Japan Day 13 P1

Before we set off for another day of adventure, a look at the no. of Shinkansen tickets that we have accumulated across 13 days! *beams with pride!*

Day 13 of our JP trip. I hope our readers are not bored with all the Japan postings. You can start counting down to the end of our Japan trip *peeks into the folder and we are only left with 3 or 4 days* I think I need a MEGA holiday after all these posting. Maybe next time, no holidays trips posting ... or when I recover from my blogging phobia :p

Started the day with freshly baked bread!

The journey to our next destination was filled with excitement, as I kept looking out of the window to spot the familiar landmark. My heart nearly jumped out as I spotted it from a distance ....

Ta-dah! My fave place in the whole of Tokyo! Love Love Love *yippee*

Pictures first before whizzing my way through the crowd, attempting to beat them to the ticket counter while Leecher tried his best to catch up.

Last min check to see if there are any promotions ... bargain hunting instinct, lol

The magical tickets that cost a bomb, but everything make it worthwhile :)

Leaving our footprints behind in Tokyo Disneyland! Yes, its the xmas season, once again.

"To all of you who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of Fantasy and Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America."

— E.Cardon Walker, April 15, 1983

Yes, we did enjoyed ourselves tremendously throughout the 2 days in the resort. I wished time came to a stand-still as we embraced the magical moment ~ Let's take a walk down my happiest memory in Tokyo with Day 13 & 14 :)

Pinocchio & Jiminy Cricket.

Musicians playing Christmas carols along the streets.

Captain Jack Sparrows! Well, I can settle for a "replica" in this case. He looks kinda cute as well, lol. By the way, taking pictures with the characters was not as orderly when compared to HK Disneyland. When the characters make their "patrol" round the premise in HK, there will always be personnels standing next to them, all ready to help out with picture-taking. People will queue up in an orderly manner & waited for their turns. I would expect the same treatment in Tokyo Disneyland, as Japanese are very orderly & courteous. Imagine my horror when they rushed to take pictures & the personnel stood there, no indication of lending a helping hand for crowd control. In addition, we need to rely on fellow tourists to help capture the moment. Perhaps, a slight oversight on their part.

We strategically chose a weekday/non-Japan public holiday to visit Disneyland to avoid the crowd, but it was futile, judging from the amount of prams you can see in the "baby pram carkpark"! The prams are parked in an orderly manner even though there were no markings on the ground ... amazed! If only, they were so organized in picture taking :p

Started the day with Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. The attraction simulates a riverboat cruise down several major rivers of Asia, Africa and South America. Park guests board replica tramp steamers and are taken on a voyage past different jungle animals. The tour is led by a live Disney case member who delivers humorous preset narration. I think English or Japanese tour is available, but I could be wrong :)

Getting ready to board the boat ~

Leecher was excited about starting the boat ride, alongside with the other passengers.

The elephant bathing pool where numerous elephants relaxed in the water. An elephant almost squirts water onto Leecher, but from our HK Disneyland experience, he managed to escape unscathed.

The boat then passes a camp that has been raided by gorillas, and that transitions the cruise into the Nile River. The boat passes along the African Veldt, where numerous African mammals watched a pride of lions eat their kill.

Honestly, I cant distinguish if the ducks are real or man-made.

Hippos getting ready to charge at the boat until the skipper scares them off.

A peek at the next "must try" ride & stay tuned for more Disneyland adventures in P2!

Japan Day 12 P4

To cheer Blamer up since we completely missed Mt Fuji, I recommended we head for some "must try" Japanese cakes!

See all cheered up already!

We chose strawberry cream among the many flavours available.

One bite of the cake and we ascended to the heavens. Fresh strawberries aside, the cream wasn't like anything I had tasted before. Light and fluffy with a tiny hint of sweetness, Blamer and I virtually licked the box clean... ... and the plastic wrappings.

On our way back, we passed by the Tokyo Tower. On top of being an observatory, the tower also transmit a total of 24 broadcast waves. Interesting lighting display that shines orange in winter and white in summer. We wanted to dine at a Tofu restaurant located near Tokyo Tower, but by the time we arrived around 8pm, they had already closed for the day.

(Blamer here: Leecher threw tantrum at me cuz he didn't get to eat his tofu meal, idiot!)

Dejected, we tried this instead.

Blamer ordered pork katsu with a raw egg.

While I had the chicken katsu don. I learned from wikipedia that it is now a modern ritual for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam. This is because "katsu" is a homophone of the verb 勝つ, meaning "to win" or "to be victorious".

Japan Day 12 P3

From where we left off in the previous post ... the next destination: Lake Ashi.

Clear view of the beautiful lake from the ropeway. Lake Ashi is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mt Hakone. The lake is known for its views of Mt Fuji (no, I didn't see it) and its numerous hot springs.

We alighted at Togendai (740m above sea level) to board the Hakone sightseeing cruise.

Several pleasure boats and ferries traverse the lake. Our mode of transport: pirtate ships! Yippee! Well, we actually boarded the Green ship on the left of the picture. No idea why the photographer took the other one.

Leecher trying to navigate? Don't bother ... he cant even navigate on land, much less on water.

Captain Jack Sparrows? Maybe in 50 yrs time.

Enjoy Hakone's magnificent scenery and the trademark vermillion shrine gate of Hakone-jinja shrine at the lake's edge.

Leecher trying to portray himself as "The Thinker" (again)

Love the tranquility feel of the lake. The gentle sea breeze caressing your hair while your eyes take in the stunning view in front. At this point, I wished I had more time to explore Hakone & admire its beauty. I will be back, definitely!

Towards the end of the ride, Leecher was beginning to feel cold. In fact, I was cold as well but stubborn me refused to go into the cabin. Captivated by the charming sight that was in view.

Yes, the right ship this time. This is called the Vasa, modeled on a ship commissioned by 17th century Swedish King Gustav Adolph. It is painted emerald green and decorated with ornately sculpted woodwork. As the sun sets, we also concluded our Hakone visit. Rushed, yet I enjoyed every minute of it.

P4 will conclude the day with the mega (food) highlight that I absolutely adore :) Ok, I may have exaggerated a little, but still .... love love love!