Today was another huge day at Disney. This time, at Disney Sea!!
We had another night of little sleep, got up early, and got to the park before opening. The rides here are more the attraction than the pretty park itself!
Day 311: Tokyo: No Sleep for Disney
Today we got up bright and early for a day at Disneyland!! (With only around 4 hours sleep)
I went to this park a couple of years ago, but now, instead of Christmas themed, everything is set up for Halloween. In Tokyo, this means everyone can dress up in full Disney costumes for the month... and people went all out!!
A lot of the costumes looked home made, with intricate details that I would never even think to add. There were a heap of couples costumes too which was adorable and amazing!! The kids were just too cute.
The park itself was pretty much how I remembered it, except for one ride, the Stitch Experience which was just a Japanese talk show thing which none of us could understand in the slightest.
I'm pretty sure everything I ate was shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. The afternoon iced tea was a blessing too!
As always, the final fireworks and castle show were incredible.
Tomorrow, a different Disney park xx
Day 310: Tokyo: Back in the World
Today I restated this travel diary by jumping on a plane to Japan!
While the flight may have been delayed around the hours, due to an issue with engine one, I have arrived safe and well.
The food and entertainment on the flight were real highlights though, and our airbnb is David Bowie themed!!
Tomorrow, Disneyland xx
Day 8: Tokyo: Imperial Palace, Skylines and Robot Restaurant
Today we started off with a walk around the Imperial Gardens again. We went and checked out the Palace, but it is closed to the public for most of the year.
Hopeful of better weather, we checked out the Metropolitan Government Building again, and we could see the mountains in the distance.
We spent the night in the most bizarre place - Robot Restaurant! It was amazing, and I have no idea what the hell happened the whole time.
Day 7: Tokyo: All You Can Eat Desserts
We did nothing on this day, other than eat. There is a big all you can eat culture, with lots of places offering it. We chose desserts.
Day 6: Tokyo: Disneyland
The most magical place on Earth, and we got to visit it at Christmas.
Most of these photos are entirely self-indulgent.
Day 5: Tokyo: Fish Markets, Temples and Scramble Crossing
If you don't mind an early start, Tsukiji Fish Market is an amazing place. If it's the right time of year, you can even see the tuna market, where each fish is worth more money than a reasonable house.
The best lookout in Tokyo is free at the Tokyo Municipal Government Building. On a good day, you can see Mt Fuji!
Meiji Jingu is a small piece of quiet reflection in the middle of the hustle and bustle.
Shibuya is the "cool" district, and has so much to see and do, from cool bars and shops, to the statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog at the train station.
We even walked across the famed Shibuya Crossing. Like predicted, we are big in Japan.
Day 4: Tokyo: Harajuku and Sundays
Not much is open in Japan on Sundays, at all. Harajuku though, was buzzing.
Harajuku is a district in Tokyo known for it's real life doll dress style, and pink, pink, pink everything.
Sadly, I didn't have the confidence to photograph any of the girls dressed up, but it is such an interesting trend!
Day 3: Emperor's Garden and Akihabara
The centre of Tokyo isn't really anything special, unless you're really into high end shopping.
The mail railway station is actually very Victorian looking, which is somewhat out of place, as you walk from there, into an ultra-modern district, then onto the traditional Imperial Grounds.
I love the juxtaposition that Japan has, with huge skyscrapers and technology jostling for it's way through a very traditional landscape.
The Imperial Gardens are an absolute must. There are a number of walking tours through the gardens, and I cannot recommend the Free Walking Tour we did enough. In every city around the world, I always look out for a good free walking tour, where the guides work only for tips, and always really know their stuff.
We went to Japan in Autumn, which is really the off-season, but it meant it wasn't too crowded, and honestly, it seems like Japan would be beautiful year-round!
My obsession with Koi Fish was never more obvious than in these gardens.
After a day outdoors, surrounded by Zen Gardens and ancient moats and walls, it seemed only right to spend the evening in Akihabara, the tech district of Tokyo. It is what I imaging a nerdy 14 year-old boy's dream world to look like.
We spent longer than we expected in an electronics store we initially mistook for a sports stadium, and spent the rest of the night just wandering in and out of stores, with anything gaming, tech, or "adult" you could possibly ever want (or never even knew existed... Maid Cafe...)
We had our first run-in with Pachinko as well, a loud, gaudy gambling game which is incredibly popular in Japan.
Day 2: Tokyo: Senso-Ji Temple
This was our first real day in Tokyo.
Japan is an incredible country, and I highly recommend Tokyo as the first city a traveler should visit. Most people speak enough English to help you out, and the young people could probably beat you on any English exam you had to take, but there is still a completely different culture.
Unlike North America or Western Europe, Japan has a whole different set of culture, religion and food, and this is just the shock you should look for if you're travelling.
We spent the day just wandering around the part of town we were staying in - Asakusa.
The highlight of this day, and the greatest temple we saw in Japan was Senso-Ji Temple. It is a huge complex, with a great market leading up to it. Admission is free, and the temple grounds are never closed.
Day 1: Tokyo: Headed to Japan
This blog is back.
It has been 500 days since I left on the trip of my lifetime, and I have some new perspectives on some old travels.
First up, is the day I left Australia to start my trip.
Finding cheap flights is something I got particularly good at over the course of my trip, and the best, easiest way to do it, is to first, be flexible.
By using SkyScanner you can select a whole month of flights to find the cheapest day, then use Expedia to book the flights. Sometimes, a little trial and error is needed, as not all flights are updated to the actual current prices.
The other tip I have is to sign up to newsletters. I am still getting bombarded with cheap flight deals from various airlines and websites, and I have them all go to a special email account I set up just for this sort of travel spam.
We paid a little extra to get extra legroom for the 8 hour flight from Cairns to Tokyo, but figured it wasn't worth it for the 4 hours Melbourne to Cairns. We got to the airport early though, and managed to get the emergency row seats for free. It never hurts to be polite and ask.
The best tip I can have for getting through airports is to use the downtime to get ready. Nothing annoys me more than people who have spent an hour waiting for customs, and haven't bothered to even get their passport out. Don't be that guy!
We decided to stay near the airport for the night, as we found a cheap deal (and could use our Expedia points) and we didn't leave the airport until after midnight.
Heads up, Japan is not built for the 2m tall.
