It's like Disney World... on Steroids! A Tokyo Disney TR (UPDATE PG.5!)

[Vallie]

Wow! Sounda like a huge day! How amazing are the harajuku girls? Did you see many at disney too? Kiddlyand looks like an amAzing shop! Did you go to Tokyo hands at all?
Hope all remains ok with the floods. Seems pretty scary ATM. Is your area under at all?

I'll be in surfers from the 26th feb to 1st march If you wanted to meat up? I'm doing sea world and wet and wild. No epcot or blizzard beach but it's the closest I'll be getting for a while.

Can't wait to hear all about the Girly shopping day!

All our days were huge! Our poor poor feet by the end of the trip

They were pretty awesome, we didn't see many in general on our trip, the ones I took the pic of were the most dressed up that I saw.

We didn't go to Tokyo Hands and all if well with the floods now1

I'll be in school at that time unfortunatly.. wont be able to make the GC

I am REALLY looking forward to June even more now!

Goood

Can't wait to hear about TDL!!

It's coming up soon!

 

[Vallie]

Hi Readers, sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve been very busy... at the beach! It’s finally nice after raining for a month straight so I’ve been outdoors enjoying the rest of my school break! I’m off traveling around this half of the globe for the next month, so I won’t be able to update this TR until the end of Feb (I’m Sorry! But I promise I’ll come back and finish it!)

But I will leave you with an update before I leave...

This morning we woke up to another beautiful day. We slept in a little bit and then were off to the New Otani Hotel to view their traditional 400 year old garden.

The garden itself was stunning. It made me realize that I was really in Tokyo and it was unbelievable! We took our time wandering and exploring all the different areas of the garden until we decided we better get going to the next item on our list of things to do for the day, head to Ueno Park.

So we caught the subways to Ueno, and headed into the Park. This was definitely my favourite place we visited. The park was full of temples and shrines surrounded by beautiful fall scenery.

It also had a great market full of plates and chop sticks and mugs. We ended up buying ourselves a nice hand painted bowl and 2 spoons.

After the market I was excited to take some pictures of the small children’s amusement park and go and take a stroll around the Zoo (which was also in the park). However, much to my disappointment, both were closed for the day! I was disappointed but we decided that if we had time on one of our other days we would come back and visit the zoo.

After we finished wandering around Ueno, we headed off to see the Imperial Palace. Our bad luck (and lack of planning) continued as we found out the Palace was also closed (I guess they hate Mondays!) We decided we defiantly would come back to the Palace. Our next stop was Ginza, so we began our walk back to, you guessed it, the subway! As we were walking along the palace parimeter, it was here I found out that Craig.... hates... SWANS! Can you believe it? I see this beautiful swan in the water and I get super excited and go into photographer mode, only to have Craig say... I don’t see whats the big deal its just a swan, I see them all the time!” and I’m like “umm ok, first of all when have you ever seen a swan and second of all swans are awesome!” to which he replyed “In my backyard and swans aren’t awesome I hate swans!” (lol) So anyways apparently Craig has it out for swans, please keep in mind, he was kidding around but still.. who the heck says they hate swans!!

So this swan talk continued all the way to Ginza. Ginza is home to many flag ship designer stores as well as huge department stores. I was most looking forward to Ito-ya (a huge stationary shop), the 11 story high Abercrombie flag ship store and (Disney) famous Mitutoshi Department store.

 

[Aburns8]

Loved the pics! I am glad that everything is okay since we haven't heard from you in a while. Enjoy your time off before heading back to class. Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[ben1993]

What a fantastic trip! Loving it so far, I want to go to Japan and Tokyo Disney hopefully in 2013. Can't wait to hear about TDL and TDS!

 

[Shir Kahn]

Can't wait for you to come back and start posting again! What was inside the store called Store My Ducks by the way?

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

can't wait for you to come back what will i read

 

[Vallie]

Loved the pics! I am glad that everything is okay since we haven't heard from you in a while. Enjoy your time off before heading back to class. Can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you! Classes are back in session but I'm back

What a fantastic trip! Loving it so far, I want to go to Japan and Tokyo Disney hopefully in 2013. Can't wait to hear about TDL and TDS!

Thanks so much! You will love it! Make sure you go if you can!

Can't wait for you to come back and start posting again! What was inside the store called Store My Ducks by the way?

I'm hereeee!
I didn't even notice that store until you pointed it out haha

can't wait for you to come back what will i read

I'm back!!

 

[Vallie]

Hi Everyone, I'm back and ready to finish this trip report! Sorry I've been away longer then expected. I've been really really busy! But I haven't forgotten about this TR! Promise! In the last 2 months we took a two week New Zealand cruise, went to sydney, the great barrier reef and spent a couple weeks with Craig's family, and then came the start of school and some volunteer work I've been doing. I'm going to try and finish this trip report up now though that I have some time agin.

Also I just want to say all this horrible news about Japan is just breaking my heart. It seems like this side of the world is just going crazy. With the floods, the New Zealand earthquake and now this, it's hard and scary to see. It feels almost weird to be writing this TR about Japan, knowing whats going on over there. It doesn't seem real. Japan is in my heart and my prayers at this awful time.
----------------------------------------------

When I last updated I was on my way to Ginza. I was excited for Ginza because it is one of the most ritzy shopping areas in the world. They have huge flagship designer stores everywhere, along with amazing department stores such as the Mitutoshi Department Store.

When we got off the subway in Ginza I was taken aback by how amazing it was there. Every store you could possibly want was right there in front of you, in gigantic form.

We walked around from store to store, window shopping mostly because everything was very expensive.

The highlights of Ginza was visiting Ito-Ya which is a huge stationary store (which didn't have as much Disney stuff as I expected it to have) and the 11 Storey A&F Store, which had shirtless male models, an elevator tour and happy Japanese sales people asking you "hey, hows it going?!" in a faux surfer/japanese accent. I loved it!

Here are some Ginza Pics,

After Ginza we headed off to Shibuya, to see for ourselves the great Shibuya Crossing. Shibuya Crossing is a huge scatter crossing that a million people seem to cross every which way. It's featured alot in movies (though I can't think of one off the top of my head). Shibuya was EXACTLY what I pictured Japan to be, busy, futuristic but also somewhat of a China town feel to it (if that makes any sense). I really enjoyed the area! We played some in some of the arcades, got some dinner and had a yummy strawberry and whip cream crepe for dessert.

After some time at Shibuya, we decided it was time to call it a night. We needed to get home and get some sleep because tomorrow was our first Disney Day and I could hardly contain my excitement! I don't know how but somehow I managed to fall asleep and dreamt some dreams of Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks for the update.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Beautiful pics from January! I thought I had posted, but anyway loved it - funny about the Swans.

Looks like a great shopping time in Ginza! I would have gotten lost at LV!

I'm looking forward to your TDL day!!!!

I'm also so sad at what has happened in Japan - wondered how you did with all the floods, too. I guess you were in a dry area? The world is crazy right now - people really need to pay attention!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Long time lurker, I've been enjoying your report for quite some time. That *was* a long break but it happens. Glad to see you back...especially with everything going on over in Japan right now. Can I just say that your TR is absolutely inspiring to me?!?! Earthquake, tsunami, & nuclear emergency aside, Tokyo is a place I really want to experience. I thought my sons (15 & 13 yrs) were nuts how they carried on about everything Japanese since they were little guys psyched about Tokyo Drift and tuners. You describe things well which really contrasts to what us 'Westerners' think of as the norm. You've done a fab job of showing just how fascinating a place Tokyo is and you haven't even taken us to the Disney parks yet!

Love the perspective! Harajuku...Ginza...Shibayu...it all just calls to me. BTW, where were those black & white Mickey & Minnie's in your picture??? They look like they were huge. Love them!

I don't know how you resisted the Minnie Couture stuff. I woulda fell to my knees and cried.

So someday when I make it to Japan I hope to buy yards and yards of their incredible Disney fabrics and make quilts for everyone in my family with all our favorite characters. That stuff is insanely expenive on Etsy but you just can't find such amazing prints in the US markets. The Japanese get all the good stuff. I just need to go there. LOL!

Can't wait for more. Thanks so much for all the time & effort in sharing your adventure with us. Looooove it!

 

[sherpasmom]

Just found this TR and in reading backwards (i do this crazy i know) I wanted to add how heavy I've felt for this land and her people, and that in addition to my *every*thing I send my HOPE. Disney Tokyo is a dream of mine too, so I can't wait working backwards and finding positive energy to send to everyone in this part of the world

because it's a small world after all ♥

 

[superdoodleable]

Could you please give a list of great things to do and see in Queensland? I plan travel to Australia soon and I am undecided to visit Alice Springs or Queensland. (BTW I am a teenage underaged girl so my parents would be with me. They have approved of the trip already.)
Thank you so much for you time this trip means a lot to me.

 

[Aburns8]

Great to see you back! Sounds like you have been busy in a good way! You are very lucky to be doing all this travel!

Thanks for the update. If I ever make it over to Japan I will have to check out Ginza. I don't know how excited my DH will be about shopping, but I think it would be interesting to see everything. Yummy looking ice cream as well!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up.....Tokyo looks amazing. Looking forward to the next update....with everything that is happening over there, I want to see pictures of how life can be like overthere.

 

[TosaTrio]

Can't wait for the rest of the TR!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm looking forward to more.....

 

[BecBennett]

No! What happened? Where's the rest??

 

[Minnie Rose]

Loved your TR.
My dream is to go to Japan one day.
I would love to hear about the rest of the trip!

 

[danceintherain]

I'm hopefully going to Tokyo Disney within the next year or so. This trip report is making me very excited. We're not planning on spending that much time in Tokyo though. Just a few days for Disney, then we want to go down to Kyoto and spend the rest of the week there.