Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower seems to be getting pretty rusty now with the Tokyo SkyTree (which was opened in May 2012) stealing its limelight.

Nevertheless, i strongly believe that everywhere in Japan is worth a visit and this was no exception.

Sure it resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but maybe better because, it's in JAPAN. Enough said ;)

so cut the long story short, you get a nice view up there. i was there in late July Summer so the sun was streaming in nice and warm into the viewing deck. Loved it.

Plus at most tourist attractions in Tokyo, there's this coin machine thing where you can customise a souvenir to take home with you. Obviously i had to choose the Hello Kitty version, it's a little more expensive than the normal but i won't settle for anything else!

That said, if anyone's on a tight sightseeing schedule, give this a miss and head straight to the Tokyo Sky Tree instead !!

Tsukiji Market 築地市場

Tsujiki is one of the world's largest seafood wholesale market- and where else better than here to satisfy my HUGE appetite for sashimi and other Japanese food!!

Back in 2008, I visited the fish market with my parents and family friends while we were on our 2-week Japan trip. Our meal (Parents & I) came up to almost 500 Singapore Dollars- that's about 250 British Pounds and totally INSANE! but ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

if someone gave me a bowl of fresh sashimi and told me that was my last meal before the world ends. Hell yeah, i'd die a happy girl.

so i used to think to myself, " OMG if i was living in Tokyo, i would come here EVERYDAY to have my 3 meals! Japanese ppl are so luckyyyyyyy *insert Squealing* "

YET. on this trip, i met up with a friend who lives in Tokyo (we met when she was on an exchange programme in Bath univ from Rikkyo Uni) and SHE. CONFESSED. SHE. HAS. NEVER. BEEN. TO. TSUKIJI.

:O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this was exactly my reaction when i heard that.

oh wells. i guess it's abit like all my non-Singaporean friends saying how amazing Marina Bay Sands is or how fun Universal Studios Singapore is ...yada yada yada...and im like. Nope. Never been there. Sorry.

oh my next trip to Japan, i really want to eat at Sushi Dai at Tsukiji though! it's one of the more popular eateries at the fish market and ive heard so much about it T.T

Oh and forget the whole radiation thing about seafood in Japan since the nuclear disaster. If your time is up, your time is up. You can avoid the seafood, and live to regret it foreveerrrr, cross the road one day and get hit by a car and STILL DIE ANYWAY. 

So, it's up to you really.

Other than sashimi, there's other things you have to try: 

Never mind if you can't read Japanese or the food looks absolutely out-of-this-world to you- You're in JAPAN = EVERYTHING IS YUMMY! :D

Some corn-fishcake-ish thing i ate. Delicious.

Their gigantic variety of fruits- Fuji apples, Peach, Grapes. Lovely.

A Grill stand selling unagi (eel), scallops, cuttlefish. You will not be disappointed.

Tsukiji i'll be back soon! :D

Tokyo Disney Sea

I’ve been to both Tokyo DisneyLand and DisneySea in Winter 2008.

It’s hard to say which is better because they’re entirely unique in their own ways. but ultimately, DisneySea stands out as it is the only Disney SEA in the world.

and where else but in JAPAN of course ;)

Disney marketing is magic.

I’M SOLD, Japan take my money!!!! 

One adult ticket into the park is 6,200 Yen but i spent close to 18,000 Yen on all the Disney rubbish goodies. ALWAYS HAPPENS.

sigh. Fell for the whole Duffy phenomenon in Japan. it’s absolutely insane there.

every girl/kid has a Duffy or Shellie May bear hung from their bags or in their arms.

Idk, it’s just one of those Kawaii things Japanese people do.

Konnichiwa Tokyo!

Thanks to a Signal 10 Typhoon in HongKong, my flight from Hong Kong International Airport to Tokyo Narita was delayed for nearly 7 hours.

Apart from the hellish queues at all the eateries at HK Intl. airport and wallowing in ultimate boredom, nothing was worse than being surrounded by Chinese Mainlander tourists who are infamous for their lack of consideration and manners. But that is another travel story, which i shall leave for the days when i feel like bitching.

My flight landed in Narita at 11pm instead of the scheduled time of arriving in Tokyo at 3-ish pm in the afternoon.

By that time, Narita was closed/closing, we were the last flight in. 

The last train for the Narita Express(NEX) has left, there were no more airport limousines and taxis were out of the question. Taxi fares in Tokyo are generally very expensive!

so United Airlines (whom i flew with) decided to put us all into a coach and take us on a 2-hour drive into the city center Tokyo Station.

Still without a local sim card, I sent an email using Narita airport's free public wifi to the staff of my accommodation, who had earlier acknowledged my delayed arrival due to the airport chaos and the typhoon. 

Family Inn Saiko office hours are 8am to 10pm but they so graciously stayed opened until my arrival, which turned out to be 1am by the time i got to Tokyo Station, which was far from the inn.

"Dear Melissa-san,

 

 

Regarding Narita & HongKong airport information, it seems your flight UA78 is still in HongKong.

 

Here we send you the latest Airport bus / train times bound for Ikebukuro from Narita Terminal 1 as follows just in case. And we will open until your arrival.

.

.

.

.

.

In case of severe delay or cancel, please let us know at your earliest convenience.

We hope to seeing you tonight! :)

 

Warmest regards,

 

-----
Family Inn Saiko "

I didnt ask for any of that extra information about transportation, i was already fed up with the typhoon and its timely arrival as well as hungry and exhausted. but they so readily thought of it and provided it.

At Narita, while waiting for the coach to depart, i sent another email informing them i had landed in Narita and will be taking a taxi from Tokyo Station to the inn.

This is what i got in reply:

"Dear Melissa-san,

Welcome to Tokyo! Thank you so much for your arrival information.

Since taxi fare in Tokyo is quite expensive (over 10,000yen from Tokyo Sta. to our inn in late hours), now our staff, Mr. YUKI, is going to Tokyo main station to pick you up.

We don't know which side of Tokyo station your bas will arrive, so please call to his cellphone (***-****-****) when you approach to Tokyo station and hear an announce where your bus arrive.

In case his cellphone is not available, please call to ***-****-****. It's my cellphone! :)

Sincerely yours,

Nicholas @ Family Inn Saiko, Tokyo"

What did i do exactly to deserve this kindness.

They could have easily said, yeah we are still open at bloody 1am thanks to u, grab a taxi and get your ass here now.kthnxbye.

thereafter, I ran out of WiFi, got to Tokyo station around 130am, realise how BIG the place was and thought "oh shit i didnt even tell them where i'd meet them. GREAT." 

Thankfully i found a little police post somewhere nearby, tried explaining my situation to them in a series of hand gestures and broken English. 

The Japanese are renowned for being very helpful, even if they dont understand your language, they will go out of their way to find out what you want/ need and help you like their lives depend on it. (:

Finally they got on the phone with the Yuki-san and his son who were waiting for me at Tokyo Station.

One of the policemen left the post to walk with me to find them.

He chatted with me on the way, asking me if i like Japan and stuff.

It was rhetorical question im sure. Dude, ive only been here for less than 5 hours but I'M IN LOVE WITH JAPAN.

People of Japan, stop being so nice to me i dont deserve this T.T

In no time i was in Yuki-san's car and off to a homely inn ran by absolutely lovely Japanese people and my warm futon bed.

Thank You Tokyo. Thank You Family Inn Saiko. you are one of the many reasons why I love Japan

楽しみにしています! I'm looking forward to this trip

24 July 2012.

I visited Japan almost four years ago.

Prior to my trip, my impression of Japan was vaguely a nation where Hello Kitty, kawaii high school girls dressed in Sailor Moon-like uniforms, bizarre technological inventions and quirky fashion subcultures hailed from.

Oh yes, not forgetting outrageously terrifying Japanese horror movies like Sadako and Ju-on; as well as tear-jerking J-dramas about forbidden love and loyal dogs.

the 11 days of Winter 2008 spent in Japan changed my life.

i had to go back again.