09.04.2008, NARITA AIRPORT, TOKYO

9th April 2008. The day finally came when my dreams came true; that was stepping into the land of the rising sun, Japan. The 7h 20 min ride on JAL from Singapore to Tokyo was kinda strenuous but the feeling was gone immediately when I arrived at the Narita Airport. The whole atmosphere was totally different from Singapore and the weather was C-O-L-D! Everybody started putting on their thick jackets (yes I dun think we have the chance to do that in our hot island) and we were whisked off to a bus which did airport-hotel transfer to our hotel for the first night; Hotel Narita Marroad.

After putting down our luggage, we headed to AEON shopping center to have dinner. Yes, our first dinner in Japan and it was located in a food court at the basement of the shopping center. As we chose JAL over SIA (which was an overnight flight), we had to settle the dinner on our own. Thus, we chose to eat bento set because we wanted to ‘experience’ the Japanese culture. And we got to encounter the first communication barrier with the stall owner. Haha. It was pretty amusing as we spoke to her in English and she replied back in Japanese. (!!!) Nevertheless, after some ‘pointing’ and nodding, she finally understood us and ta-daa, here’s our bento set dinner.


Since it was too late to go any places of interest, all we could do was shop around. OMG, I gotten to see LOTSA(YES I mean LOTS) gachapon machines IN THE SHOPPING CENTRE! God I was excited. (In case you are wondering what gachapon machines are, it’s a kind of machine where you put in the coins, turn the knob and anticipate what toy you are going to get from the capsule. Also known as Tikum machines in Singapore. Heh heh..)

So I started digging coins and try my luck. See the ones I gotten! But it’s actually more expensive than Singapore, so I decided to wait and get the toys back in SG instead. Hur hur hur…

We managed to visit the DAISO in Japan, which sells much more variety of goods than what we get in Singapore. The best part is the goods are only 100¥ (=SGD$1.40) each! That’s really CHEAP; we have to pay like SGD$2 in Singapore. But the catch was not ALL items are of the same price. You have to see carefully if they have additional price tags; else the items can be quite expensive.

I gotten some Stitch keychains for only 100¥ (=SGD$1.40), aren’t they cute?
Alas, the shopping center closes at 8.00pm, so we had to leave after a short while. So back to our hotel, and guess what we interesting thing we found in the toilet?
YES an automated ‘clean your butt’ toilet bowl. I was like ‘WOAH’. Question, how do you use it?
My guess was there’s sensors installed because whenever one sits on it, it will automatically be on ‘ready’ mode (You can hear the machine sound) and you can press the buttons to wash. You can select different pressures as well as the height you want the water to reach your butt. AMAZING. Heeheeheee.

Another thing about Japan Hotel rooms was that ‘Yukata’ will be provided as your pyjamas. Hah, obviously I would not miss the chance of trying (being the curious me)! So how do my sister and I look?

Okaayyy…maybe acting cute isn’t our cup of tea, but who cares as long as we’re having fun! Haaa. And yes, it was time for us get enough rest for the highlight on the next day, Tokyo Disneyland.

10.04.2008, TOKYO DISNEYLAND

AHHHHHHH Disneyland!! Where I have ALWAYS wanted to go ever since I was a child. After going to the smallest Disneyland in Hong Kong 10 months ago, I knew I had to go a bigger one. So this was my 2nd Disneyland within a year. Hahaha..but the not so good thing was, Tokyo has two Disney theme parks, DisneyLAND and DisneySEA. I could only choose ONE with a 5800¥ (=SGD$82.10) ticket.

As I’m a Cinderella fan, I decided to see the majestic Cinderella Castle in Disneyland. And I wasn’t ready to get myself wet in such a cold climate. Heh heh.

A little small history of Disneyland…
‘Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド, Tōkyō Dizunīrando) is a 115 acre (466,535 m²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and was opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. It, along with its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not owned by The Walt Disney Company.
There are seven themed areas, each complementing each other yet unique in their style. Made up of the World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown, the park is noted for its huge open spaces to accommodate the massive crowds the park receives on even moderate attendance days. In 2007, Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.9 million guests, ranking it the third-most visited amusement park in the world, behind only its two American sister parks, the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
Tokyo Disneyland will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its grand opening in 2008.’
(Source from Wikitravel)

Ok, I have taken like 170 pictures in the theme park. I don’t think I can upload them one by one, it will take me forever. So let me display them in the slides as attached.

THE GOOD AND BAD OF TOKYO DISNEYLAND...

Well, some nice and not so nice findings:
For thumbs up,

(1) I found a Piglet (*screams*) mascot!!

This is one I totally can’t find in HK Disneyland. I only saw Pooh and Tigger there. But the weird thing was I only saw Piglet and Eeyore in Tokyo Disneyland. HUH? They split to different lands? *Haahaa*

(2) I wore a Stitch hairband for fun. Heh.

(3) I went to Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain

Yeh the rides here are MUCH more exciting! And they are prettier, longer and more detailed than what you get in HK Disneyland. But that also means longer waiting…:(

(4) The restaurants are very cute and detailed

They put a cake inside this cup which you can actually bring home and keep as a souvenir. It was inside a plastic container so that your souvenir cup will not be dirtied. Best of all, they will give a plastic bag so that you can carry your cup around the themepark. INTERESTING!!

(5) I found Cinderella Castle…YEAH!

Look at the mosaic! It was wonderfully done; piece by piece.

The ‘glass slipper’ shop in the castle. They have many glass ornaments made on the spot for buyers. Really good handicraft! But the price was very steep.

(6) Land of the rising popcorn Tokyo Disneyland offers a myriad of flavoured popcorn: Curry Popcorn, Hunny (Honey) Popcorn, Chocolate Popcorn, Soda (Cream Soda) Popcorn, and Caramel Popcorn. They are stored in commemorative refillable Disney bucket (See mine below). The flavours reflect the area you are in. Stitch Container Obviously mine would only be a Piglet, Cinderella or Stitch one…..but they only have Stitch (and other characters which I’m not interested…) so I gotten it at 1200¥ (=SGD$16.80). Expensive but it’s only available in Tokyo Disneyland. And the container is REALLY cute. What you do is hang it around your neck and eat as and when you like. Is air-tight so you dun have to worry about it turning bad and you can even carry it to rides! Cool huh! And best of all, the container is so big you can use it to store food (YES AIR TIGHT!! HOORAY!!) again. However, I can’t help thinking it as a waste paper basket..haahaa… (8) It’s a small world

Enjoy the small clip I managed to record!

(8) The themepark is BIG. And yes one day is definitely not enough. You need at least two days WITHOUT queuing in order to finish the attractions. Their services are really good, so that is one I REALLY MUST GIVE THEM THUMBS UP!

For thumbs down,
(1) Everything is in Japanese, which is quite intimidating as I dun really understand what they are conveying
Well, I guess HK Disneyland out win Tokyo Disneyland as they have 3 languages for you to select. There is no way you won’t understand anything. For me, probably I will really enjoy the themepark if there is some English in it. Heh. I totally look like an idiot during those interative sessions.

(2) They are such ‘law-by-law’ people
Yes. Everything is according to PROCEDURES. No negotiation, no nothing. Even if you are 1second late and they have yet to close the gate of the attractions or there are still places in the rides, they will ask you to wait for the next round. Why? Because is against their rule. What can you do? WAIT. And wait. ARGH. So again, HK Disneyland is better..I dun have to wait that long. HAH.

(3) THERE’S NO SNOWGLOBE!!!!!
I flew all the way and paid so much for the Disneyland ticket. One main reason is to buy the snowglobe. BUT there was not even one. Because they did not sufficient snowglobes and the goods are still on the way. SOB!
And that concludes my second day in Tokyo. My take? The theme park is pretty nice overall, but language is a barrier. Better to choose English-speaking Disneylands so that you will be able to understand and thus enjoy more! However, I’m still planning to go back but to DisneySEA the next time round as it is the only water-based theme-park in the whole world!

11.04.2008, TOKYO TOUR

After some fun in the theme park, it’s time to really visit some of the famous areas in Tokyo. Tokyo (東京), being the capital of Japan, is the most populated urban area in the world. Located geographically at about the center of the Japanese archipelago and in the southern part of the Kanto area, Tokyo shares borders with Chiba prefecture to the east along the Edogawa River, Yamanashi to the west along a mountain range, Kanagawa in the south along the Tamagawa River, and Saitama in the north. Tokyo is vast: it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together. However, due to time constraint, we only managed to see Tokyo Tower and the Asakusa Temple. There are still many interesting places in this city, but I guess it has to be left till the next trip.

11.04.2008, TOKYO TOWER

One of the famous icons of Tokyo, this is the place to see view of the whole Tokyo. Well, we did not go up the tower as the sky was quite misty and the entrance fee was quite expensive. So we just took some photos at a park which oversees the tower.

And guess what, we saw some sakura trees! PRETTY! We will definitely not miss the chance of taking photos with them…

11.04.2008, ASAKUSA KANNON BUDDHIST TEMPLE

Asakusa (浅草) is a part of Tokyo's downtown Taito district best known for its many temples, particularly Sensōji. Sensōji (浅草寺), also known as Asakusa Kannon, is Tokyo's largest Buddhist temple and a major attraction for Japanese and foreigners alike.

First of all, everybody has to go to the fountain cleanse oneself before going into the temple.
There’s a procedure in doing it; first using your left hand to hold the washing cup and clean your right hand, then vice versa and for a second time clean your right hand once more. Lastly, scoop some water into both hands and drink the water.

Kaminarimon

Up first is the Kaminarimon (雷門) or "Thunder Gate", featuring a much-photographed giant lantern and statues of guardian gods Raijin (god of thunder) and Fujin (god of wind). First built in 942, the gate has been destroyed numerous times and the current incarnation dates to only 1950.

Hōzōmon

At the end of the arcade is the main gate Hōzōmon (宝蔵門), notable for a giant straw sandal (waraji) hung up on one side. This gate too is guarded by ferocious guardian gods.

Kannondō

The perennially busy Kannondō (観音堂, Kannon Hall) is behind the gate, with a steady stream of worshippers wafting incense over themselves and trooping up the steps to pray and donate. According to legend, the hall was originally built in 628 to house a statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, fished out of the Sumida River by two brothers.

Gojūnoto

To the west is the Gojūnoto (五重塔, 5-Story Pagoda), reputedly containing some of the ashes of the Buddha.

Nakamise

The shopping street leading from the Kaminarimon gate to the temple is the covered Nakamise (仲見世) arcade, selling all sorts of Buddhist paraphernalia as well as assorted Japanese souvenirs and food.

Throngs of people looking at the shops…Looks like a much more high class ‘pasar malam’ huh? But the things are not cheap here.
Next up, we headed to Yokohama for small walk at their Chinatown and try their Ramen.