Just came back from a 9 day trip and thought I'd post what I actually ended up doing and also a few thoughts that stuck out to me. Also I'm really bad about names of restaurants. I just wanted to enjoy the meal without having to take pictures etc.
Day 1
- Arrived at Narita around 3pm. Took about an hour to get luggage and go through immigration. Everything is set up very efficiently designed to use passport readers and facial recognition. Pro tip: definitely use the Visit Japan Web app and fill out your customs declarations ahead of time. This provides you with a QR code that gets read through customs making it much faster.
- Took the train to Akihabara and settled into the hotel.
- Explored Akihabara and found a local Ramen spot, then had my first experience of the large Japanese department store at Yodabashi. I'm a big fan of how convenient it is to basically get anything you need in one building.
- Went to Giga (formerly Sega) center and played a bunch of claw, dance and other random games. Got introduced to Pokemon Frienda (new game that comes out and spits out "Pokemon cards" similar to how Injustice works in the states. Made some new friends playing it.
Day 2
- Odaiba to see the life sized Unicorn Gundam as well as visit the Gundam Factory Base. Afterwards did some more shopping at Diver City. Across Diver city was Joypolis so spent a few hours there playing some games.
- Fuji Film HQ is located in Odaiba and they had a spherical observation deck that was open to visitors. Decided to head up and check out some awesome views of the city and Tokyo bay.
- On the way back to the station ran into what seemed like a festival celebrating Mexican Culture. They even had a wrestling ring and caught a few minutes of an ongoing match. Bless those wrestlers for performing in 95 degree weather.
- Back in Akihabara had dinner at a Kaiten Sushi place (conveyer belt). Every place I had sushi (and this was a first of a few) had very fresh fish and it was very affordable compared to US prices. I loved them all. Plus this is a side note, but there's something about Japanese rice and how it's made, but man it's so much tastier than the rice back at home (California). I might have to invest in some of these expensive imports.
Day 3
- Asakusa to visit Sensō-ji shrine. Man this place was packed and it was only around 10am in the morning. They offer a lot of things for sale here for the visitors. I ended up buying some incense to light and pray and also some charms to bring back for family.
- After the shrine took a local train to Tokyo Skytree to visit the observation deck. This offered more amazing 360 degree view of the city and it's amazing to see how sprawling and dense Tokyo is. San Francisco and Manhattan can't hold a candle to this. Currently they have a Pokemon them going on so got some cute pictures with the mascots.
- On the way down from the tower, stopped by the Chiba Institute of Technology to check out their displays, but mainly to find the life sized VF-25 Valkyrie from Macross Frontier (yes total nerd).
- Late afternoon trip back to Akihabara and spent time visiting Mandarake, Super Potato, Animate, and Traders.
Day 4
- Tokyo DisneySea! What a fun day trip. Ended up using Fastpass to buy tickets for Rapunzel (in order to get entry into Fantasy Springs) and also premium seats to watch the nightly water show. Beyond that, just explored and went on whatever ride that was stumbled upon. Most rides were about 120 minute wait time. It was definitely crowded and the queue to get in was massive. Most of the free fastpasses to Fantasy Springs were gone by the time I got into the park so opted for the paid version. One thing I noticed here is that unlike Disneyland in Anaheim, there were rarely any scooters and also even strollers. It was so nice walking around and not getting rammed in the back by an errant scooter.
Day 5
- Shopping at Ueno (ended up buying a Citizen Buzz Lightyear watch) and then at Nakano Broadway. I wanted to see what the Mandarake and shops here offered versus Akihabara. I did prefer the shop in Akihabara as it was much easier to navigate between floors with clearly defined "subjects" of each floor. At Nakano, Mandarake occupied a large number of individual shops on the second floor, but it was hard to tell what each one specialized in.
- Headed back to Tokyo in the afternoon to catch a baseball game between the Homiuri Giants and the DeNA Baystars. I have to say this was one of my favorite experiences. I highly recommend going to a game if you can. The atmosphere was extremely lively with each fan base chanting along for their team the entire game. Plus cute cheerleaders and beer girls!
Day 6
- Checked out of the hotel and took a train to Yokohama. Ended up storing most of our luggage at the hotel and packed an overnight bag. Took a train from Yokohama to Odawara and then a bus into Hakone to stay at an Onsen.
- Stayed at Hakone Jade and it was an amazing property and experience. Had a room with it's own tub that was on the ground floor right next to the pond on property. You could see the Koi swimming while soaking in your tub. Also there was lots of privacy in the space. This was also my first experience with a public bath and hot spring. The hot baths were fed by two different natural hot springs with different temperatures. They also had a dry sauna that I only lasted 2 minutes in before having to tap out. I'm sure the old gentlemen in there laughed at me as I ducked out while they stayed in for much longer.
- Dinner at the Onsen consisted of an amazing 8 course tasting menu that highlighted local ingredients along with the chef's favorite techniques. Eating this while looking out the at the mountains and serene backdrop was unreal.
Day 7
- After checking out, took the bus and train back to Yokohama. At the station, used some lockers to stow overnight bag and then explored SOGO and Marui City department stores as there were a few hours to kill before being able to check into the hotel. SOGO also has a fully stocked grocery store on the bottom floor so picked up some fruit and snacks before heading to the hotel. At Marui City is where the Yokohama Pokemon center was so picked up some souvenirs and a booster pack there. Note they do rip own the booster pack after purchasing to discourage reselling it looks like.
- After checking in, walked around the Red Brick Warehouse, and ate some sweets and treats from a few of the shops there. Afterwards rode in the Yokohama Sky Cabin (Kind of like the Heavenly Gondola for those of you that have been Tahoe) that crossed over Yokohama Bay.
- On the way back to the hotel decided to try some Pachinko! I had no idea what was really going on , but I did get my machine to spin up and make a bunch of noise. Did not win anything, but it was a fun experience.
Day 8
- Visited Yokohama Chinatown and tried out different food stalls.
- Headed back to Yokohama station because I wanted to visit the Book Off and Volks showroom there.
- Afternoon was spent at Cosmo World riding a few rides and also the giant Ferris Wheel (sort of like the London Eye). Also great views of the city from here.
- Last dinner (on recommendation of a friend) was eating a Puffer Fish dinner course. this was a 4 part meal that used each piece of the puffer fish followed by a dessert (not made from puffer fish). I kept thinking back to the Simpsons episode with Homer thinking he was dying. My friend guaranteed it was safe and it was one of the tastiest meals on the trip.
Day 9
- Packed up and final breakfast before heading out. I also bought some Onigiri from a local shop to take with me on the plane.
- This time took a taxi to Yokohama station so I wouldn't have to lug around the giant suitcase that was now completely full. From Yokohama station took bus straight to Narita.
- Once again check in and getting screening was extremely easy and smooth and then boarded the flight back to the states.
Overall what an amazing experience. There's still so much to see and do that I'll definitely have to plan a trip back. Also a few more thoughts below:
- It's true that most people are very polite and if you show politeness back, it goes a long way. Learning to say "sumimasen" and bowing usually will get people to help (thank good for google translate!)
- I noticed when sitting on trains that Japanese people generally have very clean shoes. Just a weird detail but everyone's shoes seem super white or polished. I must have stuck out like a sore thumb
- There really are no trashcans so avoid having to carry trash with you. If you plan to eat, it's better to sit down and do it at a restaurant.
- IC cards are key! You can basically use them for almost any form of payment. I loaded mine up and used it not only for the trains, but also at convenience stores and some restaurants too!
- Minors in Japan are so much more independent! It was interesting seeing kids as young as 10 or so ride trains on their own (usually with friends) and navigate through the hectic stations like it was nothing. Heck I even had a young kid help me with the Pokemon game because I was so helpless. She had more rare cards so she lent them to me so I could beat a boss.
- The weather is no joke. 95 on average with high humidity. Bring light clothes and clothes that can easily be washed and dried. I loved that there are machines that are both washer and dryer in one!
- 7-eleven egg sandwiches are the best!!
by Life-Zookeepergame72
