Day 6 – Friday – Date with Mickey.
The day starts off bad as its raining fairly hard. We enjoy a hearty breakfast and I study the internet weather forecasts – accuweather.com says it’s going to rain all day but the Japanese internet weather services tend to be a little more optimistic. Since we postponed our Disney adventure on Thursday due to rain (it ended up not raining after the early morning), we decide to take a chance and go. We ride the JR train to the main Tokyo station and follow all the kids who must be cutting school (or do Japanese kids get a Spring Break?) to the JR train which goes to Disney. It’s actually a rather short trip to Disneyland once you get to the Tokyo station ~ 10 minutes. We get off the train and walk to the ticket line – despite it being 10 o’clock (the park opens at 8AM) there are lines in front of each of the ticket windows (maybe 14 different lines). We stand in a barely moving line for about an hour! Finally we get our tickets and enter the park. We noted that Disneyland is sold out of the multiday passports for the coming weekend although Disneysea does have tickets available. We looked at the Disneysea map and decided most of those attractions were for younger kids so we went to Disneyland. We got in and rode on Pirates of the Carribean after a 20 minute wait – not so bad. But then we went over to the big Thunder mountain rollercoaster and saw a long line just to get an advance ticket (fastpass) to ride it! You would have to wait 20-30 minutes just to get a timed pass to get on the ride 4 hours later! Alternatively you could wait in the standby line for amere 120 minutes and get on. Needless to say we left to see what kind of line there was at Space Mountain. Imagine the Anaheim Disneyland in the middle of Christmas break and that is Tokyo Disneyland on a Friday. The lines were so long especially for the headline attractions. We ended up going to one 3-D show and seeing It’s a Small World, and the Pirates (about 25-30 minutewaits for each). So don’t go to Tokyo Disneyland if you want to go on the rides. We then had lunch at the Tomorrowland Pizza establishment – I had 2 slices of Sausage/Mushrooms and Traci had some sort of specialty pizza value meal – I actually was quite happy with our $20 (total) meal and because I needed a pizza fix I was happy we made it to Disney despite the long lines. Before leaving we went shopping – I was quite surprised that Tokyo Disneyland doesn’t sell more Tokyo branded merchandise – There seems to be a relatively large percentage of foreign visitors to the park. It, however, was unusual to find Disney souvenir shirts or jackets with Tokyo on them. I purchased some Tokyo Disney jackets for my nephews but couldn’t even find a T-shirt or Sweatshirt for myself. As we shopped more and more thru Tokyo is was also very difficult to find Tokyo souvenir items. There are so many American T-shirts – its easier to find an Allen Iverson jersey than it is to find any Tokyo souvenir T-shirts or even aT-shirt of a Japanese Team. Later and later in the trip I became more motivated to look for T-shirts with Japanese ties and never found any. At the shops you can find T-shirts with all sorts of offensive English slogans, even Swastikas! –Point of information, apparently, the Swastika symbol was co-opted by Hitler from Japan – You see all sorts of Swastikas on the samurai armor/uniforms inHiroshima and Osaka castles. One of the guides said they were an asian symbol of good luck. After arriving home from Disney we decided to get some ice cream at a Tokyo Haagen Dazs. Although there is a large Haagen Dazs café at Shibuya, wearen’t sure we would be able to find it so we decide to go for the sure thing – a small Haagen Dazs in the Ikebukuro station on the JR line. Once we get there we both order Strawberry sundaes for about $6 each – they give you very small scoops of ice cream but they are very good. Appetites satisfied, we return home.
Day 7 Saturday – We start the day in by going to Shinjuku, to see the best (and free!) view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Towers. It’s a beautiful clear day and after the JR train drops us off at Shinjuku we head forthe tall twin towers that house Tokyo’s government. On the way I found a rarityin Japan – Regular pepsi in a vending machine. I try the Pepsi and see why it is rare – it tastes like some generic cola – dilute and not very sweet. Stick with Coke – it’s not as good as the US but its OK. Vending machines dominate Japan –they are found in the middle of alleys, on corners and in places we usuallyexpect to see them in the US (train stations). Cigarettes are sold thru vending machines (Marlboros – 300 yen per pack!) I guess kids are on the honor system –supposedly you have to be 20 to buy cigarettes (same for alcohol). We arrive atthe twin towers - there are several tour groups in line, but we don’t have to wait very long before getting on the elevator up. The view is spectacular – weare on 45th floor and can get a feel for how big Tokyo really is by the 360 viewing angle showing city as far as the eye can see. Mount Fuji is visible inthe background. Looking at the city, you see a lot of helicopter pads on the top of many buildings. Many rooftops also have patios some with Astroturf for recreation. Once in a while you see a couple of tennis courts – Tennis court time is very hard to come by, it’s like riding Space Mountain in Disneyland – an all day event. We take a lot of things for granted in the US. I can’t imagine what its like to get a tee time on a real golf course. After taking advantage ofthe photo op, we descend downward and head for Shinjuku National Garden. The park is gated like a subway station and you have to pay 200 yen for a ticket toget in. Like central park in New York it’s an oasis in a vast urban sea. Lots of space, something I am beginning to long for in this claustrophobic society. The Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) are coming in season and there are literally hundreds of people some with some very serious looking photographic equipment taking pictures. Some travel in packs, with a leader pointing to good picture opportunities. Many others bring sketch books and make Sakura portraits. Despite the expansive space there are just so many people roaming around, I doubt you could find enough space to say play Frisbee or just throw a baseball around. Some families are camped out on the grass and eat KFC chicken. We don’t see any dogs, I assume pets aren’t allowed thru the gates. The park is open every day ofthe week during Cherry Blossom season – like most tourist and fun things, the park is closed on Mondays. You have to be careful sightseeing on Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday) as many things are closed – even the Government observation floor (but I presume the government isn’t shut down for 3 day weekends every week!). After leaving the park we ride the JR train for a couple of stops to Harajuku, a neighborhood when a lot of the young people hang out (kind of like Seattle’s Capitol Hill). There are large department stores, some exclusive boutiques as well as whole pedestrian street malls lined withshops selling second hand clothing, all sorts of odds and ends and various foods. While there are many colorful hairstyles and even more varied clothing styles, it’s a pretty mellow place. We spot a Shakey’s Pizza (a chain that is now defunct in the Seattle area). I hear it’s quite the lunch spot – all you can eat pizza buffet for 750 yen! I continue my unsuccessful quest to look for Tokyo souvenir T-shirts, now I’m broadening my search to include T shirts of Japanese teams – At stores like Adidas though, you find NBA stars, British soccer stars jerseys, even European Rugby team jerseys but no Japanese ones. Disappointed, we take the short train ride to Shibuya where we marvel at the large number of Saturday shoppers. We cross the street to a huge two story Starbucks overlooking the train station where Traci buys a green tea (macha) frappuccino which cost about $3.75 and takes a picture to documenting her international patronage of Starbucks. After wandering around thru several stores and Traci posing for a picture in front of the world famous Shibuya Dog statue, we return back to Ebisu and have a late lunch in a sandwich shop in the shopping complex adjacent to our train station – Traci has a chicken sandwich while I have a smoked salmon sandwich, both cost about $10. Since they want 550 yen for a coke, I pass on that. Before returning to the Westin, we stop at the Sapporo beer museum – all the exhibits and videos are in Japanese so they are of no value. Traci tries some of the free beer and I finally get a T-shirt – a Sapporo beer shirt for$12. I decide to try some outdoor running so I get a jogging map from the Westin Concierge and run around the Ebisu neighborhood. I notice that there are an inordinate amount of very expensive cars on the streets and expressways – I’m told that cars cost so much to buy and operate in Japan, those who can afford one buy really expensive ones. I don’t see any Lexuses or Infinitis but I do see Ferraris, Porsches, Rolls Royces and a few of those Mercedes G500 tanks. The sidewalks are very narrow and it is late afternoon so I spend much of my time dodging people. The population density is really getting to me this late in the trip. The other thing you have to keep in mind is that Japanese drivers don’t stop at crosswalks so you have to make sure the street is clear before you cross! After my run we enjoy the lounge’s free drinks and get caught up on our e-mail. We stop at the Ebisu Mitsukoshi department store basement and picked up some take out rice balls for dinner for $1.50 each. – Traci found out earlier in the day that we didn’t have to go to the food areas in Shibuya or Shinjuku –most of the take out Japanese food we had been buying is available right in Yebisu garden place. Since all I have to show for our great adventure is one Sapporo beer T-shirt, I “sell-out” and we take the short subway ride to Roppongi where I buy a souvenir T-shirt and sweat shirt from that ultimate Japanese cultural icon – the Hard Rook Café Tokyo. On the way back we stop off at McDonald’s in Ebisu for the first time to buy vanilla ice cream cones. Soft ice cream is quite popular in Tokyo. We still haven’t tried hamburgers in Japan but I’m very curious as the prices are so low – The equivalent of 80 cents US for a regular hamburger to about $2.50 for a Big Mac (and this is at a very high rent shopping mall in the middle of a tourist destination!)
Day 8 – Sunday – Take me out to the ball game.
Unfortunately neither the Yankees nor the Devil Rays chose to “Buy American” and stay at the Westin. Thanks to my cousin Scott, we had tickets arranged to see the Devil Rays play the Hanshin Tigers (from Osaka) – Hanshin thinks of themselves vs the Yomuri Giants much like the Boston Red Sox think they are to the Yankees. We take our beloved JR Yamanote train to Yoyogi, and transfer to the Soba JR train which takes us tothe Suidobashi station, right next to the Tokyo Dome. Before meeting Scott in front of Japan’s “Mister Donuts” I do some souvenir shopping and get a souvenir program as well as a souvenir T-shirt of the MLB opening series. Unfortunately both of those were priced like you’d expect at Safeco field - $35 for both. We then meet Scott and his girlfriend Kaori (hope I’m spelling that right). We enter the Toyko dome which wasn’t at capacity. The place reminds me of the Kingdome except it has a white roof (not concrete) and the ceiling doesn’t look as high. The chairs also were narrower. It was refreshing in that all the PA announcements (which batter, change of pitchers etc…) were done in English. The crowd in the outfield would do group chants and sing to support their team. Some fans dressed up in tiger costumes – it was all very interesting. They were very polite to the Devil Rays, they would clap after Devil Ray home runs. We got to see our old friend Hideki Irabu (remember the Fat Toad of the Yankees?) pitch – the Tigers had a 7-2 lead but blew it in the late innings and the game actually ended up tied 7-7 (No extra innings as the dome had to be cleaned and readied for the Yankees – Giants exhibition that evening). We did a 7th inning stretch with the singing of "take me out to the ball game" but most of the natives didn’t know what we were doing. The other thing different about Japanese baseball is the beer girls – cute women wearing costumes like cheerleaders would race around with a tank of beer strapped to their bank and serve beer to the crowd – the beer prices were about the same as American ball parks. After seeing a good game, we got back on the JR Soba train and rode it farther east until Ueno. Scott wanted to show us Ueno park – a free park with cherry blossoms. We got to the park and saw absolutely mind boggling numbers of people – Imagine Safeco field after the game when everybody is trying to leave a sold out stadium – and trying to weave in the middle of the crowd. There were so many people!!! Somepeople were taking pictures of the cherry blossoms, others were standing in line to use the bathrooms. Large groups of people were sitting around drinking beer and telling tales. Scott told me that it’s common on weekdays for companies to have picnics at the park and they would send out "go-fors" first think in the morning to stand around and reserve space for the afternoon festivities. There aren’t open liquor laws and very little social taboo against public drunkenness. After trying to move in the overwhelming crowd, we went to a restaurant called Who’s Food in Ueno – a scrumptious dinner including smoked duck (supposedly cooked, but I think just enough so the duck would stop quacking), two pasta dishes, a Thai shrimp soup (Tom Yum Gai), fried rice and some other entrees and three beers was only 7800 yen. What a deal!!! After dinner, we went to the main shopping alley in Ueno where Scott knew of a store called the Japan store which actually did sell souvenirs. I managed to get two T-shirts for a rather expensive 1800 Yen ($18) each, even more expensive when we passed a vendor camped out in the street selling the exact same shirts for $8 each…..That is Japan for you, more shopping than you could ever believe there could be, but never selling the item you are really looking for. After saying goodbye to Scott and Kaori, we returned on the JR circle train to Ebisu and enjoyed some very good Gelato at the Mitsokishi department store.
Day 9 – Bon Voyage! We started the day by getting up at 4:45 AM to see theTsukiji Fish Market – we decided to do it the last day to begin getting used to Pacific Time again (and waited for the JR passes to expire since they aren’t any good on this subway.) We took the subway from Ebisu past Roppongi and Ginza to the Tsukiji subway stop. A short 5 minute walk and we are at the famous market. As we walked to the market we saw people enjoying a great breakfast – Beer and cigarettes, but people in this business probably started so early that 5AM was lunch time. Everywhere you looked you saw workers drive around forklift like devices, successfully avoiding hitting me. There were areas where huge 100 pound fish were lying on the floor and an auctioneer trying to sell the fish to the assembled crowd. There are other areas where the strangest sea animals were lying in trays to be sold to whoever came by. Some were gutting fish, otherswere boiling lobsters. In all, a fascinating look at where dinner comes from. After leaving Tsukiji we went back to Ebisu. I went for a final run around our hotel area and then we enjoyed a full breakfast. We took the 12:30 airport bus from the Westin to terminal 1 and had another quite nice flight home on the17:10 – it took 8 ½ hours. Traci was able to sleep some on the flight, I just watched videos. United again serviced some good food – Teriyaki chicken or baron of Beef. They also served Egg McMuffins look-alikes for breakfast the next morning before we arrived at 8:40 AM Seattle Time. First thing we did was make reservations for Daniel’s Broiler (Seattle’s beststeaks) for that evening…..I also went for a run on a beautiful Seattle day 78 degrees and sunny!– Having all the open space in Myrtle Edwards park looking at the Cascade Mountains and Puget sound and not constantly bumping into people. Tokyo is the most interesting place I’ve visited but no place can compare to the Seattle waterfront on a sunny day!
Ray’s Favorite things to see in Japan
1. The Shinkansen – anywhere!
2. Sony Building in Ginza
3. Shinjuki Goen Park
4. Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
5. Tsukiji Fish Market
Traci’s Favorite things to see in Japan
1. The Shinkansens
2. View from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building
3. Downtown Osaka (Umeda) including Hep Five Shopping Mall/Ferris Wheel
4. Ueno Park
5. Osaka Castle
6. Food bazaars in department store basements
