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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 2, 2023 13:30:45 GMT -5
The day is finally here. This trip has been years in the making. We have been to Japan a couple times before but this time we staying around Tokyo the entire trip instead of also cramming in time in Kyoto and Osaka.
Cast is me: 53, DW, 51, DS: 18, DD: 16 and DS: 14.
Trip is July 2-18. We’re staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay for the first four nights, then moving to a rental house in Asaskusa, super close to Sensoji Temple. We will finish our trip with two nights at a Ryokan in Hakone in the shadow of Mt. Fuji.
it’s will be hot and humid in Japan. Not unlike Orlando this time of year. Chances of actually seeing Mt Fuji are slim.
we dropped the three dogs off at the sitter’s and then called a Lyft XL. Luckily we got a Toyota Sienna which easily accommodated us all and our luggage. Because it will be so hot we packed remarkably light. Coincidentally our driver was Japanese! I refrained from practicing my mediocre Japanese on him.
i cobbled together year’s worths of mikes to spring for business class in Japan Airlines use Alaska and British airways points. I had to remind the kids this will be their first and likely last international business class trip on my dime.
The Sakura lounge at SFO was closed for some reason so we are using the British Airways lounge but it is actually pretty nice, just no Japanese food. No matter, I need to save my stomach because the on board food looks fabulous.
flight will be 11 hours. I reserved a car service to meet us at Haneda airport. After we get through customs I just need to grab my pre-ordered pocket wifi at the JAL desk and we’ll be on our way. Should only take about 30 mins to get to our hotel.
we were supposed to meet some friends for dinner at Ikspiari which is a mall next to Disneyland, basically their version of downtown disney. However the needed to cancel and we’ll just meet them for lunch on the 4th instead. Probably works better because we may not be hungry after the flight.
we land at 3p local time which will basically be midnight our time. We need to stay awake until 9p local time to try and get on schedule. Not sure if we’ll go to the park or just check out Ikspiari. Tokyo Disneyland sells and after 4p weekday pass for only $30 so we may go just for a few hours to try and stay awake.
hopefully we can sleep until at least 6a , then breakfast and I’m sure we’ll be at the park when it opens at 9a on the 4th. We may miss the Independence Day festivities but we’ll still have fireworks!
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Post by BWV Dreamin on Jul 2, 2023 14:49:31 GMT -5
Have a great trip!! Of course we will need to see pictures!!
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Post by dougdisney on Jul 2, 2023 15:33:49 GMT -5
Have an great trip!
We enjoyed Hilton Tokyo Bay, it’s a good location.
I hope you do better with the time change! We made it to around 7pm the first few days there.
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Post by disney54us on Jul 2, 2023 18:42:33 GMT -5
Enjoy!
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Post by melk on Jul 2, 2023 18:46:08 GMT -5
Wow, what a trip! Enjoy!!
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 3, 2023 2:21:57 GMT -5
Flight was fabulous. Kids complained the 11 hour flight wasn’t long enough. The unlimited ice cream may have helped as was the booze for me. Probably only slept an hour but we all feel pretty good.
Flight was very smooth and landed a few minutes early. Tourism is back in force and the lines at immigration were long but it went quick. We were through he gates in 45 minutes, about 10 mins before m ride was supposed to meet me. I went to pick up my pre-ordered pocket wifi and that was simple and quick. By the time I got back to my family, they found our driver. We’ll likely be at our hotel by 4:45p.
Anyone know how to post pictures here?
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Post by disneyteach on Jul 3, 2023 15:06:21 GMT -5
Have an amazing trip! Following along!
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Post by brp on Jul 3, 2023 15:11:49 GMT -5
Make sure to spent some time outside of TDL  Cheers. |
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 3, 2023 17:58:41 GMT -5
Last night we wandered around Ikspiari and gabbed a bit more food the crashed pretty hard at 8:30. I woke up at 3a, took half a melatonin and slept until 6a.
Breakfast at the Hilton has a huge variety. Not the highest quality but way better than typical American breakfast buffets.
Our friends who are visiting relatives in Japan decided to join us today at Disneyland. Hopefully we can make it all day and see the fireworks but I think they were cancelled last night anyway due to winds so there’s no guarantee we’ll see them tonight. On the plus side there is little chance of rain today.
Wish us luck!
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Post by Brian5581 on Jul 4, 2023 1:46:30 GMT -5
Continue to enjoy!
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Post by jedimom3 on Jul 4, 2023 8:27:50 GMT -5
Have a fabulous time! Very much enjoying the TR so far, thanks for sharing the fun!
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Post by pooh bears mom on Jul 4, 2023 15:04:11 GMT -5
Have a great trip! Following:)
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 4, 2023 17:33:26 GMT -5
We rode in the front of the monorail to Disneyland. I assume the pilot is in the back because he wasn’t in the front and we had a really cool unobstructed view going down the track.
We entered the park shortly before the park officially opened at 9a. Decided to head straight to Splash Mountain since it was already warm out. Wait was only 30 mins.
I was blown away by how immaculate the park is. No trash or dust to be seen. The animatronics are incredibly expressive and look brand new.
While it was considered a lower attendance day, there were people everywhere and the park was incredibly well staffed. There are no fast passes. A few rides have a paid lightning lane feature but we didn’t use it. The waits averaged around 20 mins for most attractions and the queues were wort seeing. The level of detail here is amazing.
After Splash we were able to knock off Peter Pan, BTMRR, then Space Mountain before we took a break for lunch at Cosmic Rays. The food here is quite good and beautifully presented. I had a cold udon dish. Portion sizes are much smaller than US but just right. It’s also reasonably priced. Did I mention $5 beers?
After lunch some friends who are visiting relatives in Japan came to meet us. We stopped to watch the BayMax cool down parade, which is two large floats that shoot water and soak the crowds.
Speaking of weather, it’s not nearly has hit as I expected. The breeze from the bay helped cool things down and there is enough shade in the lines.
We headed to the Beatyvand the Beast ride which posted a 70 min wait but it felt like 3O mins and once inside you are distracted by the intricate details. The ride was amazing. Truly next level. I’d say better than RoTR.
We are not all day park people but with friends visiting we could not take our usually middle of the day break so we powered through. We didn’t have any luck getting access to any of the shows. It’s a lottery system and I don’t try until 1 p when our friends arrived.
The 5p parade was outstanding. The costumes and floats were so detailed and colorful. Everyone sits down during the parade and people start staking out the spots about 3 hours ahead. I don’t why, because everyone is sitting it’s easy to walk up last minute and see it fine from a bit farther back.
We started to fade around 6 but since the weather was cooperating I want to at least push through to the 7:45 Electric Light parade. Glad we did because it was incredible. Again, the floats were next level. After the parade were done. Fireworks were cancelled for some reason so there was no temptation to stay.
As we walked out via their version of Main Street I notice masses descending into the shop like a Blacck Friday sale. Be sure to shop early.
We said goodbye to our friends and caught the monorail home. Everyone was passed out by 9p.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 4, 2023 18:24:37 GMT -5
A few random thought:
Service here is amazing. My son left his Beats case in the car ride from the airport. I messaged the driver and he texted me back that he found it and said he would drop it off at our hotel and he actually did!
After 30 years of deflation, inflation has finally hit Japan. Prices seem to be 30% higher on my many things than 4 years ago. However with the favorable exchange rates it’s a wash. Also, even with the more expensive in park prices things are still very reasonable. Sodas and waters in the vending machines around the park are 200 Yen or about $1.40. Also, the vending machines are amazingly themed to each land.
The bathrooms in the park are spotless. The urinals extend all the way to the floor so there aren’t the puddles you find in the US parks. Also the toilet stalls are true water closets with high tech bidets.
A large soda here is the equivalent of a U.S. small. Same goes for clothing. There are lots of shirts I would like to buy but there is nothing in my size.
While I did see a few wheelchairs, I did not see a single motorized scooter. People here are thin.
Also, many people dress very nicely for the parks and many couple or small groups wear matching clothes. It’s adorable.
Many people have weird obsession with stuffed animals and there are photo spots around the park to take a photo with your stuffed animals. Many people bring several and set the up in their blankets to watch the parades. No wonder there is a decking birth rate.
The monorail is gorgeous with Mickey windows and Mini hand rings.
Restrooms may have hand dryers but there are no paper towels. People usually carry hand towels with them.
Outside the park, there are pretty much no public trash cans in Japan. People carry their trash home and separate it there (or toss it at a convenience store). Even in the park they are not as ubiquitous as US parks but there is still no litter.
there is no tripping and posted prices include tax.
it almost felt like olden days Disney, just waiting in reasonable lines with no serious schedule for the day. During parades, wait times shrink dramatically as nearly the whole park watches. We walked on to Star Tour right before the parade started.
also, the pirates in Pirates of the Carribean are still chasing booty, and I don’t mean treasure. Quite a throwback.
It’s July 5th now and we are off to Disney Sea. We will take a mid day break so we can make it to the nighttime show.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 4, 2023 19:49:51 GMT -5
Sorry for all the typos. I’m doing this on my phone. So far Disney Sea seems more crowded and humid. Struck out on the show lottery today too. We’ll have one more shot on Friday.
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