Disney birthday magic

We are celebrating the eighth anniversary of Teneille’s 30th birthday way an outing to Tokyo Disneyland. Annoyingly, we’ve missed the two-week sweet spot for lower crowds between the end of Japan’s summer holidays and the start of the Disney Halloween event. But, it is a Tuesday which is meant to be the better day in terms of lower crowds between numbers.

We headed to our local Kanda Station for the one-stop journey to Tokyo Station where we needed to switch lines. How big is Tokyo Station, you ask? Well, it took us 10 minutes to walk from platform to platform without ever leaving the station. It’s that big. The journey from our apartment to Disneyland took about 45 minutes and only 20 minutes of that was on a train.

The weather today was quite warm again - high 20s and sun. I did pack sunscreen but we are yet to use it despite how long we’ve been outdoors on certain days.

We arrived about 10 minutes before the gates opened and joined the throng of people waiting to get inside. Disney doesn’t usually allow people to enter the park dressed up as characters, however, an exception is made during the Halloween event. This was somewhat problematic because the Japanese are super extra when it comes to cosplay so there were a heap of Disney characters walking around in full kit and no way to tell if they were just visitors or legit cast. Fun fact: Zootopia must have been a massive hit in Japan because we saw a shitload of Judy Hops and Nick Wildes.

After getting through the gates that Teneille and Kairi practically skipped through with excitement we made a dash for the Thunder Mountain ride which was showing a 20-minute wait. We have found on our previous Disney visits in Paris it is best to knock out a couple of rides early before crowds build too much or time them for when the parades are on and everyone leaves the rides to watch.

We moved from Thunder Mountain to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and then to the Beauty and the Beast ride. I bought skip-the-line passes for this one as it was already showing a wait time of 100+ minutes and I had read this is the one you don’t want to miss. The ride tells the story of the film where first you walk through an animatronic scene before boarding giant teacups that whisk you through the rest of the tale.

Pirates of the Caribbean.

We watched the opening scene of Belle meeting the Beast and then joined the next line for the cups. Just as we got to the front of the queue the house lights came on. Not a good sign. We waited for a while longer as staff ran back and forth before we were told the ride had been suspended due to technical difficulties. Our skip-the-line passes would be refunded and we were given complimentary ones for another attraction of our choice as compensation. We were not having a good start to the day.

We sat down for an early lunch to beat the food rush and plan our next move. The haunted house ride was showing a respectable wait time so we headed there after eating and joined the queue. It had dropped because the villains parade was starting. We saw most of the parade from the line anyway (ha!) and then into the haunted mansion which was set up with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme.

I checked the app as we left the mansion and saw Beauty and the Beast was back online. We rushed over and used our complimentary tickets to skip the queue again, went through all the bits we’d seen before and finally boarded the teacups. That part of the ride kicks in at the Be Our Guest number and takes you through the rest of the story. The transformation of the Beast into the prince was amazing. I don’t know how they did it. The whole thing looks solid and then just disappears into thin air to reveal the prince. It was such a showstopper. Did Teneille cry, you ask? If you have to ask you don’t know her very well.

The Beast’s castle.

Cogsworth and Lumiere bickering. Classic.

Tale as old as time…

Teneille totally not crying.

Having happily ticked off the one ride we were hoping for we started making our way around the rest of the park to try and fit as much in as possible. We bought tickets for Splash Mountain seeing our previous ones were being refunded anyway. The kids loved that one. Aiden and I got quite wet sitting at the front.

We had afternoon tea at the Queen of Hearts restaurant where we bought a bunch of dessert items, including an unbirthday cake. I snapped off the ‘un’ bit and we sang Happy Birthday to Teneille much to her embarrassment.

Splash Mountain.

From there we knocked over a bunch of the smaller rides with low wait times including Small World, Gadget Coaster, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and the Toon Coaster.

We grabbed a quick dinner before finding a spot to sit for the Electric Parade, hit some of the shops, watched the fireworks display over Cinderella’s castle (complete with marriage proposal from the guys sitting next to us) and then headed back to the train.

And that is Tokyo Disneyland - 9am to 9pm, 20,000 steps (which I feel is unders), sore feet, tired children and a happy Teneille.

A slower start tomorrow given the late night tonight. Until then…

Anime-niacs

A slower start to today following yesterday’s big trip out to Mt Fuji. After letting everyone sleep a little longer we got ready for the day and headed to a bakery we’d noticed just around the corner.

Breakfast has been an issue since arriving in Japan. We haven’t really seen cereal anywhere so finding the Bon Coeur bakery has been a lifesaver. We grabbed a bunch of different pastries for breakfast then headed to the nearby Dawn cafe for a drink.

Our drinks being delivered by robot.

The picture our robot host took of us.

Dawn is a cafe where you are served by robots. Food options are limited but drinks like coffee and flavoured milks are all prepared by robot baristas and delivered to you by robot wait staff. A smaller robot at your table engages you in conversation while you wait for your order.

It sounds cool but there is a cause behind the gimmick. Every robot is operated remotely by someone with a disability or chronic illness that means they can’t leave their homes to work conventional jobs. Dawn allows these people to have employment while offering customers a cool experience.

We were greeted at the door by a robot who explained how things worked before we placed our order and took our seats. Our table host was Mi-Hi, a Japanese woman who operated her robot from home because she suffers from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP disease), an extremely rare connective tissue condition where tissues like muscle, tendons and ligaments basically turn into bone. Mi-Hi, through her Dawn robot, asked us about our trip and where we were from until our order arrived and she moved onto her next customers. All in all a very cool experience that is also a worthy cause.

This robot waved us goodbye as we left.

After we said goodbye to our new robot friends we jumped on a quick train to Akihabara AKA the anime district. This one was for Emily and Aiden who have developed a love of anime series like Demon Slayer.

It was a short walk from the station but we were struggling in the 30C humidity - this has been the warmest day so far. Akihabara is also known as Akihabara Electric Town because of its vibrant anime culture and arcades. I haven’t been overly impressed with Tokyo so far but I’m beginning to suspect we are seeing things during the day when we should be seeing them at night with all the neon colour.

Probably looks better at night…

We found the anime super store or whatever it’s called - six floors of comics, badges, plushies and figurines. We went floor by floor with the kids before they each picked something to purchase - Emily and Aiden grabbed a figurine of their favourite Demon Slayer characters. Kairi picked a pink Labubu (I’m not rolling my eyes, you are).

We spent considerable time in the anime tower before exiting back into the Tokyo heat. But no before I accidentally walked Aiden into a pornographic anime comic section. I immediately realised my mistake and steered him out but not before he saw some… err… things.

We visited a five-level video game arcade that was ok but Teneille and I both agreed it wasn’t as good as the one we briefly played at in Shibuya. After wasting God knows how much money at the arcade we grabbed a snack at a nearby Maccas to prove to the kids a cheeseburger really will just taste the same irrespective of country. Spoiler alert: They did.

We were about ready to hop onto a train back to the apartment when Teneille spied a huge department store we decided to investigate. The place was nuts. Seven storeys of appliances, stationary, toys, clothes et al. The electronics section was selling AI robots that you could keep at home to make small talk with. We found another robot playing checkers with a mechanical arm. I lost. There was also an entire section of claw machines like it was also an arcade.

Kairi punching stuff at the arcade.

Aiden bought a Princess Zelda plushie in the Nintendo section to accompany his Link plushie at home, then almost immediately left the bag behind moments later while trying some gadget out. Again, like Emily losing her handbag a few days earlier, the honesty of the Japanese public saved us. Someone had handed the bag in and we were able to retrieve it. For those playing ‘Lose It Bingo’ that is now Emily and Aiden crossed off the game card.

AI robots for the home.

Are we still in the arcade? Nope, this is a shopping centre.

Long live the Empire.

Umm, we don’t have Nintendo Switch games like this in Australia…

It is early to bed tonight as tomorrow is the big one - Teneille’s birthday and Tokyo Disneyland. It will be a massive day with an early-ish start and a late finish. Yes, I know Teneille’s birthday has been and gone but I am writing these a couple of days behind. Sue me.

Ninja time

Today was our one-and-only booked tour while in Tokyo - a day trip out to Mt Fuji and the Hakone region. It meant setting an alarm so we could make our 8am meeting point.

We braved the train system again but with a little more confidence following yesterday’s outing to Shibuya. Having successfully reached the rendezvous point and checked in with the tour operator we allocated to ‘orange team’ and boarded our coach.

Kairi got a lollipop that lit up. Excitement plus.

Our tour guide was Tsubasa and our coach driver Ichi San. Tsubasa gave us a rundown of the day as we began the 1.5-hour drive to Mt Fuji. Weather and safety would determine whether we could make the fifth station of Mt Fuji as planned but we would know closer to arrival.

We hit our first hiccup of the day a short time later - a car crash on the highway had provided a traffic jam that wasn’t there originally and that meant our schedule was being pushed out. After adding an extra 30 minutes to the drive we made it to the Mt Fuji turn-off where we were told the fifth station was open. Success!

Mt Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan at 3776m tall. It is only climbable two months of the year during summer when it is not snow-capped. The fifth station where we were heading is just over halfway at 2300m. Mt Fuji is an active volcano that erupts around every 300 years. Tsubasa told us the last eruption was in 1707. We all did some quick maths. Tsubasa said there was only one thing we could I’m the event of an overdue eruption: Nothing. Thanks Tsubasa.

We wound our way up the mountain until we eventually reached the fifth station where we were given 45 minutes to explore the nearby Shinto Shrine, souvenir shops and take photos of the peak. At that height it was a brisk 12C, a slight reduction on the humid 30C we’d been walking through in downtown Tokyo. Here is my photo of Mt Fuji:

Mt Fuji… glorious. Or not.

Yep, cloud and fog meant we got nothing. We retired to the shops and the shrine in defeat. We headed back to the coach a short time later where we were able to get a brief glimpse of the peak as the cloud cleared for about 60 seconds. Once on the bus we descended Mt Fuji to our lunch spot at a Ninja restaurant called Shinobi No Sato.

The peak emerges.

We enjoyed a quick buffet lunch and explored the grounds of the ninja restaurant where, you guess it, ninjas wander around looking very serious and ninja-like. The kids had a go at throwing some ninja stars and then we ran like crazy to be back in the bus in time lest we sadden Tsubasa.

From lunch we ventured into the Hakone region where we took a cable car over Owakudani Valley. It is an interesting place on the shores of Lake Ashi, a caldera lake formed long ago by the eruption of two separate volcanoes. Owakudani Valley allows you to see volcanic activity up close because sulphur gases from deep in the earth find their way to the surface through natural vents. On an overcast day it would look out of place as the slopes of Mt Doom. Yellow sulphur stains the rocks, gas vapours pour from the ground, and you can smell it.

The Hakone region is also meant have great views of Mt Fuji. We could see where Mt Fuji was meant to be but continued cloud cover obscured the peak. Sigh.

After completing the cable car ride and getting back down to Lake Ashi we jumped on a cruise ship that took us across the lake. It would have been quite the serene journey except for gaggle of retired Chinese woman who became so fascinated with Kairi’s hair they kept trying to pose next to her for photos. Kairi happily posed for a couple but quickly became uncomfortable, triggering Emily to begin shielding her younger sister with her body.

Ichi San and the bus were meant to be waiting for us when we disembarked the ship on the other side of the lake but, alas, Tsubasa informed us a car had collided with the bus and Ichi San had to await police clearance to leave. We wandered around the immediate area for about 30 minutes until our chariot arrived. A quick walk around the coach revealed no damage so we were all unsure how bad the accident could have been.

From Hakone we were deposited at a nearby station where we hopped aboard our first bullet train to head back to Tokyo at 360kmh. The coach drive to Mt Fuji took about two hours. The bullet train back was just 30 minutes. Amazing.

Orange team represent.

We found somewhere to eat at Tokyo station and then walked back to the apartment. I say ‘walked’ but Kairi and I ran because she suddenly decided she needed to use the bathroom despite telling us she was fine as we exited the station.

Anime district tomorrow but no schedule so the kids (and Teneille) can have a sleep-in.

People overload in Tokyo

It was a slow start to our first morning in Tokyo after the extremely late arrival during the night. Our home for the week is a single-room apartment with two single beds pushed together, a dining table and a chabudai - the low wooden tables you use by sitting on the floor. The chabudai won’t get much use while we are here as it was immediately pushed together the corner to make way for the three mattresses we need to place on the floor for the kids.

This is a weird trip for me. We don’t have everything planned out because we didn’t want to book a bunch of things and then realise the children couldn’t handle it. Instead we have a list of things we’d like to do and we’ll just tick them off as we go. While everyone got their extra sleep I started mapping out potential activities for the week.

Once everyone had regained consciousness we ventured outside in search of breakfast before braving the Tokyo train system. We walked the few minutes to Cafe Biot to eat because they offered a selection of toasties. Thank God for the Google Translate app and its image function which is a lifesaver when starting a menu written entirely in Japanese Hiragana.

Emily and Teneille ordered hand and cheese toasties, Aiden requested bacon and Kairi requested ham and egg. There was some shuffling of plates when then the food arrived and ham and egg was really ham and creamed egg. Aiden continued his gastronomical awakening by eating his bacon sandwich even though it came with lettuce, tomato and mayo.

After breakfast we detoured back to the hotel quickly after Emily informed us it was illegal for tourists to travel Japan without keeping their passports on them. I’d left them in the room safe but clearly this was a mistake. Passports in hand, we headed towards Kanda Station to attempt a route to the Shibuya district.

Even the buses are small and cute in Japan.

You know Shibuya. It’s the place with the gigantic intersection and 10 gazillion people. We managed to navigate the train ticket machine after a couple of false starts and Teneille noticing the button to buy multiple tickets at a time. Cash only though which was a bit annoying. We found our platform thanks to the helpful colour system of each line and boarded a slightly crowded train for the 20-minute ride.

The station spat us out right at Shibuya scramble crossing where we watched hundreds and hundreds of people walk across the road at the appointed time with phones held aloft to capture the moment. There were people who walked backwards so their friends could capture the moment - not advised on a crossing where people can walk in all directions. Sadly the woman I saw doing this didn’t meet an untimely end. Another guy ran out quickly just before the green signal to try and get a photo as the only one in the intersection. Another couple were being photographed while holding their newborn child. It was madness. I don’t really get the appeal. It is just an intersection. But maybe it is far more impressive at night with all the city lights.

Having mastered the crossing we headed for a games arcade to kill half an hour before our next appointment. The arcade was a two-storey affair, with games on the first and claw machines on the second. The kids ran around and played a few machines. We also had our first experience of people admiring the kids’ blonde hair. Kairi was getting quite a few stares with her white-blonde braids and Aiden got a random pat on the head by a Japanese man as he tried to win at Mario Kart. Spoiler alert: His sister beat him.

Time sufficiently killed, we walked over to Chiku Chiku Cafe to tick off one of Aiden’s musts: an animal cafe. Chiku Chiku cafe offers bad coffee and no food but the highlight is 10 hedgehogs you get to hold while you are there. We had booked a one-hour session and the children (and Teneille) had a great time moving from enclosure to enclosure to pick up the hedgehogs. I’ll let the photos do the talking on this one…

Having said goodbye to the exuberant Chiku Chiku Cafe staff we walked over to a big shopping complex that houses a Pokemon Centre, Nintendo store and Sylvanian Families store. It was cool seeing all the statues and merchandise we just don’t get in Australia because these standalone brand shops are just not viable in our country. The crowds in the Pokemon Centre were insane though. You could not move. I don’t know how they police things like shoplifting because it was wall to wall humans. We were quickly getting peopled out.

We ducked into a hole-in-the-wall manga shop as we searched for food. Aiden bought a Demon Slayer graphic novel he has been unable to find in Australia. Teneille then ran back to the manga shop after Emily realised she left her handbag there. The Japanese reputation for honesty held true and the bag was retrieved from the cashier after someone had handed it in.

Dinner was a sushi place that Teneille had wanted to try because you order from a screen and minutes later your order arrives in front of you via conveyor belt. The kids enjoyed picking their food from the touch screen and then grabbing it from the conveyor belt when it arrived. Aiden ate a marinated pork thing, tried a tuna roll and did pretty well using chopsticks for the first time.

We wrapped our day by traversing the scramble crossing one more time and catching a train back to Kanda Station. The crowds getting into Shibuya Station were insane. It was like the Melbourne were down 40-0 at half time in the NRL grand final and all the Storm fans were leaving ANZ Stadium at once. I honestly don’t know how we didn’t lose a child at some point through the day. Having made it through the station crush and bought tickets I was then flapped at by a Japanese grandmother who clearly didn’t think I was moving fast enough through the ticket machines.

It was a relief to leave Kanda Station at the other end and walk the five or so minutes back to the apartment as the only people on the street. Tomorrow is one of our only pre-booked days - a tour out to Mt Fuji and the Hakone region. Until then…

Konnichiwa, Japan

And we are off to Japan.

This is a trip we have been talking about for more than five years but it has taken us this long to save enough to make it happen.

We have two weeks in Japan covering Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima and this will be the first big overseas trip for the children. We did Fiji a couple of years ago but that was a ‘flop and drop’ holiday as opposed to the more full-on trip we are undertaking now.

A note and an apology in advance: If there are errors in these posts that is because they are being written from my phone. The socket adapter I bought only accepts two-prong plugs. Three-prong plugs, like my laptop and the power board I packed, have been rendered useless. Sigh.

Back to the trip… The airport process was relatively painless. We drove in and parked at mum and dad’s place while they are overseas themselves before catching our pre-ordered Uber to the airport. As school holidays were imminent there were people EVERYWHERE. We waited to check in about an hour before offloading our luggage and getting through security. Emily was not impressed when asked to remover her Doc Martins before going through the scanner.

Our chariot awaits…

Our plane left on time but, alas, the first issue of the trip - our plane had been switched out for one that did not have entertainment screens. Luckily, we had packed the kids’ iPads so we could access the entertainment systems via wifi or it would have been a very long flight indeed.

We flew Philippines Airlines which meant a quick two-hour layover in Manila before moving onto Tokyo. Both our flights departed and arrived on time but it was very late by the time we finally landed in Japan. I’ve never Aiden eat such exotic foods! Usually we can’t get him to eat anything but nuggets, pies and sauce. On the plane he ate beef casserole and a chicken tandoori sandwich. I fear he may have been replaced with an imposter.

Someone who may or may not be Aiden eating a tandoori chicken sandwich he described as “pretty good”.

Two things happened we arrived in Tokyo:

1-Kairi vomited as we were exiting the plane. Reasons why remain unclear.

2-Aiden needed to use a bathroom in the airport. He was thoroughly impressed with the cleanliness of the toilets and left an “excellent” rating on the touch screen as he exited.

Emily and Aiden chilling at Manila airport.

We got through customs with relative ease although we did have to fill our forms for Teneille, Emily, Aiden and Kairi. This was despite me filling all of this information out online before arrival. Sigh, again.

We found our driver thanks to his handy photo guide that walked us through Haneda Airport and took the 20-minute drive to our apartment for the next several nights.

We checked in and let everyone crash out given how late it was. We will begin exploring Tokyo tomorrow. A boring blog post to open the trip, I know, but transit days usually are. The life of a traveller isn’t all glamour.