Japan Trip: Day 8
November 16, 2013
It was another great morning view and the weather was perfect. Clear blue skies and just when we’ve reached the second to the last day of our trip.
Originally we were planning to visit Hiroshi’s hometown and an outside Buddha statue, which required purchasing a train ticket but I wasn’t up for going on another train ride. I’ve pretty much met my year’s train ride quota. Instead we decided to change the plan.
*Happiest Place on Earth… in Japanese!
It’s been years since I’ve been to Disneyland back in 2002 on Grand Night. Sure I’ve been to Downtown Disney a couple of times but never really went in the park. Shoot, I’ve never even been to California Adventures or seen Disneyland with Christmas decoration. But it’s all good because now I’ll get to see the new stuff in Tokyo Disneyland despite how things are more likely going to be in Japanese. Besides, compared to the Disneyland back in California, Tokyo Disneyland ticket’s only cost $62. I paid both of our tickets :)
*So excited!
Good grief, the place was packed! As much as I love the decorations, the crowd was really overwhelming. Hiroshi’s uncle did warned us about the crowd should we ever decide to go to Disneyland but I didn’t think it would be this bad. This is probably the most crowded park I’ve ever been to but man seeing the castle brought back childhood memories.
*It's Christmas in Tokyo Disneyland!
*Wow...
The first ride we got on was Pirates of the Caribbean. Seeing both the entrance and Christmas decorations made me so excited that I didn’t mind so much about the crowd. Plus the line was super fast and we were on the boat in less than 10 minutes. The intro where the skull was talking was in Japanese, which Hiroshi thought sounded horrible, but the rest was in English. I was so excited that I totally forgot they added Jack Sparrow and other characters from the film on the ride. So everytime I saw Jack Sparrow, I pointed it out to Hiroshi like a little girl riding the ride for the first time. At first Hiroshi was amused but after the 3rd Jack Sparrow, he finally told me he’s been on this ride a dozen times already and knows about the update XD
After the ride we walked around for a bit and that's when things got a little more crowded. Despite the limited walking space, I was really happy to see the Christmas decorations. Seriously, I saw so many things for the last couple of days that I totally forgot that Christmas was just around the corner. The decorations were a good reminder.
*Stitch! I just saw this movie this year too!
We headed for Space Mountain to get a fast-pass which I thought was a brilliant idea. Little did I know they also have that in California Disney and my friend and cousin pointed that out. Yup, I’m definitely outdated in Disneyland.
Since we had plenty of time to kill, we weren’t really sure what to do because of the horrendous lines everywhere. Then I saw a ride that only had a 20-minute wait. I suggested it to Hiroshi and even though he protested quite a bit, he eventually gave in.
The ride was small and short but enough cheesiness to make Hiroshi wince. I told him he better get used to it because he’ll be forced to go through it when we have kids. Hahaha, the poor guy. Hiroshi needed some recovery so we pretty much explored other areas we haven’t seen. Since we entered through the side, we saw the backside of the castle first. I got to say, it looks so much better than the one in California.
*I would say it’s been a while but I’ve never been here XD
We saw Big Thunder Mountain, which used to be my favorite ride, and decided to pass when we saw the crazy mile-line. The crowd was really starting to build up at this point. On some area of the park, there were even people sitting down waiting for the parade. Imagine how pack the park will be after the parade. 8O
Another thing I noticed was there weren’t any Disney characters walking around. I only saw Mickey once in a while but no Donald, Goofy, etc. Hehe, I was kind of curious too of how they would pull off the Disney princesses >:) I wonder if they were going to be at the parade that a lot of people were waiting for.
All the other rides had a long wait so we opted to walking regardless of the limited space. The park is pretty small and about the same size and Universal Studio, which probably explain why tickets were so much cheaper. Once we walked around the park we headed back to get a good look of the castle front. Yup, it was definitely so much better than the castle I remember back in California.
*Now this is what I call Disney. It kind of reminds me of Kingdom Hearts.
Along the way we saw a couple of snack vendors with long lines. The ones that sell ice cream and drinks didn’t have much of a line. The ones with long lines caught my curiosity and I told Hiroshi we might as well stand in line to see what’s all the fuss about. We finally got to the other end and I was surprised at what I saw: churros. These people were willing to wait in this long line for some churros. Sure I haven’t had churros in a long time but this was just hilarious. I tried it and it pretty much tasted the same as the ones in fairs. Then again they may not have much of this stuff here so it makes sense.
*Taste the same but still good.
Regardless of waiting in line for some churros, there were still a lot of time left before we can line up for Space Mountain. Next stop was the gift shop next to the churros. One of the things that I really noticed and even envied in Tokyo Disneyland was the variety of funky souvenir hats. The funniest part was that most of the people who wore them were young couples instead of kids. All of them seriously had matching hats, from Mickey & Minnie to Donald and Daisy. Of course hell would have to freeze over before Hiroshi would actually buy one. Let alone wear one despite how we’ll blend in with every couple. But I still want one for myself even if my boyfriend won’t be wearing a matching one XD
One particular hat stood out because it was simple and had the 30th Anniversary on it. I found one at the store and was very happy to see it was reversible. One side had a bow for Minnie while the other side had Mickey with a top hat. That means I didn’t have to buy two! I looked at Hiroshi who was busy checking the schedule on his phone. He might not buy one but I sure couldn’t pass on this photo opportunity!
*Muwahahaha! Blackmail picture >8D
We arrived at Space Mountain and the fast-pass line was pretty decent. The ride itself was just as I remember: dark, fast, and super fun. As usual, I couldn’t really recall the music because all I kept hearing was Hiroshi’s laughter. It was really contagious too because I hardly hear him laugh for that long. Fun ride as always :)
After Space Mountain, we went to Star Tours to get a fast-pass and headed off to Haunted Mansion. This was another updated ride I’ve never been on hence putting me back to kid mode; pointing at the Nightmare Before Christmas decorations that Hiroshi had already seen. At first I was super excited and then it eventually died down after waiting in line for nearly two hours. Still I enjoyed all the new decors regardless of my growing frustration from the long wait. And yes, everything was in Japanese.
By the time we got out of Haunted Mansion, we were good to go on Star Tours. Hiroshi and I were both excited for this one and I have to say, this line went by pretty fast thanks again to the fast-pass. Not as fast as Pirate of the Caribbean earlier but much better compared to Haunted Mansion. As usual, everything was in Japanese but what’s weird was how C-3PO sounds exactly the same. Darth Vader speaking in Japanese was straight out weird and Hiroshi hated it. He also preferred the old version while I had no idea what was going because I could barely understand a word they said. I should’ve practice my Japanese more before this trip.
After Star Tours, we came across a small marching band walking around and stopped in front of the castle to play Christmas songs. With all the decorations and Christmas music, it certainly felt like Christmas in Tokyo Disneyland. And it just so happens to be my first Christmas season in Disneyland too.
*So pretty :)
Tokyo Disneyland may be small but it can sure hold a lot of people. When we left around 4pm, the front entrance announced they’ve stopped selling tickets because of he overcrowd and will sell again later during the day. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a crowded area before. The good thing is that everyone there knows how to respect personal space.
Tokyo DisneySea was originally our next stop but we were too beat from Disneyland to go to another amusement park. So we went off to the famous crosswalk: Shibuya. We got out of the train station and oh man, we were back in the crowd. The cross path was rather useless since everyone were pretty much walking everywhere.
Despite how friendly people were, I was starting to get tired and annoyed by the tight walking space. Plus I was having cramps which was not a good sign. At least I prolonged it up to towards the end of the trip. So how do you cheer up a girl who’s heading to shark week? With this:
*OMG, this was so GOOD!!! 8D
Oh man, they don’t exaggerate on their dessert in anime. It’s super tasty and light compared to the ones in US. I could probably eat three of these and still feel okay. Yup, this did the trick.
Since we were on our second to the last day of our trip, now was our time to go shopping for souvenirs and perhaps find a stupid affordable check-in bag. The store we went into was just like the shops in Akihabara: one building with different shops on each floor. We finally settled for a polka-dot duffle bag that was $60 and then bought small souvenirs for my family. Hiroshi made sure they were all made in Japan and not China. Because I was a foreigner, the cashiers would show the total cost on their calculator instead of telling me the cost. That was pretty useful. In Philippines they would tell me in English but I would still have a hard time understanding them because of their thick accent XD
It was already night by the time we finished our shopping. The sidewalks were just as crowded as late afternoon. Everything was very similar to what I saw in TV and the only difference is that I was actually standing there. It was dark but you can tell it’s very safe. Seriously, I’m still astounded at how people are able to walk around each other through these crowds without bumping one another. It’s just amazing.
*Night time in Tokyo.
We headed back to our hotel in Odaiba to drop off our stuff and went to Aqua City shopping center for dinner. There was actually a ramen festival that Hiroshi had already set his eyes on it. I’m not much of ramen fan (not hate it either) but anything in Japan is A-OK! That and we were just too tired to look for another restaurant.
*I totally miss this…
There were a lot of vendors with lots of different ramen. Some vendors came from way up north or south while others served vegetarians. They pretty much covered all types of customers. We ordered from two different vendors because Hiroshi wanted to try something new (forgot what he ordered but it didn’t have much soup base) while I wanted some meaty Tonkatsu. His order came in before mine and he said it was okay. I think he wanted something soupy. Mine came a little later and the wait was well worth it. I don’t know what it is about their eggs but they’re really good.
*Dinner!
After dinner we went back to the hotel and started packing our things. We put the heavier stuff like our clothes into the polka-dot duffel bag for check in while the more delicate things like my mini Gundam model stayed in my backpack. Just as I was about to put away the rest of my things, we felt an earthquake. It was kind of strong (stronger than the ones in California) but strong enough for me to literally feel the entire building swaying back and forth. It came in pulses and lasted for about 15 seconds. Keep in mind Typhoon Haiyan just struck Philippines so I was a little terrified of natural disasters. Hiroshi on the otherhand was thrilled and felt the trip was complete. He immediately turned on the TV and watched the news. At least someone was happy.
http://rt.com/news/japan-east-earthquake-tokyo-841/
We looked outside and sure enough the boats immediately headed back to shore. It looked a little sad out there but its better to be safe than sorry. A couple of lights blinked here and there for warning signs but it eventually went away. The boats however didn’t come back.
It took me a while to be finally convinced there wouldn’t be another earthquake and that I should be okay to take my usual hot bad. That would really suck if another one struck while I’m in the middle of a hot bath. The hot water did ease my tension and we watched random shows on TV for the remainder of the night. Fully exhausted, Hiroshi finally went to sleep while I stayed up a little longer staring outside. This was the last night I will be sleeping in this Japan trip. The thought of it made me sad but at the same time I was kind of ready to go home. All the traveling was starting to take a toll and I wouldn’t be surprised if I get sick back in the states. Before I could think of anything else, I fell asleep from exhaustion.
End of Day 8
It was another great morning view and the weather was perfect. Clear blue skies and just when we’ve reached the second to the last day of our trip.
Originally we were planning to visit Hiroshi’s hometown and an outside Buddha statue, which required purchasing a train ticket but I wasn’t up for going on another train ride. I’ve pretty much met my year’s train ride quota. Instead we decided to change the plan.
*Happiest Place on Earth… in Japanese!
It’s been years since I’ve been to Disneyland back in 2002 on Grand Night. Sure I’ve been to Downtown Disney a couple of times but never really went in the park. Shoot, I’ve never even been to California Adventures or seen Disneyland with Christmas decoration. But it’s all good because now I’ll get to see the new stuff in Tokyo Disneyland despite how things are more likely going to be in Japanese. Besides, compared to the Disneyland back in California, Tokyo Disneyland ticket’s only cost $62. I paid both of our tickets :)
*So excited!
Good grief, the place was packed! As much as I love the decorations, the crowd was really overwhelming. Hiroshi’s uncle did warned us about the crowd should we ever decide to go to Disneyland but I didn’t think it would be this bad. This is probably the most crowded park I’ve ever been to but man seeing the castle brought back childhood memories.
*It's Christmas in Tokyo Disneyland!
*Wow...
The first ride we got on was Pirates of the Caribbean. Seeing both the entrance and Christmas decorations made me so excited that I didn’t mind so much about the crowd. Plus the line was super fast and we were on the boat in less than 10 minutes. The intro where the skull was talking was in Japanese, which Hiroshi thought sounded horrible, but the rest was in English. I was so excited that I totally forgot they added Jack Sparrow and other characters from the film on the ride. So everytime I saw Jack Sparrow, I pointed it out to Hiroshi like a little girl riding the ride for the first time. At first Hiroshi was amused but after the 3rd Jack Sparrow, he finally told me he’s been on this ride a dozen times already and knows about the update XD
After the ride we walked around for a bit and that's when things got a little more crowded. Despite the limited walking space, I was really happy to see the Christmas decorations. Seriously, I saw so many things for the last couple of days that I totally forgot that Christmas was just around the corner. The decorations were a good reminder.
*Stitch! I just saw this movie this year too!
We headed for Space Mountain to get a fast-pass which I thought was a brilliant idea. Little did I know they also have that in California Disney and my friend and cousin pointed that out. Yup, I’m definitely outdated in Disneyland.
Since we had plenty of time to kill, we weren’t really sure what to do because of the horrendous lines everywhere. Then I saw a ride that only had a 20-minute wait. I suggested it to Hiroshi and even though he protested quite a bit, he eventually gave in.
The ride was small and short but enough cheesiness to make Hiroshi wince. I told him he better get used to it because he’ll be forced to go through it when we have kids. Hahaha, the poor guy. Hiroshi needed some recovery so we pretty much explored other areas we haven’t seen. Since we entered through the side, we saw the backside of the castle first. I got to say, it looks so much better than the one in California.
*I would say it’s been a while but I’ve never been here XD
We saw Big Thunder Mountain, which used to be my favorite ride, and decided to pass when we saw the crazy mile-line. The crowd was really starting to build up at this point. On some area of the park, there were even people sitting down waiting for the parade. Imagine how pack the park will be after the parade. 8O
Another thing I noticed was there weren’t any Disney characters walking around. I only saw Mickey once in a while but no Donald, Goofy, etc. Hehe, I was kind of curious too of how they would pull off the Disney princesses >:) I wonder if they were going to be at the parade that a lot of people were waiting for.
All the other rides had a long wait so we opted to walking regardless of the limited space. The park is pretty small and about the same size and Universal Studio, which probably explain why tickets were so much cheaper. Once we walked around the park we headed back to get a good look of the castle front. Yup, it was definitely so much better than the castle I remember back in California.
*Now this is what I call Disney. It kind of reminds me of Kingdom Hearts.
Along the way we saw a couple of snack vendors with long lines. The ones that sell ice cream and drinks didn’t have much of a line. The ones with long lines caught my curiosity and I told Hiroshi we might as well stand in line to see what’s all the fuss about. We finally got to the other end and I was surprised at what I saw: churros. These people were willing to wait in this long line for some churros. Sure I haven’t had churros in a long time but this was just hilarious. I tried it and it pretty much tasted the same as the ones in fairs. Then again they may not have much of this stuff here so it makes sense.
*Taste the same but still good.
Regardless of waiting in line for some churros, there were still a lot of time left before we can line up for Space Mountain. Next stop was the gift shop next to the churros. One of the things that I really noticed and even envied in Tokyo Disneyland was the variety of funky souvenir hats. The funniest part was that most of the people who wore them were young couples instead of kids. All of them seriously had matching hats, from Mickey & Minnie to Donald and Daisy. Of course hell would have to freeze over before Hiroshi would actually buy one. Let alone wear one despite how we’ll blend in with every couple. But I still want one for myself even if my boyfriend won’t be wearing a matching one XD
One particular hat stood out because it was simple and had the 30th Anniversary on it. I found one at the store and was very happy to see it was reversible. One side had a bow for Minnie while the other side had Mickey with a top hat. That means I didn’t have to buy two! I looked at Hiroshi who was busy checking the schedule on his phone. He might not buy one but I sure couldn’t pass on this photo opportunity!
*Muwahahaha! Blackmail picture >8D
We arrived at Space Mountain and the fast-pass line was pretty decent. The ride itself was just as I remember: dark, fast, and super fun. As usual, I couldn’t really recall the music because all I kept hearing was Hiroshi’s laughter. It was really contagious too because I hardly hear him laugh for that long. Fun ride as always :)
After Space Mountain, we went to Star Tours to get a fast-pass and headed off to Haunted Mansion. This was another updated ride I’ve never been on hence putting me back to kid mode; pointing at the Nightmare Before Christmas decorations that Hiroshi had already seen. At first I was super excited and then it eventually died down after waiting in line for nearly two hours. Still I enjoyed all the new decors regardless of my growing frustration from the long wait. And yes, everything was in Japanese.
By the time we got out of Haunted Mansion, we were good to go on Star Tours. Hiroshi and I were both excited for this one and I have to say, this line went by pretty fast thanks again to the fast-pass. Not as fast as Pirate of the Caribbean earlier but much better compared to Haunted Mansion. As usual, everything was in Japanese but what’s weird was how C-3PO sounds exactly the same. Darth Vader speaking in Japanese was straight out weird and Hiroshi hated it. He also preferred the old version while I had no idea what was going because I could barely understand a word they said. I should’ve practice my Japanese more before this trip.
After Star Tours, we came across a small marching band walking around and stopped in front of the castle to play Christmas songs. With all the decorations and Christmas music, it certainly felt like Christmas in Tokyo Disneyland. And it just so happens to be my first Christmas season in Disneyland too.
*So pretty :)
Tokyo Disneyland may be small but it can sure hold a lot of people. When we left around 4pm, the front entrance announced they’ve stopped selling tickets because of he overcrowd and will sell again later during the day. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a crowded area before. The good thing is that everyone there knows how to respect personal space.
Tokyo DisneySea was originally our next stop but we were too beat from Disneyland to go to another amusement park. So we went off to the famous crosswalk: Shibuya. We got out of the train station and oh man, we were back in the crowd. The cross path was rather useless since everyone were pretty much walking everywhere.
Despite how friendly people were, I was starting to get tired and annoyed by the tight walking space. Plus I was having cramps which was not a good sign. At least I prolonged it up to towards the end of the trip. So how do you cheer up a girl who’s heading to shark week? With this:
*OMG, this was so GOOD!!! 8D
Oh man, they don’t exaggerate on their dessert in anime. It’s super tasty and light compared to the ones in US. I could probably eat three of these and still feel okay. Yup, this did the trick.
Since we were on our second to the last day of our trip, now was our time to go shopping for souvenirs and perhaps find a stupid affordable check-in bag. The store we went into was just like the shops in Akihabara: one building with different shops on each floor. We finally settled for a polka-dot duffle bag that was $60 and then bought small souvenirs for my family. Hiroshi made sure they were all made in Japan and not China. Because I was a foreigner, the cashiers would show the total cost on their calculator instead of telling me the cost. That was pretty useful. In Philippines they would tell me in English but I would still have a hard time understanding them because of their thick accent XD
It was already night by the time we finished our shopping. The sidewalks were just as crowded as late afternoon. Everything was very similar to what I saw in TV and the only difference is that I was actually standing there. It was dark but you can tell it’s very safe. Seriously, I’m still astounded at how people are able to walk around each other through these crowds without bumping one another. It’s just amazing.
*Night time in Tokyo.
We headed back to our hotel in Odaiba to drop off our stuff and went to Aqua City shopping center for dinner. There was actually a ramen festival that Hiroshi had already set his eyes on it. I’m not much of ramen fan (not hate it either) but anything in Japan is A-OK! That and we were just too tired to look for another restaurant.
*I totally miss this…
There were a lot of vendors with lots of different ramen. Some vendors came from way up north or south while others served vegetarians. They pretty much covered all types of customers. We ordered from two different vendors because Hiroshi wanted to try something new (forgot what he ordered but it didn’t have much soup base) while I wanted some meaty Tonkatsu. His order came in before mine and he said it was okay. I think he wanted something soupy. Mine came a little later and the wait was well worth it. I don’t know what it is about their eggs but they’re really good.
*Dinner!
After dinner we went back to the hotel and started packing our things. We put the heavier stuff like our clothes into the polka-dot duffel bag for check in while the more delicate things like my mini Gundam model stayed in my backpack. Just as I was about to put away the rest of my things, we felt an earthquake. It was kind of strong (stronger than the ones in California) but strong enough for me to literally feel the entire building swaying back and forth. It came in pulses and lasted for about 15 seconds. Keep in mind Typhoon Haiyan just struck Philippines so I was a little terrified of natural disasters. Hiroshi on the otherhand was thrilled and felt the trip was complete. He immediately turned on the TV and watched the news. At least someone was happy.
http://rt.com/news/japan-east-earthquake-tokyo-841/
We looked outside and sure enough the boats immediately headed back to shore. It looked a little sad out there but its better to be safe than sorry. A couple of lights blinked here and there for warning signs but it eventually went away. The boats however didn’t come back.
It took me a while to be finally convinced there wouldn’t be another earthquake and that I should be okay to take my usual hot bad. That would really suck if another one struck while I’m in the middle of a hot bath. The hot water did ease my tension and we watched random shows on TV for the remainder of the night. Fully exhausted, Hiroshi finally went to sleep while I stayed up a little longer staring outside. This was the last night I will be sleeping in this Japan trip. The thought of it made me sad but at the same time I was kind of ready to go home. All the traveling was starting to take a toll and I wouldn’t be surprised if I get sick back in the states. Before I could think of anything else, I fell asleep from exhaustion.
End of Day 8
