Samurai, Sakura, Sushi: Japan 2013 (Part 1: Tokyo)

- March 28-30, 2013, Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.

- Shortly before my Indian enlightenment, I had a "Japanese phase" that all started with watching a travelogue show called "Oh Tokyo!!" during lunchtime in WINS, a Japanese channel, when I was around 8 years old. I never learned Japanese because it was too difficult for me, and I did not develop a deeper interest in the country, because India fancied me a lot more. Ten years later, some time in college, I developed a wider interest in cultures, even beyond Asia, and had more knowledge of culture and history in general. I had also learned some Japanese, and finally, this 2013, my mom, sister, and I were able to join a tour to Japan.

-  We left Manila on Holy Thursday, and I had the chance to be seated next to a really round and chatty four-year old Fil-Am named Kevin. Well, at least he kept my mind off from the 4-hour flight from Manila to Tokyo. We played games, and talked a lot (HE talked a a lot. Haha.) We also had the same brand and color of socks that day, although I didn't tell him, because I didn't want to take my shoes off inside the crowded plane.

This is Kevin, my new friend. :D:D:D:D

Troll kid.

Watching Kimi Dora 2 while Kevin was playing his own game.

- We arrived in Narita Airport, Tokyo, around 8pm. We had a late dinner in Narita Excel Tokyu Hotel, the airport hotel, where we spent the night. It was the only hotel among the four that had wifi access inside the rooms; the other hotels we stayed in only had wifi in the lobby.

Welcome to Japan!!

The Japanese Toiler: the only toilet I've seen with a ton of controls.

Oh, hello India!! :D:D:D:D

A Kimono displayed in our hotel.

- The following day, we left the hotel after breakfast to visit the Asakusa Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It was built in the 7th century, making it the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. The temple is also famous for the "Kaminarimon," or "Thunder Gate," and in front of it is the Nakamise shopping street (a good place for souvenir shopping.) I had to panic-buy some things, since I had limited time to shop, and there were many people; our trip coincided with the Japanese students' spring break. We were also fortunate to have our trip coincide with the cherry-blossom (sakura) season, so Japan itself was a bit more picturesque.

Skytree.

Asahi Beer Hall; it's supposed to look like a giant beer mug. No, it's not the poop-like structure.

Giant lantern in front of the Kannon temple.

Kannon shrine (Guanyin)

Giant waraji!! (Waraji: a kind of footwear/sandal.)

Kaminarimon.

Sakura-lined Nakamise shopping street.

Our bus was parked right in front of a children's playground.

- We visited the Japanese Imperial Palace afterwards...or at least at the gate of the imperial palace. We were not allowed inside the palace premises. Still, we were able to see the nice gate, some buildings, some cherry blossom trees, and a statue of Kusunoki Masashige, a 14th century samurai.

Kusunoki Masashige.

Peaceful waters.

Palace guard.

Hello swan!!

So this is what a cherry blossom tree looks like up close. Haha.

- After a hearty (and satisfyingly-greasy) barbecue lunch, we visited the Tokyo Tower, the second tallest tower, and is only outdone by the recently-built Skytree. We saw the Skytree from the bus, as well as the iconic Asahi Beer Hall, on the way to the Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Tower from afar.

Transparent floor.

Another prominent temple near the Tokyo Tower. It has a lot of sakura, and a cemetery.

Visitors writing their wishes.

Lying on the floor.

With the Japanese flag.

- The Tokyo Tower is a communications tower that has a two-floored observation deck. It was awesome to see Tokyo in 360 degrees. Some parts of the first-floor observation deck's floor was transparent, letting people see what was directly below them. Since I live on the 17th floor of our building here in Manila, heights became less of a problem, although looking directly what was below me made my heart skip a little bit. Aside from the observation deck, there were also many shops at the second and third levels of the tower (not the observation deck,) that sold Tokyo-Tower souvenirs, and other Japanese souvenirs.

-  For the remainder of the day, we were transferred to Grand Pacific Le Daiba Hotel, in Odaiba. Odaiba is an artificial island in the Minato Ward of Tokyo (formerly known as Edo,) and is home to many iconic malls and structures, such as the Fuji TV building, the miniature, Statue of Liberty, the Rainbow Bridge that connects Odaiba to mainland Tokyo, and the giant Gundam robot in front of a mall named DiverCity.

- Our guide left us alone to explore Odaiba, since most establishments were within reach from our hotel. My mom, sister, and I visited the large Gundam in DiverCity, and the Daikanransha, a large colorful Ferris wheel in Venus Port, a European-themed mall.

Giant Gundam.

Fountain inside Venus Port.

Daikanransha.

Saw a Hello Kitty kiddie place in Venus Port.

On the way to Decks.

- Finally, we visited Decks, another mall, that housed a mini Legoland, and a Madame Tussauds. We did not  regret visiting the Madame Tussauds in Decks, because it was more interactive, and the wax models looked better than the ones in Hong Kong; this one in Decks is the second Madame Tussauds that I've visited. However, we lacked time to visit Legoland, which was right beside Madame Tussauds, since the mall was almost closing.

RAHRAHOOLALA.

Royal family.

"With" former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.

With Owwwbahhhmuhhh!!

One of my idols.

Madame Marie Tussaud.

Trolling Einstein.

Oh Shakespeare, oh Shakespeare.

Feeling like Cameron Diaz.

My infamous Gaga pose.

Award?? For me?? :D:D:D:D

Had a giant onigiri for dinner. My headband says "Kamikaze."

- Our final day in Tokyo ended magically: a visit to either Disneyland or Tokyo Disney Sea. According to most people I've consulted and people from the internet, Tokyo Disney Sea is supposed to be the better choice for visitors of Tokyo, since Tokyo Disney Sea is the only one of its kind in the world; Tokyo Disneyland is almost the same as most Disneylands around the world. The Disney Sea parade was also a performance not to be missed, as it never fails to amaze the audience with its majestic and colorful air-and-water stunts.

Gondola!! :D:D:D:D

The "Springtime is in the Air" show.

Mayan pyramid from afar.

Realistic volcano.

Look!! It's Little Mermaid!!

Mermaid Lagoon!!

My favorite part: the Arabian coast (featuring Aladdin's characters.)

Abu!!

Minaret.

A Japanese-looking Jafar.

The Mayan pyramid up close.

Jose Carioca!! :D:D:D:D

King Triton.

Large Woody.

LGM-shaped flavored mochi ice cream!! :D:D:D:D Awesome!!

Cruella!!

If it looks awesome now, its full form will astound even more!!

The main show/parade.

Many other boat-floats.

Kites pulled by motor boats.

My first gondola ride.

He sang "O Sole Mio" with a Japanese accent. Haha.

Hello volcano. :D:D:D:D

A legit hidden Mickey.

Cute alpaca model.

- We had dinner in Aqua City, a mall right beside Decks, and nearer to our hotel. While strolling through the balcony, I tried so hard to take nice photos of the rather dim Statue of Liberty, along with the Rainbow Bridge, and the neon-lit Tokyo Tower from afar.

Rainbow Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and the well-lit Tokyo Tower.

Fuji TV.

HEIMLICH!!!!

- I think the best part about Disney Sea was that I was finally able to find (well, my sister found it, and told me,) a small keychain of my favorite Disney character - Heimlich, the fat German-accented caterpillar from A Bug's Life. Despite having a hangover from Disney Sea, we needed to have an early rest for the following day's agenda - Shizuoka, the home of Mt. Fuji.