Our Epic Trip to Japan

Trip to Tokyo

We had a great time in Japan as we were blessed with amazing food, scenery, friends, and learning opportunities. We were in Japan for nine days but like most vacations it went by too fast. Thankfully, Alexa’s mother was going to meet us in Korea when we returned which gave us something great to look forward too. A week before we left to Japan we learned that the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms everyday; however, thanks to the Grace of God we had blue skies everyday except for the day that we returned back to Korea (and a ten minute pour when we were in Disneyland). We also got a little nervous because Alexa got really sick the morning that we left to head to Tokyo. She could hardly leave our apartment to get on the Metro to head to the train that would bring us to Seoul. When we arrived to Tokyo, she laid in bed the rest of the evening in hope that it was just a little 24 hour stomach flu or something. Thankfully, she felt better the next day and the rest of the trip was wonderful from there on out.  In this blog, I will break down our Japan trip by the different days as a way to help me organize my thoughts with the activities that we did.

Sunday July 29th 

We left our Daegu apartment at 6:00 am to catch the subway to Dong-Daegu so that we could take the KTX train to Seoul which is only a two hour ride on the fast train. Once we got to Seoul we had to transfer to the AREX train that took us to Incheon (which was another 53 minute train ride) so that we could catch our flight to Tokyo. I had to carry all of our luggage as Alexa was extremely sick for the entire 12 hour journey from Daegu to Tokyo. We arrived to Asakusa, Tokyo before we realized that we had no directions from the subway station to our hotel. Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it only took us five minutes to find our hotel with no map or internet. Amazingly enough, throughout the entire trip, Alexa and I did not get lost once as we adventured out through the entire city of Tokyo. Tokyo’s transportation can seem confusing as it consists of a subway system and train system that coincide with each other for transfers to an infinite amount of locations. However, Alexa and I both found the transportation rather easy which gave us confidence that we can travel through any city throughout the world. Anyway, Alexa laid in bed once we got to the hotel as we were praying that she would be healed so that we could enjoy the rest of our trip. God most definitely answered our prayers as Alexa felt much better the next morning and throughout the trip.

Monday July 30th

Monday morning we went to the Senso-Ji temple which is right down the street from our hotel. It is the oldest and most famous temple in all of Tokyo which is still used as a Buddhist sanctuary. People say that the temple is a glimpse of Kyoto which was the capital until 1868 when it moved to Tokyo. All in honesty, Alexa and I did not care too much for the temple as it was uneasy watching people worship a false idol and giving money to it. We took a few pictures and headed out as we were both anxious to go up into the Tokyo Sky Tree which lingered over us by 634 meters.

The Tokyo Sky Tree is the tallest tower in the world (as of May 2012). The tower was also a few blocks from our hotel which we had a great view of from our 9th story bedroom window. The tower is 634 meters (1902 feet) tall which gives an uneasy feeling when gazing down from the top. Alexa and I both felt like the tower was shaking when a gust of wind went by which almost made me sick at first (Alexa had no problem with it). To make things even more interesting, there was a glass floor on the top observation deck so that you could look straight down on the city. Somehow, Alexa got me to lay down on it so that she could take my picture with the city below. Put into perspective, the space needle is 184 meters (552 feet) which is nearly four times smaller than the Tokyo Sky Tree. The view was incredible as pictures will definitely not do any justice whatsoever. We could literally see the entire city of Tokyo and a glimpse of Mt. Fuji hidden between some clouds off in the distance. Tokyo really is a beautiful city as it has man made canals that go throughout for easy transportation of people and cargo. I must say though, once we came down it was nice to have the earth under my feet again as I felt much more stable and at ease.

It's a LONG ways down!

 The rest of the day we walked around Asakusa which is only one of twenty three districts in Tokyo; however, we wanted to get a good feeling of our surroundings and see things that were within the district that we were staying in. We were both excited because we knew that we would be spending the next two days at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. We are both Disney fanatics and one is never too old to visit Mickey Mouse and the Kingdom of Dreams.

Tuesday July 31st

We woke up around 7:00 am and caught the subway a few blocks from our hotel which we took to transfer to the train that brought us to Disneyland. It took about 45 minutes from our hotel to get to the Disneyland Park since both the subway and trains have many stops; however, if one was to take a direct route with no stops it would take no longer than 25 minutes. Alexa and I were both extremely excited when the train dropped us off right in front of the Disneyland entrance gate. We walked through the gate and were immediately invited by the Disney band that was playing in the middle of the street (main street USA). The Disney Park was very similar to the original in California as it had all the same attractions, just a different layout. At first we were disappointed because they did not have the Indiana Jones ride, but we later figured out that the ride was in the other park Disney Sea which we went to the next day. Alexa enjoyed the castle as it was much bigger than the one in California. The castle in Tokyo is Cinderella’s castle as the one in California is for Sleeping Beauty. We truly had an amazing time as the weather was great and we waited in line no longer than 30 minutes. We were also treated like celebrities as at one moment a bunch of Japanese students were asking for our autographs. We literally signed autographs for five minutes as other people were watching us trying to figure out if we were celebrities or not. Who would have known that being a fluent English speaker would bring such opportunities in foreign countries?

We saw many shows throughout the day, in between eating great food and riding traditional Disney rides. At night we watched the Electric parade and then ate dinner at the Blue Bayou which is the restaurant in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We have both always wanted to eat at this restaurant; and therefore, we figured we would just do it. Afterward we went on Splash Mountain before heading back to the hotel to get a good night sleep. We were pretty exhausted from all the walking but were excited to go to DisneySea the next day which is much different than any other Disney Park that exists. We arrived to our hotel at about 11:30 pm and fell right to sleep after taking a bath that seemed luxurious since we have no tub here in Korea.

In Cinderella's Castle

At the Blue Bayou Restaraunt

Wednesday August 1st

 We woke up at about 8:00 am which was about an hour later than the previous morning. We were both excited to go to DisneySea but were also still pretty tired from the day before. We arrived to the Disney Park at about 9:15 am and then had to take the Disney monorail to the Disney Sea entrance which is on the opposite side of the Disneyland Park. Alexa and I were both astonished when we entered into DisneySea as it was a very beautiful setup. The entire first part of DisneySea has a European theme that makes you feel as if you were in Venice Italy. It was very peaceful with Italian food, Italian music, Italian buildings, gondolas, etc. We were both very impressed and immediately fell in love with DisneySea. The first thing that we did in DisneySea was walk to the Indian Jones ride to get a fast pass so that we did not have to stand in line. Then we walked through Arabian Land to go to Little Mermaid Land. Alexa was stoked that the Little Mermaid had its own little theme park since that is her favorite Disney movie. I will admit that Little Mermaid Land was extremely cool as it had pretty good rides and shows.


 

After Little Mermaid Land we went to a show that was held in the middle of the park which is all water. The show consisted of getting sprayed which we were not aware of, and therefore, we got soaked which was rather nice because it was blazing hot and we dried up within minutes. After the show we went on the Indiana Jones ride which was different than the USA version because this one focused on the new movie, “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.” However, you’re still in the jeep with similar surroundings, just some different obstacles to overcome. The park is so massive that it took us forever to feel like we’d seen everything. At night we saw the Fantasmic show which is one of my favorite shows. The show in Tokyo is a little different than the one in California but bigger and better. It has to be one of the best shows that I had ever seen in my life. After the show we went on the Tower of Terror before leaving the park at around 11:00 pm. We could have definitely spent another day at DisneySea as there was much to see; however; we were also excited to start adventuring out into Tokyo and Yokohama for the remainder of the trip.

Thursday August 2nd

In Shinjuku

We decided to sleep in a little as we got out of bed around 10:00 am. It felt good to sleep in as we had walked numerous amounts of miles with no stop for the past three days. We decided to go to Shinjuku which is the entertainment capital of Tokyo. We went into some arcades but not for long as it smelled like smoke which was making us both kind of sick. Therefore, we walked around through Shinjuku so that we could see everything that it had to offer. The most interesting section of Shinjuku had buildings full of slot machines that are called Pachinko. Gambling is illegal in Japan; however, companies found a loop hole that allows Japanese to gamble. The Japanese go to play Pachinko and instead of winning money they win little Pachinko tokens. They can then go across the street and exchange their Pachinko tokens for money. The building that they exchange their tokens in is often owned by the same person as the slot machines; however, if the exchange is not in the same building then it’s technically legal by law. We did not participate but we were astonished how the government would allow for obvious gambling when it’s clearly illegal. We later found out that most laws in Japan are not enforced and are rather a guide to follow.

In Harajuku

After Shinjuku, we took the subway to Harajuku which is one of the shopping capitals in Tokyo. We enjoyed looking at all the shopping areas; however, the only thing that we bought was a berry Crêpe that Alexa and I shared. Japan in general is known for having Crêpe’s everywhere; and therefore, we felt like it was a must to try. It was delicious but we did not find the need to eat more since we also have them everywhere in Korea. We just about walked around the entire main block of Harajuku before we both were getting tired and decided to head back to Asakusa to go to bed and get ready for our trip to Yokohama the next day.  

 Friday August 3rd

The Cosmo Clock ferris wheel

We got up around 8:00 am got some breakfast at the McDonalds right across the street from us so that we could get an early start on our journey to Yokohama. Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan and is known for their famous farris wheel that was built for the 1989 World Fair. The farris wheel is named the Cosmo Clock as it serves as the largest clock in the world. It was also originally the largest farris wheel in the world until the one in Osaka was built which is also in Japan. Yokohama is along the coast, which makes the farris wheel ride an amazing experience as the view is unlike any other view. Alexa and I have also previously talked about going to Yokohama and riding the farris wheel for three years; and therefore, it was really cool to actually do it. Afterwards we walked along the water to the other side of Yokohama where we went on a tour of Nippon Maru which is a ship that was built in 1930. This ship went across the Pacific to Seattle 127 times and was the only ship to survive World War II. The ship had a first class section that was designed for celebrities and royalty. Charlie Chaplin had a room that he often used which was really cool to see as it was specifically designed for him.

The Hikawa Maru

Entrance to Chinatown

After the tour we went to China Town which is the cleanest China Town I have ever been to. Granted I’ve only been to two others (Seattle and San Francisco) but none the less it was clean and safe. After China Town we went and sit on a bench by the water at sunset and stared from a distance at the farris wheel that was completely lit up and always changing colors. We literally sat for over an hour as we gazed over the water toward the farris wheel. It was very relaxing and will serve as a memory that neither of us will ever forget.

The beautiful Yokohama waterfront

The "statue" of Hachi

As we got on the train to head back to Tokyo, we decided to stop in a district called Shibuya because it has the busiest intersection in the world. Again, pictures cannot do justice on how busy this intersection is when people start crossing the street. Alexa and I walked across the street a few times and were just amazed how populated the cross walk gets when the light turns green. Shibuya is also well known for the movie Hachi: A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere. It’s about a dog that goes to the subway station everyday for nine years expecting to see his owner who passed away. The movie is based on a true story at the subway station in Shibuya which was cool to see. We then went back to our hotel and fell fast asleep after a long and very eventful day.

Saturday August 4th

At the Hama Rikyu Garden

We woke up around 9:00am and headed to the famous Tjuskiji Fish Market which is supposedly the largest fish market in the world. However, Alexa and I were not very impressed with it, as we did not see any fish, and prefer the fish market in Seattle at Pike’s Place. We did find an amazing Japanese restaurant in Tjuskiji that made the journey well worth it. Also, the market was close to the Hama Rikyu Garden that we both really wanted to see. The garden was remodeled on the site of a Shogun family residence during the 1600s and was re-constructed in 1946 as a way to preserve history to the public while enjoying nature in the middle of the city. The garden literally is surrounded by city as it reminds me of a small Central Park in New York City. The garden was definitely worth going too, even though Alexa got a few mosquito bites that thankfully did not swell up. She is allergic to mosquitos and by the Grace of God she did not have any kind of reaction to these bites.

After the Garden we went to Tokyo Station and saw the Imperial Palace. I learned that Japan still has an Emperor but has as much power as Queen Elizabeth in England (which is hardly any). The Emperor is the son of Hirohito who was the Emperor during World War II. His son still lives in that Imperial Palace that Hirohito lived in and will sometimes come outside to greet people in the mornings.

In front of the Imperial Palace

After the Palace, Alexa and I walked around Tokyo station and decided that we would sit and rest for awhile. We decided to go see the Dark Knight Rises; which was our second time seeing it. We saw it in Korea a week prior to going to Japan; and therefore, we have seen the same movie in both Korea and Japan. We actually saw it again last night with Alexa’s mom which means we have seen it three times now. An amazing movie that is worth seeing three times as it concludes one of the best trilogies ever made. After the movie we headed back to our hotel and got a good rest.

Sunday August 5th

View of the Asahi Brewery

We decided to take it easy this day as we had been going like crazy the previous days. We both enjoy doing a lot as a good vacation is full of learning, seeing, and I guess some rest. Therefore, we ate at the famous Asahi brewery in Asakusa, tried some different Japanese foods, got a melon slurpie from 7/11, and walked around different souvenir shops. It was a great day full of rest, little sight seeing, and enjoying each others company. The next day was our last as we had to fly out of Tokyo at 6:00pm to head back to Seoul. However, we were also excited because we were going to meet up with a friend Yuka, who we met at Central when she did study abroad for a year.

 Monday August 6th

We met up with our friend Yuka at Starbucks and got to hang out for a few hours. She lives in Guma which is about an hour and a half northwest of Tokyo, so we were glad that she was able to come and meet up with us in the city. It was good to see her again as it has been like 4.5 years since I’ve seen her. Alexa saw her three years ago when she came to Tokyo for a mission trip. We are hoping that she can come visit us in Korea so that we can show her around our neck of the woods.
We then caught a train to the Incheon Airport and left for Seoul where we stayed a night in a hostel since we were going to pick up Alexa’s mom at the airport the next day. The hostel was nasty and neither of us slept very well because of the horrible smells; which makes it the last time we will ever stay in that specific hostel.

Tuesday August 7th

Jeff was having fun.

Alexa and I went to the Korean War Museum which was much bigger than expected. I absolutely loved it and could easily go back again. We were rather in a hurry to get through it as we were ready to go back to the hostel to grab our stuff so that we could meet Alexa’s mom at the airport.
We picked up Alexa’s mom at the airport and then took a train to Seoul station, then took a different train to Daegu, and then took the metro to our apartment. We were all exhausted when we got back to our apartment and all three slept very well. Alexa’s mom will be with us for the next week and we are extremely excited at the opportunity to hang out and show her different areas within Korea. Last night we showed her downtown Daegu, this Saturday we will show her Busan, and then Monday we will show her Seoul. It will be a good time and we all very excited.

At the Korean War Memorial