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Trip Report: Tokyo Disneyland Resort & Tour of Parts of Japan 2024
- Thread starter ZapperZ
- Start date
Good morning from somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
We had breakfast and filled ourselves up for the day. I just cleaned up and about to be ready to go out.
Today, we're making a special trip to see a friend that I haven't seen in more than 20 years. He's a Japanese professor who did his sabatical many years ago in the same group that I was in when I was a graduate student. I contacted him a few months before the trip, and he has invited me to his home for a home-cooked Japanese lunch. We will be hopping on the train to get to his place later this morning.
Not sure how long we will be there, but we hope to be back at the hotel late afternoon/early evening. And then, we will need to do a couple of loads of laundry because I'm running out of clothes to wear for the rest of the trip!
Zz.
We had breakfast and filled ourselves up for the day. I just cleaned up and about to be ready to go out.
Today, we're making a special trip to see a friend that I haven't seen in more than 20 years. He's a Japanese professor who did his sabatical many years ago in the same group that I was in when I was a graduate student. I contacted him a few months before the trip, and he has invited me to his home for a home-cooked Japanese lunch. We will be hopping on the train to get to his place later this morning.
Not sure how long we will be there, but we hope to be back at the hotel late afternoon/early evening. And then, we will need to do a couple of loads of laundry because I'm running out of clothes to wear for the rest of the trip!
Zz.
Good morning, and Happy Memorial Day for those if you back in the States.
We are all showered, dressed, and had breakfast. Today is the "check-in" day for our guided tour where guests check in to their rooms at this hotel. Other than that, the first tour will occur tomorrow, but the weather won't be cooperating much since the forecast predicts rain tomorrow and into early Wednesday.
We had a wonderful time yesterday reconnecting with my old friend here. Haven't seen each other in 25 years, and their small toddler is now a mother with a child of her own. Had a wonderful home-cooled meal and we just talk and talk and talk about old time and figuring out where our acquaintances are at this time. I hope to get to see them again in a the next few years.
One fun thing about visiting my friend is that we managed to navigate the Tokyo commuter railway system and are starting to understand a few things that make it less daunting. We are starting to use it a lot more, and it is certainly significantly cheaper than cabs or Uber. Plus, the trains are highly efficient, on-time, clean, and pleasant to ride (outside of rush hour). The trains so far have arrived astonishingly within 30 seconds of the published time. In Chicago, if a CTA train arrives within 5 minutes of what was expected, we all rejoice at how wonderful it is.
Today looks overcast with a thread of rain. We will probably head down to the Ginza district and wonder around there, hopefully with places that we can take shelter if it starts to rain. Might look for the Uniqlo flagship store.
Zz.
We are all showered, dressed, and had breakfast. Today is the "check-in" day for our guided tour where guests check in to their rooms at this hotel. Other than that, the first tour will occur tomorrow, but the weather won't be cooperating much since the forecast predicts rain tomorrow and into early Wednesday.
We had a wonderful time yesterday reconnecting with my old friend here. Haven't seen each other in 25 years, and their small toddler is now a mother with a child of her own. Had a wonderful home-cooled meal and we just talk and talk and talk about old time and figuring out where our acquaintances are at this time. I hope to get to see them again in a the next few years.
One fun thing about visiting my friend is that we managed to navigate the Tokyo commuter railway system and are starting to understand a few things that make it less daunting. We are starting to use it a lot more, and it is certainly significantly cheaper than cabs or Uber. Plus, the trains are highly efficient, on-time, clean, and pleasant to ride (outside of rush hour). The trains so far have arrived astonishingly within 30 seconds of the published time. In Chicago, if a CTA train arrives within 5 minutes of what was expected, we all rejoice at how wonderful it is.
Today looks overcast with a thread of rain. We will probably head down to the Ginza district and wonder around there, hopefully with places that we can take shelter if it starts to rain. Might look for the Uniqlo flagship store.
Zz.
We got back to our hotel from Ginza mid afternoon just before rush hour really took hold. The trains were more crowded than the ones we took in mid morning.
That sukiyaki dinner was amazing. It was one of those things that I wanted to do when we came here. The ones we saw at the restaurants in Ikspiari were rather expensive, but this one was a range of prices. We chose the one that was $50/person and it was worth every penny. It was 4 courses and every one of them were delicious, including the meat course. It was cooked at a table by a kimono-wearing lady that was more than patient in explaining to us if we have questions.
The shopping at Uniqlo was fun. We managed bought a total of 6 t-shirts, and we got them tax-free since we showed our passport. The total cost: $46. Yup, for all 6 t-shirts, two of them being Disney-themed shirts.
Tomorrow is the official start of our guided tour. We meet our tour guide in the morning after breakfast, and I believe the itinerary includes a visit to a Meiji temple and then they let us loose at Asakusa. Unfortunately, I don't think the weather will be cooperating, so we shall see how much we can do.
Zz.
That sukiyaki dinner was amazing. It was one of those things that I wanted to do when we came here. The ones we saw at the restaurants in Ikspiari were rather expensive, but this one was a range of prices. We chose the one that was $50/person and it was worth every penny. It was 4 courses and every one of them were delicious, including the meat course. It was cooked at a table by a kimono-wearing lady that was more than patient in explaining to us if we have questions.
The shopping at Uniqlo was fun. We managed bought a total of 6 t-shirts, and we got them tax-free since we showed our passport. The total cost: $46. Yup, for all 6 t-shirts, two of them being Disney-themed shirts.
Tomorrow is the official start of our guided tour. We meet our tour guide in the morning after breakfast, and I believe the itinerary includes a visit to a Meiji temple and then they let us loose at Asakusa. Unfortunately, I don't think the weather will be cooperating, so we shall see how much we can do.
Zz.
MinnieM123
Premium Member
Wow! You made it to the mother ship
, in the Ginza shopping area! (In Epcot, my favorite store has always been Mitsukoshi.)
Good morning from a rainy Tokyo.
Not sure how much of the tour we will get to do today with the rain. We have a free day tomorrow, so if we can't get to Asakusa today, we will do that on our own tomorrow. It is an easy ride on the train from here to get there.
We had a nice breakfast, and getting everything together to meet up with our tour guide for the first time this morning.
Zz.
Not sure how much of the tour we will get to do today with the rain. We have a free day tomorrow, so if we can't get to Asakusa today, we will do that on our own tomorrow. It is an easy ride on the train from here to get there.
We had a nice breakfast, and getting everything together to meet up with our tour guide for the first time this morning.
Zz.
Twinglemom
Member
Looks delish. I can tell the one is strawberry but what flavor is the other??
The other one was apricot, and it was equally delish, especially on a rather humid day.
Zz.
Twinglemom
Member
Sounds amazing
Good morning!
Today is an open day in our tour, so we will continue to explore the city on our own. We plan on taking the train to the infamous Shabuya crossing, do some shopping, and then if we feel like it, hop back onto another train to go to the Tokyo National Museum.
This is our last full day here in Tokyo. Tomorrow we move to the Mt. Fuji area for a couple of days.
Zz.
Today is an open day in our tour, so we will continue to explore the city on our own. We plan on taking the train to the infamous Shabuya crossing, do some shopping, and then if we feel like it, hop back onto another train to go to the Tokyo National Museum.
This is our last full day here in Tokyo. Tomorrow we move to the Mt. Fuji area for a couple of days.
Zz.