Our July 2019 Japan trip report, including TDR and USJ, from a points-and-miles hobbyist, Complete

[newfamilyman]

Day 6: Hilton Odawara, Day 1

After a not-great night's sleep, we went down to breakfast in the dining area where we could have had dinner the night before if we hadn't chosen to have it in our room instead. For those not in the mindset for a Japanese breakfast, the western-style breakfast continued to disappoint. The only thing that I enjoyed were the breakfast breads, and those were only just OK.

We took the hotel's free shuttle to Takayama station. One of the curious things about shuttle buses, which continued when going to the Odawara Hilton, is that there is no compartment in the back for luggage. Instead, they leave the first row free in which they place the luggage.

Once in the Takayama station, I got our reserved seats for the Wide View Hida, this time to Nagoya, and then transferring to the shinkansen to Odawara. On the return trip, the seats had been turned around the opposite way, and there was no narration. It was still an extremely relaxing ride with beautiful scenery.

We had a little over an hour layover in Nagoya before the shinkansen to Odawara, so we decided to have lunch in a sit-down restaurant. We went to the neighboring tower, where the top two floors were similarly dedicated to restaurants. They had an interesting set-up where rather than leave your name on a list, you sat in seats lined up against the wall in a first-come, first-served manner. I'm not sure how that would work if they needed a table for two and the next guests were a party of four, but we didn't wait to find out because we did not have enough time to wait to be seated. We found a restaurant with no wait so that we could be seated immediately.

Once again, we were treated to a fantastic Japanese meal. I finally got my pork cutlets, which were perfectly fried and not at all greasy, and served with the most delicious tonkatsu sauce. One of the wonderful things about not having to tip, other than saving money, is that you can approach any staff when you need something, so it was easy to get water refills from anyone who passed by. Payment was also quick, since as soon as you were done, you went to the cashier without having to wait for a check or a server to return with your processed slip. We were easily in and out in an hour.

It was then a quick shinkansen ride to Odawara. I was a little nervous about making the Hilton shuttle because from the information that they sent us, they have only one pick-up per hour, and if there isn't room for you, you need to take the train to Nebukawa, the closer train station to the hotel. I was trying to avoid Nebukawa mainly because there is no escalator, and I always preferred not having to lug heavy suitcases up and down stairs whenever possible. The hotel provided a detailed map for where to find the shuttle, which arrived exactly where the map indicated. Luckily, we had no problems getting on the shuttle.

As a diamond member, I had requested upgrades, ideally to suites. We were instead upgraded to their curious Western-Japanese hybrid rooms. The room was half, typical Western-style hotel room and half ryokan. The bathrooms, other than the wonderful Japanese toilet, were typical Hilton, not upscale, but the views were the best I have experienced in a hotel. Views do not get any more expansive. It was overcast, as it rained the following day, but hopefully you can get the idea from these pictures:



The Hilton has only two restaurants, a lobby lounge and the main restaurant, which offers only buffets. As diamond members, we were offered club lounge access. The Ocean lounge was a little unusual in that it did not offer breakfast but did have snacks and late afternoon/early evening hors d’oeuvres and light desserts. For diamond and possibly gold members, the breakfast buffet was free. This Hilton is one of few hotels that does not only provide a continental or cold buffet for elite members. For entertainment, the hotel has tennis courts, a bowling alley, and karaoke rooms. Their indoor pool complex is vast.

For our first night, we decided to save a little money and have a makeshift dinner in the lounge. There were a couple of hot items so that it was not impossible to do. By the standards of upscale, Asian hotels, this spread underwhelmed. It was more on par for what you would expect in an American Hilton executive lounge.

We were still catching up on sleep, so we watched some more TV. We never had a problem at any hotel using my iPhone HDMI adapter. While it was confusing at some hotels where the remotes lacked English, intuitively, it wasn’t too hard to figure out the source button.

Next Installment : Hilton Odawara, Day 2

 

[newfamilyman]

The room was well air-conditioned, but the mattresses and especially pillows were definitely on the firm side, which continued in all hotels where we stayed. The bathroom, while head and shoulders above the ryokan’s, was yet another major step down from the InterContinental.

We headed down to the breakfast buffet, where there was no wait to be seated. One section of the restaurant is reserved for Hilton Honors guests, presumably so that they know not to charge for the meal. A bill was never presented during either of our breakfasts there. Considering how big the rest of the seating area was, it was surprising that there weren’t more elite guests (i.e., gold or diamond status).

The buffet catered to its predominantly Asian clientele, offering little in the way of an America or European breakfast. The limited fruit options continued, and much of the fruit available was canned, including the peaches. Given that it was stone fruit season in California, it was a little depressing to see canned peaches. However, they did have fresh lychees, something that I have only had canned before (as far as I know, at least). They were easy to peel, and it was definitely fun to eat them fresh.

The bread items were similarly disappointing. If the chalkboard sign indicating that they were baked in-house was correct, then they certainly weren’t baked in-house that day. The sample of breads I tried were all stale, at least a day old. For those who were content with sticking to the Japanese choices, the buffet looked more than satisfactory.

After breakfast, we gave some thought as to how to plan our day. The Hilton, as I would quickly learn, is fairly isolated, and unless you have a car, you are pretty much stuck there. The shuttle to the Odawara station does not run on weekends, at least during the summer season. I asked a friendly attendant in the Ocean Lounge about that, and he explained that the Hilton sits on the road to Hokkaido, which after 11 AM on the weekends is often heavily congested and slow-moving. As a result, the shuttle can’t make it round-trip in a timely manner.

We had initially wanted to visit the Yunessun theme-park spa, and I had even been foolish enough to reserve the tickets in advance, but it would have been prohibitively expensive to get there by taxi. Furthermore, the machinations of taking a taxi to the Odawara station and then finding the correct bus and getting off at the correct stop and then doing the same thing in reverse seemed overwhelming and stressful. As a result, we made the somewhat reluctant to decision to spend the day at the resort and enjoy its amenities, knowing that we had one more day of rest on Sunday before the beginning of our busy and final week.

DW and DD enjoyed an hour in one of the karaoke rooms, and we all spent some time in the pool complex, since it was not an onsen. The Japanese were very strict about what they considered to be hygiene issues. Swim caps were required for the Olympic-sized lap pool, which was enforced, and you were supposed to rinse off by pouring water on yourself in a special pool that looked like a Jacuzzi but had freezing-cold water after leaving the saunas, which was not enforced. From my perspective, pouring freezing water on yourself basically undid whatever relaxation was achieved from the saunas.

We had lunch in the lobby restaurant, where food was delivered from the distant kitchen in the main restaurant. As befitting a restaurant where guests were really discouraged from eating in order to choose the presumably more cost-effective and profitable buffet, the prices were extravagant for small-portion menu items. A sushi plate, for example, cost around $30, whereas the buffet contained unlimited sushi along with everything else you would want for twice that price. It was kind of a no-brainer to eat onsite, since any off-site restaurant would include an expensive round-trip taxi fare.

After a nap, we went to the lounge, where the same helpful staff member explained that the buffet dinner cost was $60 after the service charge. I tried to get that information using Google translate from a brochure in the lobby restaurant, but again, the app failed to accurately translate. DW decided that she was not hungry enough to eat the buffet, so DD, DS, and I went alone. The buffet proved to be a terrific value for $60, again inclusive of service charge and no required tip, for the sushi alone. There were plenty of other delicious items, including a chocolate fountain, to more than justify its cost. In the absence of other options, I recommend the buffet.

We did not feel like doing anything else around the resort, so we finished the night watching Netflix in the room.

Next Installment: Sheraton Grande, Tokyo Bay

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 9: Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay

We checked out of the Hilton after breakfast. The breakfast was identical to the previous day. There was no wait, which was great, and still no out-of-pocket, which was also great.

Because the shuttle did not run to the Odawara station, rather than deal with the inconvenience of Nebukawa, I decided to book a taxi through the JapanTaxi app. The app gives an approximate cost and allows for payment through credit card. Otherwise, as it turns out, I don't think there were any advantages and one significant disadvantage of asking a bellman to get a taxi for us. Like Uber, you wait for a driver to be matched after you confirm the ride, but unlike Uber, the wait was over 20 minutes for the taxi to arrive. It turns out that the driver came from the Odawara station. We were lucky that the taxi was large and had ample storage space for our luggage.

Back at the station, because DW and DD had filled themselves with the Japanese offerings at the breakfast buffet, only DS and I purchased some lunch items at one of the excellent restaurants in the Japanese version of a food court, which focuses on grab-and-go items. I made our reservations for our final bullet train of the trip. With the sad realization that our rail passes were expiring that day meant that our trip was half over.

With a short wait for a bullet train, it was a relatively brief journey to Tokyo. From that station, there was a long, long, long walk which felt like two miles, though it probably wasn't, to the subway which would take us to the Maihama station. From the Maihama station, we took the Disney monorail initially to Ikspiari (their version of Downtown Disney) because I wanted to see if I could get my vacation package materials early. Only the Disney hotels provide the free monorail tickets, so we used our Suica cards to cover the monorail trips initially. A helpful staff member directed us to the Disney ticketing office.

The following picture shows our initial welcome to Ikspiari, and I point this out to help others who think that just because you are visiting in the second week of July, don't expect the rainy season to have ended or even for it to be warm.



Because I have seen this question raised multiple times, here is important information for anyone purchasing vacation packages: you cannot pick them up until after 3PM on the day before the package begins. Because our package was set to start on Tuesday, we would have to return on Monday after 3. We then headed back to the monorail to take it to the Resort Gateway station and walked across the street to the Sheraton Grande.

I've read a number of negative reviews of the Sheraton Grande, and I can say from my experience is that based on what room you get, your opinion will definitely vary widely. We arrived to the Sheraton on a Sunday, and there were at least two weddings taking place that we saw. There were long check-in lines, but a helpful staff member directed me to the Bonvoy elite check-in desk which had only party in front of me. Check-in time was 3, and we arrived just after 3. As I mentioned earlier, we had booked a Japanese suite, and the clerk told us that our room would not ready until 5. Before I even had a chance to complain, she told us that she would provide us with room keys to a different room, and we could go to our suite after 5. This seemed like a very reasonable arrangement.

The initial room looked pure Sheraton, a Sheraton that hadn't been upgraded since the hotel opened in 1988. Instead of thermostat, for example, it had a series of buttons for the air flow strength and heat or air-conditioning without allowing for any specificity. The bathroom, similarly, was completely dated. The view from the room was curiously of the Disney Sea show buildings, specifically Indiana Jones and at least one other whose corresponding ride could not be easily determined.

While we were waiting, I began doing laundry, which was one of the main reasons for choosing this hotel. The laundry room was, again curiously, located in the kids' play area of the hotel, located in a separate building. The machine required 100 yen coins. The laundry was 300 yen per load, and if you put in 400 yen, the machine automatically inserted detergent. The dryer was 100 yen per 15 minutes, up to 60 minutes at a time. I filled up two washing machines and eventually loaded two dryers with clothes. Luckily, only one other guest was doing laundry.

We then made a visit to the club lounge, which was located in the same building on the top floor, though at the other end of the floor. There was only some packaged crackers and drinks at that time of the day, so we returned to the room.

Next it was time to choose where we were going to eat. Three of the restaurants in the hotel were offering a terrific deal: Marriott Bonvoy members got discounts starting at 10% for basic members, 15% for gold members, and 20% for platinum and higher. My memory may be incorrect here, as I can't be sure if platinum was 15% or 20%. As titanium, we got 20%.

We chose the buffet restaurant, which in spite of the negative reviews that I have read, turned out to be terrific. It had a wide-variety of choices, emphasizing the theme at that time of Indian dishes. Seeing that I was a big water drinker, a server helpfully placed a pitcher of water on our table. With the 20% discount, the meal was very reasonably priced, and I recommend this restaurant without hesitation.

The only problem I experienced at dinner was that I had to keep going back to the laundry room, as I discovered the dryers were among the least powerful that I have experienced. Initially, my mistake was to put the one load into one dryer. We had filled up the washing machine, and the dryer was helpless to deal with this quantity of clothes. After running one dryer for two hours, I finally had to separate the clothes into two dryers in order to finally have the adequately dried.

After dinner, we were excited to go to our new room, and the difference was astounding. It was almost impossible to believe that both rooms were located in the same hotel. You passed through a Japanese curtain to enter the wing of the Japanese suites, each one of which was named. Our room had four beds and was enormous. Everything was perfectly themed and luxurious. Here are pictures of our view and the shower/bath part of the bathroom.




One of the main benefits of the Japanese rooms, as I mentioned earlier, is the use of a private bath room, which included a large jacuzzi of sorts, showers, and many sinks. After the unexpected rainy cold of Tokyo weather, it was heavenly to enjoy a hot soak and then shave. We could have booked it again the next day, if we had chosen to stay in the room.

Having wound down with this relaxing treat, we watched more Netflix and fell easily asleep.

Next Installment: Our First Day in Tokyo

 

[MakiraMarlena]

what kind of adapter for the Iphone are you using to watch TV? I looked at some, but they say they are not compatible with Netflix or other paid streaming services which are supposedly somehow encrypted and cannot be mirrored to a TV screen. If the programs are downloaded first I guess it would work.

 

[newfamilyman]

what kind of adapter for the Iphone are you using to watch TV? I looked at some, but they say they are not compatible with Netflix or other paid streaming services which are supposedly somehow encrypted and cannot be mirrored to a TV screen. If the programs are downloaded first I guess it would work.

I use the Lightning AV adapter below. No, we did not download first. We used the hotels' WiFi, since it was usually faster than the WiFi buddy. You just have to connect an HDMI cable to the adapter, and the other end goes into the phone. The only challenge sometimes was positioning the TV to find the HDMI input and then figuring out the source button on the remotes, some of which had only Japanese characters.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 10: Tokyo and Hotel Mira Costa

As I had mentioned earlier, I double-booked this night at both the Sheraton and the Mira Costa. I little expected to have the debate that we encountered this morning as to whether or not to blow off the Mira Costa to continue our stay at the Sheraton. Unfortunately, it turned out that we would make the mistake of checking out of the Sheraton and making good on our Mira Costa reservation.

First was our breakfast in the Club Lounge. I absolutely have to hand it to the Sheraton. When they get busy, they know how to manage crowds. A staff member ascertains your party size and then escorts you to a table just as if it were a restaurant. This was very civilized and convenient. There was a generous spread which continued to prove that not all Sheratons are alike. The breads, in particular, were spectacular. My only complaint was that there were two elaborate coffee dispensing machines which prepared drinks with steamed, or at least heated, milk. Only when we left did we discover a traditional coffee dispenser near the back exit for just regular coffee. One of these two fancier machines had an out-of-order sign on it, creating a long line for the only working machine. When I came back for a refill, however, I saw someone using the other machine. She explained that the "broken" machine worked fine for any drink which didn't include milk, so it would have been helpful if that had been mentioned on the sign. Still, a small complaint.

We were not hitting the parks today but going into Tokyo. We had some time before our 10AM tickets for Team Lab Planets, so we headed over to the Mira Costa to drop off our bags. This involved taking the monorail one more time at our own expense, where there is a convenient walkway from the second floor to the hotel's lobby, which is also on the second floor. There was a bit of a line to check-in, but the cast member helpfully gave me our monorail passes, Happy 15 entry tickets, but not our room tickets, instructing us to return after 3. The lobby was compact but as spectacular as we promised in the many trip reports and reviews I had read by way of planning.

We were then ready to go to TeamLab Planets. It seemed de rigeur to visit at least one of the Team Labs while in Tokyo, and I was put off by some of the negative reports of those who visited Borderless. Planets turned out to be Borderless lite, which worked for us. There were a relatively small number of rooms, and there was a prescribed order to visit them. Our tickets were for the opening time, and there was a small line when we got there. It was a pretty cool digital art museum, if that's what you can call it, no question about it.


Why women are told not to wear skirts:

We were done in 45 minutes or so, shorter than I expected, but I felt like I had partaken adequately of the TeamLab experience. TeamLab will have a floor in the upcoming Motion Picture Academy museum under construction pretty close to us in LA, so we'll probably go back again then.

Following TeamLab, there was an elaborate hot dog stand, essentially, near the entrance, so we all got some lunch before heading to the Tokyo Dome. I wanted to experience at least one other local amusement park besides Disney and chose this one primarily because it had a karaoke ferris wheel for DW and a log ride for DS and me. Log rides are my favorite kind of ride because of the combination of relaxation and, when they're good, a nice view before a fun but usually not-too-intense thrill.

I probably should have purchased passes in advance on Viator, but I wasn't clear exactly what was included, so I purchased a three-ticket attraction pass on-site. We first went on the karaoke ferris wheel. There was a limited number of songs from which to choose, but DW and DD had enough time to belt out "Let it Go" while we got some great views of the neighborhood.




Next was the log ride. The most impressive part of the ride was that you really got soaked, much more so than would have been expected by looking at it. Since Splash Mountain incredulously was closed for the summer, this would be my only log ride in Japan (Jurassic Park is a shoot-the-chutes), this one had to suffice and barely did.

I guess we saved the worst for last, the newly opened Back Daan indoor coaster. It goes forward in the dark, and then backwards with the blinking lights. I guess they are supposed to simulate "comical explosions of bombs," according to the website. You can't make this stuff up. It was just, meh.

Leaving Tokyo Dome, we happened upon our first Donki, as Don Quijote is abbreviated by the locals. For this first one, it was all about the Kit Kats for me. I wanted to bring them back as souvenirs and was faced with a wonderful assortment of flavors which could only be partially translated. We were then back to the subway to return to Tokyo Bay.

We returned to Ikspiari right around 4, and I had no problems this time getting my vacation package materials. When we returned to Mira Costa, there was a dispiritingly long line for check-in. Luckily, a manager was assisting guests in line, and I explained that I had checked in earlier and was just picking up my room key. He helpfully was able to provide me the keys so that I could bypass the line.

Our room, 5345, could not help but overwhelm in comparison to the suite at the Sheraton except for the views:

Note the line at Mama Biscotti's, which never seemed to diminish

The room itself had two beds which were basically somewhere between a twin and a double, a twin trundle bed, and another twin bed. The room was small, and the four beds seemed to take up all of the available space. It was less than half the size of the Sheraton suite. The bathroom was similarly underwhelming, though at least the toilet and shower were in separate compartments.

I had made a 6:45 reservation for Oceana because I wanted to be able to watch Fantasmic from the balcony at the restaurant, a perk for the restaurant's diners. We made the mistake of initially taking the elevator to the first floor and couldn't figure out how to get to the restaurant. We did manage to see the incredible view of Venice from the spa, which is on this floor. We then remembered that the lobby is on the second floor.


Oceana was about half or possibly a third the size of the Sheraton's buffet. The selections that they did have satisfying enough but only the perk of watching Fantasmic from the balcony justified the experience. I wondered how letting guests on the balcony would work, and I observed a CM standing guard for 10 minutes or so before he finally opened the door, which was about 5 minutes before the show started. There was a stampede for the door, but the balcony was big enough to allow us to get a great view of the show.

My experience of Fantasmic goes back to its premier at Disneyland. In those days, you could claim your spot in front of the Rivers of America hours ahead of time in anticipation of a great view of the spectacular. I remember one such time where we had waited hours next to another group of guests Arizona, one of whom told me, and I still remember, in a wistful tone of voice, "There's something just so magical about this place." The novelty of the show and the way it was created for this particular space made those waits worth it. It's no longer possible to stake out your spot hours in advance, and in any case, Fantasmic 2.0 at DL is not a worthy successor to the original, in my opinion. The same can be said of Orlando's version, which does not even justify a second viewing. The Tokyo version is coming to an end. The technological innovation here is the sorcerer's hat which is used as a projection device instead of screens of water. The language barrier also diminished the show's impact, but I was glad to have experienced it.

We paid the check and returned to the room to go to sleep, since tomorrow would be our first day at DisneySea.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 11: Tokyo DisneySea

Before we get to our first day at TDS, I realized that I forgot to mention about our visit to the Disney store in Ikspiari before we headed out to Tokyo on Moday. Let me repeat that we planned for hot weather. I listened two or three times to Chris and Trish's TDR Explorer podcast on how to manage the sweltering heat that is summer in Tokyo. I brought mostly t-shirts and shorts, with no sweatshirt or coat, not wanting to bring more than I needed. The first week was as hot as we expected, but as we entered week two, and the cold, rainy gloom that would last all the way until we boarded our plane to following Sunday.

As a result, DS and I definitely needed heavier clothing. Before we headed to the city on Monday, we made our way to the Disney Store in Ikspiari, the largest one in the country. Upon entering it, I thought maybe there was a hidden floor, since it was about half the size, if that, of the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney in Anaheim and smaller even than the typical mall Disney store in the States. Even more amazingly, there was almost no clothing. The only clothing items were a few Marvel t-shirts. I asked a cast member if there was more to the store and if there were any more clothes than what was on display, and the answer was no to both.

We made our way then to the neighboring Gap, where we ended up buying a couple of hoodies. The advantage of following Japanese law which requires tourists to bring their passports at all times was that I did not miss out on getting an instant rebate on the consumption tax, Japan's version of VAT. It was 8% but will rise to 10% on October 1. The sales associates will staple the receipt to your passport, which are supposedly meant to be removed by outbound customs agents, and I had read in some places that you needed to have those purchased items on hand at that time. However, mine were never removed, and I was never asked to produced those items which I had packed in any case.

This brings me to shopping in the Mira Costa hotel, which we also did on Monday night. Unlike Disney hotels in the US, this one had just one, very small gift shop. Curiously, much of what was for sale were candies and sweets, with no clothes for sale. Disney was certainly consistent, apparently, in not wanting me to purchase any logo apparel. We did end up redeeming all of the vouchers that we could in the shop, however, which included the lanyards and merchandise.

That finally takes us to Tuesday morning. We thought about returning to the Sheraton to eat at the club lounge there, since we had not checked out, but thought that it would be too much trouble. As we were getting ready, I observed the pre-opening operations as they maneuvered boats around the bay. The gondoliers looked up and waved to me as they passed underneath, which was pretty cool.

A short while later, I noticed a commotion as guests started to enter the park, even though it was not yet 8, much less 9. Here was my big mistake of the day: I had checked the opening time of TDL but not TDS. California Adventure never opens earlier than Disneyland, so I didn't even consider the possibility that TDS would open earlier than TDL. A quick check on my phone, however, proved that things don't work the same way in Japan as they do in California. Here, TDS opens at 8, and TDL at 9. We all rushed to get out of the room, and this proved to be basically the only benefit to staying at the Mira Costa.

I called to guest services to ask about luggage, and I was given some very helpful and much appreciated information. If we packed our suitcases and left them in the room, someone would transport them to the Disneyland Hotel for us. This definitely made life easier.

We made it down to the lobby and still turned in our Happy 15 certificates. Luckily, almost all visitors were camping out in front of the water for the first of the day's pirate shows. We made a beeline for the Mysterious Island for Journey to the Center of the Earth. We got a FastPass and then entered the stand-by line for the short, five-minute wait.

I had pretty high expectations for Journey. It uses the same ride system as Test Track and Radiator Springs Racers, two of my favorite Disney rides. It is a combination dark and thrill ride which, again, is my favorite kind of ride. While a great ride, it was a tad underwhelming, unfortunately. The huge lava monster was a great animatronic, certainly the best one I've seen in any Disney park since the Jedi in Everest is non-operational. Whereas Test Track hits you with a long, intense speedway and Radiator Springs some fun hills, Journey has a great climb and dip following the lava monster which ends way too abruptly. If they could have kept that going a little longer, it definitely would be my favorite Disney ride.

DW is a huge Jules Verne fan, so our next ride was 20,000 Leagues. This is like the classic submarine ride minus the submarine. It was luckily a walk-on and did not warrant a repeat ride.

We rode Journey a second time using our FP and walked to the Lost River Delta to get an Indiana Jones FP. From there we went to the Mermaid Lagoon area to ride Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster. This seemed a little more fun than Gadget's Go Coaster or Goofy's Barnstormer, but maybe it was just the same ride. It couldn't have been longer than either of those two, and luckily was a walk-on.

From there, we headed back to Raging Spirits, but first we had our one character interaction of the entire trip, with Timon. It's always fun to see Timon, regardless of which park you are in.



I got FPs for SeaRider since the return times were close to the times the FPs were obtained. I decided to use one of our "D" vacation package FPs for Raging Spirits. With the two-night vacation package that we selected, which was the one without show seating, we got two "A" FPs, which could be used for any ride, and five "D" FPs, which could not be used for Toy Story Mania or, curiously, Sea Rider. I say curiously because, unlike Toy Story, the demand for SeaRider was not greater than that of any other attraction. They have since replaced SeaRider with Soarin' for restricted rides on D FPs, which makes a lot more sense. My initial strategy was to use two FPs for the first two days and three on the last day.

Anyway, back to Raging Spirits.

Not surprisingly for TDS, the theming was the best part of the attraction. The exterior mixed water and fire to cool effect, and there is one part on the coaster where you go through essentially a cloud of fog that was unique. We enjoyed it.

From there, it was time to use our Indiana Jones FP. Japan still uses paper FPs but instead of scanning them, you scan your park tickets for entry. The paper FPs essentially are just there to remind you of your return times. Once again, the exterior again proved that this is what TDS does best.

The Mayan temple facade was impressive, and the queue definitely had more skeletons than any other Disney attraction. The ride itself is essentially a clone of Anaheim's version. It was slightly plussed in places, but not to the degree that it significantly improved one's experience. For me, this ride provides plenty of ambience but is too jerky to be particularly enjoyable.

Our final ride before lunch was SeaRider. There's not a lot about this ride to recommend for those who don't speak Japanese. It is just a motion-simulator, 4D screen ride. You get some air blown on you and some water sprayed at you like all these rides seem to do. The movie that we saw, since they do vary, had the various Finding Nemo characters. I don't like motion simulator rides, since they tend to make me dizzy, and not understanding the language made this one feel longer than it probably was. Needless to say, this was another one-and-done ride for us.

It was then time for lunch. Another advantage of staying on-property was being able to book dining reservations in advance. Surprisingly, many of the slots booked out quickly at the 30-day mark. We were able to make a reservation for Restorante di Canaletto for shortly after they opened. As I mentioned before, Chris' restaurant reviews in his TDR Explorer book are too encapsulated to be particularly helpful. I drew from Tom Bricker's Disney Tourist blog for more detailed information.

Tom suggested that it did not matter where you were seated to enjoy the experience at Restorante di Canaletto, so I did not request outdoor seating. This was a major mistake. The charm of this restaurant is the view of the canals. While the indoors was nicely themed, it was not even close to being the draw of the outdoor view. Like all sit-down TDS restaurants, this one offered only a course service, which is what they call a prix fix menu. The pizzas were just meh, not horrible but nothing special. The service was similarly not great, which is the main drawback to a system without tipping. We left disappointed.

DW wanted a gondola ride afterwards, but one of the frustrations of the frequent pirate shows was that all of the water rides would shut down for long periods throughout the day. Instead, we got FPs for Tower of Terror and explored the park while we waited for the return time.

The ToT facade was magnificent, and the ride itself proved to my favorite version after the WDW original.

All the clones have done away with the fascinating trip down the hallway in an elevator. I loved the theming of the TDS version, however, the best. The history museum theming was fun and emphasized the inherent creepiness that dark museums stuffed with artifacts can have. The pre-show in Japan was definitely my favorite because of both the theming and the effects. As for the ride, it is by far the least jarring, which suited me just fine.

The only disappointment, which would continue throughout our time at the resort, was that I was hoping to buy a cool t-shirt in the attached gift shop. There were no clothing items, not even a hat, for sale. That was just mind-blowing to me. On the positive side, I certainly spent a lot less than I was expecting on souvenirs.

Having run out of things to do, pretty much, we decided to use our "A" FPs to ride Toy Story. This is an identical clone to the other versions, with the only difference being the three-hour waits for those without FPs. Maybe this has changed since Soarin' opened.

We spent the remaining time before our Magellan's dining reservation exploring.

We redeemed our vacation popcorn voucher for strawberry popcorn. This was the popcorn equivalent to Franken Berry cereal. I'm not a huge fan of artificial strawberry flavor, and this made wonder about what was all the fuss about popcorn. We watched a bit of the "Hello, New York" show from the sides, since predictably all of the seating filled up quickly. This seemed like a fun show, though it curiously switched from English (I particularly liked the "Staten Island/keeps you smiling" rhyme") to Japanese. We explored Mermaid Lagoon, and DW was especially disappointed, as a Small World mega-fan, that the Sinbad ride was closed during our visit. We finally ended up in the Fortress Explorations before our dinner reservation.

I asked for seating in the wine cellar or under the globe, and only the latter choice was available.

I've read a few raves of this restaurant, and this was one of those times when you could believe everything you read. It was a spectacular meal, with attentive service, from beginning to end. Unlike Be Our Guest in WDW, where I have a keen memory of bussers removing many barely-touched meals during our last and final dinner there, guests were loving everything served at Magellan's. TDS knows how to do fine dining but maybe not much else, at least food-wise.

We decided to leave TDS and check-in to TDL Hotel, which required taking the monorail. The TDL Hotel is a magnificent, Victorian structure. There was a short line to check-in at this time, and we were soon into our magnificently themed, Beauty and the Beast room. Unlike the tiny Mira Costa room, this one was large enough to accommodate three beds plus a trundle-like bed. We did not feel cramped, and the sleeping arrangements were more comfortable. The theming was fun and had been missing in the Mira Costa.

Next Installment: Tokyo Disneyland

 

[LovesTimone]

Great trip report, lots of good tips, and info...

I have a question, I have read you need to keep your passport with you, which just worries me like crazy... I mentioned this to a friend and she was like you can get a passport card to carry with you and leave the main passport in the hotel safe, she said that's what they do when they travel, and they travel alot... Did you keep your reg passport with you, or did you use a passport card...

She said that when they are visit Japan they just pay the tax, on small purchase's, for bigger ticket items... things like electronic's.. she said they use their passport card so that they don't have to pay the tax... she also said to make sure to keep the receipts, and everything in the box and bags... it will cut down on the time if they do ask to see what you bought...

 

[gelatoni fan]

I have a question, I have read you need to keep your passport with you, which just worries me like crazy... I mentioned this to a friend and she was like you can get a passport card to carry with you and leave the main passport in the hotel safe, she said that's what they do when they travel, and they travel alot... Did you keep your reg passport with you, or did you use a passport card...

She said that when they are visit Japan they just pay the tax, on small purchase's, for bigger ticket items... things like electronic's.. she said they use their passport card so that they don't have to pay the tax... she also said to make sure to keep the receipts, and everything in the box and bags... it will cut down on the time if they do ask to see what you bought...

Americans aren't used to carrying a passport around but in many countries, it's the law to carry ID at all times. Japan is ultra safe so theft of your passport is unlikely. I sometimes keep a print out of my passport with info about how to contact the consulate/embassy when I travel although I don't bother in Japan. I routinely leave my passport in my bag and leave it unattended at Disneysea when I'm trying to save a spot for a show but need to go to the bathroom (not saying you should do that but this is not something I'd feel comfortable doing in a US park).

 

[LovesTimone]

Americans aren't used to carrying a passport around but in many countries, it's the law to carry ID at all times. Japan is ultra safe so theft of your passport is unlikely. I sometimes keep a print out of my passport with info about how to contact the consulate/embassy when I travel although I don't bother in Japan. I routinely leave my passport in my bag and leave it unattended at Disneysea when I'm trying to save a spot for a show but need to go to the bathroom (not saying you should do that but this is not something I'd feel comfortable doing in a US park).

That's a great tip on the consulate and embassy... we are still debating the passport cards... I really wasn't worrying about theft so much as losing a the day bag or something like that...

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for the kind works.

Japan is a wonderful country, but the police state aspect of it is maybe not one of its most wonderful charms, which is something our Tokyo guide, Mac, pointed out to us on several occasions, mostly when observing the police mascot painted on walls. He informed us, among other things, that Japanese police can hold you for 23 days without charging you for a crime. It is the law in Japan that tourists must carry their passport with them. Therefore, if you don't, you are breaking the law and could potentially be held for 23 days in jail. Not such a great thing to happen during a trip!

As for having your purchases with you when you leave the country, it proved to me unnecessary. I had a few pangs of anxiety about it when packing but decided I would have had way too many carry-ons if I had brought all the Kit Kats and more importantly, Bull Dog katsu sauce bottles with me on the plane. I was never asked to provide proof of what I had purchased.

 

[LovesTimone]

Thanks for the kind works.

Japan is a wonderful country, but the police state aspect of it is maybe not one of its most wonderful charms, which is something our Tokyo guide, Mac, pointed out to us on several occasions, mostly when observing the police mascot painted on walls. He informed us, among other things, that Japanese police can hold you for 23 days without charging you for a crime. It is the law in Japan that tourists must carry their passport with them. Therefore, if you don't, you are breaking the law and could potentially be held for 23 days in jail. Not such a great thing to happen during a trip!

As for having your purchases with you when you leave the country, it proved to me unnecessary. I had a few pangs of anxiety about it when packing but decided I would have had way too many carry-ons if I had brought all the Kit Kats and more importantly, Bull Dog katsu sauce bottles with me on the plane. I was never asked to provide proof of what I had purchased.

Thanks for the response... I have been doing some more researching around... and have found that you basically better have your passport at all times... as well to the US embassy and consulate address's and phone numbers.. and the location of a american hospital... as well our friends have strongly suggested travel insurance, and she said that when their son was injured, in a freak accident, it was necessary, and they helped them every step of the way.... as they got him on a medical flight, and she was able to go with him...

Our friends that went last year, said that the bottle's of different sauce that they were bring back, were confiscated out of their check luggage, and a form letter was left in the luggage that stated that liquids of any sort are not allowed to be transported, in checked, or carry on bags... Any thoughts on this?

 

[newfamilyman]

Our friends that went last year, said that the bottle's of different sauce that they were bring back, were confiscated out of their check luggage, and a form letter was left in the luggage that stated that liquids of any sort are not allowed to be transported, in checked, or carry on bags... Any thoughts on this?

I'm very surprised to read this. After the tonkatsu meal in Nagoya, I fell in love with the katsu sauce and had to bring some back with me. As will be covered in a future installment, while shopping at a Donki with Mac and Chris (TDR Explorer), Chris pointed out the Bulldog katsu sauce, and I bought 5 bottles. I should have bought more. On the cover of this month's Bon Appetit magazine is a sandwich from their favorite restaurant in the U.S. The recipe inside calls for katsu sauce, preferably Bulldog, so I clearly made the right choice. The bottles were not confiscated from my luggage. I've already gone through one bottle. It is great on chicken, pork, meatloaf, basically everything.

 

[nono]

Who was the form letter from? Airline? TSA equivalent?

 

[LovesTimone]

Who was the form letter from? Airline? TSA equivalent?

Lovestimone here,
Sorry I had to talk to my friend, she said the letter inside the luggage it's self, they did not realize that the contents had been gone through until they got home... She said that once they left the bags at the ticket counter and the luggage was locked ( TSA approved locks) when they dropped it off, she said that everything was all locked when they picked it up.... She really doesn't have any idea of when or where the sauce's were taken out of the luggage, They flew out of Narita, then onto LAX, stop and stayed overnight at an LAX airport, she said they never opened the check baggage, that had moved everything that they would need into the roll on's for the one night.... then the next morning from LAX, stopped in Atlanta, before landing in Tampa... she said it was just a printed form letter, and she just threw it away... I asked her did they take anything else she said only the sauces, she said they several packages of loose tea leaves, in a large zip lock baggie, which they said looked like something that you would see on PD live... and tons of other stuff that they bought, her DD's bought lots of Korean and Japanese beauty products, lotions and oils, shampoo and conditioner, body scrub and on and on... the sauce were in my friends DH's bag...So they are not sure if they randomly pulled his bag for inspection, or what happened... just the letter and the sauce were gone....

She said that the only thing that when going back through customs in Japan, that they wanted to see the camera's that they had bought, and some other electronic items... which they all had in their carry on's... the receipt's were in the passport... they just looked at the camera's, the boxes, the receipt and sent them on their way... now this was last year, in March 2018....

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 12: Tokyo Disneyland

We began our day with the included breakfast at Sherwood Garden, included in the package. I had changed our initial reservation time to one earlier to ensure that we would be ready to enter TDL at 8:45. The day did not begin auspiciously as we were escorted to literally the farthest table away from the food, a no-man's land of sorts. As it would soon become clear, we would be SOL if we wanted coffee refills, which we most certainly did, or extra sugar or creamers.

As for the buffet itself, it was a definite improvement on all of the breakfast buffets to which we had been exposed so far and would rank as the best of the trip, though to be fair, all of our other breakfast buffets were either in hotel club lounges or lesser hotels, like the Hilton Odawara. The pastries were fresh and delicious, and it was my first muesli of the trip, which I always enjoy (for American muesli lovers, try the chilled Swiss oatmeal from Corner Bakery). What distinguished this buffet is that it had plenty to please both Eastern and Western palates as opposed to most other buffets giving the Western options short shrift.

We were on our way on time for the Happy 15 minute head start into TDL, which was easily navigated from the hotel's entrance. There were plenty of CMs to guide you to the entrance, so there is reason to be concerned about finding your way. One thing I learned immediately was that you could wait in lines for FPs or rides, but you could not obtain FPs during these 15 minutes. As a result, the FP line the Pooh's Honey Hunt harked back to the early days of Radiator Springs Racers, when those with early entry would spend it on the FP line, waiting for tickets to be dispensed at opening. (Cliff Clavin moment: while researching hark back to see if I was using it correctly, I learned that the phrase was coined in the early hunting days to describe hounds harking back to recover a lost scent.)

This is a good time to describe one of the problems of TDL which will be slightly eased with the opening of the Beauty and the Beast ride: there are about the same number of FPs at TDL as there is at TDS, so whereas most rides at TDS have FPs, most at TDL do not. When you factor that two of those few, Monsters, Inc.: Ride & Go Seek! and Splash Mountain, were closed and a third, Star Tours, we had no desire to ride, that severely limited our options. The second problem specific to the timing of our visit was the number of rides closed. Incredibly, Splash Mountain was closed for the entirety of the summer, something that was incomprehensible to me, as was all of Tom Sawyer's Island and the various boat rides that go around it.

What we decided to do initially was to try the show lottery, since it was stationed next to Space Mountain. What I did not realize immediately, though it might not have made sense if I had known, was that you only get one try per show. I thought it was one try per performance time. We struck out on everything until Judy and Nick’s Jumpin’ Splash. I literally knew nothing about the show, but I have to admit, it just felt good to win something. Some of the native Japanese visitors were screaming with joy when they won, and watching them was sort of like watching a show, and an entertaining one at that.

The next step was to get the Space Mountain FPs, since the park had opened by this point. Using the same strategy that we used for the American Disney parks, we headed out to a non-FP attraction to maximize the efficiency of the FPs. We were eager to experience the Japanese Jungle Cruise, which already had a 20 minute line. Obviously we did not understand a word of the Skipper, but her enthusiasm was infectious. I couldn't imagine how exhausted she must be at the end of all of her shifts if she put the same amount of energy into each ride. The Tokyo version is considerably longer than Anaheim's, with an especially cool tunnel effect.

One thing they have in common is the scene depicting lions post-kill with their prey, a zebra. This is off-topic, but visiting South Africa can have some unexpected Disney moments. We were on an incredible safari in South Africa two years when we came across the scene below, with apologies to the squeamish. As you can see, the moment looked like a copycat, real-life version of the Jungle Cruise scene. While our jeep parked to watch it all unfold, I googled the best skipper quips for this part of the ride and reduced our guide to tears with some of the results, such as the skipper who sings "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by way of accompaniment. A priceless moment that I will never forget.

Our next stop was Peter Pan, another attraction without FP. Like the Anaheim version, each vehicle only has one row, which means that the ride has a low capacity. The ride itself, however, was much longer than Anaheim's version. One image in particular, the silhouettes of Wendy, Peter, Michael, and John on Big Ben, was both magical and memorable.

Our next ride was Pirates, another without FP. Luckily, because it was still early enough, the lines were all manageable. Pirates was a walk-on. This ride was like boarding a time machine to the pre-PC days of Anaheim, when the Redhead was still being auctioned as a potential bride, and pirates were chasing wenches, not food. Anyone missing those scenes will need to go to Tokyo. The only disappointment was the dip, as there was only one, and a small one at that.

As we returned to Space Mountain for our FP time, I grabbed our next FPs at Big Thunder, and we headed to Pooh's Honey Hunt, where we used our "D" package FPs. Since this ride ended up being closed for most of the following day, this ended up being our only time riding it. Perhaps because my expectations were so high, this ride proved to be disappointing. I did not realize that the storyline was identical to both American versions. The innovation was the ride vehicle, as I did not feel like I was seeing anything new. I enjoyed the freedom of the trackless system while re-experiencing a familiar story.

Space Mountain proved to be identical, at least as far as I could tell, to Anaheim's version. What made this one unique was that there was no music. I don't know if this is a daily occurrence or if it was a technical mishap. I surprisingly preferred not having music. Without it, there was nothing to detract from the experience of being blasted into space. The absence of music also gave the illusion that you were traveling faster than when there is music. Luckily, the track was similar in Anaheim's and not Orlando's, where you need a chiropractor due to the very real need for the track to be replaced. We won't ride Orlando's again for that reason.

Big Thunder was our last ride before lunch. The ride seemed close to Orlando's version.

Our experience at lunch was a main reason why TDL was no one in our group's favorite Disney park. Without any compelling table-service options, we chose Grandma Sara's Kitchen partially because of the theming and partially because we were hoping that with Critter Country again amazingly closed, we hoped it would be less crowded. The theming was as impressive as has been described by TDR Explorer's Chris and Disney Tourist Blog's Tom Bricker. However, just like a theme park is ultimately judged by its rides and not its theming, a restaurant ultimately must be judged by its cooking and not just its theme. The first problem we experienced was that everyone was saving tables to the point where literally every table was saved by practically invisible items so that just when you thought you had the last available table, you would see a mostly-hidden backpack occupying a seat. That was a pretty frustrating system. We ended up sitting on the stairs of a building next door, with people waiting for us to leave when we were done to grab those same, uncomfortable seats. Then there was the food itself, which was dreadful, at least the Western options. I chose the salisbury steak, and it tasted like a TV dinner or something from a particularly bad school cafeteria. I'm not sure even when Anaheim's food was at its worst did they serve anything as dreadful as what is offered at Grandma Sara's.

After lunch, we headed to the Tiki Room, which featured the Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride song in place of In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room. There was Stitch but no rain effects.

It was time for a drink, which seems like a good time to discuss the free drink options for those on the vacation package. I would recommend a careful review of all eateries providing free drinks and what they serve. The drinks with popping boba balls were the best options on the plan, since actual smoothies or blended drinks were not included, but these hybrid boba drinks were. Lines were the longest at these stands, mostly because customers were purchasing the smoothies and other, similar drinks.

Because it was getting crowded and people suddenly began claiming their spots for the parade, we decided to wait as well for the Dreaming Up! parade. The exclamation point was well-earned. Here are a few float pictures below, but this parade blew away any similar parade at a U.S. park due to its elaborate floats, costumes, and length, for that matter. There were definitely more floats in this parade. Look how much is going on in this one float:

What made the experience much more civilized was the Japanese custom of everyone sitting down. You will never see this in the states:

We did not bring or buy anything on which to sit, so we just sat down on the ground as we do in the U.S. parks when we are on the curb.

After the parade, we decided to go to use our winning tickets to see Judy and Nick’s Jumpin’ Splash, which was in front of the castle. It was not particularly hot, so we were glad that our reserved standing area was toward the back. This was a curious show for several reasons. The songs were all in English, but the characters spoke in Japanese. The show principally consisted of splash effects, which I have never seen before in a castle show. At one the point, the scantily clad dancers were shooting water guns into the crowd from their hips which made it difficult to ignore a sexual subtext.

In summary, there was nothing about the show which I would have expected.

At some point, we used our Haunted Mansion FPs, which was pretty much identical to Orlando's version, and we waited on a surprisingly long (half-hour) stand-by line for It's A Small World, about which I can't say much because, as usual when riding this attraction, I used it as an opportunity for nap time.

It was time for another of the trip's big disappointments, dinner at the Crystal Palace. It's hard to downplay how miserable this buffet was, again providing evidence that without a service upgrade in food, this park's greatness is limited. If you don't take any other tip from this report, please take this one and avoid Crystal Palace at all costs.

We attempted to do more shopping and couldn't find any satisfying souvenirs. The lack of shirts continued, as even the ones that mention the 2019 summer theme, "Donald's Hot Jungle Summer," didn't even mention the park's name on them.
Since we were so impressed with the daytime parade, we decided to watch the Electrical Parade as well. From our spots near the hub, we ended up with a reasonably good view of Oh! Summer Banzai!, apparently the first evening show in front of the castle in six years. This show again was mind-blowing. Like with Judy and Nick, the songs were inexplicably in English while the dialogue was all in Japanese. Unlike any show at the American parks, all of the songs were original to that show, without any Disney classics. The effects were mind-blowing, especially the enormous bursts of fire shooting up from the front of the castle which I have never seen before at other castles. As for the electrical parade, it had most of the familiar floats outrageously plussed.

There was additional entertainment value from our vantage point because they were filming the parade for some purpose, and one of the CMs would wave a stick near the camera to alert performers to face the camera. Some followed the instruction, like Pete from his perch on Elliott, while many were oblivious.

We had stayed much longer than expected and left after the parade.

Next Installment: Final Day at TDR

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 13: First Day, Tokyo Tour with Mac of Maction Planet

We began our day in the club lounge for breakfast. As lounges go, this one was pretty spectacular. A staff member helps you find a table, if it is crowded, and is available if you need them (as would be the case the next day). One of the biggest surprises for me about Japan was the scarcity and expense of fruits and vegetables. The lounge had some excellent fruit selections, wonderfully ripe fruit, as well as excellent breads, pastries, muesli, and Japanese selections. We were not disappointed in the lounge.

Today was our first day meeting Mac, tour guide extraordinaire who had come so highly recommended by Chris. He started the day bringing us to the Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya. The purpose of this excursion was to bring us to the feeling of being in a forest in the middle of the city. This was also an opportunity for Mac to educate us in buddhism and shintoism. As we observed the temple, Mac asked if we noticed what happened before people prayed, and I commented that there was always money involved. Mac agreed, commenting on how you have "pay to pray" at the buddhist shrines. This was a good time for me to explain to Mac that we were hoping to see more than shrines, and he was responsive, or at least claimed to be.

While walking or in the subway, we had plenty of time for conversation. We were naturally curious whether Mac was able to make it happen for Chris to join us for a bit. DW went as far as to say that she had made a "silent bet," which is to say a bet with herself, that Chris would not be joining us. Mac got a good chuckle from this, saying that he would love to take her to Vegas and claim at each hand that they had made a silent bet which had paid off. Mac explained that Chris was busy packing to move and that if we were going to see him at all, it would be tomorrow.

We had an interesting conversation about the democratic ways of Japan. I shared with Mac that it was almost shocking to spend multiple days in a Disney park and never once see a plaid. Similarly, unlike either Universal location in the U.S., there was no option for VIP tours, group or private. I asked Mac what VIPs do if they can't have private tours, and he explained that they have to do the same thing as everyone else. He pointed out that the wealthiest people don't have mega-mansions like you see in the States and suggested that we think of Japan as a communist country posing as a democracy, and he meant that with the highest praise. He told stories about companies who thought nothing of spending money for the greater good with concern about its share price. And, truth be told, the country's democratic take on communism was one of the reasons why it is such a special country to a visitor. It does feel pretty good when you are waiting to board a ride at TDL without seeing all the plaids and their groups cutting in and has to be one of the reasons why their bullet train and other rail lines are as prevalent as they are. Mac spoke about their healthcare system, which seemed like a hybrid of sorts between traditional socialized medicine and the American system.

It was then time for lunch. Mac had previously informed us that he wanted to take us to his "absolute favourite ramen shops - there are 10000 in Tokyo and I've eaten in 2000 of them." While we were walking, I discussed my disappointment with Jasmine in comparison to Ko and why she did not meet my expectations as a guide whereas Ko exceeded them. Mac said that he understood where I was coming from but that he had some guests who felt the exact opposite, and I could understand that as well. Regardless, Mac offered to pay for our lunch to compensate for the disappointment, which I appreciated. I do not remember the name of this ramen restaurant. We were the first in line, and you purchase a ticket from a machine and give to the chefs at the counter. It was an excellent bowl of ramen but not particularly memorable in the way that, say, our conveyer belt sushi meal in Osaka was. Maybe it's just because I'm not a big ramen person.

After lunch, we walked more around Shibuya, learning that Japanese love Stranger Things, too, and learning about Hachikō, the city's famous dog.


It was time, then, for the famous Shibuya Crossing. DW really wanted a video of her crossing, and Mac obliged by taking a video of her crossing as well as philosophizing about what has become an obligatory tourist stop: "It's become a thing to see. It makes it weird for me that people try to assess it. You can't put a ranking or a rating on this. This just is what it is. It's a crossing of people who want to get from there to there. My local friends find it hilarious when I tell them that people come here and go, 'Well, 2 out of 5.' She says, 'What, did my son not cross well enough for them?' Should he have done a little dance for the white people watching from the Starbucks, you know what I mean?"

The station also provided an opportunity for Mac to provide us with an art history lesson about Taro Okamoto's Myth of Tomorrow mural, what Time magazine once described as a "lost masterpiece."

This moment epitomizes, I think, the difference between having a guide and going on your own. We certainly would have passed by the mural, possibly without a second glass, but our experience was certainly much richer by Mac making sure that we stopped not just to admire the artwork but learn about its significance.

DD was hell-bent on trying rolled ice cream, so it was time to go to Takeshita Street in Harajuku.


It was Friday, and Mac mentioned that we had to go today because it was too crowded on weekends. Mac had a lot to say about what he called "insta-shammable" foods, especially boba drink cafes that were apparently spouting up everywhere. Harajuku certainly was all about how desserts looked as opposed to how they tasted. I had something like a churro stuffed with soft-serve ice cream. There was not much of a line that day, but Mac said it would have extended down the block had we gone on Saturday. That dessert was completely unmemorable, either the pastry or the ice-cream, and the same could be said of the rolled ice-cream.

Our next stop in Harajuku was the Harry Harajuku Terrace, billed as the world's first chinchilla, otter, and hedgehog cafe. This was one of those only-in-Japan moments, and we all enjoyed the animal interactions. Like in Kyoto, the space felt like a pet shop except ones that the pets aren't for sale but because admission included a free drink from a vending machine, it became a café.





Next was Shinjuku, home to Godzilla Road and our first of two Donki's with Mac.

DW found the "Don Don Donki" theme to be infectious and seemed to never tired hearing of it. Mac and I got into an extended conversation about Kit Kats. It is important to know that there are three levels of quality for the Kit Kats. The bottom level are the ones in bags. Some of the flavor combinations are pretty interesting; when I brought them back as gifts for my co-workers, one loved the Mint Peach. Salt Lemon was pretty interesting as well. I was not particularly enamored of the strawberry-flavored ones, which reminded me of the standard artificial flavor. I teased Mac quite a bit about the soy sauce flavor which eluded us and was so highly recommended by Ko as his favorite, and quite exasperated by that point, Mac said that he was going to have a word with Ko about mentioning Kit Kat flavors which are no longer available. The second tier, also for sale at Donki's, are boxed. For the top tier, you have to go to the special Kit Kat chocolatier in Ginza, which we will get to in the next installment.

By that point, our day was coming to an end. I had mentioned to Mac how Ko urged us to get Mac to take us to the best burger place in Tokyo.

Did Mac ever deliver! Again, that's the difference between doing it on your own and a tour guide. We toured the famous Kabukicho red light district on the way to our final destination, Shogun burger. After passing the various Maid Cafés and Soapland clubs, which I had to ask Mac to explain since the pictures of whales on dolphins on the outside were confusing, we made it to this burger restaurant that features smashed Wagyu patties and are better than most any burger you can get in the U.S. The Japanese may not be able to do pizzas very well, but they sure can do burgers, at least if you are fortunate enough to go to Shogun.

Our final stop was a walk through Piss Alley, which Mac said must have been the inspiration in part for Blade Runner's cityscape. A fascinating place, to be sure. It was then back to our hotel after a full day of sightseeing and conversation with Mac.

Next Installment: Final Full Day in Japan

 

[aviva5675]

Have had a room (3 adults) at the Hilton Tokyo Bay booked for awhile, for 3 nights, but just booked a 1 night 2 day package at the Sheraton. Basically all I could get right now, for May. Anyway, worried now our room will be horrible, based on the first one you were in. Are all the basic rooms there like that? Really enjoying your report, btw!

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for the kind words.

From reading other reviews of the hotel and browsing the hotel's room selection when I made the reservation, I saw that there was a wide range of rooms available. If you choose the bottom level, though, I would be prepared to have a room like the first one that we experienced. While I would not be pleased to have to spend a couple of days there, at the same time, presumably you won't be spending too much time in the room, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Still, if you can swing it financially, I would try to get something nicer than the lowest level. Good luck!

 

[sdchickie]

Loving your report so far, I'm going in March and have a week to spend between DL and Tokyo. Your information has been so helpful and I can't wait to try one of those burgers! Did you feel too rushed with only 2 days at DL and DS? I'm planning 1 day at DL 2 days at DS and I'm trying to decide if I need a 4th day to finish up stuff I didn't get to. I will be going during a busy time of the year and am not staying on property so no hotel FP so I'm expecting long waits. I am also planning on doing the TeamLab museum thing whichever one it is while I'm there.