simultaneous translation into Japanese....

Or maybe if they served liquor at the Hugos, it wouldn't be so bad (note to self: hip flasks are small and convenient, and fit nicely into a purse or jacket pocket).

Apart from attending the Hugos, the only other non-party-con-thing I did was vote in the 2009 site selection. I won't say whom I voted for, but those of you who know my nationality may be able to guess.

Later on Saturday evening, Pod and I were just on our way up to the party floor when we ran into GoN and Caress going the other way (along with Ed from Britain/Australia, whom I'd met the night before - Daj was off buying beer). They had just been up to the 6th, and claimed that the entire floor (even the elevators) smelled overwhelmingly of con, and they couldn't take it. (Note to future con organizers: having a large group of North American fans taking off their shoes is a BAD IDEA!)

GoN and Caress promptly decided that we would have our own party in Pod's room. Ed and I (who really did want to at least make one round through the 6th floor) were sent back upstairs to collect any cool people and direct them to our party.

They were right about the smell. The 6th floor was the rankest-smelling con party floor I hope ever to encounter, and there have been con parties where I kept surreptitiously trying to bury my nose in my sleeve to filter out some of the odor. I actually retched a couple of times in the first 5 or 10 minutes. But we did sort of get used to it after a while, enough to visit most of the parties at least once. We ran into Steven Segal (no relationship to the martial arts star), who has some complicated title at the Wildside Press magazines Fantasy and Weird Tales. Steve had apparently been at the after hours bellhop party the night before, and met up with everyone else there. I've known Steve since Readercon 2005; he's one of several Readercon regulars whom I've always thought would get on well with the BwB, so I'm glad that he met those of us who were at Worldcon this year (he'll also be at World Fantasy, and I've invited him to our party there). We also collected Sanna, another Scandinavian woman whose name I can't remember, and a whole slew of other people including the guy who wrote the Hugo award-winning episode of Doctor Who (assuming GoN and Caress would want to meet him).

Even once we got over the smell, the 6th floor was ridiculously hot and crowded, so we all headed up to Pod's room on the 18th floor. Unfortunately, we weren't cool enough for Mr. Hugo winner and his entourage (plus the beer hadn't arrived yet), so they all left pretty quickly. In fact, GoN and Caress missed them by exactly 3 minutes. Very emo.

I spent Sunday sightseeing around Yokohama (I think), and then in the evening ran into GoN, Daj and Caress on their way out to dinner. I had just eaten, but decided to go with them and drink. Our first stop (for our first couple of drinks) was the Hard Rock Cafe Yokohama. I'd never been to a Hard Rock Cafe before. We got all nostalgic about the 80s videos of Duran Duran and Van Halen, and watched a small Japanese child being terrorized by the birthday squad bearing a dessert garnished with a lit sparkler. It was suggested that we should drag Pod out to the Hard Rock Cafe the following day and tell them it was his birthday, but this plan never materialized. Too bad!

Next we went to Chandler's Crab Shack (or whatever it's called) for "one more drink". However, after GoN tossed back her tequila shot, the bartender insisted on doing another shot with her (the bartenders were amused when Caress told them that it was highly illegal for bartenders in the US to drink while working), and then Caress ordered a second drink while waiting for Daj to finish his first (or was it the other way around?), and the bartender foisted some evil concoction on me, made of Southern Comfort, rum and lime juice (it wasn't quite as bad as it sounds), and also forced GoN to drink two more shots of tequila....

Thus fortified, we were off to the 2009 Montreal victory party. We ran into Pod there. In our semi-inebriated state, GoN and I decided that it was time for everyone's favorite con pasttime: Lick the Devil Bunny. Of course, Pod was having none of that. I incurred only minor injuries, as I was flung into the bushes lining the paths. Sorry, Pod!

We partied with the Canadians for a while before heading back to Pod's room. Of course, we invited the usual "honorary BwBers" - Steve, Ed and Sanna.

And it was then that we were introduced to the awesome spectacle of one of the most memorable guests at any BwB con party, ever: Drunk Finnish Guy.

Drunk Finnish Guy was a friend of Sanna's. I think she was a bit embarrassed by his behavior, but we were enthralled. Drunk Finnish Guy talked for 2 or 3 hours straight. He was amazing. I think Caress was trying to write down quotes, but they were coming so fast she only got about a quarter of them, if that.

Some of my favorites:

"In Finland we hate two things: gypsies and racism."

The story about the bear raping the hunter.

Okay, I can't really remember that many. I was hoping Caress would post them to the board (hint, hint!), but maybe they only made it to her LJ.

There was another party on Monday night (in Pod's room again, where else?), and we all hung out until past 1 am hoping for the triumphant return of Drunk Finnish Guy, but it was not to be.

I left at 1:30 because I had to pack, and so I missed the annual knightings (performed admirably, I hear, by Pod, in GRRM's absence). I think GoN and Daj were promoted to Prince and Princess?

So that's about it for the actual con. At least my experience of it.

glad you guys had fun. did you wear red dragon kimonos?

No. At least, not while I was sober enough to remember.

Next installment of my con report, coming soon ... "Climbing Mount Fuji in Typhoon Season: Why you should listen to the Japanese when they tell you not to attempt their highest mountain after August 31st".

Kristin (Alchemist)

[tenalpia]

Great con report Sounds like a goodun with legendary people and legendary con smell

[GoN]

I think we decided on the wonderful chapter name of Samuarai Warriors of the Godzilla Suicide Squad, Order of the Bear. There was a Godzilla knighted in the tradition of Norbert, and we've decided that Ed and Steve are officially squires, as there was no quest.

Those tequila shots were brutal. Maybe Japanese bartenders don't see that often? Regardless, I am never drinking again.

Drunk Finnish Man was the funniest human being I have ever met. Ever. "Buddhism is like the movie Groundhog day, it goes again and again." And my favourite, " When a child - age 6!- in Finland is lost, there are one of two possible outcomes." Pause. "One, the child is found." Pause. " Two, the child is drowned."

In retrospect, though it was very nice of Steve to think of us, it was probably for the best that we didn't meet the Dr Who writer. That entire night consisted of me and CoC walking around exclaiming GIRL IN A MUTHAFUCKING FIREPLACE. He might not have appreicated that

The solution to not having a hip flask, btw, is simply make a nice cocktail in a water bottle before you ever leave your hotel room

Was great meeting you again, Alchemist. Sorry about your ill luck on Fuji. A great excuse to go back one day.

[zakalwe7]

Surely the quest should have been slaying Godzilla?

[GoN]

Or die trying.

[zakalwe7]

Dying makes me hard

[GoN]

Rigor mortis can have that effect.

[Caress of Cersei]

Surely the quest should have been slaying Godzilla?

Dude - why do you want to kill me?