Nrthwnd

What is the best snack in Japan now in your opinion? ^ Meat on Sticks (in my opinion), lol! They were in restaurants all over the cities we stayed in. Best 'snack' I can think of right now. And Elissa? Hmmmph. Oh well, we tried. Too bad I didn't try it back in one of the previous TPR Japan tours. But I am glad we weren't the only ones disappointed by what we got. Maybe they'll change back by next visit, hmmm?

Adieu, my #600 coaster. (Rough as heck IMhO, but I'll still miss it.) Yeah, that was a good day for credits. March 25, 2013. TPR Mexico Tour.

It's not so much a rant as it is. a feeling of just being 'down' these past few days. Maybe it's because my TPR tours are over for the year. The weather's been sunny, hot and great, but now it's getting 'normal (i.e. rain). We've just started our Queer Film Festival (#25 Yay!), but already I am feeling like this is not my best year at the Fest. I am pretty sure I will snap out of this feeling, soon enough. But for now......BLEAAAHHHHHHH.

And now, a word about.... McDonald's Shaka Shaka Chicken. I had known about this since my first tour with TPR in 2007. But not had the opportunity to try it - until this tour, with David. We went to the McDs at Joypolis, ordered one up and tried it.... Verdict? Not bad. But not great enough, that I wanted to go running out and telling everybody "you've got to try this, it's amazing" etc. The chicken piece itself, looks like one big flat oversized chicken nugget. And it fit slightly awkward in the shaking bag, so it had to be torn/cut up for it all to fit in the bag, for shaking. And the seasoning packet you "shake" into the bag over the chicken (we tried red pepper which was good) didn't seem to have enough seasoning for us to use. We tried one again, at Tokyo Narita Airport, just before we left for home. This time, I got a knife and cut the chicken up into "nugget-sized pieces," tossed them into the bag, added seasoning...and it worked much better for us. So - for us, Shaka Shaka Chicken was "okay". And I will probably try it again, maybe on my next TPR Japan tour. (EDIT to add: The cost of the snack was around $1.20 at that time.) The Bag with The Chicken in it. Shaka Shaka... (Not my or David's hand. And Thanks to whoever took this pic)

Bored. And at this time of night, it's still humid out. We're not used to it here, that much.

Or replace it with Pee Wee Herman's voice. Or Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil? (puppies optional, of course)

^ Okay. here's the link to my recent posting. Hope it works (if this is the right way to do it). http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=65816&p=1344386#p1344386

I just used it now, on my latest TR posting, Robb. (And I uploaded 17 photos.) Worked perfect, for me. No prob at all. EDIT to add: For myself, one of the best parts of this new system, is that I can now change the order of the photos, in Preview mode. Great!

(Joypolis, cont.) After we'd spent some time at Joypolis and the mall, there was a meet up time agreed upon, to also see if more time was needed in the area before we took off to our hotel at the DIsney Resort. As it turns out, the majority (there was a group vote) wanted a few more hours, and although I was in the minority (I had had enough, at the time), it was okay being outvoted, lol. We ended up checking out one of the other malls close by, and Chinese dinner (!) with some of the others in the group. It actually was a very nice extra couple of hours there. And then we all met up again later on, and headed to Disney... Yes, Joypolis is where (now TPR Famous) CONDOMANIA shop is located. 'Nough said. The shop itself. We took a peek inside, then decided that was enough, lol. The Tokyo SkyTree, viewed from Joypolis. Um, not sure what the soles of these were made of. What some people wear on their feet for 'regular wear'. David, Anth, and Priscilla having a moment, between malls. Inside the second mall we visited. Very Vegas-like is parts of it, like this fountain. The Chinese Restaurant a group of us ended up at, had this back wall of 'fish'. Kind of a precursor to what we might be ordering? Our happy little dinner group. And the food was pretty good, too! Lights in fake flowers. What can be more perfect than that? In a nearby arcade, this was the back of a game. Sure looked like "Peter Pan's Flight" to me, heh. Yeah. Then there was this. Actually there was a number of shops catering specifically to the doggy set. So... where were all the kitties' shops? And then there was THIS display of yumminess. Can never decide with these things, which one to order, etc. The sky wheel close to the mall we were visiting. Didn't go on it. Maybe next visit. And same wheel, in a blurrr. So we meet up again, we catch a train, transfer, and finally end up at Tokyo Disney Resort, where our last hotel awaits us. And no, that isn't it. That's the Disneyland Hotel. Ours is bit farther down the monorail line. And, we reach the Tokyo Hilton Hotel, as did our luggage ahead of us. Great! The room number is perfect too (me and my 3's, and born in 1953) So now its a good night sleep and then..... Fuji Q-Highland Park the next day.

^ Sorry, nothing more from me, unfortunately. The only place (I found) where you could get any view of the cars moving, is where I was took that one photo. I believe Robb got a POV of the entire ride cycle, but you'll have to wait until he has time to post it. They just finished up the Texas-Midwest tour, so everything is still pretty busy (finishing things up) right now for them. Patience.

July 1 ~ Back to Tokyo from Sapporo - And we visit JOYPOLIS! So we said goodbye (w/tears) to Sapporo, and the wonderful visit we had (and ate) there. On a train to the airport, and then back to Tokyo, and our final week in Japan. We arrived back in Tokyo, sent our luggage ahead to our last hotel of the tour, then took the train to our next theme park stop. Joypolis. All indoors. Even it's coaster! And part of a big several block shopping and eating complex we got to enjoy as well as the park. Joypolis is a strange mix of simulators, "sound" experiences, lots and lots of different arcade machines (including what else? - omgCAPSULES!omg), and one very different coaster. It is a combination of arcade shooter, spinner, inverted coaster. Really unique. And definitely not as jerky or rough as the previous coaster there. We gathered early in the hotel lobby... Goodbye to our really nice Sapporo hotel... At the Sapporo Airport. This made me smile - awwwww baby coke. This also made me grin a bit. Love this Japanese Engish translation, lol. An "Orb-Holding Building" beside Tokyo Decks (name of the mall area, with Joypolis). See. The ORB is in there! Maybe, there's a coaster inside??? (DbM) There it is! Our destination! Oh joy joy joy.... This is the new coaster. But the sign keeps "changing" etc. Soon.... There it is! Veil of Dark. Hmmmmm sexy. Part of the track (just before it inverts there) outside the "inner part" of the coaster. You shoot, you spin, you invert. What more could you want??! They had various 'mirrors' with floor steps and you do things with the reflection. This is how I ended up. Shocking. Yeah, even I was taken aback at this result! Then the partner walks by and.... yeah well.... pfffttt. Oh and this was one of those reflection movement-wierd things around the floors of Joypolis. Ran into Kathryn and Mike, eating in the park's main eatery. I was drinking beer. But whether eating or drinking, the view was very nice. This is Rainbow Bridge. Not very rainbow-ish, but that was okay. I found another buddy in the Tokyo Decks malls. And we tried, we really tried, to make this work.

^ Thanks Matt. And let me repeat from me and David, it was really nice meeting you and Lauren. And now we can claim we know a couple of Travel Channel STARZ! (ha ha) {this will never get old for me, lol}

^ Now don't jinx it!

This was a really great park to visit. There was so much, packed into the space, and 3 "tunnels" going through the wooden coaster for more flats and attractions. I really enjoyed it, even wandering around, and not riding much. Glad you're catching up, Gary!

Drunk? Surely, you jest. They were all...happy. Fixed.

^ Yes! Yes! I want a sandwich press! Thanks for your recent tour. Sad the coaster wasn't running.

And the wacky worm keeps going round and round and.... I agree^ the acccident is sort of "fit into" the video they're already shooting. Wierd.

^ We 'passed through it' on the way back to the hotel. They were all drunk. No question about it....

^ This is where you all ended up... Don't know where Chuck was. I see you Jason...

^ I'm like that now, ever since an octopus did me in, years ago, lol. But the first paratrooper I rode - at Hamanako Pal Pal Park in the TPR 2007 tour - absolutley freekd me out, in a very good way, and I believe I rode it 7+ times! A good flat ride... Two more Rustusu Park-related photos to show - among the capsule machines there in the entrance centre of the resort (and as usual there were quite a number of them) we all found this one machine, dispensing little flashlight-like things that projected "something from a Japanese horror film" onto surfaces. Very cool. And I know a few of us got several of the capsules, to try and get the complete set right there (ha). Not sure if anybody accomplished that. Here's my little horror treasure... The mini flashlight in question. It can have its battery replaced, too! And it projects... This. Cool, huh? I was certainly impressed by it.

Leaving Rusutsu Park - Yakitori Dinner! After all the excitement of seeing Mt.Yotei, riding a lot of coasters, and a fair number of flats, eventually we had to all re-gather and head back to the hotel. And at the hotel, David and I decided, that yes - we wanted to go back and find that yakitori restaurant and have a true Meat-on-Stix meal, heh. We found it, no problemm and although there was very little english spoken in there, if any, we did okay, from appetizers to ice cream! And it was actually well under half what we spent at the Sapporo Beer garden! But again, both meals were awesome in their own way. Would defintely do these two places again. Not sure why exactly I took this photo. Maybe because of the sad state of that "family portrait" there... No faces. Oh the humanity! Goodbye nice and comfy plastic lawn recliner chairs. We will miss you. A lot. Bye bye Be Happy! We were! We were! Some kind of "meal box" in the mall shops. I have no clue what is what. And of course, no mall of any kind or type isn't complete, without it's Christmas Shop! After playing the Desperados game/ride (in the mall) - I made a new buddy! Yep. Same freeky looking animatronic tree, still there in the entrance area. Look! The sky's clear now (and several hours earlier). And now.... YAKITORI TIME! (o: This is the set up we started with. The main menu - of three, I believe. This one had english 'explains' here and there, but usually never opposite the photos of the foods. We did what we could, with what we could read and match, lol Most of it kept coming to us in groups. This is an example of such a grouping. And BACON-wrapped EVERYTHING, too! And it was all awesome, with beer. Mushrooms, believe it! With a radish spicy 'mush' (good mush!) over it all. Sesame and chestnut ice cream. We thought the sesame (light) was "woody" tasting, if that's possible. We both liked the chestnut (darker) better. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel through the train station. And look! Coaster track! (Is there a rumor somewhere....?) And I am pretty sure I have seen these people before. In this group. At an airport waiting lounge. Hmmm... (this was an outdoor 'beer garden' with mini kegs of beer for sharing, with snacks and yakitori!). See ya tomorrow morning, bright and early guys! (o;

Make-your-own-CUPCAKES!!! Very cool for the kids. And that clamshell tilt-a-whirl looked great, too!

^ Lucky you on seeing "Book of Mormon" in Orlando. The closest the show came to us was Seattle, and that was this past January - the first *(^# week, in fact. Wrong timing for us, unfort. We'll be patient till it shows up, eventually, lol. It took over 7 years for "Avenue Q" and "Wicked" tours to show up here. And they were both great!

...and just to finish it all up... Here's the video David took of me Ringing The Bell (and wishin' - and hopin' - and dreamin' - lottery winsss...) The sound isn't great, cause there was wind up on West Mountain, but at least the bell can be heard, lol! And Big Hugs and Thank Yous to my partner David, for taking all these shots of me on the rides, etc. xoxox me [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=MVI_2530_veo9[/coastertube]