Yokohama City, Japan

Landmark Tower, tallest building in Japan

Cosmo World Ferris Wheel

Roller Coaster Display between Land Mark Tower and Queen's Square Mall

Snoopy Town

Pokemon Center

Disney Store

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Yokohama is the second largest city of Japan. It's about 40 minute trip from New Sanno Hotel (where we stayed during our trip in Tokyo) by train plus walk is almost an hour trip then ;-)

We had a short time walking around Landmark Tower and Queens Square and didn't have the chance to go to observation deck and other nice places nearby. My daughter had enjoyed the mall when we found out that they have sanrio, pokemon center, disney store and snoopy town. IAnd we didn't even go to the ferris wheel since we already tried the Odaiba one ;-P

By the way, the Cosmo World Clock (which can be seen on the ferris wheel itself) is the world's largest clock (wow!).

When Cosmo World first opened in 1989, it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel.

The current record holder of the largest ferris wheel is the 165-meter (541 ft) Singapore Flyer, which opened to the public in March 2008, which by the way I saw that too last year when we went to Singapore.

Odaiba, Tokyo

Palette Town

Daikanransha Ferris Wheel (115m ~ 317ft tall)

Another shot

Taken from the ferris wheel

Another view from the ferris wheel

Sumida Boat Cruise- we sat at the top deck of this boat

Sumida River overlooking Rainbow Bridge

From the boat's deck, over looking Fuji Television building and the pier

Asahi Beer Building

cute car

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Odaiba, Tokyo

Our second day trip in Tokyo- originally our itinerary was to go to Asakusa where we could see the huge Senso-ji Temple (and to shop at Nakamise shopping arcade hehehe) but I left my brochure at the hotel and we can't find the map to get to the temple. When we got off from the subway train I saw the Asahi Beer Building right across the subway train (so I took pictures hehehe) and saw the Sumida River Boat cruise...... At first we were standing at one corner and trying to figure out how to get a map but then we decided to go and check how much was the fare at the boat cruise and where the boat was leading to (since we don't know where to go now)..... but then the old man was telling us that the boat was leaving in couple of minutes. To make the story short, we didn't get to explore the Asakusa place and ended up taking the boat cruise going to Odaiba since we took the one way trip hehehe. It took us about an hour to get to Odaiba. But we had fun there!

These are the places we went in Odaiba:

- Decks shopping mall (this is where we ate lunch and my son played at the arcade); the Sega Joypolis is there too but we didn't try to get inside (each ride has fee)

- Palette Town - where we rode the Daikanransha Ferris Wheel, there is the Toyota Mega City too

**Note: It takes 16 minutes to take the ferris wheel ride.


Odaiba (お台場) is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area. Odaiba, along with Minato Mirai 21 in Yokohama, are two of the only places in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area where the seashore is accessible, and not blocked by industry and harbor areas. - Wikipedia

Tokyo Disneyland

Mickey Mouse Flower Arrangement at the main entrance

The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

Toon Town

At Splash Mountain ride with cute Japanese girls

It's a Small World

Cute Japanese girls wearing the minnie mouse headbands at Critter Country

Cinderella's Castle

Toon Town

Toon Town

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TOKYO DISNEYLAND

Sorry for not updating my posts for the past few weeks, I was so busy lately I took vacation and we went to Tokyo 2 weeks ago.

I'm sharing my first batch of pictures in Tokyo Disneyland although this was my fourth day in Tokyo, I'm more excited to post these pictures here than any other places we've been to, well what can I say, it's the happiest place on earth! hehehe.

When we got there it was almost 1:30pm (because we re so tired walking around Asakusa and Odaiba before that day)and it was raining so hard. At first we were thinking of getting back to our hotel because of the heavy rain but then we decided to still try our luck. We even bought 4 umbrellas at the Maihama train station otherwise we would all be wet. Hmmm the price wasn't that expensive, 500 yen for each umbrella (~$5).

We first went to Tomorrow land, although it was raining hard, a lot of people were still waiting in line, it was a long line in every show and ride we saw. No more "fast pass" available.... that means we really have to fall in line. The first ride we went to was the Buzz Light year ride since I have a 9 year old son who loves Toy Story, we waited for an hour. I wasn't able to take some pictures in Tomorrwland because my camera will get wet and besides I'm carrying my umbrella and my handbag too hehehe. It was nice to see Japanese people wearing mickey/minnie mouse raincoats and mickey/minnie mouse headbands.

Around 4pm, the sun cooperated, it dried up the roads and we're enjoying the sun! I was able to take pictures after that hehehe.

We didn't try to go to any shows since we won't be able to understand them, they're in Japanese anyways hehehe. There was an electrical parade but they canceled the fireworks because of the weather, it was too cloudy though it didn't rain.

Enough of that pictures, I will post more, don't worry it won't take that long.

Shinkansen- First trip of my vacation

Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train)



Hachinohe Train Station




Inside the bullet train (shinkansen)


My tickets, the first of the 3 tickets was already taken in Hachinohe Station, too bad I didn't have the chance to take the picture of it hahaha

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I'm back!! After 3 weeks of being gone from my blog....I'm finally home.

June 16, when we just decided to take the shinkansen or bullet train after 2 days of disappointments due to cancellation of military flights going to Clark, Philippines from here to Atsugi, Japan (US navy base).

There were mo flights available until Thursday (June 18) that week. My husband's vacation is only 3 weeks and we already wasted almost 2 days so we have to do something :-) and the last resort was to take the bullet train. We thought we could visit Philippines straight from here through *space A travel for free (how I wish hehehe).


We spent around 55,507 yen or ~ $578 for 4 of us in taking shinkansen to Tokyo and then to Fussa station. We got off the shinkansen in Tokyo and took another regular train going to Fussa station, this is the closest station to Yokota Air Base, Japan. We planned to take the *space A (military flight) from Yokota to Philippines or anywhere that would take us closest to Philippines.


It's our first time to ride the bullet train (me and my 2 kids)....how exciting!

By the way, we just left our "Pajero io" suv in the parking area at Misawa Train Station and what the h*** the sign on there that we couldn't even read and understand, they're in japanese kanji....so we took our risk of leaving our vehicle without knowing what would be the consequences of leaving that for 2 weeks or more hehehe.

It took us 3 hrs to get to Tokyo; by car it would probably take us 10 hrs drive. And another 2 hrs from Tokyo to Fussa. i t was raining that time, we took the cab to base's main gate for 700 yen ~ $7 and another cab from the main gate to hotel lodge on base where we stayed.

Oh, well that was the first day of our adventure.


Note:

*Space available travel is a privilege that derives, in part, from United States Code, title 10, section 4744, which states, "officers and members of the Military Departments, and their families, when space is available, may be transported on vessels operated by any military transport agency of the Department of Defense". Space available travel is defined as "travel aboard DoD owned or controlled aircraft and occurs when aircraft are not fully booked with passengers traveling under orders".- Wikipedia

Zojo-ji Temple, Tokyo

-->Zojo-ji is a Buddhist temple located in Shiba near Tokyo Tower.
We happened to see this temple as we were walking to Roppongi Hills.
When we were still in Pokemon center's building we saw the Tokyo Tower and thought it would be a short walk to Roppongi Hills (we planned to go back there to check their sky deck) but it ended up a 40-minute walk (or more), whoaahh so tiring!! But it paid off when we passed the main gate of this temple, so magnificent and humongous gate and as we entered that place we found the spot, the Tokyo Tower behind the Zojo-ji Temple, what a nice view and so I grabbed my camera. I just took some photos and headed right away towards Tokyo Tower. We did not spend a lot of time in there....we were so hungry and tired, my husband and my son were craving for "Pepper Lunch Steak" which is in Roppongi. My daughter was complaining...her feet hurt :-) and wanted to take the subway train but my husband insisted that we were almost there....."yah right" :-)

Main Gate of Zojo-ji Temple known as Sangedatsumon
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This is the gate before you enter the Zojo-ji Temple, it is in front of the busy street. I took this photo across the street just to take the whole view. If you have clear sight you may see my husband and my son sitting on the step waiting for me :-)

The gate has been designated by the State as important cultural property. Its name - Sangedatsumon - means a gate (mon) for getting delivered (gedatsu) from three (san) earthly states of mand - greed, anger and stupidity.

Small Jizo statues along side of Zojo-ji temple cemetery

It's a bit creepy when I saw these stone statues, they're wearing a red cap and a bib and some have a small windmill or a pin wheel. I didn't take close-up photos coz I was a bit scared :-)...I got goosebumps hahaha

According to wikipedia:

"Jizō statues are sometimes accompanied by a little pile of stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it would shorten the time children have to suffer in the underworld (the act is derived from the tradition of building stupas as an act of merit-making). The statues can sometimes be seen wearing tiny children's clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them. Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness. Jizō's features are also commonly made more babylike in order to resemble the children he protects."


Stone tombs(?), along side of the Zojo-ji Temple

We passed these stone tombs right after the jizo statues



Finally we saw the base of Tokyo Tower....we're so tired, we reached Roppongi after 20 minute walk from here.

Pokemon Center Tokyo

Pokemon Center Tokyo, this is the entrance on the side of the building


Pokemon Center main entrance door


Main Entrance of the Pokemon Center Store


Pokemon toys


Pokemon video game (??)


Pikachu toys



Pikachu or Pichu stuffed toys

Pikachu's mouse

Another pokemon stuffed toys



Pokemon's Wii and Nintendo DS games


Pokemon cards

Pokemon Union Room across the Pokemon Center where you could play video games on that big monitor

Pokeball Video Game, my son's favorite game


My son, playing the pokeball game




View of Pokemon Center entrance on the left side of the building, second floor




Shinkansen (bullet train) passed by, in front of the Pokemon Center


Daimon Station, where we got off from the train
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Our 5 day trip in Tokyo, morning of Feb. 19, 2009- Pokemon Center, Tokyo

My son wanted to see the Pokemon Center in Tokyo , one of his requests for his 8th birthday gift. He is really a fan of pokemon even my daughter likes it. And so our first trip of that day was the Pokemon Center. We arrived there early, around 11am and we're lucky the store was not that crowded yet.

Across Pokemon Center on its other entrance (left side) is the Pokemon Union Room where you can play the video game on the big screen. No one was playing that time we didn't have any idea on how to play the game since the attendants can not speak English. So my son ended up playing the pokeball or the pokechip game which is now his favorite video game. He collects pokechips (aside from collecting pokemon cards) just to play that game, it's ¥ 100 for each pokechip. I wonder how he plays the game in Japanese ??? hahaha. Oh well kids are kids they have ways to understand the games.

Please leave a comment if you want to get the directions there, thanks.