Terry Sutfin and I have been chatting about the surprise invitation from Hiroshi Kato to join him at the JAM convention in August 2007.

NOTE: Mr. Kato is the president of Kato USA Inc., a leading model railroad manufacturer in Japan and the USA. He is also the president of the Japan Association of Modelrailroaders (JAM), the only model railroading hobby association in Japan. I have been in correspondence with Mr. Kato since the NMRA Train Show in 2005 concerning a possible participation at the JAM convention.

Both Terry and I think that time is too short for us to seriously consider making the trip to Japan in 2007. However, Terry is of the opinion that traveling to Japan with the VEC is much more exciting than returning to Europe, i.e. Paris in March 2008.

Pros and Cons...

We thought long and hard about the Paris show. While it would be nice to spend some time in Paris, there is already a Z presence at the Mondial du Modélisme so we would not be breaking new ground for the scale. Whereas, Tokyo is virgin territory.

Another consideration is the cost factor. A trip to Tokyo will be much more expensive than returning to Europe. It seems that we will have to make a choice and budget accordingly.

My thoughts? Well, the Paris show has the attraction of being in French, which I speak fluently. The trouble with Paris is the requirement to display for at least 5 out of the 9 show days. The longest show I have ever done lasted 4 days (Faszination Modellbau in Sinsheim, Germany - 2002). A two-day show is more my speed, especially with my tendency to develop laryngitis after talking with hundreds of visitors. I still have very painful memories of the week following my London Festival experience. Note: the JAM show is a two-day weekend and I don't speak Japanese...so I'm not likely to over exercise my vocal chords!

I took my wife to brunch to talk over these issues. Marthe has been to more than 75 train shows and she knows how to get subtle messages through to me. She wants to return to London to see the family and to visit Edinburgh. She has been to Paris several times and is not too thrilled with that city's reputation for hospitality to wheelchair-bound visitors. It appears that getting around Paris is a nightmare for the handicapped, either local or foreign. Much to my surprise, she is all for a boys-only trip to Japan. Although she does not want to join us, she thinks we guys would have a terrific time.

So, we are slowly coming to a realization...the VEC's trips to Europe have come to an end with the London Festival in March 2006. To think that the VEC has already been seen in Germany, the Netherlands and England, is mind-boggling and a unique achievement. Today, the VEC is very safe and comfortable in the Canadian Railway Museum. Perhaps, if there is to be another International Adventure, it should be to the other side of the world, i.e. Tokyo. In other news, Ztrack Magazine and Micro-Trains Line have already expressed their support for a Tokyo Adventure.

Terry Sutfin has a family friend who works in Tokyo and who can probably get a weekend off work to act as our interpreter during the show. I have contacts in Japan through the Japan railroad enthusiasts Yahoogroup who should be able to provide me with travel tips. I also have colleagues at the Quebec Trade Office in Tokyo who will certainly provide logistical support and advice.

This is what the JAM Convention looks like at the Tokyo Big Site convention centre.

August 2008 is a good date for a trip to Japan. I do not plan on attending the 2008 NMRA Convention in Anaheim so the summer travel season is open. The 2009 NMRA convention is in Hartford, CT and I plan to attend that event, hopefully as a Master Model Railroader, well, at least that is the goal.

Traveling to Tokyo with the VEC has been a dream of mine for several years. Now that I have an invitation in hand I might as well start planning and see if the pieces start falling into place.

Best regards,
Jeffrey

Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:19 pm

Hello fellow Valeasians,

After several dozen attempts to download the exhibitor application and show rules from the JAM web site, I finally sent an SOS to the Japan model railroad forum on Yahoogroups. In less than an hour I had two replies and readable copies of the JAM pdf file.

I eagerly opened the file and read through the six pages of show regulations. Now remember that I received my invitation to display at the 2007 edition of the JAM Convention in Tokyo from Mr. Hiroshi Kato (Kato USA) back in March, Monday March 12th to be exact.

Much to my astonishment, I read that the deadline to receive applications by mail (no fax - no email) including payment for booth space was March 15!

So...assuming that Mr. Kato was sincere in his invitation for 2007, I would would have had 2 days to comply with the registration deadline. It is safe to assume that it would have been impossible, even for someone living in Japan.

At least I know how much a booth is likely to cost in 2008 ($600 USD) and I know that I have to send in the application at least 60 days in advance of the deadline. Then I have to wait to hear if my application for space has been accepted (there are only 10 small exhibit booths available).

JAM does not publish their prices for table, chair and electricity service. In fact, they announce these cost items mid-June at a general exhibitor meeting in Tokyo. Hmmm, I wonder if I have to be at that meeting to be able to book these items. Maybe I should plan to make do without a table, chair and mains electricity. I can certainly run VES from a battery source. The shipping crate could double as a display table with some tweeking. I can stand for two days during the show.

Lots to think about for next January!

Then again, perhaps Mr. Kato was trying to send me a not-so-subtle message about dropping the whole idea?

Best,
Jeffrey