Pre-Trip Bee's Big Birthday!

Intro

For those who don't know me, I'm Bee, an opera-singing, Epcot-loving, ex-Floridian now living in New Jersey just outside of New York City. My wife M and I both grew up going to Walt Disney World and carried our love of Disney into adulthood. We buy WDW Annual Passes every other year and take 3-4 trips during the "on" years, and we often meet up with her parents in Florida since they live a couple hours away from Disney.

I am turning 30 this year and I've been trying to figure out the best way to celebrate. 2018-2019 is an "off" year for WDW so that's not an option. My birthday is also very close to Christmas so most destinations are extra expensive and crowded when I want to travel.

Our close friend S is married to a US Naval officer, and they're currently living in Japan where he is stationed for the next few years. She is enjoying it but she's understandably lonely and wants as many American friends to come visit as possible. They also happen to have a three bedroom house for just the two of them where guests can stay for free.

Put all of this together, plus the fact that M has a decent chunk of paid vacation around Christmas, and you get:

A BIRTHDAY TRIP TO JAPAN!!!​

Obviously there will be Disney park visits, but there will be much more! I'll post more specifics later, but the countdown has begun and we're already in double digits! If you have travel tips for visiting Japan in general or the Tokyo parks specifically, please post them! We have both traveled overseas but never to Asia so we'll take any advice we can get!

 

[dizfan917]

Mmmmmmm! Along with Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, that Grapefruit beer is a beer I actually enjoy. They are like the Kool Aid of beers!! Their Pomegranate Beer was pretty tasty too.

 

[amjt660]

This is just me talking here but I would focus your language studies on verbal above written

You will impress the locals by trying to communicate rather than being able to read

Menus are available in English as are park maps, street signs , subway stops , etc

My coworkers who worked in Japan for a year or two needed to learn to read and write

But the rest of us that visited for 2-5 weeks at a time just focused on learning expressions to talk and get to know people

Max

 

[SarahBella82]

I love a Bee report, and I'm so excited for you to experience travel in Asia! I've been to India several times, and it's jarring but also expansive to go someplace so radically different from home.

Can't wait to hear about your adventures!

 

[bee]

UPDATE TIME!!!

S has booked an AirBNB in Kyoto for all four of us. It’s a full small apartment and it’s a 10 minute walk from Kyoto Station, which will be very convenient!

S is on a waiting list for some kind of special military hotel for our time together in Tokyo, but I have a backup reservation in case we don’t get the room.

I am at my PCP’s office for my annual physical. Hoping everything is good post-injury.

@amjt660 thank you, that is great advice! As a person who is naturally curious and liked languages, the reading element does interest me, but for the sake of practicality we are focusing on the spoken part.

Less than two months until our trip!!!

 

[PacNWTigger]

I am getting so excited for you guys! I hope you have a wonderful big birthday bash in Japan!

 

[bee]

December must be a very popular time to travel to Tokyo and Kyoto!

As I mentioned in my last post I made a backup reservation at a Comfort Inn for two nights in Tokyo for the three of us girls. I just double checked what else was available, and literally NOTHING is available for our nights in this entire hotel chain ANYWHERE in Tokyo. And other hotels, both chain and independent, are SUPER expensive. So, good thing I made that reservation awhile ago as it looks like S may not make it from the waiting list to an actual reservation with the military discount hotel.

Most of the Japan lodging is now pretty secure/final.

Night 1: KIX Airport Hotel
M and I have experienced enough international travel to know that the day we land we are pretty useless. We are both not good at sleeping on planes/other vehicles and don't anticipate getting much, if any, sleep on the way. So, rather than try to navigate public transit while extremely tired and jet-lagged the first day, we are going to just stay in the hotel inside the airport to keep things simple.

Nights 2-5: Kyoto AirBnB
S and J are flying from Sasebo, and we'll take the train from KIX to Kyoto and meet them there.

Nights 6-11: Sasebo Chez S and J
Some chill time with friends!

Nights 12-13: Tokyo Comfort Inn
We got a great deal on two rooms (there are no rooms big enough for three people, so we just got two rooms)

Nights 14-16: Either Sheraton or Hilton on Disney property
We are still debating this. I am leaning toward the Sheraton but I don't really know why.


PS Since I mentioned the doctor but forgot to follow up, everything is good with my health post-injury! She checked out all of my concerns and I'm approved to go back to normal functioning! I am FINALLY ready to get back into running and have been taking brisks walks around the neighborhood and alternating brief stretches of jogging so I can get back up to my former stamina. I am hoping there will be another Disney race in my future!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Such good news about your health! I'm really looking forward to reading about your trip!

 

[MinnieM123]

PS Since I mentioned the doctor but forgot to follow up, everything is good with my health post-injury! She checked out all of my concerns and I'm approved to go back to normal functioning! I am FINALLY ready to get back into running and have been taking brisks walks around the neighborhood and alternating brief stretches of jogging so I can get back up to my former stamina. I am hoping there will be another Disney race in my future!

Excellent news on your good health. Hope you take some additional time to get back into running. I know you're excited to get back into it; but in the healing world, sometimes you have to go slower . . . to go faster. Brisk walking will do a lot for you and is a lot easier on your joints. Best luck to you in your full recovery process.

 

[amjt660]

Good to hear about your doctor's appointment results
I am with @MinnieM123 in terms of taking it slow
Hopefully you have some physio or similar giving you advice on how hard you can push it.

I cannot comment on the particular Sheridan /Hilton near TDR but I normally stay at Hilton's in Japan and they are good size rooms and are clean/comfortable.
I stayed at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba (about a 20 min shuttle ride) in 2016
I rates at this Hilton were within my companies limits.

Max

 

[bee]

Such good news about your health! I'm really looking forward to reading about your trip!

Thank you! We are so excited!

Excellent news on your good health. Hope you take some additional time to get back into running. I know you're excited to get back into it; but in the healing world, sometimes you have to go slower . . . to go faster. Brisk walking will do a lot for you and is a lot easier on your joints. Best luck to you in your full recovery process.

Good to hear about your doctor's appointment results
I am with @MinnieM123 in terms of taking it slow
Hopefully you have some physio or similar giving you advice on how hard you can push it.

Thank you both! I am definitely taking it slower than I would like to in an effort to avoid injury, etc. So I'll maybe jog a block, walk 2-3 blocks, jog a block, etc. I am also slooooowly getting back to yoga, which I couldn't do at all for most of the past six months.

I cannot comment on the particular Sheridan /Hilton near TDR but I normally stay at Hilton's in Japan and they are good size rooms and are clean/comfortable.
I stayed at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba (about a 20 min shuttle ride) in 2016
I rates at this Hilton were within my companies limits.

Thanks for the Hilton advice! All the pictures look very nice, and from what I've heard the customer service is excellent everywhere.

 

[bee]

Yesterday was my and M's four year wedding anniversary. We both had to work and I didn't get home until after 8:00. We ordered Indian food (we would rather spend the time together than at a restaurant with other people haha!) ANNNNND she surprised me with a homemade chocolate cake!!!

To continue the celebration, tomorrow night we are seeing a new opera at the Met called Marnie. It's based on a 1960s novel that Alfred Hitchcock also adapted into a film, so the subject matter should be appropriate for Halloween!

And now for a Disneyland (California) update...

We were originally planning to stay at the Fairfield by Marriott that's basically right across the street from Disneyland. However, I rechecked rates at the surrounded hotels and found a great deal at the Four Points by Sheraton. It's a little bit farther away, but since we will only have one park day we are fine with a bit more walking. The Four Points is over $100 cheaper for the stay, which is $100 to put toward the Japan part of the trip.

CAKE

 

[RememberWhen]

Yesterday was my and M's four year wedding anniversary. We both had to work and I didn't get home until after 8:00. We ordered Indian food (we would rather spend the time together than at a restaurant with other people haha!) ANNNNND she surprised me with a homemade chocolate cake!!!

To continue the celebration, tomorrow night we are seeing a new opera at the Met called Marnie. It's based on a 1960s novel that Alfred Hitchcock also adapted into a film, so the subject matter should be appropriate for Halloween!

And now for a Disneyland (California) update...

We were originally planning to stay at the Fairfield by Marriott that's basically right across the street from Disneyland. However, I rechecked rates at the surrounded hotels and found a great deal at the Four Points by Sheraton. It's a little bit farther away, but since we will only have one park day we are fine with a bit more walking. The Four Points is over $100 cheaper for the stay, which is $100 to put toward the Japan part of the trip.

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CAKE

Happy anniversary!

 

[krisri18]

Happy Anniversary to you both!

 

[MinnieM123]

Happy Anniversary, and many more in the future!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

That cake looks delicious! Happy Anniversary!

 

[Swissmiss]

Just curious to know if anyone else is hearing the happy anniversary song from the flinstones after the last four posts ?

 

[bee]

Happy anniversary!

Thank you!

Happy Anniversary to you both!

Thank you!

Happy Anniversary, and many more in the future!

Thank you!

That cake looks delicious! Happy Anniversary!

Thank you! It WAS! I mean, it IS! There is a ton left! M brought some to her coworkers today so A) we don't eat it all and B) it doesn't get stale before we can eat it!

Just curious to know if anyone else is hearing the happy anniversary song from the flinstones after the last four posts ?

NOW I am!!



FUN FACT: That tune (which we have all heard multiple times in commercials, cartoons, etc.) is from an opera!

 

[amjt660]

Everything I have learnt about classical music is from Saturday morning cartoons!!

Max

 

[bee]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Last week was our school celebration and I dressed up on Friday for the musical theatre class I teach. Here is me the night before at home trying on my costume.

 

[dizfan917]

Happy Anniversary!! and HOOORAY for positive results from the doctor!!!

BILLY ELLIOT opened here last weekend, so I've finally had a chance to catch up on my Forum reading. I'm excited to follow along on your upcoming trip!!