Better Late Than Never - A Tokyo Disney (And Japan) February 2019 Report (Updated 18th April - Arashiyama & The Temples!)

[grayquaza]

Hello everyone, and welcome to this February 2019 Japan trip report. I probably know what you're thinking. "February 2019? Surely you meant 2020. Otherwise, you're writing up a report for a vacation that happened almost two years ago!" So here's the thing...

I did begin writing things down when I came home from my trip but stuff got in the way, and it fell to the wayside. Even as The Event That Shall Not Be Named kicked off and I found myself with a lot of free time, I sort of forgot about it. So November comes around, we've gone into a second lockdown in the UK, and the hopeful plans I made at the start of the year to go back to Japan for the autumn have been well and truly dashed by now. So while sorting through pictures and stuff, I came back across what I'd written. I thought it'd be a shame to waste what I had. Plus, it'll be fun to reminisce and revisit the memories. The highs, the lows, and everything in-between. Who knows, maybe I can convince others to make the trek to Japan or help people plan their own vacations when everything's said and done, and we can all travel again!



So hello everyone, again! My name is George. I'm 28, and I live in London (or the suburbs of Greater London. It's easier to just say London!) I actually used to use the DIS Boards quite a while back but I sort of forgot the account details and started anew. So here I am! Before things kicked off, I worked as an extra in movies and TV. It's definitely not as exciting as it sounds! Film production has only just started back up in the UK over the past month or two so I'm hoping I can get some work before the end of the year. Otherwise, I'm just riding things out at home.

Outside of this Tokyo Disney trip, I've been to WDW over a dozen times, Disneyland twice, Disneyland Paris once (which was actually after my Tokyo trip, funnily enough), and I've made three DCL cruises. So I suppose I'm a bit of a Disney Parks fanatic. But this trip to Japan was my first time travelling abroad by myself. Well, technically my first time was when I went to Australia as part of fieldwork for university. But I only had two days alone before I joined the rest of my classmates so I don't think it really counts... But I digress!

Japan has always been on my bucket list. Before the trip, I had spent more than a year researching Japan and making countless hypothetical itineraries. I even began learning the basics of the language, all to prepare myself for a potential trip. It wasn't until I actually came back from a visit to Disneyland in California with my family that I started looking for flights. I'd had a particularly great summer for work and the possibility of going to Japan felt very much in reach. Then I noticed British Airways had a sale on and my aunt's friend worked for BA at the time, knocking an extra £100 off with their staff discount.

So why did I choose February? Mostly because it was the cheapest time to fly and it's also an off-peak time to visit Japan, after the new years celebrations and before the cherry blossoms start to bloom, which meant less people at some of the more popular tourist spots. But one of the big deciders was actually something different. Is anyone familiar with the Kingdom Hearts games? I'm a massive fan, and Kingdom Hearts 3 was released at the end of January 2019. So to commemorate that, Tokyo Skytree (the tallest building in Japan) was holding a special event. Plus the Square Enix cafes in Osaka and Tokyo were holding a limited time Kingdom Hearts menu. Tokyo Disneyland was nearing the end of its 35th anniversary celebration and I thought that would be cool to see as well!



So after much deliberating, I gathered up everything I'd been planning for a year and settled on 17 days in Japan, leaving ol' Blighty on the 12th February and returning the 1st March. Here's a general schedule of where I went.

12th/13th - Flight to Tokyo, then bullet train to Kyoto [PART ONE TWO THREE]
14th - Kyoto (Arashiyama) [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR]
15th - Kyoto (Higashiyama and Fushimi)
16th - Uji and Nara
17th - Osaka
18th - Himeji and Kinosakionsen
19th - Kyoto (Nishiki & Gion), then back to Tokyo (Nihombashi & Akihabara)
20th - Tokyo (Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya)
21st - Tokyo (SkyTree, Ueno, Akihabara, and Ikebukuro)
22nd - Tokyo (Asakusa, Nihombashi, Shibuya, and Harajuku)
23rd - Tokyo (Jiyugaoka, Ikebukuro, Ginza, and Asakusa)
24th - Tokyo (Ryogoku, Sumida, and Akihabara), then onto Maihama for Tokyo Disney Resort [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR]
25th - Tokyo Disneyland [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN]
26th - Tokyo DisneySea [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN]
27th - Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN]
28th - Tokyo DisneySea & Disneyland [PART ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX] [EXTRA CONTENT]
1st - Back to Haneda airport and the flight home

As you can see, I saved Disney for last. I know a lot of people tend to visit the Disney parks first before going off to explore the rest of Japan. (Well, the Disney fans do anyway!) However, I figured jet lag and Disney wouldn't mix well. There's a good 9 hour time difference between the UK and Japan, after all. Instead, I used my jet lag to visit a few popular tourist spots in Kyoto before the crowds hit them. I think this worked in my favour since I had adjusted to the time zone in Japan by the time I reached Disney, which meant I could endure a full day at the parks without much hassle.

I also realise that, seeing how this is a Disney fan forum, I imagine most of you have clicked on this trip report to see my experiences in the Tokyo Disney Resort. So unless there are any objections, I'm actually going to jump ahead to those Disney park days, then backtrack to the start for the rest of the report. Otherwise there will be quite the wait for that Disney goodness! So with that in mind, let's get cracking!

 

[grayquaza]

So first things first, here's some basic info about the trip to cover any possible initial questions.

Where I went - Here are a couple of maps to show where I went around Japan. The first covers my first week in Japan, where I made extensive use of the JR rail pass. The second covers the greater Tokyo area that I stuck to in my second week. You can see that Haneda airport and Tokyo Disney aren't too far from central Tokyo.





Flights - I flew direct with British Airways in economy to Tokyo Haneda airport. Not the most comfortable journey for some, but I managed. I did also get 2x23KG suitcases along with the usual hand luggage, which came in handy if somewhat cumbersome near the end of the trip. You can get your luggage delivered between hotels for a small price, but I foolishly chose not to and I cannot fathom why...

Accommodation - I stayed in Kyoto for 6 nights in a guesthouse called River East Nanajo. I stayed in Tokyo for 5 nights at a business hotel called Tokyu Stay Nihonbashi. Then I stayed near Tokyo Disney Resort for 5 nights at the Spa and Hotel Maihama Eurasia.

Money - Things could have changed recently, but Japan is/was mostly a cash-based economy. So it's handy to have some yen coins and bills with you at all times. I exchanged over ¥100,000 (about $1,000) with that in mind, and also brought a card with me so I could buy my TDR park ticket along with anything I didn't want to use cash for. Japan is notoriously expensive but it doesn't have to be! I didn't use my card until I reached Tokyo, and I still had over half of my cash to spend.

Weather - Japan has pretty distinct seasons, and weather can vary from snowy climates in northern Hokkaido to sub-tropical climates in southern Okinawa. But for me, It was all over the place. My first full day in Japan, I had snow. My last full day in Japan was non-stop rain. My week in Kyoto and Kansai was freezing and temperatures were always in the low single digits (or in the 30s for you Fahrenheiters). My week in Tokyo was relatively warm and consistently sunny. So yeah, pack for all weather!

Language - I personally didn't experience many language barriers. Though I'm not exactly the most sociable person, so most of my interactions were service based. Mostly everyone I spoke to had at least a basic understanding of English, and most places had a mix of Japanese and English signage. Besides that, I had Google Translate on my phone handy if there was ever a language barrier.



Food - I'm the first to admit I'm not an adventurous eater. I'm quite picky, and very indecisive. So if you're like me, or your kids are, you'll be glad to know that I managed to eat well and find food I liked. If not, you'll be disheartened to hear how I went to such exotic places as McDonalds and Dennys. Sorry folks, I won't touch seafood and I'm not a huge fan of noodles! I was also on a budget, food-wise, so I had my fair share of konbini based lunches too. Which were pretty good for what it's worth. But fret not, it wasn't all American chains and convenience store food!

Transport - I travelled almost exclusively by train around Japan. Everything you hear about trains in Japan is true. They're efficient, they're incredibly fast and advanced, and peak travel time is a nightmare! (but I can say the same about London trains on that front...) I found it mostly easy to get around the stations. I did have a few slip-ups throughout the trip but nothing substantial. I used the JR Pass for the first week, and I bought a Suica card in Tokyo to use around the city. Suica cards are like an Oyster card for my fellow Brits. You top it up with money and use it to pay for train and bus journeys. You can also use it to pay for things as well in some places.

JR Pass - This is a 7, 14, or 21 day pass that gives you unlimited usage of Japan Railway (JR) trains across the entire country, and also some non-JR trains, buses, and ferries. I'd highly recommend looking here for more specific details, especially if you're planning to visit Japan. A rule of thumb is if you're planning to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto (or further) and back, a 7 day pass is worth it. Otherwise, there may be cheaper options. For me, I actually had my main train schedule planned out before I even bought my plane tickets! I made sure I got full use out of my JR pass and minimized any journeys that weren't covered. Overall, I think I saved around £200!

Crowds - I didn't experience many large crowds outside of Tokyo Disney, and even those only really occurred in the mornings. I did, however, plan my days to avoid heavy crowds so I don't actually know how busy it could get. Notable heavy crowds I remember were the shopping street in Arashiyama, Dotonbori in Osaka, and the Shibuya crossing. Of course, this was February so I certainly wouldn't expect it to be so quiet in April, for instance!

Internet - Public WiFi hotspots are kind of rare around Japan, so there's a need to have a pocket WiFi device. I rented mine from Japan Wireless because it offered unlimited WiFi and I found a 10% discount code. I collected it from the airport and found it incredibly easy to use. It was great for keeping in touch with my family, getting around the cities and trains, and for translation purposes. Also there's no park-wide WiFi coverage in Tokyo Disney so if you want to access the TDR app, you'll definitely need it.

 

[grayquaza]

I imagine many of you aren't too familiar with the Tokyo Disney Resort, so I've also written up this handy guide for anyone wanting info on everything from hotels to crowds. It's pretty long, so there's a brief synopsis at the very end too! Let's start with a map of the resort.

OK, it's pretty stylised but it's alright for an overview of the area, and it's up to date too! In the bottom right, you'll see Maihama train station. Despite appearances, it is literally steps away from Tokyo Disneyland. There is a direct train service from Tokyo Station on the Keiyo line, which is how I imagine many people will get to and from Tokyo. If you're going straight to Tokyo Disney by airport, there are shuttle buses you can pre-book that run directly to the hotels. Taxis are inadvisable! Haneda airport is the closest, quite literally across the bay from TDR (but still 40-50 minutes away). Narita airport is further out, over an hour away from Tokyo. Inside of the resort, a monorail wraps around the entirety with stops at Tokyo Disneyland, Bayside (where the hotels are), Tokyo DisneySea and Resort Gateway (for Ikspiari shopping centre). Important to note is that the monorail isn't free. It's ¥260 yen for a single ticket, ¥660 for a day pass, ¥850 for two days, ¥1200 for three, and ¥1500 for a four day monorail pass.

Tokyo Disneyland is the flagship park, the one that will be immediately familiar to anyone who's ever visited a castle park. Adventureland is on the left, Tomorrowland is on the right, Fantasyland is behind the castle, you know the drill. But there are also significant differences too. Main Street U.S.A. is instead a glass-covered street known as World Bazaar, Frontierland is known as Westernland, and there's no train that wraps around the park. This meant it was pretty easy to navigate without needing a park map, but I also kept getting lost in Adventureland because the layout's so different. A majority of the rides are almost carbon copies of the ones in the American theme parks, which I found fascinating. A couple of them even had the original English dialogue. But of course, they have a few exclusive attractions too. Pooh's Hunny Hunt is the big one, although I imagine it's been eclipsed by Beauty & The Beast as of late! They were wrapping up with the 35th anniversary celebrations while I was there, so they had a few things happening like a fireworks show, and a special light show in the middle of World Bazaar.

Tokyo DisneySea is the Japan-exclusive theme park. It's often named as the best theme park in the world, so it had a lot to live up to! But walking through the archway into the park and seeing Mount Prometheus for the first time was quite the memorable moment indeed. It's a unique and intricately detailed park that's easy to get lost in. Especially since I kept forgetting to grab a park map every time I entered... It does have some semblance of a hub and spoke design like other Disney parks. All paths lead to Mysterious Island, as it were. I managed to grasp the layout by the last day so the next visit should be smoother, whenever that happens. Almost every attraction here is unique to DisneySea. The only outliers I can think of are Toy Story Mania, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Soarin'. Tower of Terror has its own distinct plotline. Whether it's the headlining Journey to the Centre of the Earth, the underrated Sinbad's Seven Voyages, or just soaking in the intricate theming in Mediterranean Harbour, there's a whole lot to see and do here. There was a special event called Pixar Fest happening while I was there. It's essentially Pixar theming with special merch and food items. It was nice to experience but TDL ultimately had it beat with the 35th celebration.

Outside of the two theme parks, you'll find Ikspiari. It's almost comparable to Downtown Disney or Disney Springs, if either of them were a multi-story mall. You'll find several western restaurants and stores here like TGI Fridays, Krispy Kreme, Gap, Body Shop, and the Disney Store. They also have Japan's only Rainforest Cafe here if that floats your boat! There's also a cinema and a supermarket there for convenience. Between Tokyo Disneyland and Maihama station, you can find the Bon Voyage shop which sells a lot of the more popular theme park merchandise, separate from the Disney Store in Ikspiari which is like every other Disney Store in Japan. Bon Voyage is definitely the place to go if you need to get a Mickey burger pouch for your park ticket before entering the park, or you forgot to buy that crazy Mickey Mouse soap dispenser after leaving.

There are currently four Disney hotels, with two others on the horizon. The MiraCosta is the one I think most are familiar with, since it's currently the only hotel actually within a Disney theme park. Highly extravagant and incredibly expensive. I walked through the lobby a few times but felt a little scared to take a further look anywhere else... Tokyo Disneyland Resort is outside of Tokyo Disneyland, unsurprisingly. It's a lot like the Grand Floridian in style and design. Again, I only took a peek in the lobby so I can't say much else. The Disney Ambassador Hotel is next to Ikspiari. It's art deco style and I never had the chance to visit. Finally, there's the Disney Celebration Hotel which is the value offer. It's also not onsite, a good 15 minute shuttle bus ride away in Urayasu. There is a Toy Story hotel currently under construction that will open in 2021 and, I believe, will also be a value hotel. Then there's a second in-park hotel coming to DisneySea along with the park expansion due in 2024 I think? There's not much info on either at the moment though.

Unless you're absolutely burdened with cash, or you're dead set on spending the night in a MiraCosta Porto Paradiso room overlooking DisneySea, I imagine the official Disney hotels aren't really on anyone's radar outside of a quick poke around. Luckily there are also the Tokyo Disney Official Hotels directly on site, with their own monorail station. You can purchase your park tickets here with guaranteed park admission on peak days (something I hope none of you have to experience). They even have rooms that overlook Tokyo Disneyland. Take that, Bay Lake Tower! The Hilton Tokyo Bay and the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay are the most popular choice for western tourists for obvious reasons. They also have the most spacious rooms, a rare commodity in Japanese hotels. There's also the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort, Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel, Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama, and the Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay.

However, I actually went for a completely different hotel after pricing everything up on Trivago. I stumbled across a hotel that was close to Tokyo DisneySea and half the price of the cheapest partner hotel. The Spa And Hotel Maihama Eurasia is almost a hidden gem. So it's not on the monorail line and it's not a partner hotel, but it is a 15 minute walk to DisneySea and it has a bus service to Maihama station, and therefore Tokyo Disneyland. Plus, there's a great spa with hot baths and saunas that hotel guests can use free of charge. Definitely worth looking into. (But make sure you're not looking at the Maihama Eurasia Annex. It's not the same!)



Disney tickets work differently here compared to the American Disney parks. They last between one to four consecutive days. If you want a break in-between, you have to purchase two separate tickets. Also, park hopping is prohibited the first two days of your ticket. You have to choose which park you visit on which day. I bought my 4 day park ticket from the Disney Store in Shibuya, the one whose entrance looks like a castle. There are other Disney Stores that sell tickets if you don't want to face the Shibuya crowds. You can also buy them at TDR, or even your hotel if it's a Disney partner. And of course online, but that seemed complicated to me.

So when's the best and worst time to go? The most important thing to remember is to never visit over the weekend or during any national or school holidays. You especially want to avoid Golden Week, which is a series of national holidays in Japan at the end of April and start of May, It's a notoriously busy period for anywhere in Japan, let alone Disney. Other times include New Years, March, July, August, Halloween and Christmas. Now the best time to visit would actually be the weeks surrounding Golden Week in April and May. April also has the benefit of being cherry blossom season (but does mean peak crowds elsewhere in Japan, especially in Kyoto). Other good times to visit are January, June, September, and November.

Tokyo Disney Resort is a bit like Disneyland Resort in California in that most of the visitors are locals. And they can take things to the extreme. You've probably heard of the nightmare that is rope drop, how the guests will wait hours for the park to open. This will happen whether it's an off-peak day in January or the middle of Golden Week, it's unavoidable. I was a little worried since I booked February thinking it would be off-peak. Then I found out that February is when they offer discounted tickets to students to boost attendance. So seeing the rope drop crowds on my first day was a little nerve-wracking! But that all disappeared once I was actually inside the parks. I don't think I ever waited more than 20 minutes for an attraction. Not to say it was quiet, all the big rides consistently had waits over 45 minutes, up to over two hours for Toy Story Mania. But if you're Fastpass savvy, then you're good to go. I also made extensive use of single riders which nobody else seemed to use? I noticed a lot of queues for food stalls and characters, sometimes even longer than the attractions. So if you had your eyes on any meet n' greets or kawaii treats then prepare to wait.

The food can be hit or miss in Tokyo Disney. Sometimes they favour the aesthetics over the taste. Not that it's bad though! I enjoyed almost everything I tried, from the green alien mochi to the strawberry flavoured popcorn. Definitely aim to eat outside of the standard lunch and dinner times as restaurant queues could be intense! I did a lot of research beforehand, looking at the menus on the TDR website and narrowing down the things I would like. I would recommend doing the same, lest you end up in Tomorrowland Terrace of all places. Then again, I ate there knowing of its poor reputation and yeah, the Mickey shaped food isn't worth it! I would also check out the refurbishment schedule on the TDR website while you're there. They update it 6 months in advance so it's good to look before you book. I was lucky in that Splash Mountain was the only major attraction to be closed on my trip, but others may not be so lucky. You don't want to miss out on Pooh's Hunny Hunt after all!

Since I've visited, Tokyo Disney has changed up how they deal with Fastpass. It used to be the good old fashioned paper Fastpasses, and in some ways it still is. You scan your ticket at the Fastpass machines and it gives you a time to return. However! TDR recently gave guests the ability to book Fastpass through the official TDR app. It used to be Japan exclusive but I believe they released an English app within the last few months, so that's highly recommended. Especially since I've read tales of Fastpasses running out for popular attractions 10 minutes after the park has opened! Luckily, there are a few single rider lines available as well. Indiana Jones Adventure, Raging Spirits, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and eventually, the new Beauty & The Beast attraction. Just ask for the single riders line at the ride entrance and they'll point you in the right direction.



TL;DR - Tokyo Disney Resort comprises of two theme parks (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea), a decent sized shopping centre (Ikspiari), four Disney hotels (MiraCosta, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Disney Ambassador Hotel, Disney Celebration Hotel), and several partner hotels. Maihama station connects Disney to Tokyo on the Keiyo line, and a monorail surrounds the theme parks, which you have to pay for. Park tickets can be bought at the parks or in your hotel if it's a partner hotel, in certain Disney Stores or online. The tickets are between one to four consecutive days only. Avoid weekends at all costs. Also try and avoid Christmas and New Years, March, end of April and start of May (AKA Golden Week), July and August, and Halloween. Aiming to get to the parks for rope-drop is a must if you want any chance of hitting the big rides, no matter the time of year. Fastpass is available and now almost exclusively app based so be aware. If you want to meet any characters, be prepared to wait. Same can be said for any of the big time snacks, especially the popcorn. And most importantly, enjoy yourself!

 

[Jason2015]

I've enjoyed what you have so far. Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

 

[grayquaza]

I've enjoyed what you have so far. Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

Thank you, I'm looking forward to sharing them!

 

[grayquaza]

DAY 12 - The Best Laid Plans

I woke up decently early, despite the late night I had before (nothing exciting. Just souvenir shopping and suitcase packing), because the hotel stopped serving breakfast at 9am. I grabbed a couple of pastries, orange juice, tea, and the always odd hot breakfast item of the day. Today's was teriyaki meatballs with rice. Even now, I have no idea why the hotel served such unbreakfasty foods. Nevertheless, it was good and filling!

After breakfast, I ran back up to the room so I could finish packing and make those last chance sweeps around the nooks and crannies. It was a good thing check-out wasn't until 11am because I was cutting it close! I finally gathered my suitcases and checked out of the Tokyu Stay Nihonbashi. It was a little melancholy as it normally is when you check out of a hotel after a pleasant stay, but at least I wasn't heading home just yet. Because it was finally time for me to head onto the Tokyo Disney Resort!

Well, almost! I still had a few things I wanted to do in Tokyo first. So after handing over the key card, I also left my suitcases with the hotel. I had to sign a piece of paper with my name and the time I intended to return to get my luggage before I left. My initial plans were to visit Ryogoku to visit a few museums; an earthquake prevention centre, the Tokyo Edo museum, and the Hokusai museum. I wanted something relatively easy and stress-free before I travelled to Maihama later on in the afternoon. Alas, this was not to be...

You see, the night before, I noticed that my camera was acting up. It wouldn't focus correctly and would throw up an error every few pictures I took. Since it only happened a few times, I hoped it was a minor issue that would fix itself the following day. That is, until I did a little research. It didn't sound good, but it was still mostly working for the time being. I threw my worries aside and pulled up Google Maps to find the best route to Ryogoku. Walking and getting a train took about the same amount of time, so I decided on the former since it was a pleasant morning. Plus, I could test my camera and see how things were holding up.

My camera was working fine for a while, I took a few pictures along the way. Then tragedy struck. The error message came up again! By now, I was on a bridge over the Sumida river, so I stepped aside and tested a few things, namely the zoom. In the end, the error message would show up regardless of what I did. Of all times for my camera to act up, it just had to be now!

Still, I persisted into Ryogoku since there wasn't much else I could do. I walked past Kokugikan, the big sumo stadium the area is famous for.

There was a tournament happening that day so I didn't visit, but there is a free museum inside that anyone can visit on non-tournament days. Not that I cared at the time since I had more pressing matters to attend to. Instead, I entered the Kyu-Yasuda Teien Garden nearby.

It's a small Meiji period garden that surrounds a pond in the shape of the kanji "kokoro" which means heart. It was quiet with few people meandering, so I took the opportunity to sit on a park bench and think things through. I gave my lens another try but it was more of the same. I switched to my other lenses to confirm that, thankfully, it was a problem with that specific lens and not my actual camera.





So with that in mind, I weighed up my options. My main camera lens, an 18-80mm that came with the camera when I bought it, was now busted. I had two other lenses on me but they were both prime lenses. A 24mm and a 40mm. I could take a few pictures with them, but they were ultimately too restricting for everyday use, especially since I was about to head to Tokyo Disney Resort.

In the end, I only had one viable option. Find a camera shop and get some help there. I checked on Google Maps and the nearest location was the Yodobashi camera store in Akihabara. Luckily, it was a 10 minute walk away from my hotel, which meant I didn't have to completely waste my day. However, any hope of visiting a museum was dashed. But it wasn't the first time. It's just another reason to return to Japan!

So I got up and walked through the garden. It's pretty small, the pictures show pretty much the whole thing. It also happens to be where the Japanese Sword Museum for those interested. I left the garden on the opposite side and crossed the road to the Yokoamicho park. Here, you'll find the Tokyo Memorial Hall, which is a monument to those who died during air raids in Japan during WWII, and the Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum.

I wanted to visit the earthquake museum because it's free, and I did my university course on environmental hazards and disaster management, so it's always been an interest of mine. Unluckily, but predictably considering how the day had been going, it was closed! The memorial hall was open but I didn't actually know its significance until I started writing this. A shame really. But my mind was more focused on my camera at the time.

This was one of the peace monuments in the park. Apparently inside, you'll find the names of the victims of WWII, but as you can see, it was cordoned off. And then I spotted this pigeon in one of the displays. An unexpected and unusual bright spot to the morning!

After a few snaps, I decided to cut my losses and move onto Plan B. I walked back through the gardens and towards Ryogoku station, where they have a food hall with a replica of a sumo ring. I wasn't hungry at the time, otherwise it's a good spot to have chanko nabe, a hot pot dish considered a staple of a sumo wrestler's diet.

However, I actually had to travel from a different station, Asakusabashi station on the other side of the river. So, a bit more of a walk.

The night before, I was trying to find out what my friends wanted from the Pokemon Center but they didn't respond until the store had closed. I looked up where the nearest store was and it happened to be at the Tokyo Skytree.

 

[grayquaza]

The Tokyo Sky Tree? Well, there's a shopping centre on the lower levels of Japan's tallest building, which also happens to have a Pokémon Center. I visited quite a fair few of them in my travels but surprisingly not this one, despite having gone up to the observation deck a few days earlier.

Before I went to the Pokémon Center, I did have a little look around the mall in the hopes that maybe I'd come across a shop that would deal with cameras, but I didn't find one unfortunately. I did, however, find a Creamstone Creamery of all places. It was a pretty warm day for February, so I decided to treat myself to a little sundae. I don't think I've ever been to one in the USA so I don't know if its the same. They sang a song while they made their little ice cream creations which was cute. I went with strawberry shortcake.

I also almost dropped my cup taking this picture because that building is so darn tall!

After that much needed break, I found the Pokémon Center and bought a Pikachu toy and an Eevee toy for my friends. It's certainly a Pokémon lover's dream to visit one of these stores. Just check out the sort of things you can buy. These aren't from the Skytree store but the mega Tokyo store in Nihonbashi, home of the Pokémon Cafe. But it's essentially the same merch!

In every Pokémon Center, they have these life-sized models of varying Pokémon. These are the ones on display in the Skytree store.

They are the starter Pokémon from Pokémon Sun and Moon. Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio in that order for those who aren't as Poké-savvy.

It also has this large model of a Pikachu riding the legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza. AKA the namesake of my username!

As I was about to leave, I happened to notice there was a Daiso nearby, which is a 100 yen store. There's one in Harajuku with three floors that I was going to shop at but the evening I was there, it was a little too busy for my liking. The one in Skytree was significantly smaller, but now I had the perfect opportunity! They sell plenty of interesting things.



I grabbed a few intriguing products, but I didn't go crazy like I did at Don Quijote the previous night. (so many KitKats...) Outside of a few more candies, a pack of Pokémon themed curry, and a pouch of instant hojicha tea latte, I got a couple of chopsticks (one was a gift for a friend that I forgot about...), a little Mount Fuji plate, sakura face wash, a Hello Kitty teaspoon, a hair drying glove, and a Mickey Mouse collapsible storage box which was actually 300 yen instead of 100 yen. It's certainly an eclectic variety, that's for sure.

Satisfied with my haul, I finally left Skytree and made the journey to Akihabara. I checked my route and noticed I would have to change trains at Asakusabashi station, and wondered if I could save a little yen. I only had 1000 yen (about $10) left on my Suica card and didn't really want to top it up with more money when I would only be using it to get to Maihama, and then the airport a few days later. It was literally a straight path, so no chances of getting lost.

Even better, I just had to follow the train tracks straight to Akihabara station! That was the last picture I took with my camera that day. The last picture I took in Tokyo overall actually. That's a little sad... But I'm going to nab a few Street View screenshots to supplement some things so it's not a big block of text!

It was maybe a 15 minute walk to Akihabara from Asakusabashi station and was rather pleasant. It was all underneath those suspended train tracks. I came across this small shrine along the way, which was inside of a small park of sorts.



I also came across a few vending machines offering drinks for 80 yen! So of course I grabbed a drink, I sure needed one at this point. It was the best priced vending machine I found on my trip, but only by a small amount. I kept coming across "lucky" vending machines where every drink was 100 yen. It's the sole reason I never had change on me, I was spending it all on hot vending machine drinks!



It wasn't long before I made it to Akihabara, and the Yodobashi shop. Which was a good thing because by this point, it was coming up to 4pm, and it was almost time to collect my luggage. Yodobashi is a huge electronics department store with a good 9 floors to it.



The cameras were on the third floor and it still took me a good 5 minutes to actually find them in the massive building. I did find someone who could help and they confirmed my suspicions. There was no fixing my lens unless I were to send it back to Canon for repairs. So I was left with very little choice. I ended up purchasing a new camera lens which was an expense I wasn't exactly prepared for. I got a Sigma 18-50mm lens, I think. I can't find the box to confirm that! It wasn't the 18-80mm I used to have, but it did the job nicely in the upcoming days and I'm definitely glad that I made the purchase. And on the plus side, it was a tax free purchase so I made a small saving at least!

The sales person asked if I wanted to use the lens immediately but I decided I'd had enough of my camera for one day. So with a new lens in hand, I made the quick trek back to the Tokyu Stay hotel for the last time to pick up my suitcases. Finally, it really was time to head to Maihama and the Tokyo Disney Resort. I had planned my train journey beforehand. It was a short walk to the station, and a single transfer in-between. It should be easy, right? Well...

 

[Ngwira]

Following along

 

[KEK1]

Following, great report so far! You are obviously a photographer, gorgeous pics!

 

[grayquaza]

Following along

Thanks for the follow!

Following, great report so far! You are obviously a photographer, gorgeous pics!

Thank you, I'm certainly happier behind the camera than in front of it, that's for sure!

 

[grayquaza]

So I want to preface this part by stressing that most of my train journeys around Japan were stress-free. I had the odd "is this the right train?" or "I'm not going to make it!" panic but they were few and far between. It really was poor planning on my part that things went a bit pear-shaped...

Speaking of which, Japan has a superb delivery service that transfers luggage between hotels called Takuhaibin, the leading company being Yamato Transport. You'll see their logo of a black cat carrying a kitten everywhere! I had thought about using the services because I knew I'd be loaded up with luggage by the end of the trip. But after using the trains, I ultimately decided against it since I felt comfortable getting around. In hindsight, I would have my luggage delivered in a heartbeat!

So anyway! I had two travel routes available. Travelling from Shin-Nihombashi station and transferring at Tokyo Station, or travelling from Kodemmachō station and transferring at Hachobori station. Shin-Nihombashi was around the corner from the hotel but I knew from previous experience that there were only stairs at that station. Also, Tokyo Station is notoriously difficult to traverse on a good day, and I was travelling with a large suitcase, a carry-on suitcase, my backpack, and a duffel bag on my person. I wasn't prepared to deal with one of the busiest train stations on the planet with all of that.

It was a short walk to Kodemmachō station, about 5 minutes or so. I'd walked the same way when going to Ryogoku earlier. But when I got to the station, I faced my first problem. There was a handy map outside that showed an elevator was nearby, which took at least 10 minutes to actually find it... I admit I'm not the most perceptive person, and the fact I kept missing it probably shows that!



The red rectangle is where the station entrance was, and the green rectangle is where the elevator was, tucked away down an alley. I even went down there a couple of times and kept missing it! I want to say it was hidden away but it really wasn't... Forgiving that slight mishap, I made it down to the station and caught the next train which was only a few short stops away from Hatchobori station and where things really fell apart.

There were two exits at the station. I walked to the nearest one, which also happened to have an escalator, until I noticed signs pointing the other direction for the JR Keiyo line. So I walked to the other end to find only stairs, which I didn't really want to deal with. I walked back to the escalator side and went through the barriers to discover, would you believe it, more stairs!

For some reason, the elevators to street level are at the other station exit despite being step-only access to the train platforms. This was the point I knew I'd messed up. The staircase wasn't even that tall but I was so loaded up with bags that I couldn't drag it up in one go. Still, it wasn't the worst staircase that I had troubles with on my trip. In fact, I think it can be best encapsulated by this meme.



But that's a story for another time! I did manage to get to the top after several moments to pause and catch my breath! Then I had to walk a bit further down the road to find the entrance to the JR rail line. I actually crossed the road because I thought I saw the JR green logo but it was for something else entirely, such was my luck this particular day! A minor quibble in the overall scheme of things however. The elevator wasn't hidden out of sight, and I didn't encounter another set of stairs. So it was a breeze getting down to the platforms and boarding my final train of the day. It was even a rapid train so I made the journey faster.

Finally, after a bumpy journey, I was back on Disney's doorsteps, in a different country no less! Maihama station has a big poster over the escalators welcoming you to the Tokyo Disney Resort, which is pretty cute! I didn't get a chance to take a photo because of all my luggage, but let's just pretend that I did.



This wasn't the end though. As soon as I left Maihama Station, I encountered another problem. Or rather, the same problem. While there are escalators and elevators inside the station, outside is a different matter. Which generally isn't an issue because there's direct access to Tokyo Disneyland and Ikspiari. But if you need to catch a bus, like I did, then you're stuck using the stairs. Or at least that's what I thought until quite literally right now as I'm writing this! I was looking for a few street view pictures to supplement all this text and I noticed the elevator symbol on the map. Lo and behold, there is one along the path to Ikspiari. Like I said, I'm not the most perceptive person. I suppose it's good knowledge to have for next time!



This is where the Maihama Eurasia bus collects ands drops guests off at. It's actually behind the station, so I used the north exit instead of the south where Disney is. So I can't feel too bad about missing that elevator. The day I had to get to the airport is a different matter entirely... But enough about my past woes! I almost thought I had the wrong place since it took 15 minutes to arrive. I must have just missed a bus since I was the only one there for a while, then more people turned up. In fact, I almost couldn't fit my luggage on because of the amount of people waiting. Mostly guests heading back to the hotel after spending the day at Tokyo Disneyland.



Here we are, the Maihama Eurasia! All those plants and trees were part of the outdoor baths at the spa, and also a rooftop garden that I totally meant to visit at some point but just never found the time for it. Which is a shame, I've seen pictures and it has a nice view over Tokyo Disney Sea. In fact, here's one from the hotel Twitter account with their little doggy mascot.

The lobby was on the second floor but thankfully there was an escalator! I don't know if I could have faced another staircase... As I walked through the corridor to the check-in desk, I noticed a sign in the hallway. It said something to the effect of "As of 18th February, we will no longer be running a bus service to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disney Sea"... Just my luck that they'd stop the buses the week I arrived! The bus service was, obviously, still running to Maihama station so I could still get to TDL that way, and TDS was only a 15 minute walk from the hotel. When I went to Disneyland California, my family and I stayed in a rental home that was a half hour walk from the parks which we did every day, so 15 minutes wasn't too bad in retrospect!

At the check-in, I had a lovely man who I think may have been from the USA help me get sorted. I asked him about how to get from the hotel to the airport for my flight, which was pretty early. I wanted to get a shuttle bus but they didn't run that early unless I wanted to travel up to Urayasu station. It seemed I was stuck having to take the trains again. Fingers crossed that journey went better!

I got my hotel key card, and my room was on the same level as the lobby which was great. I usually like to staying on the higher floors but after the day I had, I was quite happy to stay put! I had booked a "run of the house" room, which meant they'd give me any room in the hotel that was available. It was the same price as the cheapest room on offer and I think it's exactly the room I got so I couldn't complain. It came with breakfast at the buffet included, which was quite handy.



Finally! After a pretty dang eventful day, here's my hotel room! It was surprisingly big for Japan. Initially, I'd booked it for two people in the hopes a friend of mine would join, but it unfortunately never happened. Here's another angle from the hotel website because I forgot to take more than one.



Finally settled in and no longer worrying about bags and trains, I had a short rest where I freshened up and got in contact with my family to let them know I'd arrived safely. It was only an hour or so as I wanted to get back out! You may have noticed that outside of breakfast and an ice cream cone, I hadn't exactly eaten. Actually, I think I may have had a leftover doughnut from the previous day but even then, that's not substantial. It was almost 7pm and I was starving! So I got on the next bus back to the train station so I could visit Ikspiari and find somewhere to get dinner.

 

[scrappydew]

I am really enjoying your report! Thank you!

 

[Lilias]

This is great! I can't wait for the Kingdom Hearts and Squeenix stuff D

 

[grayquaza]

I am really enjoying your report! Thank you!

This is great! I can't wait for the Kingdom Hearts and Squeenix stuff D

Thank you both!

Funnily enough, they announced another Kingdom Hearts limited time café for the release of Melody of Memory and I'm a little sad I can't go, even if it's only because I must have this little mug of Sora and the 100 Acre Wood gang that comes with one of the drinks...

 

[imbatman]

I bought my 4 day park ticket from the Disney Store in Shibuya, the one whose entrance looks like a castle. There are other Disney Stores that sell tickets if you don't want to face the Shibuya crowds. You can also buy them at TDR, or even your hotel if it's a Disney partner.

Aaaaand you can buy them in most 7-11 stores in Tokyo. Another strange and odd fact of Japan. (we were there in Oct. 2018)

The food can be hit or miss in Tokyo Disney.

From one non-foodie to another, amen! Luckily I packed in some snacks or I would've starved. Though the one strawberry ice cream we had was good!

Still, it wasn't the worst staircase that I had troubles with on my trip.

Lotsa small, narrow passages there. My poor DH is 6'5" and I'm 5'10", so we were constantly ducking.

Love the trip report! It's taking me back!

 

[grayquaza]

As I already mentioned, I decided not to bring my camera out with me since I didn't want anything to happen to it after all that I went through that day. I also did plan to come back to Ikspirari later on in the week but it never came to be. I spent almost all of my time in the Disney parks and Ikspiari seemed to close before they did. Apparently the restaurants are open later but if they did, I never noticed. I'll throw up a link to a YouTube tour of the place for anyone interested. It's a bit long but also recent since it's from September of this year. I'll throw in some timestamps if anyone wants to keep track.

So if you didn't read it before, Ikspiari is essentially a mall with various shops and restaurants both familiar and unfamiliar. It's like the Downtown Disney of Japan. It's owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, who also own and operate the rest of Tokyo Disney Resort. That's an interesting thing, Disney doesn't own Tokyo Disney, they just license the various properties to the OLC. Pretty crazy, right?

Because I came off of the bus, I entered Ikspiari on the first floor instead of the second floor which I would consider the main entrance. One of the first stores I came across was a Krispy Kreme (8:26), which is notable because they were selling Sesame Street themed doughnuts that I wanted to try.

Unfortunately they were sold out by the time I got there. I think I arrived too late in the day for them to restock as well, and then I never made it back to Ikspiari so I missed the opportunity to try them. Honestly, they were just normal Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but I wanted them for the pics! Ah well. I moved on and found a tea shop called Lupicia that I had a little peek inside (7:32 / 8:38). They had some good selections and I had to stop myself from buying anything since I already stocked up on tea while I was in Kyoto. Tea which I still have, mind you. Because I have so much loose leaf tea, I never get around to drinking it all!

I stopped to look at an area called Ikspiari Kitchen, which is your typical mall food court (on the left from 6:35-7:20). I was interested in a meatball place that had opened recently, but I wanted to see what else was available. So I went upstairs and passed a few clothing stores before I came to the main courtyard (11:40).

I made my way to, where else, the Disney Store! The one in Ikspiari is the bog-standard Disney Store you can find throughout Japan, but I was hoping I'd see something interesting in the sales section that seemed to be in every Disney Store I visited. Unluckily, it was more of the same products so I didn't stay long. I left via the doors that led into the stretch of the mall you've probably seen pictures of, with Hollywood marquees and the ceiling painted to look like a night sky (12:50). If only I had my camera! It leads up towards the cinema and is lined with more restaurants, including the Rainforest Cafe (14:23), but nothing caught my interest.

I circled around the back of the cinema and popped back outside to see what was on the menu at Outback Steakhouse before heading towards the upper floors. I did come across a buffet that sounded good (19:00), but it was something like 4000 yen? Definitely not in my price range! On the top floors, there were more traditional Japanese restaurants alongside a TGI Fridays (25.25). I think I almost ended up eating at a place called Monsoon on the third floor (21:53), and I can't quite remember why I didn't. I don't think it was the price that scared me off. I guess I was still looking at all of the restaurants at the time and it slipped my mind.

I eventually made my way back down to the first floor and settled on a small place that had caught my eye earlier called Pie Face (7:20 / 8:45). It was a fast food restaurant that sold small pies with emoji faces on top. I didn't think pies were a Japanese thing so I was pretty intrigued by the thought, and I spotted a sign outside that advertised a set meal available in the evenings. I made my order and sat down with my tray of goods.

See that little blue circle in the mash? Turns out Pie Face is an Australian chain! I suppose I assumed it was Japanese because of the cute emoji faces on all of the pies. Still, it was different from what I could get at home and it only cost me something like 800 yen? The evening set meal included a pie, sides, soup, and drink. That being a chicken curry pie, chargrilled veg, guacamole, mash and gravy, a sausage soup, and a lychee soda. I really enjoyed it, even if it wasn't what I somewhat expected it to be. In fact, I liked it so much that I also bought a cherry and custard pie to take back to the hotel room for later.

After dinner, I decided to leave Ikspiari and walk on over to the gates of Disneyland. You know, just to have a little peek... It was maybe half an hour before the park was due to close so there was a stream of people leaving. I couldn't really see much because it was so dark and the ticket gates really take up most of the scenery. I did contemplate taking a look inside the Tokyo Disneyland hotel but I wanted to do so when I had my camera on me. So I turned back and visited the Bon Voyage gift shop instead.

It's a decent sized shop in-between Tokyo Disneyland and Maihama station, and sells a whole lot of merchandise that is sold in the parks themselves. Except for Duffy and friends who, I believe, are exclusively sold within Disney Sea. I thought this was a good opportunity to see what was available in the upcoming days. And thanks to the time difference, it was midday back at home so the whole family was in the group chat. I went around the store and took some pictures to show off what they had.

The infamous Mickey Mouse soap. It's a foaming soap that has a special tip that shapes the soap into Mickey Mouse's head! They were introduced for the 35th anniversary and I really wish I had bought more than one bottle home with me. We still use the bottle at home actually when we remember to buy the right soap for it.

There was a Pixar event happening over in Tokyo DisneySEA, so here's the merch for that. There was a Luxo Jr beanie hat that I really liked but it was 3300 yen and I have a big head so no guarantee it would actually fit!

I would say at least a third of the store was dedicated to tins of chocolates, candies, cookies, and so on. There is a social custom in Japan known as omiyage. It's essentially gift giving but somewhat obligatory. Whenever you go somewhere for a day trip, a vacation or what not, it's custom to bring something back with you from the place you visited for family, friends, and even work colleagues. Hence the variety of food goods, since it's something small you can share out between a lot of people without breaking the bank. You find these sort of things all around Japan and I bought my fair share's worth.

Speaking of which, here's the obligatory soft toy section! There's a lot of the usual culprits but no Duffy and friends for the reason I mentioned earlier. It's difficult to see but at the very back were some new sakura themed Mickey and friends because it was nearing Spring time, and the cherry blossoms are a huge deal in Japan.

There was an interesting amount of Baymax merchandise about. This is way before they opened the Baymax ride as well. But who can blame them? He's adorable. If I had an unlimited budget and luggage allowance...

These are Tokyo Disney exclusive Tokyo Banana. It's a banana shaped cake with banana custard in the middle and fairly popular as far as I know. These ones contain a banana caramel centre and that cute Mickey Mouse motif. Actually, I read today that they're opening a permanent Pikachu Tokyo Banana shop in Tokyo Station, so that's interesting news.

These are a selection of travel pouches with a little compartment for you to keep your park ticket inside. It comes on a retractable cable so you don't have to take it off or even take your ticket out to use it. I was tempted to buy one but I never did in the end. It didn't seem necessary when I had my wallet.

I also almost bought one of these babies, and I still kick myself for not doing so! They're little versions of the bins they have in the parks! The middle one is for the American Waterfront section of DisneySea I think specifically around the Tower of Terror. Meanwhile, the bottom one is from the Camp Woodchuck Kitchen restaurant in Tokyo Disneyland. They weren't incredibly expensive either? Above them are tiny models of the bins too, but why buy a useless model when you could have an actual proper trash can? Missed opportunity right there...

Here's a good example of the food models you can find at almost every restaurant in Japan. These are showing an example of the ramen packs you can buy.

The Minnie ears were actually cheaper in Tokyo, I think 1500 yen each which was maybe $14 at the time? Not as big of a choice as the American parks, especially with that whole trendy colour of the season schtick, but still perfect if you need another pair.

So after that good look around the store, I decided it was time to call it a night. Walking back towards the station, I managed to catch a small glimpse of the castle. Definitely not the clearest or most flattering picture but there it is! A reminder of where I would be the next morning.

With that little peek into the future, I returned to my hotel bus pick-up point and wasted no time getting back to my room so I could get a good night's sleep for the following morning. But not before trying on the hotel pyjamas.

They were a little small on me! The Tokyu Hotel also offered some pyjamas which were more like a dressing gown. I didn't wear them to bed. The only time I actually used them was when I visited the spa because I noticed that's what the other guests in the hotel seemed to do. I would see them in the evening wearing the pyjamas and heading to the hot baths. I also had slippers but if the pyjamas were a little small on me, the slippers were on another level! I couldn't even get them on...

So after my camera lens breaking and having to buy a new one, the treacherous and tiring train journey to check into my hotel, and the thankfully calm evening in Ikspiari and the Bon Voyage store, I was more than ready to get into bed and prepare for the following morning. It would be an early start because I was finally going to visit Tokyo Disneyland!

 

[grayquaza]

Aaaaand you can buy them in most 7-11 stores in Tokyo. Another strange and odd fact of Japan. (we were there in Oct. 2018)

From one non-foodie to another, amen! Luckily I packed in some snacks or I would've starved. Though the one strawberry ice cream we had was good!

Lotsa small, narrow passages there. My poor DH is 6'5" and I'm 5'10", so we were constantly ducking.

Love the trip report! It's taking me back!

Thank you, I'm enjoying the chance to look back on my days. I think I heard about the 7-11 tickets from a machine, right? One of the ways to potentially get a discount if you can read Japanese!

My first day in TDL, I forgot to check my list of menus before leaving and that's one of the main reasons I found myself at Tomorrowland Terrace. I didn't make that mistake again! And yeah, a lot of squeezing down small walkways that also doubled as roads. Ah memories.

 

[Jabroniville]

Nice stuff! I can't wait for a more thorough look at the parks! When I went there a few years ago, I ONLY spent time at the two parks and then their standalone big shjop (which I actually found somewhat disappointing, finding equivalent stuff everywhere). So I missed out entirely on that mini-mall thing- that's interesting! I had no idea that was there!

 

[grayquaza]

Nice stuff! I can't wait for a more thorough look at the parks! When I went there a few years ago, I ONLY spent time at the two parks and then their standalone big shjop (which I actually found somewhat disappointing, finding equivalent stuff everywhere). So I missed out entirely on that mini-mall thing- that's interesting! I had no idea that was there!

Thank you! If you take a left out of the station instead of the right towards TDL, you'll find Ikspiari. I think if you don't know beforehand, it's easy to miss. Convenient for shopping if you're staying in the Tokyo Disney area but there are certainly better options in Tokyo itself so I wouldn't feel too bad about missing it!

 

[grayquaza]

DAY 13 - Where Dreams Come True

The start of a new day, and the first day I had in the Tokyo Disney Resort! Not even the ominous grey clouds were going to dampen my excitement. I got dressed in record time and even managed to get to breakfast early for once. Unlike at the Tokyu Stay, which was a small temporary set-up in the lobby, this was a proper restaurant with a full spread of breakfast food. I just had to hand over my breakfast coupon and a server guided me to a free table. They also left a plastic coupon that I had to return before I left so the servers would know I had gone and there was a free table.

I had planned to spend maybe half an hour at breakfast because I wanted to get to Tokyo Disneyland ASAP. I underestimated how substantial the buffet was going to be and, before I even knew it, almost an hour and a half had passed! Which is surprising because I'm not a breakfast kinda guy. But this buffet had a great selection of food, including a dessert bar (I do have a big sweet tooth).

I only took one picture of the buffet food but I didn't tend to stray from the basics every morning. From top left to bottom right, there is a meat patty, a gyoza, a sausage, orange slices, caramel pudding (I think?), french toast with syrup, little cakes, citrus pudding, a bowl of curry rice, and karaage fried chicken. So quite the variety. There were pastries and breads, a selection of cereal, miso soup, noodles, fruit, eggs, fish, and plenty more. I wish I'd taken more pictures but I'm always a little self conscious about taking photos of food. The actual price of the breakfast was a little expensive for my taste (I had it included in the room price, but I think it was 1700 yen out of pocket) but it certainly filled me up!

By the time I finally left, I only had an hour before TDL was due to open. Luckily, I had a bus schedule on hand so I timed the bus arrival perfectly, and I was on my way to Maihama station. From there, I climbed those blasted stairs up to the elevated platform and quick-stepped it to the park. I noticed that Bon Voyage was already open, and I cut through it in what I hoped was a sneaky shortcut. When I reached the ramp down to the park, this is what I was confronted with.

Not too bad, right? But looks are a little deceiving. That structure is actually where you can buy park tickets if, for some reason, you turned up without them. The park entrance was a bit further away. I wasn't too happy, I knew that the parks could get busy in the mornings and still wasn't prepared. I was somewhat hoping the gloomy skies might have scared some people off. Then it actually did begin to rain and...

They're locals, they're prepared for anything! I don't think I brought my brolly with me, just my hoodie. Luckily it was a brief spell and the wave of umbrellas went back down before the park opened. I mostly spent that 45 minute period talking to my family and catching up with news and media. It wasn't a fun wait but when I looked behind me to see the queue had extended back to the ramp, I was glad that I didn't turn up later! Then, the moment I had waited for. There was a little movement up ahead, the park had opened! We all shuffled along past the ticket vendors and I nabbed a spot in the shortest ticket queue I could see. In a few short minutes, I had stepped into the park. I was actually in Tokyo Disneyland!

Immediately you can see the difference compared to other castle parks. For one thing, there's no train station. Instead, you have this large, turn of the century building. It's almost like you're walking into a warehouse. If you couldn't guess, Tokyo Disneyland was celebrating its 35th anniversary and it would soon be over in a few short weeks. But I barely took in the surroundings as I high-tailed it to Tomorrowland as fast as I could muster without getting told off by the cast members. All the way along World Bazaar (as their Main Street is known), there were CMs holding up signs warning guests not to run. Of course, there were plenty of people ignoring those signs, but I did risk a brisk power walk. My first task was to get a FP for Monsters Inc. Ride And Go Seek and the crowds had me a little spooked.

Lo and behold, I rounded the corner to Tomorrowland to find two rather long queues already forming outside Monsters Inc. I resigned myself to the realities of Tokyo crowds and plunked myself in the queue that I assumed was for the FPs. I stood there for a few minutes before I glanced back to the attraction and spotted something just to the left of it. The FP machines! And there wasn't a queue for them. I don't know what line I had gotten into, I think it was for a meet and greet. I really should pay attention to my surroundings...

So I abandoned the non-FP queue and darted straight for the laugh cannisters where I could find the actual FPs. I even managed to get an 11:35-12:35 timeslot (the park opened at 9am). Task one complete! My next task normally would've had me rushing directly through Tomorrowland but due to the Beauty & The Beast construction, the direct path to Fantasyland was cut off. Instead, I had to backtrack into the hub and around Cinderella Castle.

I nabbed a quick picture on my phone to send to my family before rushing up the pathway towards Pooh's Hunny Hunt. I was hoping my little FP mistake didn't ruin my chances of a short wait for the ride. Instead, the ride was closed! They were having difficulties with opening. So the time tested "FP Monsters Inc, ride Pooh's Hunny Hunt" advice I read everywhere crumbled to pieces. I hadn't actually planned an alternative... So I ventured further into Fantasyland to see that It's A Small World was right next door, and it only had a 15 minute wait. I knew that they'd recently refurbished the ride, and it was better than nothing. So there we are, my first ride in Tokyo Disneyland came to be It's A Small World!

Up to this point, I'd had my camera tucked away in my bag. With all the excitement, I hadn't had a chance to get it out. So while waiting in the queue, I did just that. My new camera lens was already attached and it appeared to be in working order. I thought my first picture with my new lens would have been of the castle, but now was a good time as any to try it out.

Hmm... Whimsical, colourful, pefect! The queue had these a few of these little guys dotted about here and there. There was more queue space than I expected too. I suppose it helps being all inside.

Overall, I think the queue time was accurate. I didn't time it, mind you, but it felt like 15 minutes. So it was great to see the loading area, which is pretty beautiful!

It blows the other Small World's away, in my opinion. Yeah yeah, Disneyland has the topiaries and the cute outdoor loading area into the attraction, not to mention that iconic white clock tower. But I certainly appreciated Tokyo's being entirely indoors. And they still have the clock display on the outside in a fetching metallic pattern. It's the best of both worlds. It would be lovely if Magic Kingdom were to do something similar to their It's A Small World since a Disneyland-style facade is unlikely to ever happen. But never mind that, it was time to board the happiest cruise that ever sailed!