When our plane touched down in Japan, the captain announced that the temperature outside was 10 degrees Celsius. A simple windbreaker was not going to be enough. Passing through immigration was a breeze because Dad did the pre-registration ahead of time. The train from Narita Airport to Keisei Yawata station took only an hour. From there, it was just a 15-minute walk to our first Airbnb accommodation. Even though we were in a foreign environment, we were able to find our accommodation easily, thanks to Google Maps. Now it even has an AR function where virtual arrows pop up on street view to direct you to your destination. How cool is that!
Airbnb 1, Ishikawa-shi
Our accommodation was on the second floor, just above a restaurant.
The first impression I got when I entered the accommodation was that it reminded me of Nobita’s house. It even had a living room made up of tatami mats just like Nobita’s. Although the building was narrow, the place felt spacious. Interestingly, the toilet bowl and the shower area are segregated. Perhaps this is to prevent whoever is using the bathroom from also monopolizing the toilet? The toilet bowl’s seat is heated to keep your butt warm. It also has side buttons that command a water spray, similar to a bidet. After you complete your “business”, there is a basin on top of the toilet bowl for you to wash your hands. The same water you wash your hands is used to flush the toilet. Nice design.
Harajuku street & Yoyogi Park
After we put our luggage down, we went to Harajuku Street, which is one of the most trendy shopping areas in Tokyo. Both sides of the narrow street are filled with different booths selling popular snacks. Many stalls sold the same things, which were sticks of potato chips and fruits covered in caramel. People from all walks of life were seen moving through this narrow street. I was looking for a trash bin but could not find one. Exasperated, I asked a 7-11 clerk who told me “この通りにはゴミ箱は絶対にありません” which means “absolutely no trash bins on this street”. I was disappointed yet impressed at the same time. Japanese people here would keep their trash in their pockets in a concerted effort to keep their city and environment clean.
At the end of Harajuku Street was Yoyogi Park. A giant Tori marked the entrance, surrounded by multiple trees. Even though there was a large crowd, somehow everyone stayed quiet when they passed the Tori. It was so quiet that when we walked, we could hear the crunching sounds of the gravel and the chirping of the birds. The place was spacious and tranquil. After we circled the park, we left in the same way. We noticed how local Japanese would pay respects by bowing twice, clapping twice, and bowing once more. My family did the same.
Shibuya crossing
About 15 mins walk away was the famous “Shibuya scramble”. This is the biggest cross junction I have ever seen. When the red man at the traffic light took a rest, everyone started to walk quickly, as if a relay had just started. Countless heads were seen bobbing up and down. In seconds, hundreds of people would cross this junction from different parts. I saw some people dashing to the middle to take pictures of the street. FOMO crept in and my father also decided to film us crossing this iconic junction.
Dinner with Shikano
Our first dinner in Japan was together with my dad’s friend, Uncle Shikano. We tried authentic Ookonomiyaki cooked in Hiroshima-style, Osaka-style, and my favorite Tokyo-style which is a bit more gooey. Uncle Shikano worked with my grandpa and met my dad when my father was only 17 years old! The Airbnb superhosts also owned this quaint restaurant directly under the apartment. I would learn later that they stayed on the third floor, meaning they owned the entire 3 story building. Super friendly and the food served was delicious. You could tell it was cooked lovingly. Dad wanted to pay for dinner but Uncle Shikano insisted on paying. After dinner, we walked upstairs and returned to our accommodation. Talk about convenience!
End of Day 1.
DisneySea
On the second day, I woke up feeling a bit cold. Went to the window and was pleasantly surprised to see huge snowflakes falling outside! Fortunately, this snow would not persist. By the time we left the apartment, it had stopped.
My family had a quick meal at a nearby 7-11 store before hopping onto the train to Disneysea. One of the reasons we picked this particular Airbnb was that it was only 30 minutes away from DisneySea. Did you know that Japan is the only country that has both Disneyland and DisneySea? I was excited to see how it differs from the traditional Disneyland. We had to take another tram to get to DisneySea. I noticed that the windows had the same Mickey Mouse ears and signaled my sister to do a wefie. We still look the same after all these years!
Walking through the entrance, it was as if I was transported to Venice. Boats sailed gracefully across the waters as low-rise rustic buildings surrounded a giant lake. The boats were like water-taxis bringing us from one part of the park to another. Or, we could simply walk there. Some of the rides had a water theme. For example, there were “The Little Mermaid” and “Finding Nemo” worlds. Similar to the rides in Genting Skyworld, they were hybrid virtual reality roller coaster rides. Before entering DisneySea, we took note of the star attractions and prioritized them. The main attractions were Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, Soaring, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Tower of Terror. We played the attractions in that order. Those that had “single rider” saved us time. However, not many rides had single-rider options. Some rides were good, but many were quite slow and disappointing.
It has been 6 years since my last trip to Disneyland, which was in Hong Kong. I remember Disneyland having multiple parades and fireworks. The roads were lined up with colorful movable platforms, each with a different Disney character attached to them. My sister and I will always jump for joy when we see our favorite characters appear. At DisneySea, this parade has been replaced by a lone cargo boat with the classic Mickey Mouse and friends characters standing on top of the boat. The atmosphere was lively, but the boat was so small, in contrast to the huge lake, that I could hardly see the characters. So, it was a bit disappointing to just see their boat circling repeatedly around the waters.
This was a stark contrast from the night performance. Multiple lasers lit up the sky. The platform was very colorful, with different Disney characters skidding across the waters. The spotlight will fall on specific characters, and their theme song will be played. The performance ended off with a bang, where multiple fireworks filled the sky. I saw multiple kids leaving the performance ecstatic and smiling gleefully. THIS is how a parade should be done.
Fast forward to our last ride for the day… the “Tower of Terror”. By nightfall, the park had become quite dark. Combined with the eerie set up at the “Tower of Terror”, it made this ride even more intimidating. Without giving too much away, I will attempt to share why this ride was my family’s favorite at DisneySea! There were many surprises during the ride, but what made it stand out was the highly engaged Japanese teenage girls who sat in front and behind my family. From the moment we were strapped tight to our seats, the Japanese girls started to whine. As the ride operator began to close the door, they begged her “お姉さん,行かないで!” (Older Sis, Please don’t go!). But the ride operator just gave us an evil grin, waved goodbye, and slammed the doors shut. We were then hoisted up at an incredible speed. When we reached the top, LED screens surrounded us and we were now part of a very immersive storytelling. It was scary, to say the least, and the screams from the Japanese girls surrounding us were getting out of control. At some point, the place suddenly became pitch black and the screams intensified into high-pitched blood-curdling screams. It was so infectious that everyone in the trapped cabin also panicked and screamed their lungs out. By the time the ride was over, we were all in tears. We were scared out of our wits but also tears of laughter because it was so fun! Who would have thought that the highlight of the ride ended up being the Japanese teenagers we sat with?
End of Day 2.
Tsukiji Outer Market
Our third day was dedicated to food and shopping. After a tiring day at DisneySea, we started today late and had our first meal around lunchtime at the Tsukiji outer market. It was so crowded there that it reminded me of Shibuya Crossing. Every corner was filled with people. Once in a while, I even heard familiar Singaporean voices.
Many of the people who got their food were eating while standing up. There were very few chairs by these roadside stalls. My family eventually decided to have sushi at Sushizama Restaurant. This chef made a name for himself by bidding crazy amounts for the huge tuna that his restaurant uses to do sashimi. At first, I thought it was silly to pay thousands of dollars for a fish. Then I saw all the posters around showing newscasters, interviews, etc. and it struck me that this was a masterful move to get free publicity at a national level which would otherwise have cost millions. Brilliant publicity and marketing strategy. Back to the food. We ordered all types of sushi, but the star was the tuna sushi. It was extremely fatty and dissolved in your mouth. With a tinge of wasabi, it masked the slight fishiness of the sushi. I was surprised to see my sister (a non-sushi person) eat so many pieces of sushi!
Ginza Shopping District
Tummies full, we took a 20-minute walk to Ginza. When we arrived, the main roads were blocked off. Instead of cars, people were roaming the roads freely. It was a sight to behold.
We found the giant Uniqlo flagship store, which was standing at a staggering height of 12 stories! My sister felt as if she entered heaven. Every floor has clothes targeted at different age groups, genders, and designs. No matter how picky you are, there will be a shirt you like. During this time where my sister and mom shopped, I joined my dad on a short walk to Yurakucho. There was a building called “Bic Camera” where we bought a tourist travel SIM card for my mom. Only 1,250 yen for “5Gb for 10 days”. Way better deal than what was offered at the airport.
Ichiran Ramen Restaurant
Dinner was at an Ichiran Ramen restaurant in Kabukicho. In this particular outlet, people sit in individual cubicles by themselves and eat without distractions. A piece of paper was assigned to each person to indicate their preference for their ramen. Within minutes, our noodles were served. The broth was creamy and fragrant. The noodles were springy and cooked to exactly how firm you wanted them to be. It turned out to be my dad’s favorite meal of the whole trip. I too enjoyed the ramen and found it cute that there were tags on the side for foreign customers to indicate their concerns.
End of Day 3.
Tokyo Train Station
On the fourth day, my father met up with another of his friends staying in Tokyo, Auntie An Lin & Uncle Harima, who offered to be our tour guides for the day. Our first stop was at the old Tokyo train station. The local government decided to keep the facade and some of the old architecture. It's quite amazing to think that this building was already constructed way back during the Meiji era. However, when you see the interior, it's even more impressive.
Asakusa Temple
From there, we continued walking a bit to reach the famous Asakusa (Sensoji) temple. Its giant red lantern hung majestically at the Thunder gate. I marveled at the sheer size of the temple. Loads of local and foreign tourists were there to pay respects to the temple gods.
Tokyo Sky Tree
Next, we headed to Tokyo Sky Tree. We didn't get to the observation deck because it was too crowded. However, we still managed to capture many nice pictures. Dad and Uncle Harima had a friendly competition to see who could take better pictures. Uncle Harima narrowly won :) We then had lunch at a tonkatsu restaurant. This would be Shinrei’s favorite dish for the whole trip! Dad wanted to pay for lunch but his friends were so hospitable that they insisted on paying. The same scenario would play out during dinner too.
Tokyo Imperial palace
Afterward, we spent our early evening at the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The surrounding garden is so scenic and beautiful, it's no wonder I saw many joggers and cyclists in the area. As I walked to the edge of the palace (most parts here are off-limits to the public), I saw a huge moat. In the olden days, moats like these helped keep out invaders. I read about them in books but this was the first time I saw a real one with my own eyes.
Ya-kun @ Tokyo
Dinner was at a shopping center in Yurakucho at Auntie Ailin 's favorite restaurant that specializes in beef tongue. On the way there, we chanced upon a Ya-kun outlet! Everyone got excited and Mom quickly ordered some kopi-C, teh-C, toasted bread, etc. It was so unexpected but fun.
End of Day 4.
Today marked the end of the Tokyo “leg”. Tomorrow, we will check out of this Airbnb and my parents will be renting a car to drive to Hakone. Overall, my experience in Tokyo has been positive. It seemed like everywhere in Tokyo was jam-packed with people, not just the amusement parks. Despite this, the city remains very clean and orderly. Thus far, I have not seen a single dirty toilet. The transport is so efficient and convenient. The food is amazing and people are so friendly. Coming back again!
Howie Chia
10 Mar 2024
TLDR
Harajuku, Yoyogi park, Shibuya scramble, DisneySea, Tsukiji, Ginza, Ichiran ramen, Tokyo station, Asakusa temple, Sky Tree & Imperial palace
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