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Now → October 25, 2026
Check passports. Say if you're in. Vote.
Headcount drives room configurations, which drives everything else.
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October 25, 2026
Vote closes
Majority wins. Ties go to the recommended option.
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November 2026
Dates locked. Headcount confirmed.
Nothing paid yet. This is just the point where we stop rearranging the plan.
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December 2026
Auto-transfers start. Passports done.
Set the standing transfer once, in December, and the rest of this list takes care of itself.
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Feb / May / Aug 2027
Quarterly check-in
One short message. Still in? Savings on track? Anything changed? Three texts a year, not a group chat.
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Spring 2027
Decide on a guided day in Kyoto
Priced once dates are locked, then a straight yes/no. Guides charge per group, not per head, so split across all of us a full day lands around the cost of a park ticket each. Good ones book months out.
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May 2027
Speak up about anything we need to plan around
Mobility, dietary needs, medication, anything that shapes hotels or pacing. Easier to design in than bolt on.
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Summer 2027
Set flight price alerts
Watch the route for a few months so we recognise a good fare when it shows up.
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September 2027
Book the ryokan
Twelve months out. Places that sleep a group this size go first. This is the first money that moves.
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Oct – Nov 2027
Book flights
Open-jaw: into Haneda, home from Kansai. Biggest single payment of the trip.
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Jan – Mar 2028
Book city hotels
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. Major platforms, not private rentals.
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Summer 2028
International Driving Permits
Only if the street karts win. Valid one year from issue, so this can't be done early.
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~60 days out
Universal Express Passes
Only if Mario Kart wins. They go on sale exactly 60 days ahead and the Nintendo ones sell out fast. Calendar reminder, not a vibe.
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~2 months out
Disney, Shibuya Sky, reserved train seats
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1 month out
Everyone squares away their own balances. Packing list goes out.
Includes the things that are genuinely hard to buy over there.
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2028
We go.