5/29: Blustery day off of Tokyo Bay!

You know it was windy out...yes, windy, not breezy when you go into Disney Sea and see all the trash cans tethered to another...gusts as high as 32mph in Tokyo which is on the otherside of Tokyo Bay. DisneySea is located basically on the bay.

Today was our park hopper day, and we did true to the park hopping. Started the morning out at Disneyland to knock out some of our favorites from a couple days ago and to experience a few more of the ones we loved!

One thing that consistently throws me off is the use of music from WDW. Walking through areas I feel like I should be getting to the countries or main entrance of Epcot. This is a daily occurrence where I need to wrap my brain around the fact that it's music from home but it's not home!

As my facebook statused stated, I have been trying a lot of new foods and strange combinations. But when consumed via chop sticks it all tastes better....I just wish there was some fresh fruit around. That is definitely something that has been lacking. I could handle a banana!! My variety at lunch today took the cake...seafood pizza. When I opened the box I recognized shrimp and octopus...the grey stuff not too sure on but it tasted like crab! This has been an adventure in trying new foods!

 

After lunch we wandered off to Pooh's Honey Hunt, expecting it to be a lot like the Pooh ride at MK; holy smokes was I wrong!! Started off in a row to load and then we took off with no track leading the way...pretty awesome!! This ride is fairly new and has a constant line going (minimum 40 minute wait and majority of the time over an hour). YouTube this one!

Did our last minute shopping this afternoon and made it into the other show here that is a lottery system to see....no lottery today because it was a slower day :) One Man's Dream II...the shows remind me of being on the cruise ships because the quality is so high and the performances are pretty long as well!

While walking out of the park to head to DisneySeas I saw a set of white rabbit ears and these sumo...If that doesn't make your Disney day I don't know what will!





After a cold and blustery walk around DisneySea and rode the one thing we hadn't done, we saw a bit of Fantasmic (slightly different from ours in Florida)...it takes place on this lake with barges and blow up globes and a mountain that turns into a sorcerer's hat. Then what a surprise...the fireworks were cancelled due to high winds...I am starting to wonder if they even load the fireworks.

 

Then it was back to Disneyland to have a waffle (big Mickey head waffle) with mango and ice cream! I have had quite the variety of waffles here! They have mini waffles in a cup for a snack, breakfast waffles are super sweet and they have boxes waffles for sale as well....we jumped onto the waffle bandwagon.

 

The final ride of the night was Splash Mountain, I offered our front row seat to the girls behind us and they laughed and politely declined. They didn't realize that we would just duck at the bottom of the drop to avoid the splash....hehe. Well, mom will duck before we even get to the picture spot.

And with this, the Tokyo Disneyland experience has come to an end. It has been an amazing experience as a Cast Member to see and experience an international Disney location. The Cast Members have been absolutely amazing and everyone we meet has been so excited to try their English skills out (even if it is a small amount) and their faces light up when I say thank you or good morning in Japanese...and when they ask where we are visiting from the excitement they get when talking about WDW and me mentioning where I work has been so fun! The park has been just like the rest of Tokyo, immaculate! I definately cannot wait to visit again and am really curious to see how the other international parks operate and what the Cast are like in other locations.



5/28: Welcome to the breeze off Tokyo Bay!

Two nights in a row the fireworks have been cancelled due to "inclement weather" aka high winds off of Tokyo Bay nightly...big white caps and downright cold temps when the wind really gets going out there!

Took a chance and played American tourist today...rocked a skirt and flip flops without a pair of socks or pantyhose. After a week and a half of shoe wearing I needed a break!! Successful until it started to get breezey off the bay and then cold...then it was home for jeans, long sleeved shirt, a jacket and sneakers.

This morning's trip to Disney Sea included some of the longest but most organized lines I have ever seen! Amazing how polite people are when the parks haven't even opened yet!

As predicted, the vast majority of Guests ran for Toy Story fastpasses, made that easy for me to get Tower of Terror fastpasses for and then we were off for the fun of efficient fastpass collection and usage. Fortunately it was a MUCH slower day than yesterday so lines weren't nearly a bad!

Unless you have riden Tower of Terror with 18 Japanese school girls then it no longer counts...because we did! The entire storyline is based off of a shrine/idol that was giving to this amazing explorer and his disappearance. The moment the doors shut the shrieking began and didn't stop one bit...this ride is much milder than the two in the states but that didn't matter to this group!

 

 

Managed to take a ride on the boats today from one side of the park to the front :) I definitely noticed the horn signals are the same as WDW! Besides that one little thing I got to play tourist today and use the map and times guide! This also means we weren't as nearly efficient as I would have liked to have been.

 

This park completely immerses you into the lands and areas, absolutely larger than life but beautiful!! We got to utilize subtitle experiences to read a few performanaces in English....makes a world of difference when you know what is going on and not just watching because that's fun too. The devices are handheld, electronic and awesome. For the Little Mermaid it was in the shape of a clam and in Alladin it was a fancy "gold" square. I also love how the Cast will remind you when you need to take your extended mouse ears off. Again, such politeness for those around you! 

 

This evening we had our first running experience, there was no lottery this morning for the purchasing of the two bears. Mom and I got there just as they were finishing seating! This show had big band era music, dancers and a few characters, including the popular Marie (the cat). No translation needed! Especially when Mickey was playing the drums and then tap dancing!

Sandwich combinations for restaurants targetting  Guests with "american" sandwiches sure do have a strange combination habit. Tonight I had a bagel with shrimp, smoked salmon, avacado sauce with cheese. The cheese threw me off quite a bit though!

Another exciting and draining day has been completed! Just one more day in the parks...vacation is coming to an end sadly.

5/27: The Guests here need Sherpas!

Well just as expected, this is the MOST magical place on Earth! Full day, open to close with a break for less than an hour to walk back to the hotel for a shoe change and sweatshirt addition. I am fairly certain I am going to sleep for several days upon my return home, but it will be all worth it!

My morning started out with me trying to figure out the hot pot, water dispenser in the room for some coffee! Plugged it in, nothing, then I tried to pour water into the top of it (there is water in it already and it doesn't go in thru where I was trying to pour it), finally the genius thought to check the plug and see if it was attached...bingo! Hot coffee coming my way finally...had a blonde moment/I'm so pretty sometimes.

We walked out of the hotel to partake in our 15 minutes early entry privilege...you don't realize how precious this opportunity is until you walk up and see thousands of people waiting to be let into the park...at 8am. I can only imagine when they got there!! Then it was off to the races...lucky for us Star Tours just opened this month so that's where everyone went to. Walking into the park was so fun though, there were Cast Members all over the entrance area and down the main street just there to smile, wave and say hello...seriously magical people!!

But truly...these Guests took off running and sprinting towards Tomorrowland, we hit up the first Fastpass machine we could get...and then we were off for the game of Fastpasses for the day. When you use the opportunity you will never wait in a line more than 30 minutes! The majority of Guests spend their time in lonnggg lines. Splash Mountain got to a 190 minute wait this afternoon, this seems common with the large attractions, waits well over one hour and most over two hours....that's dedication and a lack of understanding the greatness of Fastpass! My favorite was walking up to Haunted Mansion to find a 70 minute wait but Fastpasses available for use within 40 minutes...the math just doesn't add up to me but ah well! Serves me better!

Wanna experience something super crazy right away in the morning? How about Buzz Lightyear speaking in Japanese!

This is definitely a culture of fantasy as I have said before and this culture also has some interesting habits that I'm picking up on being immersed in Disney as the minority. Here are some fun ones:
1. Popcorn buckets: this country LOVES popcorn, and different flavors at that. Most everyone has a popcorn container that is reusable/refillable for a good rate. I have never seen such a variety of one item...my mom is now the proud owner of a 30th anniversary balloon popcorn bucket. We had honey and caramel popcorn today...other kinds that exist in Disneyland include salted and curry. More to try tomorrow!
2. On the topic of balloons.......there are NO real balloons. Not a single one! Just the decor of Mickey balloons on the castle and in select locations throughout the park.

3. Stuffed animals, particularly Duffy the Bear. This bear gets carried around EVERYWHERE, so does his girlfriend ShellieMay. Adults are carrying this bear around all dressed up...in addition to their bag, fun Disney hat and other bags, the bears also get to sit and have tea and have their pictures taken. I saw three plush sharing a plastic sheet that Guests use for sitting on the ground.

4. Plastic sheets: when sitting on the ground for parades people use plastic sheets to save seats and sit on (since the ground is oh, so dirty...not really....I've seen people scrub them before)! When people get a spot for the parade they don't move...it's a sitting area to watch the parade. All strollers have to be folded down. One of the best places to be today!

5. No flash photography actually means no photography....I learned this one in the Country Bear Jamboree after I got asked to stop taking pictures. Classic American country songs, mostly in Japanese...like Achey Breakey Heart, On the Road Again and Workin' on the Railroad...but then throw in some songs in English!

6. Masks: for as many people as we saw with face masks throughout Tokyo (hundreds), I saw 3 today. I am having a hard time understanding where the logic is and what makes people decide to not wear theirs to come to Disneyland.

I love when Cast Members try out their English (which they do frequently!) and ask where we are from. I always say Florida and then they reference WDW in FL and I tell them I work there...people get SOOO excited about that here. Pretty fun to have convos with the Cast, they are all soo sweet!

This park feels like Disneyland in CA and WDW in FL got together and had modules pulled from them to create a new park with some original attractions as well. And between English and Japanese, it seems to fluctuate between the two. It's a strange feeling when on your first day you think, oh I know where the nearest bathroom would be and getting there with no map and then you confirm your prediction! The animatronics here are amazing...need to tell my brother to youtube some and see them!

Sadly the fireworks were cancelled tonight but we did get to see two parades (both amazing) and do nearly every singe ride in the park. Also, if you think there are lots of merchandise and food locations at WDW...come over here...every attraction has a store and lots of cool original merchandise! I am having to hold back on buying stuff just yet. Off to DisneySea in the morning!

5/26: My surreal Disney life...

Got off the bus today (Good Neighbor Hotel transfer bus from Keio Plaza in Shinjuku, Tokyo to Tokyo Disneyland) and recognized the music immediately...I was taken back to the Ticket and Transportation Center where I work. This is just the start of the unreal feeling I'm getting while being at Disneyland!

However, today started out with checking out of the hotel and then taking our final adventure to Asakusa for some last morning shopping. My fellow Map Master and I led my mom and our friend on our journey! We finally got our picture taken with the "saving electricity" sticker on the window of the subway. It's a picture of a lightbulb with it's eyes closed. After a week of taking the subway everywhere and spending it watching people on their cell phones or sitting with their eyes closed it reminded us of the locals on the trains....so naturally we had to take our own picture with the sticker!

After going the wrong way out of the station for a bit (my fault) because we didn't transfer to the other subway line (Aaron's fault) we eventually made it to Asakusa. While wandering around the shopping area I finally found a few things I wanted and a few gifts to be given. We also managed to be found by a group of high schoolers out doing homework with a goal of finding people who spoke English...we were quickly eagle eyed and approached...ding ding ding! English speakers present! They got to ask if this was our first trip, what our favorite Japanese food was and which of the boys we thought was the cutest, haha!! Totally made my morning :)

Then it was on to our last subway adventure...back to the Asakusa line to catch a connection on the Oedo line to the hotel. The best part is when we disembarked for our connection we had to go outside and walk another 400+m to get to the next/connection station...we would have done better just walking to the station in the first place!! But eventually we got back to the hotel and got checked in for the hotel shuttle and had to say bye to my fellow Map Master...definitely had some tears going :( But I did remind him that I will be enjoying my summer break and will remind everyone of that while they're in class!

After dragging our thousand pound suitcases through the bus load zones, past the monorail station, through the back entrance of the hotel, up the elevator and back to the lobby we finally could look around and just say wow....after a week of living in Tokyo and feeling a sense of living in a version of fantasy in the very real world I finally feel that this is normal and it should feel like Disney because it is Disney!

Just after arriving there are so many differences that I can see and have experienced already!
1. There is no early check-in. Check-in begins promptly at 3pm, you can take your bags to the bell captain and have them stored until it is time to check-in.
2. When the line starts to get long they get out a few rolling stanchions to mark the end of the line. You will also get a small cup of juice to drink while waiting.
3. When you check-in you will wait in the lobby until your name is called by the bell hop assigned to you, they bring your suitcases and escort you to your room. The nearest emergency exit is pointed out and you get a full tour of your room....which is amazing.

This is the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo Disneyland resort, it's a celebration of Happiness and during this time there are special menus planned for this anniversary. I must say I've been very proud of myself for all the foods I have been willing to try! Today I had tuna for the second time ever and smoked salmon for the second time as well...traveling international is fun! At some point in time you stop thinking and just eat it or at least try it...unless it's tofu. Then you pretend it's not there, unless it's fried. We had lunch in the Dreamer's Lounge, got my first free refil in Japan today...it was on iced coffee (there is an obsession with iced coffee here but it's really good)!

This room we're in is seriously beyond amazing...the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is no joke and not nearly as expensive as some of the deluxe resorts (hooray for a favorable exchange rate for US to Japan). My jaw literally dropped when we walked in our room. There is a Grand Floridian style with an emphasis on Beauty and the Beast, our room overlooks the monorail station and the theme park.

There are so many products for free here...it's no wonder the Japanese people come to Disney with one small bag...they dont' have to pack anything. Even pajamas are provided...I can only imagine what happens when the Japanese tourists come to the US and find that there are no pj's in the drawer!

 

 

The shower is huge...it's an entire room with an amazing bathtub in it...I had to sit in it right away!

 

 

Finally, after a week of rotating jeans and sweating in them and walking in them all day, everyday this past week we hit up the laundry room to wash clothes. Wanna know fun? Go into a laundry room and have not a single bit of English on the machines...the only thing I understood was 100. Then go buy laundry detergent that doesn't have any English on it. Thank goodness for universal symbols on the care label and on the box of detergent! There will be a picture of this on here eventually. The washers are awesome and I learned why people hang their clothing outside to dry, the machine takes forever. We finally had to give up and bring clothes back, which are hanging all over the room to finish drying.

 

 

We took a trip on the monorail tonight to head to what is essentially the equivalent of Downtown Disney...just multi-level and more third party presence. We went to a place called Trail and Track for dinner, the menu had not a lick of English on it and when I asked about an English menu our server said he knows only a little bit of English...so we never got a different menu! Hooray for pictures, that saved us a bit this evening!

 

 

I can't wait to start my real vacation and experience Tokyo Disneyland tomorrow, and practice some Japanese phrases before I head back.

The courtyard of the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

 





 

Taking the opportunity to call it a night rather than spend my time making sentences up to post on my blog!



5/25: One by one we have to say good-bye

Our final day of touring began nice and early at 830am (I’m getting used to waking up at 0500 and crossing my fingers that I will get another hour minimum of sleep!) with a trip out to Tokyo University to talk to author, Satoko Norimatsu, author of Resistant Islands. With this trip the Map Masters got to experience a new train line…the Keio Line (represented by a purple box), this part of the subway started out inside and then went outside. You’re welcome for that little bit of information!

 

This session was incredibly interesting and we were mixed in with Japanese undergraduate students. At the end of the session we had the opportunity to talk to the students, one student was very well spoken with amazing English. We learned she had lived in New York for 4 years with her family. The other students were willing to try their English skills and talked about places to travel and school. One is taking a trip for a month in the US all on his own so he won’t talk Japanese with his friend. We got the opportunity to be shown around the campus with a student…the quietest student came right up to me and we took our tour. The first question, which I love, “are you on facebook?” and when I said yes, “can I add you?” Amazing how Facebook is now an almost universal language! Sakura wants to be a researcher and wants to make enough money someday to support children…I told her that I definitely didn’t think that way when I was in my undergrad and I barely think that as I am now 30 and single! By the time I had checked my Facebook I had a new friend in another country!

 

After our time at Tokyo University it was onto our debriefing and closing lunch. Honestly one of the longest restaurant I have ever walked through. It was like a complex of restaurants! We did our debriefing and had several courses…I’m getting good at this trying new foods thing! When it came to debriefing I talked about how comfortable I felt in Tokyo as overwhelming as it is…we mastered the subway map and had a blast going all over the place. Had I not been comfortable I don’t think I would have been able to be so engaged in the culture.

On our way back we finally did it, we lost one of our own in the underground! There is nothing like exiting the train to look back to make sure everyone got off the train and seeing one of your group being shut into the train as it takes off!! Luckily the teacher was on board and got her back…needless to say we had quite a few laughs about this throughout the evening.

The adventure continued with the last evening taking us to the Tokyo Dome for the baseball game. Tokyo Giants versus the Olix Giants. The moment we arrived it was time for t-shirts…we needed to fit in with the locals, ha! The attempt was made and appreciated by all J And the shirts were definitely cheaper than buying a shirt in the US at a ball field! Then it was time for hot dogs at the first hot dog stand in a ball park in Japan. This stand opened in 1949 and was serving Johnsonville hot dogs J taking part in a little piece of history and then enjoying my new favorite beer, Kirin.

Surprising to notice there wasn’t any playing of a national anthem and no formal start to the game. There was a performance by their cheerleaders but it’s pretty funny to see they are fairly well covered and the music they dance to is definitely 90’s rock….or even farther back to “The Witch Doctor”. Hilarious night! The favorite part is seeing the beer girls, they bow at the bottom of the stairs, wave and then work their way up the stairs while carrying a mini-keg on their backs. Honestly so much beer and chance to get beer and variety of brands. Definitely different from the states! Even a choice between Coke and Pepsi!

 

Even in the ball field it was clean! Between the innings people ran through with trash bags and everyone passed the garbage down. Honest to goodness, this city is cleaner than Disney World! When foul balls were hit into the stands the ushers would blow a whistle in the area and then immediately check on the spectators to make sure they’re ok and then report back to security that everything was ok.

It was so strange to be at a ball field and see everyone eating with chopsticks and they allow carry-ins! The favorite of our group was the gigantic loaf of bread in the ziplock bag that the lady two rows down kept pulling out of her backpack!

The Giants managed to pull out a win in the final inning coming from behind with a double…great way to end the night! And then it was time for the journey back to the hotel, with a stop on the 45^th floor in the hotel for a final drink overlooking the city and talking about what we want to be when we grow up. Still working on that one…both growing up and figuring out what I want to be when I do finally grow up.

 

 

 

5/24: Don't blog when exhausted!

Holy smokes! For those who read my blog yesterday thank you for coming back to read again because all I can say is that I officially crossed the line of exhaustion and slept better than I had in the past week last night!

Today was a day of touring with the entire group. You know you've gotten comfortable with the group and traveling the massive Tokyo Subway when your tour guide has to tell you and your partner in crime to slow down and stay with the group! On the train this morning we were with several groups of high schoolers going to a class trip, it makes me laugh when we show up. The youth of Tokyo are very outwardly interested in Americans, they see us get onto the trains or walk through an area and instantly the girls start giggling and get very brave to yell "you're cute!" to one of the guys in the group and when we are on the trains both boys and girls try to take pictures of us while we're not paying attention...it's very funny! Some get brave enough to test their English or use our interpretter for touring to ask questions...these are the moments that make this trip truly life changing. On a trip this afternoon I was asked if I was from the United States and when I said yes this man started a conversation with me, he had spent 7 years in Long Island. Pretty fun to actually bond with someone on the train!

 

The first stop of the day had us at Offuna-Kannon, this bust is the goddess of mercy, this belief spread with people praying for permanent world peace. This was meant to stand multiple times higher than the arch in St Louis but the ground began to give away and they decided to end construction at that point. Very beautiful and at the top of a hill that is more steep than the one at UWEC! There are dedications on this hill to those that lost their lives during the use of atomic bombs.

 

 

 

 

Back on the train to head to the house of the first Shogun in Kamakura. This location was set up as a perfect fort because of the mountains it was technically impossible to attack from any side but the ocean with the exception of one path through the mountains that was wide enough to fit one horse at a time. The walkway through Kamakura is lined with Cherry Blossum Trees (they are not in bloom right now) and little shops. Lots of school groups at this location today! We definitely got our stairs workout going up to the temple!

 

Before the stairs there was a wall of barrels filled with Sake, and one section of beer...gifts to the gods.



 

After this we made our way by train to The Great Buddha in Kamakura, this was a one way train and very busy! Very narrow walkways/sidewalks from the station to the Buddha and lots of tourist shops, it's good to see these shops exist everywhere! On the walk to the Buddha there were in ground signage directing residents on the way to go for a tsunami evacuation, as we're walking it dawned on me that unlike in Florida where people drive on the evacuation routes for hurricanes, in this region people would be walking to escape the dangers of a tsunami.

Visiting the Great Buddha we found lots of incense and gifts to the Buddha like fruit, water and flowers at the base of the shrine. For 20 yen we could go inside and see the construction, very stuffy and very small staircase but cool to see how hollow it was inside!

 

 

 

After this we took the train to Yokohama...we cannot forget that when a phone rings on the train and someone talks on it, it is annoying to your neighbors. Even when your neighbors are your friends...we will remind you, haha!

 

 

 to the Ramen Museum…the interior was designed as 1930’s Tokyo on multiple levels and there were more ramen restaurants than I ever expected to see in my life. Had ramen for the first time ever…from a place that came over from Los Angeles. Had the chance to talk to one of the guys there that was sent over for the grand opening of this restaurant. I don’t think I would go back to this “museum” though…I am sure there are better places to check out than this one!! (Not our idea to go there…promise).

 

 

We headed back to the hotel via lots of trains as always and then it was time to go off on another adventure; going across Tokyo to buy tickets for the Tokyo Giants game for the next night in the middle of rush hour traffic/commute. Aaron and I took off in the middle of one of the busiest stations in Tokyo, maps in hand and our running shoes on. We were literally running up and down the escalators, thru the ticket stations and jumping onto trains. The best part was waiting on our first train, this was the heaviest part of the commute. Aaron was one person ahead of me in the crowd and made it onto the train in the middle…I managed to step onto the train and realize “Holy crap, I should have backed up into this train” as I wasn’t able to move any further into the train. I knew I had to get turned around by the time the doors were closing…I managed with my arms crossed in front of me and my nose touching the window of the door all I could do was laugh. I wish Aaron had been able to get a picture but there was no way either of us was moving our arms…I’m sure that was a fun surprise for the people waiting on the train at the next stop! American girl jammed up against the door in the subway laughing away while this is normal for their world!

 

This train was the empty one!! Needed the breathing room after that first trip!

We got out to the Tokyo Dome on two nearly empty trains (mind boggling how quickly the subways clear out on a Friday night after work!!)…this place was huge from the outside! An entire city located outside of it which was very quiet for a Friday night, huge Ferris wheel and rollercoaster as well. With successful minor use of pictures, brochures and broken English, 9 tickets for baseball were purchased and the Amazing Race back to the hotel ensued! Hooray for the Map Master Duo working their way back efficiently with a lot of laughs along the way.

 

And then it was off to Ginza! Keep in mind….every night of this trip the group decided we were going to Ginza and then wound up going to some other location. Well finally we did it…took the train and a small group of us and came out into the center of Ginza…a much cleaner version of Manhattan from what I understand (I’ve never been to Manhattan but this was clean even for other cities in the US).

 

We took a walk down the main drag and then started heading to the side streets to find a good place to eat…hard to find something that is less expensive with some English subtitles on the menu that could accommodate 6 on a busy Friday night. But we did it as we always do! You know it’s going to be a good place when you are asked to take off your shoes and the tables look like they are on the ground but have a secret drop off to sit on!

I am getting good at this chopsticks thing!!

 

Mom learned how to use chop sticks and ate the entire meal this way and another round of Sake was had! Good thing Keary had Warm Black Brah to use on the way back to the train!