我和东京の约会- 2014夏日版, or, J's Solo date with Tokyo, 2014 Summer version
- Thread starter joeson
- Start date
haha! I should ask JTB to pay me endorsement fees, along with all the other seniors here in the Japan thread. tokyo is, in my humble opinion, not worth 2 days only/ :x
Day 4: Odaiba (Part 2)
Miraikan took quite awhile, so it was already evening time when me and online friend went for the ferris wheel. there's two options: you could either opt for the normal cabins one, or the ones with the glass bottoms. being naturally afraid of heights, I decided (to much annoyance from online friend), that we take the normal cabins.
[Much to my dismay, the cable cars at Hakone were much worse. But more on that in the later posts.]
the exterior of the ferris wheel.
Views from the Ferris Wheel.
Dinner was settled at a random international buffet restaurant in AquaCity after the 20 minute ride. Food was pretty good with a ok amount of selections. They even have Singaporean chicken!
lluminated ferris wheel.
Bade farewell to online friend after dinner as we made our respective ways back to other lodgings. Bought some simple pastries, milk and tea for the next day's breakfast at the Family Mart below my block, showered and rested for the night.
Miraikan took quite awhile, so it was already evening time when me and online friend went for the ferris wheel. there's two options: you could either opt for the normal cabins one, or the ones with the glass bottoms. being naturally afraid of heights, I decided (to much annoyance from online friend), that we take the normal cabins.
[Much to my dismay, the cable cars at Hakone were much worse. But more on that in the later posts.]
the exterior of the ferris wheel.
Views from the Ferris Wheel.
Dinner was settled at a random international buffet restaurant in AquaCity after the 20 minute ride. Food was pretty good with a ok amount of selections. They even have Singaporean chicken!
lluminated ferris wheel.
Bade farewell to online friend after dinner as we made our respective ways back to other lodgings. Bought some simple pastries, milk and tea for the next day's breakfast at the Family Mart below my block, showered and rested for the night.
Day 5: Hakone (Part 1)
Firstly, my apologies for not updating this thread for a few weeks; was having a vacation at Hong Kong for the past 8 days or so, very hot weather there. :/ anyway...
Hakone is another place that I would highly recommend to go- doing it in a day trip is just not giving it justice. The peace and tranquility of the onsen resorts there are just the thing that can help us recharge, especially when in Singapore, with all the business and stuffs that are going on concurrently. But I digress.
Getting to Hakone is an adventure itself. But most importantly, everyone should get the Hakone Free Pass. Despite its name, its not free: it's a special pass that allows one to get the following:
1. One round trip from Tokyo area to Hakone via Odakyu Railways;
2. Unlimited use of Odakyu affiliated buses, trains, boats, cablecars and ropeways within the Hakone free area. and
3. Discounted admission to selected tourist attractions.
And the cost? For a 2 days pass, it costs 5,140 Yen if you buy it at Shinjuku Station, but if you purchase it in the area covered by the Pass, like Odawara station, it costs 4,000 Yen.
If you ask me whether the free pass is worth it or not, it depends on your itinerary. For those who are planning a 2D1N option, then its definitely worth it. If you're going the round course, which I will be covering later, then yes. But if you're like going from Shinjuku to Lake Ashi only, then nope.
My itinerary:
- Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto station via Odakyu Railway.
- Hakone-Yumoto to Gora via the Hakone Tozan Train. Covered by Pass. It's a mountain railway that winds through the mountains and forests, covering switchbacks along the route. Very scenic route, but I didn't get any photos cos I was having my breakfast during then. :/
- Gora to Sounzan via the Hakone Tozan Cablecar. A more accurate way to describe it is a tram. Its not unlike the Peak Tram in Hong Kong.
The interior of the tram.
my lunch at a random shop in Gora before taking the cable car. IT IS DAMN DELISH. omg.
- Sounzan to Togendai via the Hakone Ropeway. This is the cable car that we are all familiar with.
you'll go over a sulphur mine too.
- Tougendai - Hakone-Machi via the Hakone Sightseeing Boat. It's abit kitschy, but a sightseeing cruise on the pirate-themed boat can be quite relaxing too. Just ignore the fake pirate.
Most of the onsen resorts are concentrated at Tougendai, Hakone-Machi or Moto-Hakone. So if you're on a 2D1N trip, then it's time for you to check in the onsen resort (like I did) and enjoy the onsen, do a little sightseeing and prepare for dinner.
Otherwise, if you're on a day trip, then take the sightseeing ship all the way to Hakone-Machi. Then from there, switch to the highway bus (covered by the Pass) lines H or K back to Hakone-Yumoto, and catch the train back to Shinjuku.
More on my onsen resort in the next post!
Firstly, my apologies for not updating this thread for a few weeks; was having a vacation at Hong Kong for the past 8 days or so, very hot weather there. :/ anyway...
Hakone is another place that I would highly recommend to go- doing it in a day trip is just not giving it justice. The peace and tranquility of the onsen resorts there are just the thing that can help us recharge, especially when in Singapore, with all the business and stuffs that are going on concurrently. But I digress.
Getting to Hakone is an adventure itself. But most importantly, everyone should get the Hakone Free Pass. Despite its name, its not free: it's a special pass that allows one to get the following:
1. One round trip from Tokyo area to Hakone via Odakyu Railways;
2. Unlimited use of Odakyu affiliated buses, trains, boats, cablecars and ropeways within the Hakone free area. and
3. Discounted admission to selected tourist attractions.
And the cost? For a 2 days pass, it costs 5,140 Yen if you buy it at Shinjuku Station, but if you purchase it in the area covered by the Pass, like Odawara station, it costs 4,000 Yen.
If you ask me whether the free pass is worth it or not, it depends on your itinerary. For those who are planning a 2D1N option, then its definitely worth it. If you're going the round course, which I will be covering later, then yes. But if you're like going from Shinjuku to Lake Ashi only, then nope.
My itinerary:
- Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto station via Odakyu Railway.
- Hakone-Yumoto to Gora via the Hakone Tozan Train. Covered by Pass. It's a mountain railway that winds through the mountains and forests, covering switchbacks along the route. Very scenic route, but I didn't get any photos cos I was having my breakfast during then. :/
- Gora to Sounzan via the Hakone Tozan Cablecar. A more accurate way to describe it is a tram. Its not unlike the Peak Tram in Hong Kong.
The interior of the tram.
my lunch at a random shop in Gora before taking the cable car. IT IS DAMN DELISH. omg.
- Sounzan to Togendai via the Hakone Ropeway. This is the cable car that we are all familiar with.
you'll go over a sulphur mine too.
- Tougendai - Hakone-Machi via the Hakone Sightseeing Boat. It's abit kitschy, but a sightseeing cruise on the pirate-themed boat can be quite relaxing too. Just ignore the fake pirate.
Most of the onsen resorts are concentrated at Tougendai, Hakone-Machi or Moto-Hakone. So if you're on a 2D1N trip, then it's time for you to check in the onsen resort (like I did) and enjoy the onsen, do a little sightseeing and prepare for dinner.
Otherwise, if you're on a day trip, then take the sightseeing ship all the way to Hakone-Machi. Then from there, switch to the highway bus (covered by the Pass) lines H or K back to Hakone-Yumoto, and catch the train back to Shinjuku.
More on my onsen resort in the next post!
Day 5: Hakone (Part 2)
Being a solo traveller, I chose to stay at Ashinoko Ichinoyu, an onsen resort that was located at Tougendai. It's a 10 minutes walk away from the main pier, so it wasn't too difficult to find. Price-wise, it was rather affordable for a single traveller, but of course, don't expect the rooms and the resort to be like Club Med or Four Seasons worthy. Go to the website if you're interested.
the lobby/check in area of the resort.
Board for you to indicate the timing you wanted for the private outdoor onsen.
interior of the room.
indoor onsen (which is shared amongst the guests in the resort. but when i went there, there was nobody. hehe. )
outdoor onsen.
Next post: Gotemba factory outlets!
Being a solo traveller, I chose to stay at Ashinoko Ichinoyu, an onsen resort that was located at Tougendai. It's a 10 minutes walk away from the main pier, so it wasn't too difficult to find. Price-wise, it was rather affordable for a single traveller, but of course, don't expect the rooms and the resort to be like Club Med or Four Seasons worthy. Go to the website if you're interested.
the lobby/check in area of the resort.
Board for you to indicate the timing you wanted for the private outdoor onsen.
interior of the room.
indoor onsen (which is shared amongst the guests in the resort. but when i went there, there was nobody. hehe. )
outdoor onsen.
Next post: Gotemba factory outlets!
Day 6: Gotemba Factory Outlets, Shinjuku
Woke up around 8am for the breakfast at the resort; it was served at the same restaurant as dinner the previous night. A thing about such onsen resorts: F & B outlets are rarely available in the neighbouring vicinity, so usually when you book packages with the resorts, the package will most probably include a dinner and a breakfast.
After breakfast and a last soak at the onsen, it was time for shopping! the directions are pretty clear: just refer to the picture I've included below for the directions and time tables of the buses. [the buses run ON TIME. I almost missed one of the buses because I was shopping for stamps at the post office. :x]
Bus Timetable & Interior of bus.
random street view.
mt fuji view along the way.
the outlets! it's spread across two areas- east and west. connecting the two areas is a bridge that goes over a valley, very picturesque!
Bought lots of stuffs there- the discounts are really huge. Got a coach men's wallet and working bag for S$288 after all the discounts and conversion rates; forgot how much were the Burberry bags that I got for my mum too.
Spent half the day there; had McDonalds for lunch - their pork tonkatsu burger was okok only.
Part two on Shinjuku and the Odakyu Railway!
Woke up around 8am for the breakfast at the resort; it was served at the same restaurant as dinner the previous night. A thing about such onsen resorts: F & B outlets are rarely available in the neighbouring vicinity, so usually when you book packages with the resorts, the package will most probably include a dinner and a breakfast.
After breakfast and a last soak at the onsen, it was time for shopping! the directions are pretty clear: just refer to the picture I've included below for the directions and time tables of the buses. [the buses run ON TIME. I almost missed one of the buses because I was shopping for stamps at the post office. :x]
Bus Timetable & Interior of bus.
random street view.
mt fuji view along the way.
the outlets! it's spread across two areas- east and west. connecting the two areas is a bridge that goes over a valley, very picturesque!
Bought lots of stuffs there- the discounts are really huge. Got a coach men's wallet and working bag for S$288 after all the discounts and conversion rates; forgot how much were the Burberry bags that I got for my mum too.
Spent half the day there; had McDonalds for lunch - their pork tonkatsu burger was okok only.
Part two on Shinjuku and the Odakyu Railway!
Day 6: Shinjuku (Part 2)
From Gotemba, I took the Highway bus that brought me all the way to Gora, which was where the mountain railway ended. hence, I took the railway back down to Hakone-Yumoto, where I boarded the Odakyu Railway line train back to Shinjuku. As I was carrying quite alot of stuffs (my overnight bag + shopping loots), I opted to upgrade to the Romance Car for an additional fee of 800 Yen.
getting the Romance Car enables you to have more leg room (more spacious cabin + lesser people).
sushi bento set that I had on the way back.
was evening when I finally reached Shinjuku station. which meant one thing- the infamous rush hour. :x thankfully, my apartment was a stop away only, so it didn't feel that cramped. settled dinner at downtown Shinjuku- Ichiran ramen.
there's a few outlets, so go for the one that's most convenient for your itinerary. it's a MUST GO. really. the ramen is damn good- the broth is thick and flavourful; the ramen noodles are springy and the chashu is damn aromatic.
wandered around Shinjuku after dinner + got my Timberland shoes. $110 only!
retired to my apartment and rested for the night.
next up - M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
From Gotemba, I took the Highway bus that brought me all the way to Gora, which was where the mountain railway ended. hence, I took the railway back down to Hakone-Yumoto, where I boarded the Odakyu Railway line train back to Shinjuku. As I was carrying quite alot of stuffs (my overnight bag + shopping loots), I opted to upgrade to the Romance Car for an additional fee of 800 Yen.
getting the Romance Car enables you to have more leg room (more spacious cabin + lesser people).
sushi bento set that I had on the way back.
was evening when I finally reached Shinjuku station. which meant one thing- the infamous rush hour. :x thankfully, my apartment was a stop away only, so it didn't feel that cramped. settled dinner at downtown Shinjuku- Ichiran ramen.
there's a few outlets, so go for the one that's most convenient for your itinerary. it's a MUST GO. really. the ramen is damn good- the broth is thick and flavourful; the ramen noodles are springy and the chashu is damn aromatic.
wandered around Shinjuku after dinner + got my Timberland shoes. $110 only!
retired to my apartment and rested for the night.
next up - M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
Day 7: Mickey Mouse & friends @ Tokyo Disney Sea!
DisneySea was initially planned on the 2nd day. however, I had referred to the crowd forecast calendar for the park, and it was mentioned that it will be a crazy level of crowds. as such, it got shifted to Day 7, which is the last few days of my trip. Day 7: Mickey Mouse & friends @ Tokyo Disney Sea!
Disneysea was initially planned on the 2nd day. however, I had referred to the crowd forecast calendar for the park, and it was mentioned that it will be a high level of crowds (From 0 – 100, the higher the number means the larger the crowds). as such, it got shifted to Day 7, which is the last few days of my trip. The website can be found here (remove the spacings):
http : // tdrnavi . jp / forecast / disneysea ? lang = en.
For Disneyland, change the words ‘disneysea’ to ‘disneyland’. Or you can just click the link on the website itself.
As Disneysea & Land was located in Chiba prefrecture, getting there will take some time. From my apartment in Shinjuku, it took me a little over 40 minutes to reach Disneysea.
[Higashi-Shinjuku – Iidabashi via the subway Oedo line, Iidabashi – Shin-Kiba via the Metro Yurakucho line, then Shin-Kiba – Maihama via the JR Musashino line].
Since the park opens at 9am, I got up at 730am, had a quick breakfast, and made my way down. Even so, this was the crowd that greeted me at the morning:
Disneysea is quite a large park, and there are various blogs on getting the most out of your visit here. Hence, I would not repeat what people have been advising online. I’ll just share my itinerary and ‘battle plan’ for the park.
Map of Tokyo Disneysea. Courtesy of the official website.
the theme was Mickey's Spring Voyage!
FastPasses
FastPasses are tickets for rides that enables the owner to ride an attraction during a specific time frame. These pieces of paper are highly important- getting them means a guaranteed shorter queue for the rides that you got them on: and trust me, the normal queues for an attraction and the FastPass queues are worlds apart. While the posted waiting time for a ride can be up to 120 mins (!), a FastPass queue can be shortened to about 30 mins. Do note however, that there a few conditions for the FastPass:
- You can only get one FastPass for one attraction at any point of time. You cannot, for eg, have a FastPass for Tower of Terror AND 20,000 Leagues under the Sea at the same time.
- Once you have a FastPass, you cannot get another one until you utilize that ride, or the time duration lapses, or whichever is earlier. For instance, it’s 10am, and you get a FastPass for Tower of Terror from 10.30am – 11.30am. This means that from 10am to 10.30am, you cannot get another FastPass at all. You can go shopping though,
Samples of the FastPasses, which unfortunately, you cannot keep.
And being rather the adrenaline junkie, the rides at Disneysea are definitely more challenging than that of her land counterpart, which is targeted at families mainly. Rides that are worth taking are as follows:
1. Tower of Terror: a freefall ride that is based indoors. It drops riders a shorter distance for the first fall, and a longer distance for the second fall.
2. StormRider: a motion simulator ride that brings riders through the eye of the storm. There's wind and water being sprayed at riders, and a surprise at the end!
3. Raging Spirits: I didn't manage to ride this when I was there cos it was undergoing maintenance, but from the website, its a wooden roller-coaster that goes through a 360 degrees loop.
4. Indiana Jones Adventure: indoor mini thrill ride that brings riders through a fake temple like in Indiana Jones.
5. Journey to the Centre of the Earth (JTTCOE): similar to Indiana Jones Adventure.
6. Toy Story Mania: the only attraction that isn't thrilling, but worth mentioning as it brings riders through a carnival like atmosphere and allows them to play carnival games.
All 6 attractions mentioned above have FastPasses available; however, the FPs for Toy Story Mania run out extremely fast.. if you're not queueing up at least half an hour before the park opens, you can forget about getting a FP for it. FPs for Tower of Terror runs out pretty quickly also- at 12pm, I managed to get the 4.30-5.30pm FP for it.
For my 'battle plan', I did the following:
I went 20,000 Leagues under the Sea first, since there was a short queue; following that, went to get FP for JTTCOE. After that ride, go for lunch. Take FP for Indiana Jones, then go for ride. Take FP for TOT. During the times in between, I went for Stormrider and the random rides, and of course, not forgetting to take photos with Mickey and friends.
Scenery and attractions photos in the next post!
DisneySea was initially planned on the 2nd day. however, I had referred to the crowd forecast calendar for the park, and it was mentioned that it will be a crazy level of crowds. as such, it got shifted to Day 7, which is the last few days of my trip. Day 7: Mickey Mouse & friends @ Tokyo Disney Sea!
Disneysea was initially planned on the 2nd day. however, I had referred to the crowd forecast calendar for the park, and it was mentioned that it will be a high level of crowds (From 0 – 100, the higher the number means the larger the crowds). as such, it got shifted to Day 7, which is the last few days of my trip. The website can be found here (remove the spacings):
http : // tdrnavi . jp / forecast / disneysea ? lang = en.
For Disneyland, change the words ‘disneysea’ to ‘disneyland’. Or you can just click the link on the website itself.
As Disneysea & Land was located in Chiba prefrecture, getting there will take some time. From my apartment in Shinjuku, it took me a little over 40 minutes to reach Disneysea.
[Higashi-Shinjuku – Iidabashi via the subway Oedo line, Iidabashi – Shin-Kiba via the Metro Yurakucho line, then Shin-Kiba – Maihama via the JR Musashino line].
Since the park opens at 9am, I got up at 730am, had a quick breakfast, and made my way down. Even so, this was the crowd that greeted me at the morning:
Disneysea is quite a large park, and there are various blogs on getting the most out of your visit here. Hence, I would not repeat what people have been advising online. I’ll just share my itinerary and ‘battle plan’ for the park.
Map of Tokyo Disneysea. Courtesy of the official website.
the theme was Mickey's Spring Voyage!
FastPasses
FastPasses are tickets for rides that enables the owner to ride an attraction during a specific time frame. These pieces of paper are highly important- getting them means a guaranteed shorter queue for the rides that you got them on: and trust me, the normal queues for an attraction and the FastPass queues are worlds apart. While the posted waiting time for a ride can be up to 120 mins (!), a FastPass queue can be shortened to about 30 mins. Do note however, that there a few conditions for the FastPass:
- You can only get one FastPass for one attraction at any point of time. You cannot, for eg, have a FastPass for Tower of Terror AND 20,000 Leagues under the Sea at the same time.
- Once you have a FastPass, you cannot get another one until you utilize that ride, or the time duration lapses, or whichever is earlier. For instance, it’s 10am, and you get a FastPass for Tower of Terror from 10.30am – 11.30am. This means that from 10am to 10.30am, you cannot get another FastPass at all. You can go shopping though,
Samples of the FastPasses, which unfortunately, you cannot keep.
And being rather the adrenaline junkie, the rides at Disneysea are definitely more challenging than that of her land counterpart, which is targeted at families mainly. Rides that are worth taking are as follows:
1. Tower of Terror: a freefall ride that is based indoors. It drops riders a shorter distance for the first fall, and a longer distance for the second fall.
2. StormRider: a motion simulator ride that brings riders through the eye of the storm. There's wind and water being sprayed at riders, and a surprise at the end!
3. Raging Spirits: I didn't manage to ride this when I was there cos it was undergoing maintenance, but from the website, its a wooden roller-coaster that goes through a 360 degrees loop.
4. Indiana Jones Adventure: indoor mini thrill ride that brings riders through a fake temple like in Indiana Jones.
5. Journey to the Centre of the Earth (JTTCOE): similar to Indiana Jones Adventure.
6. Toy Story Mania: the only attraction that isn't thrilling, but worth mentioning as it brings riders through a carnival like atmosphere and allows them to play carnival games.
All 6 attractions mentioned above have FastPasses available; however, the FPs for Toy Story Mania run out extremely fast.. if you're not queueing up at least half an hour before the park opens, you can forget about getting a FP for it. FPs for Tower of Terror runs out pretty quickly also- at 12pm, I managed to get the 4.30-5.30pm FP for it.
For my 'battle plan', I did the following:
I went 20,000 Leagues under the Sea first, since there was a short queue; following that, went to get FP for JTTCOE. After that ride, go for lunch. Take FP for Indiana Jones, then go for ride. Take FP for TOT. During the times in between, I went for Stormrider and the random rides, and of course, not forgetting to take photos with Mickey and friends.
Scenery and attractions photos in the next post!
Day 7: Disneysea Part 2
Renting lockers at the park is pretty un-necessary, since most of the rides will allow you to bring your bags onboard- yes, even for rides like Tower of Terror, the freefall attraction. Although it was closed for maintenance, the website stated that riders can bring their bags onboard Raging Spirits as well, the roller-coaster that goes a 360 degrees loop.
Food-wise, Disneysea has plenty of options available. From streetside snacks like popcorns of all flavours, pretzels and sugar coated churrios, cafes that sells reasonably priced food (like IKEA pattern and prices, set menu costs around $18?), to full service restaurants (forgot whats the name of the restaurant that is located within a steamer ship at the American Waterfront region of the park) and atas dining establishments, the park has plenty to offer, so you don’t have to worry about bringing your own bento and matchas in. You can’t do so anyway- the staff will check your bag at the entrance of the park.
What strikes me most is the amount of effort and detailing that Disneysea (and Disneyland) have put into the architecture and the decor of the entire park. Everything is designed in such a way to suit the theme that the ride/attraction/decor is in, so that it will not appear out of place. For instance, at the American Waterfront region of the park, everything is designed in an Old American theme. So there will be a steamer ship, those dock buildings, and even a short monorail that acts like a shuttle service between different regions of the park.
Similarly, the Venetian and Arabian waterfront regions will have a totally different feel to it-
And of course, at the entrance, the globe that is ubiquitous with all the Disneylands worldwide.
Character greetings with Mickey and friends take place at scheduled places though- I had to queue for 15 mins to take photos with Goofy, another 20 mins with Minnie, and close to 30 mins for a pic with good ol’ Mickey. But they are worth it- the staff would exchange short banter with you before your turn, and there will be a place for you to put your belongings at, so that they will not appear in the photo. Otherwise, there are characters roaming around randomly that you can catch to take photos with, but of course, don’t expect Mickey to be there. I managed to take photos with goofy (wearing scuba gear), a random rabbit and monkey.
Next post- rides and attractions, shows.
Renting lockers at the park is pretty un-necessary, since most of the rides will allow you to bring your bags onboard- yes, even for rides like Tower of Terror, the freefall attraction. Although it was closed for maintenance, the website stated that riders can bring their bags onboard Raging Spirits as well, the roller-coaster that goes a 360 degrees loop.
Food-wise, Disneysea has plenty of options available. From streetside snacks like popcorns of all flavours, pretzels and sugar coated churrios, cafes that sells reasonably priced food (like IKEA pattern and prices, set menu costs around $18?), to full service restaurants (forgot whats the name of the restaurant that is located within a steamer ship at the American Waterfront region of the park) and atas dining establishments, the park has plenty to offer, so you don’t have to worry about bringing your own bento and matchas in. You can’t do so anyway- the staff will check your bag at the entrance of the park.
What strikes me most is the amount of effort and detailing that Disneysea (and Disneyland) have put into the architecture and the decor of the entire park. Everything is designed in such a way to suit the theme that the ride/attraction/decor is in, so that it will not appear out of place. For instance, at the American Waterfront region of the park, everything is designed in an Old American theme. So there will be a steamer ship, those dock buildings, and even a short monorail that acts like a shuttle service between different regions of the park.
Similarly, the Venetian and Arabian waterfront regions will have a totally different feel to it-
And of course, at the entrance, the globe that is ubiquitous with all the Disneylands worldwide.
Character greetings with Mickey and friends take place at scheduled places though- I had to queue for 15 mins to take photos with Goofy, another 20 mins with Minnie, and close to 30 mins for a pic with good ol’ Mickey. But they are worth it- the staff would exchange short banter with you before your turn, and there will be a place for you to put your belongings at, so that they will not appear in the photo. Otherwise, there are characters roaming around randomly that you can catch to take photos with, but of course, don’t expect Mickey to be there. I managed to take photos with goofy (wearing scuba gear), a random rabbit and monkey.
Next post- rides and attractions, shows.
Day 7: Disneysea Part 3
Following the various themes, the attractions in Disneysea try their best to fulfil the theme of the region that they are in. Tower of Terror, housed in the American Waterfront region, is stylized after a Victorian/Gothic themed tower:
The architecture doesn’t stop outside too;
Shows-wise, I managed to catch two of the more famous ones, since the rest of the show timings weren’t favourable. Oh, do get an English guide/map from the Guest Services Centre when you enter the park, because the guide will show you the timings of the different shows. The staff in the park may not have English maps on hand, and they will need time to go and take the maps from the GSC.
Big Band Beat was the first show that I watched, while waiting for my turn on the Tower of Terror. It’s a jazz inspired show, with singing and dancing, all accompanied by a big band, hence the name of the show. Its ok only, imo, so if there’s a very long queue, can contemplate skipping it.
Fantasmic is, in my opinion, THE show to watch. Period. Don’t ever miss this show. It takes place on the waterfront of Mediterranean Harbour, which is the first region when you enter the park. The show features Mickey as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and the show is filled with special effects, using water, laser, lights, fire and floats on the harbour. Lasting for about 20-30 mins, it starts at 8pm, but trust me, the Japanese will start queueing from 630-7pm. So please, go and chope the front row seats along the harbour. I bought some snacks and chopped a seat along the harbourfront area, which is when you face the harbour, as shown below:
To be continued in next post (urgh, 8 images per post limit).
Following the various themes, the attractions in Disneysea try their best to fulfil the theme of the region that they are in. Tower of Terror, housed in the American Waterfront region, is stylized after a Victorian/Gothic themed tower:
The architecture doesn’t stop outside too;
Shows-wise, I managed to catch two of the more famous ones, since the rest of the show timings weren’t favourable. Oh, do get an English guide/map from the Guest Services Centre when you enter the park, because the guide will show you the timings of the different shows. The staff in the park may not have English maps on hand, and they will need time to go and take the maps from the GSC.
Big Band Beat was the first show that I watched, while waiting for my turn on the Tower of Terror. It’s a jazz inspired show, with singing and dancing, all accompanied by a big band, hence the name of the show. Its ok only, imo, so if there’s a very long queue, can contemplate skipping it.
Fantasmic is, in my opinion, THE show to watch. Period. Don’t ever miss this show. It takes place on the waterfront of Mediterranean Harbour, which is the first region when you enter the park. The show features Mickey as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and the show is filled with special effects, using water, laser, lights, fire and floats on the harbour. Lasting for about 20-30 mins, it starts at 8pm, but trust me, the Japanese will start queueing from 630-7pm. So please, go and chope the front row seats along the harbour. I bought some snacks and chopped a seat along the harbourfront area, which is when you face the harbour, as shown below:
To be continued in next post (urgh, 8 images per post limit).
Day 7: Disneysea Part 4
Fantasmic was simply spectacular and amazing; I'm not afraid to say that at the end, with all the fireworks, I cried a little.
Enjoy the photos below!
The grand finale.
There was fireworks at around 9pm too, but it's not as nice as the ones during Fantasmic. However, I snapped some photos too, since I was waiting for the crowd to clear.
Went back to my apartment after the fireworks. It was, without a doubt, truly the most magical night of my life in Tokyo.
Fantasmic was simply spectacular and amazing; I'm not afraid to say that at the end, with all the fireworks, I cried a little.
Enjoy the photos below!
The grand finale.
There was fireworks at around 9pm too, but it's not as nice as the ones during Fantasmic. However, I snapped some photos too, since I was waiting for the crowd to clear.
Went back to my apartment after the fireworks. It was, without a doubt, truly the most magical night of my life in Tokyo.
mynameisjon
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- You can only get one FastPass for one attraction at any point of time. You cannot, for eg, have a FastPass for Tower of Terror AND 20,000 Leagues under the Sea at the same time.
- Once you have a FastPass, you cannot get another one until you utilize that ride, or the time duration lapses, or whichever is earlier. For instance, it’s 10am, and you get a FastPass for Tower of Terror from 10.30am – 11.30am. This means that from 10am to 10.30am, you cannot get another FastPass at all. You can go shopping though,
Hey, your info on the fast pass is wrong.
You can have multiple fast passes at once.
If you go straight for toy story, you'll probably get a Fast Pass that's for 5-6pm. You do not have to wait till 5 pm to get another one. You can get another one 2 hours after you get the toy story fast pass.
If you take a fast pass for Tower of Terror at 10:30am for 1pm, you can get another fast pass at 12:30pm.
If you take a fast pass for something else at 12:30pm that's for 1pm, the next time you can get it is 1pm.
Either 2 hours or the time stated on the fast pass. Whichever is earlier.
ah ok. thanks for spotting that, I forgotten the rules to it le. :/
mynameisjon
Supremacy Member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2007
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First time I used fast pass I also thought it worked that way. End up I missed out on a lot of fast passes
First time I used fast pass I also thought it worked that way. End up I missed out on a lot of fast passes
haha! oh no, that's bad! lucky I managed to get most of the FastPasses for the rides that I wanted to sit.
Days 8 & 9: Ginza, Tokyo Station & Back to Singapore
Woke up at around 9 plus for my last full day at Tokyo. Had my usual breakfast at the apartment and started to pack my luggage; all the shopping from the various malls, outlets, shops and attractions like Disneysea, Pokemon Centre and Studio Ghibli museum have resulted in quite a massive loot. This was what I had amassed over the past week in Tokyo:
[edit: cannot find that damning photo of all my loots, will find them at home later.]
Went to walk around Ginza and Tokyo Station after packing up my stuffs. Wanted to go to the Imperial Palace, but it wasn’t open. As such, only managed to walk around the outside of it, which was a park and rather uninspiring buildings.
The main boulevard of Ginza was closed on weekends to allow pedestrain access, and so, I managed to walk down the rows of shops and boutiques that stocked brands that I was unable to afford, me being a poor fresh graduate on his first job. Brands worth their salt had their boutiques here: Coach, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, just to name a few. But if you have the time, it is definitely worth going to Gotemba Factory Outlets if you seriously want to get your Coach bag or Burberry clutch. The savings that you can get there are quite substantial. Of course, it would not be economical to just go there for shopping alone, but that being said, have to do the calculations using hyperdia.
Aside from soaking up the atas atmosphere, I was here to recce for the next morning. Since the N’EX package that I bought at the start of my trip was one-way only, I had to find out alternative methods of getting to Narita to catch my 11.55am flight back to Singapore the next day. I could choose from the following options:
1. Another one-way N’EX ticket to Narita;
2. The Kaiser Skyliner;
3. The limousine bus;
4. The Access Narita.
The Access Narita (TAN) is the cheapest alternative for me, as the tickets costs 1,000 Yen one way, unlike the other options which do not come cheap. For eg, the limousine bus, which cost around 3,000 Yen, IIRC.
In addition, TAN starts very early; their first bus leaves Ginza station at 4.05am and gets into Narita at 5.10am, which is good if you have those flights that leave at an ungodly time of like 7am or something.
The seats onboard the buses are also very comfortable, it’s like those Grassland / Five Stars coaches that go to Genting. There’s a washroom onboard the bus, and there’s no tickets- you just board the bus and pay the 1,000 yen to the driver directly, and he’ll help you load all the barang barang into the luggage compartments below. Departure timings are quite frequent, starting at 4.05am, there’s a bus that leaves every half an hour, and the latest bus departs Ginza station at 5.30pm.
The bad thing about TAN, however, is that pick up locations are only restricted to 2 locations: Ginza station and Tokyo station. The route that the shuttle goes is like this:
Ginza station > Tokyo Station > Narita Terminal 2 Lobby No. 2 > Narita Terminal 2 Lobby No. 17 > Narita Terminal 1 Lobby No. 15.
Go to the website (accessnarita . jp / en / home remove the spacing) and it’ll show you where exactly to board the bus; they took photos of the bus stop and the surroundings, so it’s very easy to find out exactly where the bus stop is.
Settled lunch at a random ramen eatery again, before meeting online friend for Akihabara shopping again. Bought my gundam model sets and some adult toys, before going for dinner at a shabu shabu restaurant. Very good, highly recommended!
Went for karaoke after dinner, and bade him farewell as I went back to my apartment for a quick nap; had to leave my apartment early around 7am.
Day 9
As I was ‘checking out’ of the apartment early, I made prior arrangements with the host of the apartment. I had tidied up the apartment to the best of my abilities (including throwing away all my rubbish), and left the keys in the letterbox at the 1st floor of the apartment. Decided to splurge a bit and cabbed my way to Ginza station since I had quite a lot of stuffs to carry; the short cab ride cost quite a bit, forgot exactly how much it was, but the amount gave me quite a scare. Bought some pastries and macha latte from the Family Mart at Ginza station and boarded the 8.30am bus for Narita.
Arrived at Narita Airport on schedule; checked in my luggage and went to the Departure Lounge to buy the typical souvenirs that I forgotten/could only buy there: White chocolate and Tokyo Banana. One thing about the Tokyo Banana is that it has a very short shelf life of 7 days, so if you’re like me holidaying in Japan for quite a period of time, you cannot buy 1 x Tokyo Banana and leave it in your hotel room at the start of the holiday and pack it at the end of the trip, it wouldn’t taste fresh.
Lazed around before boarding the plane back to Singapore, with an hour’s layover in Taipei as usual.
And with that, my trip report has come to an end. Special thanks to everyone in the Japan thread who have helped me out in giving me advice and nnskage, my online friend who brought me around in Tokyo for a few days! Like what dmitiri_can mentioned, Japan is a country where one visit is definitely not enough, so yes, I’ll definitely be back for more! like what I shared on my facebook, 感觉有一定的遗憾,但这不是永别,这是有缘再见。东京,我和你,2015 有个约会!
Woke up at around 9 plus for my last full day at Tokyo. Had my usual breakfast at the apartment and started to pack my luggage; all the shopping from the various malls, outlets, shops and attractions like Disneysea, Pokemon Centre and Studio Ghibli museum have resulted in quite a massive loot. This was what I had amassed over the past week in Tokyo:
[edit: cannot find that damning photo of all my loots, will find them at home later.]
Went to walk around Ginza and Tokyo Station after packing up my stuffs. Wanted to go to the Imperial Palace, but it wasn’t open. As such, only managed to walk around the outside of it, which was a park and rather uninspiring buildings.
The main boulevard of Ginza was closed on weekends to allow pedestrain access, and so, I managed to walk down the rows of shops and boutiques that stocked brands that I was unable to afford, me being a poor fresh graduate on his first job. Brands worth their salt had their boutiques here: Coach, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, just to name a few. But if you have the time, it is definitely worth going to Gotemba Factory Outlets if you seriously want to get your Coach bag or Burberry clutch. The savings that you can get there are quite substantial. Of course, it would not be economical to just go there for shopping alone, but that being said, have to do the calculations using hyperdia.
Aside from soaking up the atas atmosphere, I was here to recce for the next morning. Since the N’EX package that I bought at the start of my trip was one-way only, I had to find out alternative methods of getting to Narita to catch my 11.55am flight back to Singapore the next day. I could choose from the following options:
1. Another one-way N’EX ticket to Narita;
2. The Kaiser Skyliner;
3. The limousine bus;
4. The Access Narita.
The Access Narita (TAN) is the cheapest alternative for me, as the tickets costs 1,000 Yen one way, unlike the other options which do not come cheap. For eg, the limousine bus, which cost around 3,000 Yen, IIRC.
In addition, TAN starts very early; their first bus leaves Ginza station at 4.05am and gets into Narita at 5.10am, which is good if you have those flights that leave at an ungodly time of like 7am or something.
The seats onboard the buses are also very comfortable, it’s like those Grassland / Five Stars coaches that go to Genting. There’s a washroom onboard the bus, and there’s no tickets- you just board the bus and pay the 1,000 yen to the driver directly, and he’ll help you load all the barang barang into the luggage compartments below. Departure timings are quite frequent, starting at 4.05am, there’s a bus that leaves every half an hour, and the latest bus departs Ginza station at 5.30pm.
The bad thing about TAN, however, is that pick up locations are only restricted to 2 locations: Ginza station and Tokyo station. The route that the shuttle goes is like this:
Ginza station > Tokyo Station > Narita Terminal 2 Lobby No. 2 > Narita Terminal 2 Lobby No. 17 > Narita Terminal 1 Lobby No. 15.
Go to the website (accessnarita . jp / en / home remove the spacing) and it’ll show you where exactly to board the bus; they took photos of the bus stop and the surroundings, so it’s very easy to find out exactly where the bus stop is.
Settled lunch at a random ramen eatery again, before meeting online friend for Akihabara shopping again. Bought my gundam model sets and some adult toys, before going for dinner at a shabu shabu restaurant. Very good, highly recommended!
Went for karaoke after dinner, and bade him farewell as I went back to my apartment for a quick nap; had to leave my apartment early around 7am.
Day 9
As I was ‘checking out’ of the apartment early, I made prior arrangements with the host of the apartment. I had tidied up the apartment to the best of my abilities (including throwing away all my rubbish), and left the keys in the letterbox at the 1st floor of the apartment. Decided to splurge a bit and cabbed my way to Ginza station since I had quite a lot of stuffs to carry; the short cab ride cost quite a bit, forgot exactly how much it was, but the amount gave me quite a scare. Bought some pastries and macha latte from the Family Mart at Ginza station and boarded the 8.30am bus for Narita.
Arrived at Narita Airport on schedule; checked in my luggage and went to the Departure Lounge to buy the typical souvenirs that I forgotten/could only buy there: White chocolate and Tokyo Banana. One thing about the Tokyo Banana is that it has a very short shelf life of 7 days, so if you’re like me holidaying in Japan for quite a period of time, you cannot buy 1 x Tokyo Banana and leave it in your hotel room at the start of the holiday and pack it at the end of the trip, it wouldn’t taste fresh.
Lazed around before boarding the plane back to Singapore, with an hour’s layover in Taipei as usual.
And with that, my trip report has come to an end. Special thanks to everyone in the Japan thread who have helped me out in giving me advice and nnskage, my online friend who brought me around in Tokyo for a few days! Like what dmitiri_can mentioned, Japan is a country where one visit is definitely not enough, so yes, I’ll definitely be back for more! like what I shared on my facebook, 感觉有一定的遗憾,但这不是永别,这是有缘再见。东京,我和你,2015 有个约会!
Talking about tidying up an airbnb apartment, I also did the same thing. I felt as if I was staying in someone's else place all the time and therefore I was very careful to keep the place clean and tidy. On top of it I know the Japanese are usually extremely neat and clean when it comes to their homes, all the more I made sure everything was as perfect as I could made it. And I even emptied the wastepaper basket (and sorting out the rubbish).
In contrast, I usually can't be bothered with the tidiness of the hotel room, I will just leave behind unwanted stuff on the bed, on the desk, etc. I wonder if it was just because that was my first airbnb experience. What about the other posters here who stay in airbnb? Did you take extra effort to keep the room clean?
While I do enjoy the staying in apartment experience, I think there might be times I might enjoy the more carefree accommodation of a hotel.
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