BigDipper 80 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) I got the chance to spend two weeks in Tokyo back in August, and it's hard to deny that Japan is one of the most awesome places in the world. This wasn't a coaster trip, but when you see Ferris wheels and roller coasters peeking up amongst skyscrapers, it's impossible to not hop off the train and take a look around! Welcome to Tokyo! Haneda Airport is so much nicer than any airport I've flown out of in the US. Ticket machines are your best friend in Tokyo. The first strange thing I saw in Japan. I think I'll like it here. Shinagawa Station. For all you coaster nerds, the Galaxy Express 999 coaster is right across the street. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to pop in. Some of the new skyscrapers at Shinagawa Station. I was struck at how low-rise much of the city was and that most of the "big" skyscrapers were either built fairly recently or are currently under construction at a rapid pace. Even the manhole covers are cool. In Tokyo (and perhaps the rest of the country), rivers are considered public property and generally can't be built over, so there are wonderful rivers and green parks winding all through the city with buildings butting up against them as close as they can get. Everyone is rushing somewhere. Yoshinoya are everywhere in Tokyo, and even though it's "fast food" it's cheap and delicious and totally worth trying. I lost count how many times I ate at one of these. The man in the background doesn't look happy about me taking his photo. Is that a roller coaster I spy? I was amazed at how this entire park was shoehorned amongst the skyscrapers. It may be SBNO, and it may not have a great reputation, but Thunder Dolphin sure is pretty. A slightly different angle. It's such a cool use of space. The hubless Ferris wheel was pretty cool. In fact, random Ferris wheels everywhere became a trend throughout the trip. I probably saw five in completely random cities in the countryside while taking the shinkansen to Kyoto. Look at everyone all lined up so orderly for the Yomiuri Giants game! The manners of the Japanese are incredible. I think this photo does a nice job of showing how this park is squeezed into a city block. I wish I could have ridden the stand-up parachute tower. Sexy Zone?! That sounds like a fun time! This was the view from the elevator in the Tokyo Dome Hotel, near LaQua. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Notice the Tokyo SkyTree off in the distance- that's the second-tallest structure on Earth, after the Burj Khalifa. These are all fairly new skyscrapers that have popped up near Tokyo Station. Previously, most skyscrapers were located in the Shinjuku Ward, but they have recently begun popping up in other areas. That should do for now, I have a few more quick updates in this TR for the coming days, or whenever I get around to it. Stay tuned! Edited May 13, 2013 by BigDipper 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Love it. Can never get enough of Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilly Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Why is Thunder Dolphin even SBNO? And it is also kind of weird how fast LaQua lost all its coasters Great report, btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 ^There wasn't a good reason as much as bad timing. The La Qua park had three 'accidents' in a short time frame and then the very big earthquake hit. The reason that Thunder Dolphin was closed was because a bolt fell off of it. But that was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for the park at the time...and then the earthquake and power saving started. They tested the ride a bit in April of 2011 but as far as I know it never tested again after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilly Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 So, kind of same story as with Steel Dragon 2000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 ^Except this was a much more minor incident than Steel Dragon. But yes, in the fact that the Japanese take safety VERY seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 (edited) Let's continue this tour: Yup, this is most definitely Japan. I have no idea who that guy was. But he really wanted to be in the picture with Hachiko. Shibuya has such energy. It's loud and raucous. Must be all of the teens that swarm the area. I love that the Disney Store is located in one of the terrifying alien UFO building. That famous scramble crossing. I've never seen so many people swarm like that in my life. A very cool intersection. Rush Hour at Shinjuku Station. Let's ride out to Odaiba, located in Tokyo Bay. I have seen so many American ads label this Statue of Liberty as the one in New York, and it makes me laugh every time. The Rainbow Bridge really is nice. Only in Japan will you find a giant Gundam. "16 Minute Memories" How adorable! I wish that the "cars that drive themselves" had been open at the Toyota showroom though. I remember seeing them back in TPR's 2004 report and it looked so cool. Vegas or Tokyo? What a strange mall. And to complicate things further, there was a Toyota Museum inside the shopping mall themed to a Roman forum. The Gundam looks even better at night. And for those who may be wondering where that crazy-looking looping spinning coaster at SEGA Joypolis is, it's located here on Odaiba, but I didn't have time to visit. That's the unfortunate side effect of commuting to Tokyo from Chiba each day. I'll stop here for tonight with a beautiful shot of the Rainbow Bridge. Still more to come from around Tokyo, and maybe some Kyoto if anyone's interested. Edited January 23, 2013 by BigDipper 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 My biggest Japan regret ever was my first visit to that very Disney store in Shibuya; they had a hard sided Chip n Dale suit case that was just perfect, unfortunately it was also VERY highly priced so I didn't buy it. I've never seen anything like it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 The manhole cover? Incredible. I'm considering changing my airline ticket for the TPR tour from round-trip to one-way. Awesome report; it's great to see some of the "normal" stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 ^We'll be going to this area on the trip as well! Robb's favorite Yakitori place is here (we've done group meals there before!) and that Disney store, well, I could live there. Poor Hachiko, it's so sad every time I'm reminded of him...but he's such a great meeting spot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 My biggest Japan regret ever was my first visit to that very Disney store in Shibuya; they had a hard sided Chip n Dale suit case that was just perfect, unfortunately it was also VERY highly priced so I didn't buy it. I've never seen anything like it again. "Very highly priced" seemed to be a recurring theme, and though I knew beforehand that Tokyo was one of the most expensive cities in the world, I was still shocked at things like $50 hamburgers at chain restaurants. I think I only bought one thing for myself- some Tokyo Disneyland magazine I saw at a bookstore. All of my other spending money went to (delicious) food and gifts for family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 It's been a while, but it's time for another update: Bullet trains are the coolest things in the world. Almost as fun as going to a park. This is at Kyoto Station, by the way. Speaking of Kyoto Station... Pokemon were EVERYWHERE in the JR stations. There seemed to be a promotion going on where people could get Pokemon stamps at stations all across the country and win prizes. Very cool promo. It was neat that the station had an observation deck. This was the coolest water fountain in the world. It actually made patterns as the water fell. I took a video of it that I may try to upload at some point. I have a lot more Kyoto photos, but since they are mostly "cultural" and this TR is hardly theme park related as it is, I've skipped posting them, unless someone wants to see them. This was in Akihabara. The land of Electronics. Tokyo Station just underwent a massive refurb, and it looks phenomenal now. Next up: A "Highly Disappointing" collection of photos of Tokyo Disneyland. Yeah, it's TDL, but you'll get to hear the full story next time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CpBluestreakCp Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Tokyo and Japan in general just looks like a great place to visit. I traveled to NYC this past year and loved it, so I'm sure I'd love Japan as well since it's such a fun looking and bustling city. Can't wait to see more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I have a lot more Kyoto photos, but since they are mostly "cultural" and this TR is hardly theme park related as it is, I've skipped posting them, unless someone wants to see them. Japan trip reports are definitely the exception. Any pictures of Japan are more than welcome in your report. In fact, the more the merrier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 ^Well if that's the case, let me roll out some Kyoto pictures! The unusual thing about Japan's cities is how similar they all look. All of the "newer" (read: postwar) buildings are done in simple, "modern" styles, and it can be hard to tell one block apart from another, much less one city apart from another. That being said, each city certainly has its own distinct character, and Kyoto is no exception. It's a very old-fashioned town, and it's not uncommon to see women in kimonos walking around the city. It's a very unique mix of ancient and modern that you could only find in Japan. Kyoto Tower looms behind the train station. As awesome as it is that the Japanese have queues built into the pavement in front of the ATM, it's probably redundant seeing as how every single person in the country can form a perfect, orderly line wherever they may be. This cake cost well over $100. But it looked delicious. Speaking of delicious... These pancakes were awesome. They were filled with butter and syrup and actually had a little packet not unlike handwarmers so that the pancake would heat up once you opened the wrapper. I wish we had these stateside. In fact I just wish our convenience stores were as awesome as the Japanese stores. I was impressed at how the city was built up into the mountains. There's some of that "old-vs-new" that you'll only find in Japan. I'm actually entering this particular shot into a photo contest-- hopefully it does well. More delicious food-- Udon noodles and tempura are amazing. This is the Golden Pavilion. It is made of gold. Very shiny. Golden Pavilion ---> Pavilion ---> EPCOT ---> Theme Parks. There, now I can feel confident that this post is relevant. I wasn't going all the way to Kyoto and NOT getting a shot of the Nintendo building. It's funny how one of the most quintessentially Japanese exports is... an Italian plumber. And now we jump to Nara. I assume Nara Dreamland used to be here... I wasn't about to go hunting for a crappy abandoned amusement park, as cool of a TR as that would have been. These deer were everywhere. You could feed them crackers for about ¥200. There were almost as many vendors as there were deer. This is supposedly the largest wooden building in the world. Largest wooden building ---> largest wooden roller coaster ---> Colossos (?) ---> Theme Parks. I did it again. Grr! More Deer. I'm either going to tell my TDL story next or show off the "suburb" of Chiba where I stayed while in Japan in the next update. Not sure quite yet which path I'll take yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Those pancakes with syrup are even found in vending machines during the winter with that same hand warmer so you can warm them up!!! I love Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 ^That is absolutely great. I don't think there is anything you CAN'T find in vending machines there. I never imagined something could be so functional AND delicious. The more photos I post, the more I want to go back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 (edited) What follows may be the most disappointing trip report of Tokyo Disneyland, if it is even possible to call any coverage of TDL "disappointing" . Because the place I was staying was essentially in the city of Chiba, I had a long commute into and out of Tokyo each day and there wasn't time to make a full day trip to go to either park . That being said, I wasn't about to travel halfway around the world to not see one of the greatest places on the planet, and I did take a detour home one night, riding the Keiyo Line out to the Resort . Here's a bit of what I saw while walking around: Is that a castle and a couple of Mountains off in the distance? I finally made it! As awesome as monorails are, especially Disney monorails, this is surely commonplace for many Japanese, seeing as there are so many of them here. By this point, I had lost my ability to speak, and was a babbling, tearful mess. Since I have no photos from WITHIN the park, I have to entertain you with photos from outside. This gate is so very 1980s. I love it. I saw this and nearly broke down. So close, yet so far away. I see you, Cinderella Castle! World Bazaar, looking fancy. To think that I was only steps away from the second-best theme park on the planet. It nearly killed me. Even the monorail station is beautiful. Mickey! And Minnie! I didn't realize that there were airplanes in medieval France. Cinderella Castle popping up again! Toy Story Monorail! So much awesome. One final pic- a $50 sandwich. Rainforest Cafe is already overpriced, but this is ridiculous. Even though I didn't get to go inside, it was still pretty cool to say that I was "at Tokyo Disneyland". There's still a bit more to come! Edited March 7, 2013 by BigDipper 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Awesome! Loved the look at Kyoto, as it's the top spot in Japan I'd like to visit one day. Keep the goodness coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I don't know how you controlled yourself. If I were that close I'd just do it, pay some crazy amount of money, and live it up! I love the resort so much there, I wouldn't be able to do what you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 LOL! I was totally wondering all this time what you meant by your 'disappointing visit' and now I get it. I'm with Chris though, I would have shelled out anything just to go in for a few hours! At least you got a small taste. Heck that store outside of Disneyland has better merch and all the stores combined in the US! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 ^^^Kyoto is a very cool city. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is into more cultural and historical attractions, as there are temples and castles on nearly every block! ^^ and ^ Believe me, I was incredibly tempted to pull out my Visa and pony up the money. I'm sure all of the Japanese were wondering what was wrong with the strange American walking around with his mouth agape. It was already around 6:00 though and since I was with a host family in Chiba I had to get back by around 8:30 so as not to be a rude guest! Although I found out later that there was a discounted "starlight" ticket, and I was completely kicking myself for not knowing that when I was there. And Elissa, that gift shop was pretty great, and I ended up buying a lot of Mickey-snacks or something for people back home! I have some photos of it that I may add to this post when I get off work. Also, Ikspiari was pretty incredible. It reminded me a lot of "Pallete Town" at Odaiba except more awesome because it was at Disneyland . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Out of the many, many TDR photo trip reports I've seen, none of them have showcased the outside of the resort as well as this one. You're made of stronger stuff than I am, that is for sure. And please do post every last photo you took! There is no such thing as too many photos of a trip to Japan. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 ^^ You'll be back, I'm sure of it. And thanks for the "outside tour" of the resort. I have been there twice and not seen as much of outside the parks, being one of the early masses to get into them, lol. But - in time, you will return. You have to. You owe it to yourself! And I actually did that myself, when we arrived at Hong Kong Disney. After the tour to Ocean Park, I left the group (who continued on into Hong Kong for more touring and dinner), and got back to hotel, and then bussed to the park to get my 2-day pass I had bought online ahead of time. I was so sooo very tempted, even for a good several hours there, I do remember. But I held back, got my tix and then spent nearly 3 days enjoying it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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