Last week I finally saw cherry blossom or known as Sakura in Japan. It has been one of my obsession (along with seeing Eiffel Tower at night and riding gondola in Venezuela) to see those pretty pink flowers in real life and I was not dissapointed! I visited Tokyo, area around Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, Toyohashi, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and a little bit of Nagoya. I went with Wita Tour and it costs almost US$2,500 that covers everything (already included tips for driver, local guide, visa, airport tax, and travel insurance)
I spent most days in Tokyo so here is the diary and the rest will also be summed up in another post.
Enjoy!
Arrived at Haneda Airport! Which is closer and less traffic to the heart of Tokyo instead of the Tokyo Airport itself.
View of Tokyo from my bus :)
A few days before I went, I heard about how the Sakura flowers were blooming early and then there was this big wind and that many flowers fell and I did have concern whether will there be any flowers left. Thankfully, I was greeted with beautiful pink leaves everywhere at this Ueno Park!
We were then taken to Asakusa Temple and after wandering around in the shopping area (so much cute souvenirs that are so Japanese I couldn't help myself) we all went for lunch and then free time so sis and I walk around the restaurant. Japanese are all about bicyecles. Also, met a Geisha (not a real one of course, she was doing a photoshoot, but she looks very much like a real one)!
This pic above called Tokyo Banana. If you ever visited Tokyo, you will buy this Tokyo Banana. It's a soft cake with banana fillings on the inside. You will not regret it. Trust me.. Thanks to my dear friend who refer me to this! :)
Stayed at Okura Hotel. This crane greeted me on my bed. It is said that crane can live up to 1,000 years so basically it's a wish for all of the guest to have a long happy live. Such a sweet and adorable way to inject a little bit of culture in this amazingly international hotel! The room was comfy and the wi-fi is at its best. Super speed!
Tokyo DisneySea! There is only one in the world and that is right here in Tokyo.
Ariel show is a must watch cause I have never seen anything so dreamy in my life before. The actress who plays Ariel really does look like she was swimming in the ocean! The costumes, the lightings, the effects, all are the best ones you usually see only in Broadway.
Indiana Jones roller coaster! 360 degrees loop. I didn't try it cause I'm not much of a thrill-seeker. Plus, there was a 90 minutes line! You can actually get a "fast to pass ticket" which is free for this ride. But you have to get to yet another line to get that fast to pass ticket which can be use only for a few favorite rides. There is also a "single rider" option which means if you don't mind riding alone with a bunch of strangers, you can save a lot of time! Like, ten times faster!
The big ship you see is actually a restaurant but I didn't go there although I did watch Captain's Dinner Invitation Show which held right in front of it. The show features Pluto, Goofy, Daisy (no Donald, sadly), Mickey and Minnie, and Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast. It's quite a really fun upbeat show and I enjoyed it very much. But the must watch show is definitely the one held in Mediterranian Harbor lake. Pretty sure it's called Easter Show... Anyway, since it was a full pack day in Disney Sea, you had to go an hour earlier to get the best spot. I was so late to see the Easter Show and ended up watching from afar. But at least I saw it!
Sally Mae and Duffy bears are characters created especially for Disney Sea Spring special where Mickey and Minnie show these two how to have the perfect Spring Voyage! Bought these two dolls (both around 15cm tall for 1,600 yen or around US$16) cause they are just too cute!
Spring!!!!
Anyway, please visit Tokyo DisneySea official site for more details about ticketing, rides, and shows.
Tokyo DisneySea was filled with adorable cuties and I think I stalked enough kids to create a special post about these stylish little people of Japan!
Last day in Tokyo was spent in Ginza. The famous shopping district of Tokyo. There are plenty of high-end brand such as Burberry but I stick to H&M and Zara. Not on that level yet ;)
I also visited Shinjuku on the end of our first day which is also a shopping district but it's also business and entertainment area. Also known as the place where Yakuza (Japanese mafia) comes out at night and do whatever Yakuza does. Below are the pics taken with my IPhone so apologies for the low quality.
The sweet and very spring fashion of Japan.
These two are cute and yummy snacks. My favorite thing to do whenever we got free time was to walk in to any mini-mart and buy plenty snacks!
City lights of the metropolitan Tokyo.
And that was Tokyo. A truly Neverending Discovery.
Do look forward for the rest of my Japan Diary :)
Thank you for reading and have a good night, all!
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