Okay. I love Disney stuff. And when I say love it, I mean I LOVE it. Considering the crowds we saw, I'd have to say that lots of Japanese (and Korean and Chinese) people love Disney too. This year is the 25th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland, and there was a lot around to remind us of it.
We got a two-day pass, one day at Tokyo Disneyland, and one day at Disney Sea. We spent our first day at Disneyland, which is pretty much made up of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland from Disney World. Lots of familiar things, and some new things too. Click this link to see my entire Flickr photostream for Disneyland. Here's the "highlight reel".
(Our awesome river guide on the Jungle Cruise)
(This car drives around spraying people with water to keep them cool)
(The front of It's a Small World)
(Me buying some of the most awesome dessert in the park - frozen mango)
(Pooh's Hunny Hunt is one of the unique rides to Disney Tokyo. They don't allow pictures inside, unlike other rides. This ride is INCREDIBLY popular - you honestly won't believe it. It was seriously the longest line in the entire two parks that we experienced. We learned later that of all the rides, this is the one that they recommend getting a Fast Pass for. Pooh is a super, super popular character here. I think Stitch comes second.)
There was also a lot of different headgear available that was really just super adorable.
(Pooh ears)
(Haunted Mansion Minnie)
(Pirates of the Caribbean)
(Waiting for the night show to start by the castle. They have a neat system here for how they decide where you can sit for the show. You enter a lottery where you can get seats in the reserved area, a spot in the reserved standing area, or nothing, in which case you have to fend for yourself. We were lucky enough to get seats in the centre front section!!)
Next post, Disney Sea!!
About Me
On Saturday, Jamie and I headed over to Odaiba, which is made completely out of reclaimed land. It's a mecca of shopping and entertainment, and attracts both tourists and locals alike. To get there, you take an unmanned train that runs on rubber tires, and not a regular track.
Some scenes from Odaiba...
(Beach volleyball anyone? As you can probably tell, it was a super hot day)
Being a super hot day, we decided that we needed some refuge from the sun and humidity. Good thing we weren't too far from Decks and Aqua City (two really big malls).
As you can see from the photo, the Sega Joypolis was just waiting for us to visit, so who were we to say no? After all, what trip to Japan is complete without a plethora of video games?
Joypolis actually had a lot more than just video games; it also had some really great simulator rides which I enjoyed a lot.
Odaiba is also the home of Fuji TV, a really big ferris wheel, and something called The Big Sight.
Today, we took a 3.5 hour Shinkansen (aka Bullet Train) ride to Himeji so we could see the Himeji Castle, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Originally built in the 1300's, it was demolished then rebuilt in 1580 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It remained in use until 1868, then restored in 1956 to its current condition. With its white walls and unique architecture, the castle is supposed to give one the impression of a white heron in flight. Visitors are allowed to walk around the grounds, as well as in the main tower, and a few other satellite buildings, though be prepared to remove your shoes upon entering.
Guess they weren't that tall back then.
Some of the various family crests adorning the castle.
Jamie and the Main Tower.
A small door leading to a hidden room where soliders could lie in wait for any invaders who might have made it that far, or where supplies could be stored.
A view from the top.
The entranceway to the castle complex.
Tomorrow and Tuesday - Disneyland and Disney Sea!!
I'm not sure if the past two days have much to blog about, but here goes anyway.
On Thursday (July 10), we went shopping. Not too many photos there, but we took a few that might be somewhat interesting.
A kitty playhouse where you can pay to play with some cats.
Sunshine City is a really huge mall/entertainment complex. It even has an aquarium with sea otters and live shows up on the roof of one of the buildings, and a planetarium too.
Yebisu Garden Place - where we had dinner up on the 38th floor.
A driving school that we saw from our window seat at the restaurant.
Our waiter showering our okonomiyaki with mayonnaise. You can't tell from the photo, but he's holding the bottle from quite a ways away.
Shibuya at night
On Friday (July 11), we head out for a walk around the Imperial Palace.
That's Tokyo Station, getting a face-lift.
Some neat things we saw in the castle moat.
Outside the castle grounds. The public isn't actually allowed onto the palace grounds.
After walking out in the heat, we decided that we needed some time in an air conditioned building. We headed over to Ginza to visit the Sony Building, and drool over all the high tech toys they have.
We aren't sure what the heck that is. According to the text, it moves and lights up, and 'dances' to music.
Cellphones in Japan are bigger than in North America, and I like them better.
We had dinner with my friend Saori at a Japanese style bar. We had some really nice sashimi, yakitori (BBQ chicken on skewers), tempura, and beer.
Tomorrow, we're heading to Odaiba and then to Himeji Castle on Sunday.
So, we left Vancouver for Japan on Monday (July 8). The Vancouver Airport is really nice - they even have an aquarium for you to look at while waiting to board.
Forgive the bad picture!
After a nice long flight, we arrived in Tokyo. Our first night, I was too tired to take many pictures. I did take a picture of our hotel/apartment though.
It's smaller than we thought - we misunderstood what 'Standard Double' meant, but it has all the things that we need: kitchen, very nice bathroom, comfy bed, TV, and internet!
After a good night's sleep, we set out to explore some areas of Tokyo that we hadn't seen yet.
Here's a link to all the photos in my Flickr (click here); but here's a few that I thought would be nice to share.
This sandal is actually huge, and covers about half the height of the gate.
And just what am I pointing at?
It seems like there was some sort of Festival going on at Shinsoji Temple (which is where that big gate is, so there was lots of festival food around.
All that left us kinda craving veggies, so we bought some food t the grocery store nearby our place, and had a nice simple dinner (salad with egg, and fruit). I'm really enjoying the idea of being able to cook sometimes instead of having to go out all the time. I also went and got a massage today, and the lady who did it told me that my shoulders were really hard. She did a great job though, and got a lot of the knots out.
Tomorrow, we're planning to do some shopping for CDs, books, and stuff like that that we can only get here. I think I'm gonna relax in the tub now!
