Hey friends, it’s Ryan again! Welcome back to Adventures Assemble, my little corner of the internet where I try to figure out nerd travel one adventure at a time. And right now? All eyes are on Japan—because in just a few short weeks, I’m hopping on a plane to Tokyo for Star Wars Celebration 2025.
Am I ready? Absolutely not.
Do I have my tickets? Yes. My hotel for Tokyo? Also yes. But beyond that? It’s a lot of Googling, list-making, and wondering how many egg salad sandwiches I can eat in two weeks.
Table of Contents
The Countdown Is Real
As I write this, it’s the end of March, and I fly out April 16th. Star Wars Celebration kicks off April 18th at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo and runs through the 20th. I’ll be in Japan until May 1st, which gives me a full two weeks to soak in as much Star Wars, sushi, and sightseeing as humanly possible.
My Tokyo hotel is booked, and I’ve got Celebration tickets in hand. (Three-day adult pass. Not VIP. Those were way too many credits.) But my plans for everything else? A bit fuzzy. I haven’t booked my travel to Osaka and Kyoto yet, or figured out where I’m staying after Tokyo. The good news? This is all part of the journey. I’m learning as I go, and sharing that learning curve with you.
Panels, Please!
Since my last post, a lot of panel info has dropped for Star Wars Celebration. And tonight—yes, TONIGHT—I’ll be trying to snag reservations for the four major reservation-only panels:
- The Mandalorian & Grogu (Friday)
- Andor: A Star Wars Story (Saturday)
- Ahsoka (Saturday)
- Star Wars Visions Vol. 3 (Sunday)
You can only book one per day, so I’ll be gunning for Andor first. That show? It’s one of my favorite Star Wars things ever. Gritty, different, and it opens up corners of the galaxy we haven’t really explored before. The prison arc? Incredible.
That said, I’d also love to catch the Mandalorian & Grogu panel. Even if Season 3 was a bit uneven, it’s still fun Star Wars. Visions sounds cool too—even though I haven’t seen the first two volumes. (I know, I know—I’ll catch up.)
Let’s Talk Star Wars Opinions
Since this blog is about honesty and learning in public, I’ll be real with you: I love Star Wars. But I don’t love every single piece of Star Wars media. And that’s okay!
Here’s the quick version of where I stand:
- Original Trilogy: Love it. Grew up on it. Prefer the unspecial-editions.
- Prequels: Not my thing, but I get why people who grew up with them love them.
- Sequel Trilogy: I enjoyed Force Awakens, liked most of Last Jedi, and didn’t love Rise of Skywalker.
- TV Shows:
- Mandalorian: First season was great. Hasn’t quite hit the same since.
- Book of Boba Fett: Fine. But I miss Boba being a mysterious villain.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: Loved it. Emotional, nostalgic, and fun.
- Ahsoka: Haven’t finished it. Feels a little slow.
- Andor: Incredible. More of that, please.
I haven’t watched the animated series or read much of the extended universe. And that’s okay! Star Wars is huge. There’s room for everyone to love different things.
Other Panels I’m Eyeing
Besides the main headliners, there are a bunch of other panels I want to check out:
- Star Wars TV Ads Through the Years
- Dark Side for Life: Why Villains Are Cooler
- Star Wars in the 1990s Video Games
- Japanese Collectibles from 1978
- Lucasfilm Animation’s 20th Anniversary
- The Expanding Star Wars Galaxy Through Plastic Models (I’m currently building a Metal Earth Millennium Falcon model. Pray for me.)
Honestly, I love the weird, niche, and nerdy stuff. If there’s a panel about coins, vintage merch, or obscure behind-the-scenes stories, I’m there.
Tokyo & Beyond
So here’s what I know:
- April 16: I fly out from San Francisco.
- April 17: Land in Tokyo.
- April 18–20: Star Wars Celebration.
- April 21: Going to see the Yomiuri Giants play baseball.
- April 22: Checking out of my Tokyo hotel and heading west… somewhere.
The plan (so far) is to visit Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and go to the World Expo 2025 in Osaka. But I haven’t locked in hotels yet, so the itinerary is still in flux.
Also on my must-do list:
- Wander around Akihabara
- Go capsule toy crazy (hello, gachapon!)
- Eat egg salad sandwiches, ramen, curry, and ALL the sushi
- Take a food walking tour
- Visit some nerdy museums and shops
I’m also debating whether to go to Tokyo Disney or DisneySea. It’s probably a no for this trip—mainly because Celebration will already take up so much of my Tokyo time. But we’ll see.
Traveling Solo… and Loving It?
This will be my first solo trip to Asia, and honestly? I’m nervous. I’m not fluent in Japanese (shocker), and I’m not always the guy who makes instant friends with strangers. But I think this is going to be good for me.
Traveling alone means I can do whatever I want—go where I want, eat what I want, and totally nerd out. Plus, I’m hoping to meet some fellow fans at the con. If you’re going to Celebration, let me know!
What’s Next?
I’ll have another update soon with:
- What panel reservations I managed to get
- My full Japan itinerary (hopefully finalized by then)
- What I’m packing (spoiler: not fluent Japanese)
- And more nerdy nonsense
You can also follow along with all of this over on Zoodletron.com, where I’ll be posting guides, travel tips, and eventually videos too.
Thanks for reading! If you’re a fellow nerd traveler—or just love watching someone flail their way through planning an international trip—stick around. This is gonna be a ride.
May the Force be with you… and maybe also a Google Translate app.
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