Help Rambling Rican in Japan 2016!
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THANK YOU!
April 20, 2016 - Thank you to all who contributed! I raised $2,310 before fees for the trip to Japan! Future updates I will post on my site, my twitter and new Instagram of all the happenings as they happen!
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- March 25, 2016: Please keep up with any changes on the Update tab. I'll be recording a video update this weekend so feel free to look out for that!
- March 31, 2016: Posted video! Here's an update video with as many answers to questions I've received lately.
- March 31, 2016: Confirmed participation of All-Stars Shingo Yamamoto and Toshihiro Takeda for autographed photos.
- April 1, 2016 - Confirmed participation of Sasuke All-Star and Grand Champion Makoto Nagano for autographed photos.
- April 2, 2016 - Confirmed participation of Two-Time Grand Champion Yuuji Urushihara for autographed photos.
Sasuke 31 Memories - A short video I made on my experience during the taping of the tournament last year!
- April 13, 2016 - Posted updated video with news of the airfare being
taken care of again! ♥ Thank you so much! So while it seems that I
won't be raising the full amount, I will be able to use the funds raised
to cover your perks, hotel and transportation! It will be tight if I
don't raise more, however thank you for the generous donations to get me
this far! We have less than a week to go so please continue to share
the campaign in hopes I'm able to get closer to at least what I received
last year.
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I'm eternally grateful to everyone who helped me get to Japan
last year! Thanks to that experience, I've been afforded the opportunity to return to Japan for the Sasuke 32 tournament! I'm honored to be allowed to go back! However, I have to raise money again for the trip.
- Hi!
My name is Mrs. Arsenette Reiter and I'm a Blogger! My blog is called
"Rambling Rican". I cover the Japanese sports variety television show
called "Sasuke". In the west it is better known as "Ninja Warrior". I've been blogging for 8 years covering this awesome
television event.
- I have been invited to the taping of the television show "Sasuke"
in Japan (as a spectator). Problem is, I can't afford to go without your help! I want
to be able to accept that invite! Sasuke is a closed
television production in Japan and not open to the general public.
- I'm writing a book
on the history of the now 19 year old event. Going to see the event in Japan in person is invaluable
research for my book. As with all things, I will update everyone on my
journey on my blog! RamblingRican.com
Similar to last year, thanks to the enormous generosity of an anonymous
donor, I don't have to raise the full amount of airfare. That alone
took a large chunk out of the projected budget and it is extremely
appreciated. This campaign now
reflects the remaining funds needed while I'm in Japan. Given my
experience from last year, I adjusted amounts needed in different
categories. That would
include upgrades on airfare (I hope I can raise some money to help with
that part since business class is extremely expensive), ground transportation (experience from last year taught me
that I need more than I expected), food and lodging for my husband and
myself for a week stay in the greater Tokyo area. I also added one big
expense this year to the budget - a video camera and a still camera. I
also have to change specific perk fulfillment given that I lost a lot of
money getting all of those T-shirts last year! Fees associated with
any crowdfund are a little higher since I forgot to include some
processing fees from PayPal/Credit card on top of the IndieGogo platform
fee and taxes, since this is all considered "income".
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Third Stage of Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette Reiter
Breakdown of costs
- I have set this campaign at $5,000.
- This would cover Hotel, Food and transportation in the greater Tokyo region.
- This would cover the cost of upgrading my equipment of a new Digital video camera and a new DSLR camera.
- This would also cover partial airfare. While the main bulk of the airfare will be covered, I wanted to raise money to contribute to the enormous price of the upgrade. Changes in frequent flier miles have necessitated the change and as a result I'd have to pay to get business class this time around.
- Also included in the goal is the cost of perk fulfillment (T-shirts,
Towels and other
Sasuke memorabilia that are usually only available for purchase at the
event) along with signed photos and other things I'm coming up with
during the next couple of months. Thanks go to the Sasuke competitors
willing to participate in this fundraiser! This became a large expense last year so I am adjusting how I handle shipping this year. Last year many did not add the shipping to fulfillment so I had to eat that cost as well.
- Then there's the upwards to 10-15% fees/commissions tied to Indiegogo/Credit Card and PayPal Processing along with taxes (which I forgot to budget last year). That is an approximate $500-700+ off of the base goal.
Perks
- Shout-out!: I'm extremely active on Twitter and I'd gladly give a shout out
to campaign supporters! Also, since this trip would be integral to the
writing of my book, I'd be more than happy to include your name in a
special "Thank you" section of my book when it is finally published.
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- I also created a 2016 Rambling Rican Calendar and can do a special printing for those who are interested. I still have a few from the 2015 campaign should anyone be interested in those.
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Signed photos from last year's IndieGogo campaign! ©Arsenette
- Photos: Thanks to the enormous success from last year, I'm making larger sized photos of those competitors who have been extremely supportive of my fundraising efforts. I intend to take them to
Japan to have them sign them in person! I figured photos are easier and I
can have them ready and take them with me to Japan ready to be signed. They were extremely well received by the Japanese (and IndieGogo backers) and even those who were unfamiliar with fundraising took part in signing autographs for fans once I arrived in Japan. I'll add more to the list as the campaign progresses provided I can secure permission ahead of time.
If you have any questions or suggestions please contact me. I'm currently working to add more competitors to the campaign.
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The infamous Morimoto Mug! ©Arsenette Reiter
- Mugs: As a present (and half joke), I created a mug last year (Morimoto was the recipient) and many people were interested in getting a variation of that mug. These mugs are a bit expensive (I have to pay full price to Shutterfly) and given their size and packaging I will not be taking them to Japan to have them signed. However, for those interested I can duplicate the mug or to individual specs of your favorite Sasuke competitor should you chose this perk. Also, since they are not subject to be transported back to Japan for signing, I can make an unlimited amount of this particular perk.
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Yuusuke Morimoto 森本 裕介 signing autographs for IndieGogo supporters moments after winning Sasuke 31! ©Arsenette Reiter
- I was able to secure future cooperation from Grand Champion Yuusuke Morimoto 森本 裕介. Those in the USA will remember him
as Team Japan's ace who was the first person ever to clear American
Ninja Warrior's 3rd Stage in competition in Las Vegas, Nevada (2014) and the only man ever to do it twice (2015)! For the
Japanese, he is the current Sasuke Grand Champion becoming only the 4th winner in the 19 year history of this show! He again is willing to sign photos or anything we can come up with
for contributors in conjunction with this fundraiser!
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Tomohiro Kawaguchi 川口 朋広 and me at Bariante ©Cathi Jones
- Veteran Sasuke
competitor Tomohiro Kawaguchi
川口 朋広 is a Finalist from Sasuke 30! He was also a Third Stage competitor in the most recent tournament Sasuke 31. A few weeks after that Tomo represented Japan in the 2015 USA vs. World event in Las Vegas, Nevada that aired on NBC. My blog has covered his career in it's
entirety and has been kind to let me interview him for hours for the
blog in the past. He is willing to sign photos or anything we can come up with
for contributors in conjunction with this fundraiser!
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Shinya Kishimoto 岸本 真弥 posing after getting his start number in Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette Reiter
- Veteran Sasuke
competitor Shinya Kishimoto 岸
本 真弥 who is best known as the competitor who bends frying pans had a
break-out season in Sasuke 30 when he made it all the way to the Third
Stage! Due to an injury just before he was supposed to run, he was unable to compete in Sasuke 31 (and as a result sign autographs since he left immediately after bowing out of the competition). He again is willing to sign photos and anything we can come up with
for contributors in conjunction with this fundraiser! As a tribute to
what we know him by, I'm adding the perk of him signing a Japanese
frying pan!
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Sasuke All-Star
Toshihiro Takeda 竹田敏浩 posing at his new office ©Toshihiro Takeda
- Added: March 31, 2016 - Sasuke All-Star Toshihiro Takeda 竹田敏浩 needs almost no introduction. For many years in Sasuke he was best known as the Firefighter in the All-Stars. He has since changed careers to personal training in the south of Japan. He is willing to sign photos or anything we can come up with
for contributors in conjunction with this fundraiser!
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Sasuke All-Star
Shingo Yamamoto 山本進悟 at one of his Bariante locations ©Shingo Yamamoto
- Added: March 31, 2016 - Sasuke All-Star Shingo Yamamoto 山本進悟 is definitely one that does not need an introduction. Shingo has competed in every single Sasuke tournament ever made in the past 19 years. He was also Team Captain of the inaugural USA vs. World on NBC. He also changed careers from Gas station manager to owner of his own Sports therapy facilit(ies) called Bariante. He is willing to sign photos or anything we can come up with for contributors in conjunction with this fundraiser!
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Sasuke All-Star and Grand Champion
Makoto Nagano 長野誠 with his son Kaiou during Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette
- Added: April 1, 2016 - Sasuke All-Star and Grand Champion Makoto Nagano 長野誠 is definitely one that does not need an introduction. Nagano is a legend of Sasuke. Winner of Sasuke 17 he has become the face of Sasuke for almost a decade. Captain of his own fishing boat (The 50th Konpiramaru) he is expected to be winding down his Sasuke career. He is willing to sign
photos or anything we can come up with for contributors in conjunction
with this fundraiser!
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Kung-Cheen Howng 洪 恭芹 and 2-Time Grand Champion
Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 at Haruta Shoes a couple days before Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette
- Added: April 2, 2016 - 2-Time Grand Champion Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 is also one that does not need an introduction. Yuuji has been be the face of the New Generation of Sasuke by being the winner of both Sasuke 24 and Sasuke 27. He is
willing to sign
photos or anything we can come up with for contributors in conjunction
with this fundraiser!
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The massive Sasuke T'shirt haul from Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette Reiter
- There has been enormous interest in official Sasuke merchandise that is extremely
difficult to get outside of Japan. I added 2 different perks. One
perk is for the T-shirts and one perk is for the Towels. Only during
the taping of Sasuke do these things become available and a limited amount of surplus available online. As sampled
above, TBS prints limited edition Sasuke tournament shirts with the date
and year on them. I made changes to last year's perk since the acquisition of these shirts became very difficult. For a $100 contribution I can buy a 2016 Sasuke T-Shirt. For $75 a
2016 Sasuke Towel. Please remember that I have to buy them at full price and are
subject to availability during the taping of the tournament. I can't get them ahead of time and I have to lug this around the entirety of the taping and fly them back with me adding weight to my luggage. This is
why I'm limiting the amount I would buy at Sasuke (just imagine me
standing in line asking for all of these. LOL). Don't forget to add
the shipping costs (International). MANY forgot this part last year.
- I was gifted a couple shirts from friends from last year's lot and will put them up individually on a first come first serve basis. These are limited and when they are gone, they are gone. I'm only putting them up for those prices as a fundraiser to cover the 2016 trip. I can't break even - it would defeat the purpose of the fundraiser. I apologize in advance. I know how incredibly frustrating it is to get this merchandise outside of Japan.
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Co-Hosts of the
Final Stage Podcast - Arsenette Reiter and William Marchese at the
2016 National Ninja League Finals in Hainesport, New Jersey ©Arsenette Reiter
The Impact
- For the 8+ years I've
been covering this event on my blog Rambling Rican, I've written extensively on the
tournaments and other side events that happen throughout the years. I've
documented the last 8 years of Sasuke tournaments (Sasuke 20-31) along with
other events like the three USA vs. series on ANW in screencap/picture form
along with my commentary, just to name a few. Since last year, I've also started to co-host a monthly podcast - Final Stage Podcast. There's many unannounced projects I'm working on as well to further bring Sasuke to the Western audience. The support from my
readers has been awesome and encouraging throughout my career. It was
they who have been encouraging me to write a book about my experience
and about the show itself. As it is right now, the book would have a
compilation of what I've already written on my blog with small bits here
and there from interviews I've already conducted. The trip from last year helped a lot but I couldn't get as many of the individual interviews as I had hoped. This trip would
greatly change the scope of what can be included. I'll have the rare
opportunity to interview competitors and production staff about their
experiences and history with the show. These invaluable insights are
the things that I believe would make a huge contribution to the book. It
will add that unique element that's missing in the current manuscript.
- In June, 2014 I did a 1 hour presentation
on the history of the show from an American perspective at an Anime
convention called AnimeNext. In 2015 I did an updated 1 1/2 hour presentation on the same subject (including what I learned through the process in 2014). It was here that I realized how many fans
of the American Spin off "American Ninja Warrior" just didn't know much
of the original Japanese show's history. They were avid fans of both
shows and were passionate about the subject, however outside of my blog,
there's very little available for them to consume. I'm passionate
about the subject and writing a book about all of the rich history, fun
anecdotes and sobering reality of the original Japanese show would serve
as a benefit, especially now that current seasons of the Japanese Ninja
Warrior are no longer airing in the USA, or even worldwide. 4 full
tournaments have already passed and outside of Japan, it hasn't aired
anywhere else!
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Sasuke All-Star and Grand Champion
Makoto Nagano 長野誠 and me during Sasuke 31 ©Arsenette Reiter
Risks & Challenges
- I've
been blessed to have been invited back to see the event after all the years
I've been covering it from my home in the USA. Last year's trip was a historic event and had it not been for the IndieGogo backers, I would not have been able to witness it. Being a closed set, the live audience
only consists of competitors, their support group (family/friends) and
television production staff. I never fit in any of those categories before. With the show always teetering on the brink of cancellation
and becoming a yearly event (as opposed to bi-annually as it was in the
past), the opportunities to open up like this are less and less. Being invited is
one thing and being able to afford it on my own is another. If I don't
raise the money this way, I don't foresee any other way of getting to
Japan.
- If I am funded, and get my chance to go to Japan, the possibilities
are endless. With my experience from last year I know when I can and cannot take photos and videos. I can vlog from Japan and bring that experience back with me to share with all of you with my new equipment. I can take my own pictures and also include them in my book and
year end calendar, possibly come up with photo books, etc. I can
interview the competitors and ask my own questions. I can share an
experience that's super rare and hopefully provide insight to the show
that hasn't been granted before. As with everything I do on my blog, I
try to share my perspective as a huge fan of the show so you can share
in the fun as well. After all, part of the fun of being a fan is
sharing your fandom with others!
- If I don't reach my goal, I will be severely limited to what I can do while in Japan. We are a one income family
and sadly, we just can't afford to pay for a trip halfway around the
world. It will also hurt with perk fulfillment for those who were hoping to be able to get Sasuke merchandise and competitor autographs.
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Other Ways You Can Help
- Even if you can't donate
yourself, please pass this along to your friends, family, coworkers and
social network. I'm hoping that enough fans of this show, and fans of
my own blog would be able to make this now 8 year old dream a reality!
- Indiegogo has share tools. Please use them. Every little bit helps!
Thanks for your support and thanks for taking the time to read this campaign. Your time in doing so is greatly appreciated.