RoCo Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I go straight to my super-mega-happy place every time I read a trip report from Japan; loving all this so much. Have a great time and please keep sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) Hey everyone that is talking about the Kidsmania place. There was a thing just like it in South Florida called Wanna-Do-City at the SawGrass Mall. You know, I'm honestly getting so sick of people not READING our reports and then posting something as though it's new information. WE MENTIONED THIS IN THE REPORT IF YOU WOULD HAVE BOTHERED TO READ IT!!!!! Â And it's KidZania, not "Kidsmania" Edited June 11, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Looks like you had an awesome day! The Tsum Tsum game looks so cool! I love that you get an actual one, then can play it and take all the info with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Can we send some people from the States to KidZania for reading comprehension? or maybe fast food preparation? or just plan etiquette? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Capsule machines.... Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Can we send some people from the States to KidZania for reading comprehension? or maybe fast food preparation? or just plan etiquette? I think a lot of the members of this forum could have really benefited from KidZania as kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barge84 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 The trick track section of Thunder Dolphins was pretty lame, along with the drop into the final brakes. Otherwise, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'd always heard lackluster reviews. Â I'm still full from all that Yakatori last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) The trick track section of Thunder Dolphins was pretty lame, along with the drop into the final brakes. Otherwise, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'd always heard lackluster reviews. Yeah, it's funny, I came away liking it this time around more than I had in the past (I hadn't ridden in since 2008), but I really think timing had a lot to do with it. In 2004, we rode it after having ridden Expedition GeForce, Goliath, all the Superman coasters when they were fairly new, Millennium Force and then Thunder Dolphin. Had we ridden them on the opposite order, I probably would have felt different from it. Â And then in the last ten years, I feel there have been a lot of "meh" B&M hypers out there that did even less for me than Thunder Dolphin, so putting it all into perspective now, it was more enjoyable than our first experience with it. Â But that trick track part is still incredibly dumb! Edited June 11, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 These are great updates so far! Thank you for sharing your vacation experiences with us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brneff99 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 those food pics...while eating a work café salad...knives I tell you!! Love the photos and reviews... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 The trick track section of Thunder Dolphins was pretty lame, along with the drop into the final brakes. Otherwise, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'd always heard lackluster reviews. Yeah, it's funny, I came away liking it this time around more than I had in the past (I hadn't ridden in since 2008), but I really think timing had a lot to do with it. In 2004, we rode it after having ridden Expedition GeForce, Goliath, all the Superman coasters when they were fairly new, Millennium Force and then Thunder Dolphin. Had we ridden them on the opposite order, I probably would have felt different from it. Â And then in the last ten years, I feel there have been a lot of "meh" B&M hypers out there that did even less for me than Thunder Dolphin, so putting it all into perspective now, it was more enjoyable than our first experience with it. Â But that trick track part is still incredibly dumb! Â Yeah, the trick-track bit is pretty bizarre. I guess it's supposed to simulate a dolphin swimming, with the way the train "swishes" back and forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 But that trick track part is still incredibly dumb! Â Just checked out the POV (I haven't had the chance to go to Japan, unfortunately), and I have no idea what Intamin was thinking in the creation of that. Â The ride looks pretty fun, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 So we did the "owl cafe" which has to be one of the weirdest coolest things we've ever done! Japan never ceases to amaze me! I'll post more photos and a report later but for now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 ^How hot was their Buffalo Owl Wing sauce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) WARNING! THE FOLLOW UPDATE CONTAINS LOTS OF PICTURES OF OWLS!!! Â So we had heard about this "owl cafe" thing in Japan. What is it you ask? Well, it's as small cafe that has owls, duh! In reality, the Owl Cafe, also known as Fukuro no Mise in Tokyo down some side street near the Tsukishima Station in just a small room where, yes they serve drinks, but it's function is to be able to house lots of owls that it's owner has raised and kept, so all of us can hold them, pet them, and take pictures of them. Â It was truly one of the weirdest coolest things I've ever done in Japan! Â We are live tweeting from Japan! Follow us on Twitter @themeparkreview - We arrived at the Owl Cafe early to make our reservation. They only allow 15 people in per hour and it sells out QUICK! As you can see, it's kind of a non-descript location and you wouldn't even know what this was unless you knew about it. The owl cafe opens at 2pm and they suggest getting there at least an hour early to make your reservation to get in. They start taking reservations for the day at 1pm. We got there at 12:30 and was the second in line. By the time 1pm rolled around, there were probably 40 or so people in line. Here's some info about the owl cafe. As you can see inside it's TINY! Some owl info... One of the staff members explains to us how to hold the owls. And what to do if the owls start to fly away! lol Here is the "bar" of the cafe. Really, I think it's just called a "cafe" and serves random drinks like lemonade just to say they are a "cafe" and no be zoned as a zoo or something like that. Well hello owls! Kristen is LOVING THIS!!! And so is Elissa! There are at least 15 to 20 owls in this place. These are the "smaller" owls and most of them can't be more than 6-8 inches tall. You can put them and hold them... Robb, you cannot eat them! This was one currently on a "diet" and he seemed pretty pissed off! (I would be, too!) The girls are loving holding the owls! This really was one of the more bizarre things I've ever done. Yup, we just went around holding random different owls. It costs 2,000 yen each to get into this place, or about $20. Money VERY well spent! The owls are all VERY tame as they have been raised since babies by the owner. ROBB!!!! DO NOT EAT THE OWL!!!! That is NOT yakitori! All of the owls have small leashes on them that you have to hold on to...they are birds after all! You get to spend a good 45 minutes doing pretty much whatever you want with the owls. The staff will help you to do things like put them on your shoulder, etc. I have probably seen more species of owl in the hour I was in there than I have seen in my entire life! Yup, I'm an owl! Hello, Mr. Owl, I'm talking about you! This was was born blind. Poor guy! "Just hanging out with some owls..." You can see the talons actually do dig in a bit! This one is trying to escape because of Robb. The owls are separated from the "big owls" and "small owls." This is a big owl... This is a big owl on Elissa. This is still a big owl on Elissa. Kristen liked the little owls better! They were more her size. Again, you can see here just how small this place is! Yup, I'm an owl... It's like attack of the clone....owls! Owls, Owls, everywhere... This one greets you as you come in the door! We all agree, the owl cafe was a hoot! This crazy place is HIGHLY recommended! Mental note - don't fall on the tracks! Someone care to explain this one? We took a quick trip over to Odaiba. Love this building! Kristen is in heaven at Toys R Us with all the anime toys! And I found the perfect toy for me, too! Full size Lego Darth Vader was in here! Cool! What's interesting to me is the presence of each video game company in Japan... While this small shelf is all they had for PS3, PS4, and PSVita combined XBOX doesn't even have a presence at all. Loads of games and accessories for Wii U... Even more for Nintendo 3DS... Kristen is just playing with a robot dinosaur, you know....because Japan. Funny just how popular Nintendo is in Japan (which is a good thing, IMO!) Would you like to own a cat in Japan? This one is only about $4,000! Pets are most certainly a luxury in this country. We are at the place where we first saw Tsum Tsum! Yay! This arcade still pretty much kicks ass! Not sure what was going on here, but I love it! Yay! I won another Frozen Fever Snowgie! Hello Joypolis! We will see you again in a few days... It was a good Japanese food day! It started out with some delicious Katsu Curry... And then ended up with my all-time Japanese favorite... Yakitori!!! Wasabi Yakitori is to die for! And the final picture of this update... BACON WRAPPED asparagus! Because anything bacon wrapped is AWESOME! Edited June 13, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlaKoaster Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I am giving up coasters and becoming an Owl enthusiast! That place looks amazing! I adore owls so much! I am loving living vicariously through you guys, I can't wait to get back to Japan. It really is one of my favourite places on earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Welcome to the actual "Hooters." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 That was so awesome! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking86 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 That owl cafe is so awesome, I would love to go there! Very fascinating creatures! Â And once again that food looks amazing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbomser Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Welcome to the actual "Hooters." Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Of course there is a little random place in Japan where you can just hang out with a bunch of owls. If I die and there's a heaven and I somehow manage to get in, and it isn't at least as awesome as Japan, I'm going to complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Owls and Yakitori. Â Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 God I love Japan! It's so awesome. It has been fo ever since I was there last. But I must get back one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 The owls are really cute! Thanks for the update Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Owls and Yakitori. Â Awesome. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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