Tokyo DisneySea (AquaSphere and Mt. Prometheus)

Tokyo DisneySea AquaSphere



AquaSphere with Disney Characters




Mt. Prometheus behind Arabian Coast



Another View of Mt. Prometheus



Close-up View of Mt. Prometheus and Arabian Coast




Tokyo DisneySea's Mt. Prometheus Volcano



Close-up view of the fruit stand (fake fruits hehehe) overlooking Mt. Prometheus

Mt. Prometheus at Night



DisneySea AquaSphere at Night


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Two prominent symbols of DisneySea are the AquaSphere it is a water fountain with a large model of the earth in the entrance plaza and Mount Prometheus, the gigantic volcano located in the center of the park.

Tokyo Disney Resort Trains

Disney Resort Train- fare ¥250 one way


Disney Resort Train Station


Inside the Disney Train, mickey mouse shaped-window overlooking Disneyland

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Feb. 17, 2009 our third day in Tokyo- we went to DisneySea. It is located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan which is just right outside the city of Tokyo.

According to wikipedia, Tokyo DisneySea was the second theme park to open at the Tokyo Disney Resort and the ninth park of the eleven worldwide Disney theme parks to open. Tokyo DisneySea is also the most expensive theme park ever built, estimated to have cost over U.S. $4 billion. This was opened Sept. 4, 2001.

Tokyo Disney Resort is celebrating its 25th anniversary for an entire year.

From New Sanno Hotel where we stayed, we took the subway train going to Disney Sea.

Directions from New Sanno Hotel:

1. Take Hibiya Line from Hiro-o (H-03) station, track #2 to Hatchobori (H-11), 8 stops. Fare:
-->¥190 2. Transfer to JR Keiyo Line (track#1) to Maihama Station (5 stops). Fare:
-->¥210
Approximately 1 hour

Disney Train Fare:
I thought after getting off from the JR line we are ready to pay for the tickets, but nope we have to take the Disney train to Disney Sea so it's another fare,
-->¥250 one way only. The fare here is expensive than Hibiya Line and JR Line whoaaa!!!!
From Disney Resort Station to DisneySea is 3 stops but going back is only 1 stop.

I will be posting more pictures of DisneySea on my next blog.

Akihabara, Tokyo Japan

Otaku meeting up in the corner of the street of Akihabara


Akihabara


Crosswalk in front of Sega

Akihabara is Tokyo's Electrical Town located in Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. Thousand of electronics shops are here in this area from computers, gaming consoles to DVDs.

When we were walking along Chuo-Dori , the main street of Akihabara we saw a lot of Otaku (see the first picture). According to Wikipedia, Otaku (おたく/オタク^?) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, and video games.

We bought a transformer toy for my son's birthday gift in one of the anime stores (I forgot the name of the store, it's in Japanese hehehe) and saw a lot of Otaku too. They're really dressed up weird and most of the Otaku guys are wearing thick eyeglasses hehehe.

My kids enjoyed the trip here but my son was disappointed, we didn't find the Pokemon Center here.

Directions (this is for US military tourists who are staying in New Sanno Hotel):

1. Walk from hotel to Hiro-o Train Station (H-03), track#2
2. Take Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, take the track that goes to H4 to H15 (12 stops)
3. Get off at H-15 Akihabara Station

Fare (as of Feb. 2009)- ¥190

Roppongi Tokyo, Japan

Don Quijote Shop (first floor)

Roppongi Hills


Tokyo Midtown



TGIF


Overlooking Tokyo Tower

Roppongi's Clock

100 Yen Shop

These pictures were taken during our first day in Tokyo in Roppongi area, Feb. 15, 2009. Roppongi has a lot of night clubs, bars, restaurants and other forms of entertainment. This area caters to a younger crowd.

Directions on taking the subway train:

Using Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, get off at H-04 Roppongi station

or Using Toei Oedo Line get off E-23 Roppongi Station

Roppongi Hills at Night, Tokyo Japan

Tully's Coffee in Front of Roppongi Hills North Tower









Mori Art Museum at Mori Tower






A 10m giant spider
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Roppongi Hills is located in Roppongi district in Tokyo, Japan. We arrived in Hardy Barracks last Sunday, Feb. 15 after an hour and a half drive from Yokota. After we checked- in we walked around Roppongi area and up to Tokyo Tower.

I took the pictures above after we came from Tokyo Tower.

Directions from New Sanno Hotel (this is for military tourists only who are staying in New Sanno):

1. Go to Hiro-o subway station, track #2 on the Hibiya Line (H-03), please ask the information desk on how to get to Hiro-o station, it's probably a 10 minute walk from the hotel
2. Get off Roppongi Hills, just one stop from Hiro-o (H04)
3. Exit 1-C

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower

It is an observation tower, 333m (1,091 ft), it is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world and the tallest artificial structure in Japan. Its structure is an Eifell Tower-inspired.

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Our trip to Tokyo was just a quick plan. Last week we tried to reserve a hotel room to New Sanno Hotel and fortunately we got the spot from Feb. 16 to 20. By the way, New Sanno Hotel is located in the heart of Tokyo and this is regulated and controlled by SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement). This hotel is exclusively for active duty and retired US military personnel, DoD (Department of Defense) civilian and employees and contractors station in Japan, US embassy Tokyo personnel and individuals attached to US Embassy Tokyo.

Anyways, we decided to leave early even in the weekend so we can have plenty of time in Tokyo and it's a three day weekend for Americans (President's Day). We still lucky to find available room in other military hotels. Last Saturday we stayed in Yokota Billeting, this is an Air Force lodge ( approximately 2 hour drive to Tokyo) while Sunday we stayed in Hardy Barrackes (run by US Army) one block away from New Sanno.

It's a little bit tiring adventure since we have to move 3 places in 3 days, that's how we use our privilige as US military and to squeeze in our budget hahaha.

Here's the brief info of my travelog from Sat, Feb. 14 to Feb. 16:

Feb.14- We left around 11am in Misawa and arrived Yokota 8:40pm with 3 stops. We spent 1 hour in Morioka and ate lunch. It was jam packed around 7pm in Fussa area that's after we exit Tohoku Expressway. We ate dinner in Burger King on Yokota Air Base, ohh we even forgot it's Valentine's Day hmmm that's ok we don't celebrate that anyway hehehe. Everyday is Valentine's Day for us hahaha

Feb. 15-

Our first day in Tokyo, Feb 15- From Hardy Barrakcs we walked around Roppongi area and by 6pm we were in Tokyo Tower. As we walked back in our hotel we were curious in Roppongi Hills we went inside and decided to eat dinner in a Thai Restaurant.

Feb. 16

We went to Akihabara, electrical town. A lot of "high tech" electronics wooo my favorite!!!

Feb. 17

We went to Disney Sea. I saw Ariel hehehe.

Feb. 18-

No itinerary yet, my husband is still sleeping while I'm writing this blog, 8:50am to be exact). We're so tired yesterday.

The above pictures are the tokyo tower shots, sorry I didn't have time to fix those photos. I will soon post more pictures of our trip.

Come back and see you soon.

Shimoda Swan Park: Ducks

Here are the ducks!! These were taken in Shimoda Swan Park too.

Shimoda Swan Park

During winter, swans from Siberia are migrating to Japan. Last Saturday we headed to Shimoda Swan Park to see the swans but only to find out there were only 5 of them and hundreds of ducks hehehe. You can still see some snow on the lake.

I think we have to go back here next month to see more swans :-)

SNOW FESTIVAL- IGLOOS

IGLOOS WHEN IT STARTED TO GET DARK


INSIDE THE BAR DURING DAY TIME




INSIDE THE BAR DURING NIGHT TIME


BARISTA INSIDE THE IGLOO

You can order some beer and wine here. We didn't order, my husband has to drive back home. I didn't get to see the price too maybe expensive (what do you expect in Japan).


IGLOO BAR

I read this as "BOR" but actually it's a bar, I think they don't know how to write cursive letters hahaha



HEARTS

The lights were not turn on yet when I took this shot.



INSIDE THE IGLOO OF HEARTS

This is the walkway inside the igloo, made of bumps :-)






IT SAYS "LOVE"

Can you read L- O- V- E?? I think it's too bright, don't know how to set my camera yet hehehe




SNOW MAN IGLOO


ANOTHER IGLOOS

The left igloo has keyboard on it (sorry but I can't read Japanese) and the right igloo is the picture gallery of Oirase Gorge River



Here's the closer look of that igloo with keyboard


Another close-up


Another one



INSIDE THE PICTURE GALLERY

That was me but the wind blew so I have to cover my face :-)