Tokyo Disney Sea

Well, friends, a milestone has been hit.  It's not that I've hit 30 countries before I'm 30 or that I finally successfully navigated the Tokyo Metro without getting lost. 

...But I've visited every Disney park in the world.

On the Monorail!

To you, this might not be a monumental occasion, in fact, for many, this very post will elicit groans and eye-rolling (I'm looking at you, Julie and Wade).

But to me, it's a BIG DEAL.

So, in the following paragraphs I will delightfully describe to you my adventure! Let's get started.

First off, Tokyo Disney actually has two parks - Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea.  These two parks are completely different from one another, but most importantly, Disney Sea is completely different than any other park, anywhere.  So naturally I decided to visit it on the first day.  I had to check out what it was like and I was so excited to get started when I got to Tokyo.

Let me mention that I thought that going on a very rainy and cold Wednesday would help thin out the crowds that I have heard are absolutely atrocious.  Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the park an hour after opening time to discover that lines for many of the rides were already at 120+ minutes and fastpasses for several other attractions were already gone.  Already gone. Like Christmas at Disney World, but this is a random Wednesday in March.  

That was my first preview of what the next two days would be like.  I had read that you should get to the gates an hour before park opening and sprint to your first ride.  Sprint, people.  I told myself that this certainly couldn't be true, but in fact, it's what's necessary for you to get on the rides you wanted.  I immediately decided in this moment to take a relaxed approach to the whole experience, and just focus on riding rides that were Tokyo-exclusive.  The short list of these at Disney Sea are as follows: Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, A Rollercoaster next to Indiana Jones that made so little impression on me that I don't remember the name, Tower of Terror (completely different than WDW version) and Storm Rider.  I also wanted to see a couple of shows, namely Mystic Kingdom and Big Band Beat. 

Fortunately, I was able to all of these in just one day.

Here's how I did it.  I went immediately to Journey to the Center of the Earth, an attraction that was at the absolute top of my list.  I got a Fastpass.  Two rides at Disney Sea have single rider lines, and since I was the definition of a single rider, I booked it over there.  Indiana Jones and the Rollercoaster were both next on my list.  I felt a little guilty as I walked past people waiting in a 200 minute - yes 200 minute - line for Indiana Jones.  But no so guilty that I didn't do it twice, ha! I then proceeded over to the Rollercoaster - which is OUTSIDE - to ride in the single rider line there. 

After this, I did a loop towards the section of the park where Tower of Terror is (because I could get a new fastpass at 12:40) and I stopped at Storm Rider enroute.

Storm Rider Preshow.  Kind of like Star Tours and Stitch combined.  I liked it.

 I then made it over to Tower of Terror, got my fastpass for that which had a return time of 9:20 at night, and then decided to eat some lunch.  I relaxed, saw Mystic Kingdom, then headed over for my fastpass time at Journey.  Brief diversion, I LOVED this ride.  It was one of the most elaborately themed rides that I've been on in any Disney Park, and the attention to detail was INSANE.  After that, I rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which in contrast was one of the most underwhelming rides I've been on.  Wouldn't wait in line for that again.

That afternoon, I headed back over to the area of the park where Tower of Terror is and saw Big Band Beat.  I was actually quite lucky to see it as they do a "lottery" system for tickets and generally not a lot of people get tickets each day.  Fortunately, they weren't operating the lottery that day, and so showing up 30 minutes early was plenty good enough to get great seats.  This is one of the best Disney Parks shows I've seen, which is accompanied throughout by a live Big Band.  I loved it. Also, I believe that the most difficult casting in all of Disney Parks has to be in this show.  At the end of the show, Mickey Mouse comes out and plays drums along with the big band.  At first, I thought it was totally just tracked-over, but at one point, the Big Band drummer and Mickey take turns drumming and it is most definitely played live.  So for that role, they had to cast someone who is under 4'10 (probably a girl) and they have to be proficient at drumming (oh, and Mickey Dances later on in that same scene without any opportunity for cast changes).  So somewhere out there they found this drumming, dancing, 4'10 girl (or likely girls).  I was impressed, to say the least.

After that, I headed over to the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge where I was able to relax and have a not-so-good sandwich with a great cup of coffee.  After killing an hour or so doing that, I realized that I still had two hours until my fastpass return time for Tower of Terror, so I did something I said I would never do - I waited in a 120 minute line for Toy Story Midway Mania.

Midway Mania!

 I love this ride at WDW, but had written it off because let's be real, I wasn't going to stand in line that long for a ride I'd already ridden.  But I could think of nothing else to do with the two hours, so I did it.  I almost froze to death, but I enjoyed the ride.  After that, I headed over to Tower which is incredibly different than any of the US iterations, and then I booked it out of the park.

Phew.  I'm tired just typing all that.

Okay, so here are some observations-

Tokyo Disney is INSANELY CROWDED most of the year.  I read message board after message board of people in the US asking if it's worth it to go to Japan just to visit the parks.  My answer after doing the required research is probably not.  Unless you can go at the most off-peak of off-peak times, you will probably feel frustrated and stifled by the crowds and frustrated that you aren't able to ride everything like you're used to.  I have heard that there are some times of year that are much more manageable, but you'd really have to hit that window.

I spent my wait for Big Band Beat trying to touch the polka-dots on my neighbor's umbrella with the water droplets coming off mine...

Sad face after I saw the wait and fastpass return times...

FP return at 9:10, this was taken about noon...

Japanese people, despite turning out in abundance are extremely respectful.  I experienced no pushing, yelling, fighting, or jostling, which is a complete 180 from Hong Kong Disney.  It was a nice break.

Japanese girls are insane with the clothes they wear to the parks.  So many groups were matching and I saw more girls than I could count in skirts with NO TIGHTS - bare-legged, while I was shivering in my rain boots and knee-length puffy jacket.  I have no idea how they did it.  I also saw girls in sky high heels, something that I will never understand.

Inappropriate Footwear

Matchy-Matchy

Japanese people LOVE popcorn.  They sell these popcorn tubs that you can wear around your neck and TONS of people have them.  There is also flavored popcorn, ranging from Strawberry to Curry.

All in all, I found the cast members to be WAY more smiley and friendly than your average Japanese person, which probably speaks to the indoctrination that the Disney Company puts employees through.  I've seen this as a consistent experience at every park I've visited, no matter where in the world.

Anyway, that's all for now - I'm getting ready to board my flight to the US.  Singapore Air A-380! I'm excited for this plane!

Til next time,
-The Adventurer

Skiing in Niseko

Greetings from the land of the rising sun!


It's my last full day in Japan which hardly seems possible, but yet is a relief in some ways, too.  Traveling, especially solo, can be a little exhausting after a couple of weeks, so it will be nice to be back in a country where I speak the language and know how to get around.  And where there's Chipotle.  I'm just saying.

Okay, so for the fourth installment of my Japan adventures, we go to Niseko! Niseko is probably the best ski area in Japan, though you may or may have not heard of it.  Probably you're familiar with Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.  Coincidentally, the '72 Olympics were held on Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan where Niseko is located.  But I digress.

Hokkaido is called the Alaska of Japan because they get a LOT of snow every year.  Also, I will say that Niseko has probably the best snow in the world for skiing.  I know that's a bold assertion, but Niseko can get up to 600 inches of snow in a ski season.  2-3 feet of snow can fall overnight, and it's snowy and fresh, dry powder most of the winter, so it's great for fresh track skiing. 

So, my trip.  I flew into New Chitose Airport outside of Sapporo, the main city on Hokkaido and had to wait about three hours for my friend who was flying in from Hong Kong to meet me.  She invited me to come up with her and her cousins and assorted friends, and of course, I wasn't going to turn down free lodging.  And I really like hanging out with her.  If you ever fly into New Chitose Airport, please do yourself a favor and give yourself a couple of hours to explore the airport.  It is spectacular.  It's basically like a mall where planes just happen to fly in and out of.  I ate in the "Ramen Dojo" and had some of the best Ramen I've eaten in Japan.  It had Gouda Cheese on top, which I was doubtful about at first, but Good Golly Miss Molly, it was absolutely Spectacular.  I had it on my way out of the airport, too.

Gouda Ramen.  Don't knock it til you've tried it.

 After my meal, I wandered around the airport a little more, and looked around in some different shops and restaurants.  This airport literally has it all.  Somewhat bafflingly, I did see lots of smoking rooms that were for "Adult Smokers Only".  I understand the intent, its just a funny way to phrase it! Kids, you'll have to smoke elsewhere, sorry.

Lots of funny advertising like this all around Japan.

Sorry, kids, you've gotta smoke somewhere else. 

Finally, the Hong Kong contingent arrived and we were off.  After about two hours of driving, I finally got a glimpse of Mount Yotei.  It's called the Fuji of Hokkaido, because it's got the same distinctive shape.  Usually, it's covered in clouds because Niseko gets constantly pounded with snow in the winter.  I felt lucky to see it.  Little did I know I'd see it a lot over the next few days, as there was an uncharacteristic "warm" spell with hardly any snow for a few days (a rarity in Niesko). 

The hosts of this trip were the cousins of my friend from Hong Kong.  Don't try to keep the details straight - I barely could and I was with everyone for 5 days! Anyway, they own a BEAUTIFUL house in Hirafu Village, near Hirafu Ski Area.  We were eight people in total.  I got to sleep in a Tatami Room for the first time which was awesome! It didn't hurt that my "futon" was temperpedic!

Outside the House

The next day, we headed out bright and early for our first day of skiing.  I discovered that I am VERY VERY rusty.  I was feeling alright before I got on the mountain, but I swear, every year closer to 30 I get and I feel my body talking to me more saying, "really?? you really wanna go down that hill??" Ha.  Anyway - I skied in the morning with my friend and then in the afternoon had a mini-lesson with one of the ski instructors.  Things were a lot better after that.  Additionally scary, I have two friends who have blown out their ACL's while skiing in Niseko, so I was terrified that I was going to get hurt (especially because I have no health insurance while I'm between jobs!)

 

 

Me and Rulin - Gorgeous Day at Grand Hirafu

Skis all lined up for a day of skiing at Annupuri

Did the same run about 10 times the last day! I really wanted to get it going at full speed and I did, eventually.

SO much snow and a beautiful sunset heading home from Annupuri

So there was lots and lots of skiing, but also, the people I went with LOVE to eat at great restaurants.  We ate at what I am sure are the very best restaurants in Niesko.  The first night, we had fondue and crepes at The Niseko Supply Company, another night, we had a hodge-podge of Korean Soup, Calamari, Sushi and Noodles, a third night, we ate at Ezo Seafood, a place where you need to book reservations months in advance just to get a seat.  I sat in awe as party after party of walk ins were turned away.  We had amazing crab, oysters, fish, and all kinds of other things I'd never tried before.  It was spectacular to say the least.  The last night, we had one of the most amazing dinners I've ever eaten, at a restaurant called Asperges. It's the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Niseko.  The restaurant sent a shuttle bus to pick us up from the house, drove us 15 minutes out to Hanazono Ski area and we were seated in a vast, open restaurant with only a couple of other parties.

 

Mushroom Soup, Carrot Mousse and Oysters

Salad with a zillion different vegetables

Prawns

The Group!

My most favorite part of the trip, though was getting to to go the onsen and getting a massage at the Hilton Niseko Village.  It was absolutely spectacular.  I skied in the morning, met the group for lunch, then spent about an hour in the Onsen.  Onsens are all over Japan and are volcanically-heated pools that have lots of minerals in them.  This particular one was incredible, looking out over a pond and snowy embankment.  This is not my picture - it's off a Niseko Tourism website, but it is so, so peaceful and gorgeous.

I could've spent an entire day here

Waiting For the Massage - Tea and a hot towel

View out my treatment room window

Sadly, that part of my trip came to a close, and I headed to Tokyo.  Niseko makes it really easy to get to and from.  I took the White Liner bus that left Niseko at 8am, and it got me to the airport just after 10:30.  I had plenty of time to hang out and get ready for my flight. 

Really pretty stopping point on the way back to the airport

Finally, here's a spectacular collection of funny and/or interesting things that I saw while in or around Niseko...

NO LUBBISH!

In the Niseko Gondola

Don't wanna pay to check those ski boots?  Just wear 'em on the plane.

Put your life vest on, then assume your best Brad Pitt pensive pose.  To think about...your impending demise?

Always a good reminder.

 That's all for now, folks.  Get excited because there is going to be a Tokyo Disney EXPLOSION coming soon. 

Til next time,
-The Adventurer

Kyoto 3

Howdy, Folks!

I've been all over this country, but before I get too far, I wanted to to make sure and wrap up the last bit of Kyoto before I take you to Niseko.

Alright, so last day in Kyoto - it was raining and cold, so that was a bummer.  I decided to go to Kiyomizu-Dera, one of the most famous temples in Japan.  As I rode the bus, I had a sense of foreboding after looking at some comments on Trip Advisor.  Let me say right off the bat here that if you are going to a country where you know nobody, Trip Advisor is your very best friend.  Seriously.  Everywhere I ate in Kyoto and half the things I saw were based on recommendations from Trip Advisor.  Just do it.

Alright, enough with the PSA.  On Trip Advisor, I read that Kiyomizu-Dera was undergoing construction but that "It's no big deal, it doesn't get in the way of seeing anything..."  So I trekked out there.  I, along with 3/4 of the rest of the bus ambled out at the stop.  There is a hill leading straight up to the temple (it is quite high and overlooks the city, hence why it is such a photographed spot!).  This hill is lined with all sorts of shops selling handmade stuff and tourist kitsch.  Well, as I rounded the corner, I discovered that the entire pagoda portion of the temple was completely wrapped in construction wrap such that I would have no idea that it was even a pagoda if I didn't otherwise know.  I decided to save energy and just turn around - I'll be back in Kyoto for sure, so I decided to check that one out next time.

By this time, it was about lunch, so I consulted Trip Advisor once again.  It told me that there was a great Ramen place (which I had actually seen reviewed days before) just about a 1.2 mile walk from where I was.  One of the things I loved about Kyoto is that it is a very easy city to get around.  After a couple of days, I totally had the lay of the land and didn't look like a tourist with a dazed expression anymore.  Also, the allure of the Ramen place is that it was right next to a covered market that I'd wanted to visit.  2-for-1! It's called Ippudo Ramen and is just a couple blocks from the Shijo Metro Stop.  It's a chain but it's very, very popular.  I had to wait about 10 minutes when I first arrived, during which time the server asked for my order so they could get started on it. 

Pork Ramen and Gyoza.  SO DELICIOUS.

After lunch, I went shopping in the covered alleys near the Ramen Shop.  Lots of interesting things.  I picked up some gifts and ate two glutinous rice dumplings with red beans inside.  They were SO GOOD.  

Loved the roof on the shopping street

All kinds of things to be found on the street, including eel, clams and a big fish being cleaned by the guy in the background.

 

 

After that, I was cold, so I decided to go back to the hostel for a cleanup of my room since I had to catch the train at 6:45 the next morning.  This is the only mildly inconvenient thing about Kyoto - the airport is located about a 75 minute train journey away in Osaka.  Luckily, there is a direct train from the airport to JR Station which is about a 5 minute walk from the hostel I was staying in, but still, makes for an early start if your flight is before 10 - just a fair warning.

That evening, after cleaning up, I set out in search of the one food I hadn't really had any of since arriving in Japan - tempura.  There is a great restaurant located in the JR Kyoto Train Station called Ten-Ichi that had great reviews so I decided to pay it a little visit.  It's on the 11th floor of the building (above the ramen floor where I ate my first day), but it is beastly to find.  You go out the elevators, and through the shops and then to a tiny hallway in the back of the shops which opens up to a whole other eating area.  SO CONFUSING.  I wandered around for about 15 minutes and almost gave up.

Finally, I found it and wandered in.  It's a great little place with seating at the bar, where you can watch the chefs prepare your food right there.  It's pretty sweet. 

I was a little nervous when I sat down and the waitress immediately tied this bib around me.  But since I was at the bar, I guess it was to prevent any wayward sloshing of Tempura oil onto my clothes.  I went along with it, especially when I saw a businessman sit down and go through the same rigamarole. 

Tempura Bib

Now, you might be thinking, okay, Tempura, easy.  Fried food, dip in sauce, eat.  Oh no, my friends.  It's not like that in Japan.  I was served this:

Squid Salad, empty bowl (top right), lemon wedge, empty side next to the lemon.

 I looked at all of these implements in utter confusion.  What did I put on what??? Luckily, the chef saw my distress and took mercy on me by pointing and helping me decide which topping went with which.  There was also a bowl of soy sauce to the side that you can't see in the picture. 

The courses were served one small bite at a time.  The one above is a shrimp head.  Those of you who know how scared I was to try weird Asian food when I moved to Hong Kong will know what it an accomplishment it is that I ate it AND LIKED IT.  Boom. 

Next up was some fish, which I didn't take a picture of, then some veggies.  Here's broccoli, and the next one is Bamboo.  

Broccoli

 

The Bamboo was my favorite. 

Course by course, the chef battered and tempura fried my food.  Lots of shrimp and veggies and some fish.  When I first looked at the menu, I was afraid I'd leave hungry, but it was the perfect amount of food for me.  Also, at the end they bring you Miso Soup and Rice, just to top you off if necessary.

It was a little on the expensive side (~30USD) but it was worth it for the experience.  I loved the chef.  He was so sweet to me and really helped me get the most out of my meal.  He would plop down whatever he'd just cooked and then point at what I should dip it in.  Generally, here's how it goes - fish gets lemon and salt, veggies get soy sauce, except for a filet of fish that he made me use salt mixed with curry powder.  Fantastic.  If in doubt, look helpless and ask for help. 

Just in case you go looking for the restaurant, here's what it looks like on the outside.  Oh, here's some trivia - when Bill Clinton visited Japan at some point during his presidency, he was taken to the Tokyo branch of this very restaurant.  So there you have it.  If it's good enough for a president, well, it's good enough for me!

That was about it for my time in Kyoto! Stay tuned for Niseko! ALL the snow!

Til next time,
-The Adventurer