Save your pennies cuz Tokyo Boy 4 will be for sale!

The guidebook is a guide to the Dolpa itself. Every Dolpa has its own guidebook. ^^ It comes in very handy as it has a map to where all the stalls are (so you can go through in advance and pencil in the ones you most want to visit) and also info about things that will be at the Dolpa, and also your entry form for the raffle. ^_^ (They always have a raffle!) Volks starts selling them sometime before Dolpa.. I can't exactly remember when, but I think several weeks, maybe a month? Certainly after the info about the LEs has been released, as all that info is in the guidebook.
If you are getting to Japan before the Dolpa, you can stop in at any Volks store and buy one. For example, Ginza Volks is only an hour and a half from the airport (if you take the fast trains ^^) and are open till 8pm. If you arrived on the day of Dolpa, as I said, I'm pretty certain they sell them early in the morning. I don't know if they sell them online, but they may, as some people may come quite a distance to get to Dolpa. I don't know if they turn up on Y!J.. possibly not as most people going to Dolpa would be able to get them fairly easily for themselves.

Tokyo Dolpa is always held at Tokyo Big Sight. I can't remember the exact way to get there (it was awhile ago now) but although it takes a couple of train changes, it's not too hard, and you can walk to Big Sight from the train station. Volks usually have a map up on their site once they have the info for Dolpa up there. ^_^ I'm pretty certain there is a website for Tokyo Big Sight which would tell you were it is (I can say, vaguely, south side of Tokyo if that helps? ;^^) and that might help you with hotel bookings!

And yep, the three queues are like that. One is to get in to the normal part of Dolpa, which is where all the dealer booths are. One is for the LE dolls only, and one is for the Sumika limited items only -- they always have clothes, shoes, V-jeans, etc that they release specially for Dolpa. I don't really recommend queuing for a LE doll -- it's pretty hard to get them at Dolpa, more likely you will find yourself being offered to pre-order them, which means you pay full in advance but wait 2-4 months to get your doll. (And they don't deliver overseas, so unless you know someone in Japan to receive the doll for you...) And you will miss out on a lot of other stuff if you're in that queue, so if you have any other way of getting the LE doll I suggest you take that instead and just enjoy the dealer booths. ^_^

Dealer tables are usually two people, and I went to the Dolpa last December with a dealer friend who was going alone, and who very, very kindly let me enter under her second dealer pass. So I was very lucky to already be inside the Dolpa hall when it opened. ^_^

And the cruise was a heck of a lot of wonderful luck, too! I'm so happy I got to go! I seem to have a lot of good luck when it comes to Volks. :grin: And don't worry, there will be lots of pretty pictures of my beautiful Cecile when he arrives! Ahh, the wait is killing me, and it hasn't been very long! *sheepish laugh*

 

XD Thanks so much!
I'll look into pre-ordering then XD
Then I can check out the normal Dolpa ^^

Definitely gonna be saving my pennies now ~_~
Lol!

I need some of your luck with Volks~
:grin:

 

I wrote a detailed report about my experience buying a limited at Dolpa for this forum:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19442&highlight=dolpa

The guidebooks for Dolpa 13 and the Nagoya Dolpa both went on sale at Volks stores about 2 weeks before the event. I assume it'll probably be about 2 weeks for Dolpa 14 as well. Volks does NOT recommend buying the guidebook online if you want to attend the event because there's a chance the book won't arrive in time.

If you want to stand on either the limiteds line or the Sumika line, or even have a good spot on the general admission line, you will need to buy a guidebook before Dolpa. Volks does sell it at Dolpa, but sales that day don't begin until just before the event opens. That's several hours after everyone's already lined up.

 

-reads the thread-
Man, that is seriously scary.
I think I'll probably try to pre-order then,
since getting a doll at the actual event seems to be pretty much up to luck...

Thanks for the link ^^
Totally useful thread! :grin:

 

Trying to get a doll at Dolpa is seriously stressful. You can read my description of the experience here: http://hedonia.net/dollfieville/gallery/groups/dolpa/dolpa7.html

 

Since someone mentioned needing directions to Tokyo Big Sight...

There are two main ways to get there depending on which direction you're coming from. You can take the Rinkai line (sp?) to the last stop and then follow the crowds to Big Sight. (I've only taken this line once so I don't know it as well) This route is generally used by people coming from Chiba prefecture, rather than Tokyo itself.

or

If you're staying somewhere in Tokyo, get to Shimbashi station where you change for the Yurikamome line. (Shimbashi is on a few subway lines and on the JR Yamanote Line) You take the Yurikamome line to the 2nd to last stop (I know Ariake is the last) and you'll be right in front of Big Sight.

Most events at Big Sight are well organized and as you approach there will be someone to point you to the queuing area. I'm planning to go to Dolpa too.