OldJJman Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 (I hated Spin Bullet). Who didn't!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Great photos! You kind of look like Tommy Lee Jones. In my younger skinnier days when I wore glasses some people thought I looked like Dean Cain. Now fat and old, I look like Tommy Lee Jones Tokyu Hands!!! YES! Brittney told me she wants me to budget an entire day at that store on our next Japan trip lol. The best one is in the Shinjuku Takashimiya building. Also, the absolute best toy store in the world is Kiddy Land in Harajuku. It was under construction when we went last, but if it's open, you have to visit! It has about 7 floors of every kind of japanese toy you could think of! Anyway, back to the report! Thanks for all the comments, it helps to have a new page so it doesn't take 20 minutes to load a few hundred pictures! This next report includes, you guessed it, a ton of food, and Sea Paradise, home of Blue Fall, the second highest drop ride in the world! They also have an awesome aquarium, so if it's rained out, you still will have a ton to do! This park is also the site of the former jumping boat men. Unfortunately, we never got to see them as they closed right before we visited on our first trip to Japan. However, they have on of the best soda machines and the weirdest soft serve flavors! Enjoy! Remember to post comments so I can post the Tokyo Disneyland Resort portion!!! We have arrived at Sea Paradise! They were working on it in the morning, but they opened it later and we got a ride on. Then, when we went back, they were working on it again. Lucky us got to be test riders This was one of the best soda machines. They had melon and calpis mix, and the Real Gold and Calpis! I think it was located near the old boat jumpers. Have fun on the octopus ride! Surf coaster had a lot of turns. Amy approves! They had pelicans to feed, or bite you if you got too close. The actual name of this restaurant is "Booze Cafe Family Restaurant." Must be marketed towards Americans. Hello Mr. Beluga Whale! Going up the aquarium tunnel. These were cool looking upside down jellyfish. Maybe this fish ran into the glass too many times? Yeah for turtles! The music us supposed to hide your crapping sounds! Haha! Amy tries some wasabi ice cream! It was nasal clearing hot, and really weird. Some pregnant seahorses, or Acehorses. I didn't realize that crab can get so big! Delicious! Yeah for the Rays! Time for a shrimp appetizer! Yes, that really is a fish. This is why I get creeped out walking in the water at the beach. I don't know what it is, but it's creepy. I found....nevermind. I think this is the first time I've ever seen live squid. Pretty cool. Now if someone could just make some fresh calamari I'd be all set! Sharks for the win! Do you have to have your camera so damn close? Our Brits won't feel left out! The Beluga whale show was actually pretty cool! No eating trainers here! One of the best ice cream shops in Japan! They even have flavors like Black Pepper, wasabi, potato, and more! We got the "adventurous" sampler. It had seaweed, shrimp, and jalapeno pepper on cornflakes! Yes, it was as terrible as it sounds. Laclac was pretty good! Oh that's how you do it. I've been doing it wrong all of these years! Time for the kiddie cars! We were really hoping for a personal viewing of "When Animals Attack." Are they talking about our TPR friends from Sweden? This is the famous poo glass smearing polar bear. We got a picture with Jamie Hyneman! Penguins! Rays and sharks! Just waiting for a little foot or hand. They had puffer fish, but they weren't puffed. The huge Octopus was moving around a lot. The Horseshoe crabs were creepy looking creatures from space. Nasty alien ocean rolly-polly's. More aliens. They had a ton of creatures I've never seen before. They also had a good sea lion show. Real life Syfy creatures! Piranha's!!! What is this show rated?! After a long day on our feet, we get the nasty dead skin cell eating fish spa! It was one of the creepiest and coolest things we did all trip! It was at one the cafes at Sea Paradise! A beer vending machine! Lots of TPR members would love to own this! On our way home on just a slightly packed train. I think I will pass on the Chili Cheese Pancake or the Avocado Salmon Pancake. This was at Hama Steakhouse, the absolute best steakhouse in the world! Those are thin slices of garlic to be eaten with the steak! This is a smashed and grilled shrimp head! Amy loves these. They actually bring live shrimp and cook/kill them on the grill. Doesn't get fresher than that! Anything peach or mango in Japan is delicious. Even a basic fruit juice is better! They have so many different kinds of sodas and drinks! It's unfair! Next up was a very traditional Japanese dinner at the base of the Tokyo tower. First up was a fried tofu skin with a teriyaki style sauce. Next was some incredible sashimi! A perfect fish soup. Some more fish, tofu, and a really good tofu style drink! More tofu with some weird "vegetables." They were some kind of herb/vegetable encased naturally by what could be best described as frog snot. It was actually pretty good though. Meat Porn! Absolutely perfect! Steamed and grilled fish (yes this is all still the same meal!) Some cucumbers and a really good sweet kind of thing. Time for dessert! A really good fig, and I usually hate figs. This melon was juicier than a watermelon! Horrible. I guess even Japan has to have a few faults. We also visited a Korean BBQ style place! There really is nothing as good as high quality japanese beef. I'm crying right now. And by special request, More Saito! Rolling the rice that took literally hours to clean and cook. Wrapping the fish on the rice. And a perfect amount of specially prepared sauce. Some freshly grated wasabi for the Tuna. And a touch of sauce. The Uni looked disgusting but was actually really good. However, every other place I've ever had it is disgusting. I ate one of these salmon eggs and just couldn't eat anymore. It reminded me way too much of fishing when I was a kid. The grilled eel was really good. Some more rice from the magic bucket! One more slice of the fatty tuna! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 We got a picture with Jamie Hyneman! You should send that to Adam Savage! Great pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm1444 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I want sashimi now... ...oh, wait, I'm going to Japan on Tuesday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 It's nice to see other options and fun stuff we can do if it's raining all day...trip participants take note! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Thanks for all the comments, it helps to have a new page so it doesn't take 20 minutes to load a few hundred pictures! This is much appreciated as well when I update the Facebook page because it can take a long time to load all of those thumbnails! Loving this report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyzoo Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 I like how Blue Fall stands out in the background. After riding Giant Drop I still think Blue Fall seems taller, maybe because looking down from Blue Fall you just see water, and Giant Drop you see trees and other rides. So much good food, now I'm hungry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Mmmmm, so many delicious looking food options. Hopefully I can remember at least a few of them since Joey and Amy won't be going with us! At least I have the iPhone app to help me find beer in Japan, and I'll definitely have to try the vending machine beer at least once. Looking forward to seeing your Tokyo Disney stuff, less than 2 weeks until I'm there!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 I want sashimi now... ...oh, wait, I'm going to Japan on Tuesday! Mmmmm, so many delicious looking food options. Hopefully I can remember at least a few of them since Joey and Amy won't be going with us! At least I have the iPhone app to help me find beer in Japan, and I'll definitely have to try the vending machine beer at least once. Looking forward to seeing your Tokyo Disney stuff, less than 2 weeks until I'm there!! We have never really had a bad meal! Even 7-11's have awesome food! Our favorite food related activity goes along with the Tokyu Hands Store. The Shinjuku Takashimaya building also has the best food basement! It's not the largest, but it has the most high quality items. If you have never experienced a food basement it's amazing! It almost like a food court convention, but with very high quality food. I highly recommend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) The best one is in the Shinjuku Takashimiya building. Also, the absolute best toy store in the world is Kiddy Land in Harajuku. It was under construction when we went last, but if it's open, you have to visit! It has about 7 floors of every kind of japanese toy you could think of! Yeah we went to the Shinjuku Tokyo Hands. I would highly recommend that store to anyone visiting Japan. There's so much neat stuff, and you can find some great souvenirs there. We went to a multi-story Kiddie Land too, but I'm not sure if it was in Harajuku - I'd have to look it up. Regardless, it was awesome. EDIT: Yep, the Kiddie Land we went to was the Harajuku one. Edited June 11, 2011 by ILoveRides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 FYI, just found out there's the 'largest' Tokyu Hands Store in our Hotel Complex in Ikebukuro! There's even a 'cat floor' with cats roaming around that you can play with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ^Or for lunchmeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ^^ Don't tell Brittney! She would see the cats and we would never be able to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 FYI, just found out there's the 'largest' Tokyu Hands Store in our Hotel Complex in Ikebukuro! There's even a 'cat floor' with cats roaming around that you can play with! Shoot me now ^i just remembered that Sea Paradise had a cat play area, and a puppy play area in their 'mall.' Hopefully it's still there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Wasn't there a pet play area at Mitsui Greenland as well? I remember being on one of those wtf skyglider seat-thingies? And looked to one side and saw this sudo-petting area, all enclosed with netting and stuff. That also had dogs & puppies in it. Which when we saw it, a few of us thought it was .... creepy. But that's Japanese culture, as it applies to their parks. And not everyone can have a pet of their own, all the time, for whatever reasons. But it was certainly different, for a theme park. Any park. And oooooooo kittiessssssss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 ^Yes Bill you're correct, and I want to say at least one other park also had a "petting zoo" filled with dogs?!?! But you're right, we looked into it back then and because so many people live in such small spaces that lots of people don't have big dogs or even regular dogs or cats so it's nice to have a place where they can come out and play with them. As a mom to a kid who begs me for a dog, I love the idea that I can take her somewhere where she can play with one for a bit and get it out of her system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 This whole petting zoo thing is really very common I know with travelling fairs, or state/provincial fairs, etc. And most always with farm animals of a kind and age/temperment. The only difference is, dogs and cats are thrown into the petting mix as it were, LOL. I know I will be missing my cat Camille, and actually being able to spend a few seconds or minutes with a cat who 'takes' (I hope) to me... a good neat memory of the tour, to be sure, heh heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 With less than 24 hours to go before TPR leaves for Japan, here is the final update! Of course I saved the best for last, Tokyo Disneyland Resort!!!! My favorite 'resort' park in the world! No point in useless words, on to the pictures! *Sorry, this report jumps around the parks a lot. I ran out of time to organize it better Oh yeah, one more thing. I'm sure you know all about the popcorn flavors, but one of the best parts about Disney Sea in the food! Unlike the other parks that have the standard hot dogs, turkey legs, and pretzels all over the park, almost every cart or food location in Disney Sea is different! It's like the food portion of the food and wine festival throughout the entire park!!! Make sure you save your money for this park! Welcome to Tokyo Disneyland! The covered main street so you can stay dry if it rains! The 'hub' in Tokyo is very large and open. By far the best Winnie the Pooh, and even kid ride! It is very different, and worth the wait! It may look the same, but it's not! Doing the classic 'V' sign! Brer Fox was out and about. There, now I can count this as a working vacation! Their Pirates has the Blue Bayou, and it's really good! Another 'V' sign in front of the Alice in Wonderland cafeteria style restaurant (this was also really good). While Tokyo Disneyland is awesome, it looks similar to Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. This was the funniest thing. When the fireworks started EVERY single person immediately stopped and stared at them like zombies. I of course took a picture of them Even the busses are so much more amazing than other parks! Anyway, it's time to head to Disney Sea since that is what you are all waiting for! This is in the Mira Costa hotel! I hear some people are staying here! I think we had the Tuscany view. Standard room, but really nice. The bathroom sink area. I thought you would all want to see 'functional' pictures versus the fancy pictures on the doors and hallway. I think this was at Oceano in the Mira Costa Hotel. One last look at the incredible hotel! This is from the Arabian Coast looking towards the other corner of the park. I miss the old version of Sinbad, but it was made for kids so I understand the change. The pictures still showed some of the original version. The Genie originally caught Sinbad stealing his Gold. He also used to be fighting Sindbad and his sailors. Now he plays music? Gotta try the sesame churro! Also, if you ever see Mets Grape, GET IT! It is soooo good! Different, but pretty good! Mysterious Island! My favorite ride Journey to the Center of the Earth was closed At least this food place was open! It had one of the longest lines in the park! It's for the incredible Gyoza (potstickers) Buns! They are so good! Next we got some jelly drinks and waited for the Aladdin show! It's a really good combination of 3D and live acting. The pre-show is pretty good and could almost be a show in itself. I finally decide to ride the one-way electric railway. For some reason this always has a long line and it doesn't even go that far. It only drops you off near Tower of Terror. I don't think I've seen Bianca out in the US parks. Or Bernard. The little Mermaid are is a pretty incredible kids land. I don't think I've seen this guy in any US parks either! Most of the rides, and a really good show, are 'underwater.' Their 'teacup' ride. The theater in the back has a really good show! Heading down to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Also, the Vulcania restaurant is really good, but don't miss the Nautilus Galley! They have a few different types of really good Gyoza (Potstickers)! The top left is where Journey has it's drop. Random stupid Indy picture. Fire! A nice view of the harbor... and many good food locations Ok, jump to nighttime. The boat has two really good restaurants as well. Yes, I really have eaten at every place in the park! Speaking of Volcanos, Good Luck Australia and New Zealanders! The harbor looks amazing at night! Everyone is getting ready for BraviSEAmo! Unfortunately you will miss it, but fortunately, you get to see the new Fantasmic!!! Mickey enters the harbor on his sea horse ship. I forgot what the story was, something about this white lady and the dragon falling in love? The show was awesome because it had an incredible amount of fire! The show then goes back to the white lady. And then they are together. Blah blah blah just give us more fire and fireworks! Thats more like it! It was actually a pretty good show, one of the few I would watch. This poor kid is a bleach addict. This is by far the best looking Tower of Terror. The queue is more archeological and indiana jones style. This window is a pretty amazing effect. The awesome Shiriki is, well, Awesome! Daytime shot. Quick jump to the other park for some doughnuts! This is what all the monorails Disney has should look like. These were by far the dumbest things we saw (sorry if some of you like them or have them) Quite a few people had them. He better be getting some action for wearing that stupid hat! A look at the Arabian Coast. And looking the other way towards Lost Continent. The Indiana Jones Show Building. Another stupid photo. The Indiana Jones queue is pretty amazing. I've ridden all the version this ride had, and I didn't like any of them. When it first opened it was very rough. They slowed it down over the years, and now it is just way too slow. Definitely not a fan (but their moving warning sign is unique!). One last "we're too cheap to pay for it" picture! It's such an incredible looking park! Oh please, no more! The Arabian Coast has a few cool areas. Bet you can't guess how good the food was here! Many of you will be seeing this in a few days Every place has two or three unique items, and all of these were very good! Family picture time. Another view inside the Indy queue. Fatty with a tapioca drink and Madelines! Heading out to Port Discovery. Storm Rider (the building straight ahead) was what I thought the Star Tours effects would be upgraded to. Aquatopia has a Dan friendly, and a Dan unfriendly side. Amy chose the Dan friendly side. It was really cool how they moved around with no guide rails! Time to eat at the Alice place again! I don't know if this show is there anymore. It was also one of the few I wouldn't mind watching. Pretty colorful costumes! They had the most impressive floats I have ever seen! Another view of the harbor. The ship and building to the right is an interactive play area with Leonardo da Vinci style machines to play with. This optical illusion picture had some TPR looking activities Amy is working the machines and getting a little arm workout! That's all! Thanks for following along and have an awesome and safe trip!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Joey, thank you SO much for this report. And thanks especially for saving Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea for last, as those are my first destinations and just the site of them has my face hurting from the smile your pictures produced. While you're not on this trip with us, thanks to your updates we'll be thinking of you, especially when it's time to eat! Hopefully next year we'll be sharing in the trip fun together, wherever it may be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 FYI, just found out there's the 'largest' Tokyu Hands Store in our Hotel Complex in Ikebukuro! There's even a 'cat floor' with cats roaming around that you can play with! Shoot me now ^i just remembered that Sea Paradise had a cat play area, and a puppy play area in their 'mall.' Hopefully it's still there! Angus would have fun there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Wow, I'm even more jealous of the Japan people now! Have fun everyone who is going, and thanks for sharing Joey, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Oh great, now I'm going to have that 'Compass of your Heart' song from Sinbad stuck in my head for the 12 hour flight!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Oh great, now I'm going to have that 'Compass of your Heart' song from Sinbad stuck in my head for the 12 hour flight!!!! quess it beats "it's a small world" thanks for the awesome updates, can't wait to see this myself. are we there yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 ^The Sindbad ride does beat the crap out of "it's a small world." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Loved every bit of this report, Joey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts