Japan Report: Asakusa + Senso-ji Temple

Happy Monday everyone!  To my Philippine-based readers, how was the long holiday?  I'm still in Tokyo today, but it's my last day! *inserts sad face here*  Mr. AMW and myself are enjoying the Japanese culture, the weather, food, etc.. it feels like we've been here forever!  

We were quite professional with our navigation skills and because of that, I was asked several times by strangers for directions!  hahaha  

Speaking about professionalism, I will be reporting about my Tokyo trip differently, I used to blog on a daily basis and share to everyone the things I did in a day, it will not be the case in this travel post because, I love you guys so much I don't want you to take a look at this post for your future Tokyo plans and experience the numbness of legs we've been experiencing at this very moment!  *laughs*

Dora, The Explorer, you've got a competition here!  *ME!*

Because a lot of you shared your interest about this trip, I will be writing a post base on the each area!  Today, I'll share the place closest to our hearts --- ASAKUSA!

As you all know, I picked the hotel at Asakusa area because I am for the Old Town feel!  It doesn't hurt that the hotel we are staying have these as our view....

Cherry Blossoms at Sumida River Park

Plus the famous Sumida River is just around the corner!

Tokyo Sky Tree 

Lucky us that we do not need to get off our hotel room, we see this view day and night right at the balcony of our hotel room!  Tokyo Sky Tree is a radio tower constructed July 14, 2008 and recently completed on February 29, 2012!

The Asahi Flame

The golden flame  which we saw immediately on the night we got off the train station is known as "Flamme d'Or" which means flame of gold.  This is actually represent Asahi Beer! This too, is very much visible at the hotel room! 

Random old men and women playing "golf" at the park! :) 

 Cute Vending Machines

 Cute and unique merchandise being sold at tourist spots

Price points aren't bad!

 Random dogs, big and small roaming around the streets of Asakusa!

We were quite lucky that the day we left the hotel a bit later than usual, we heard loud drums from our hotel room, as we took a peek at the park, there were a lot of people and tourists at the park!  There was a festival of sorts and thank God we caught the drum performance!

 It was a drum with a bit of dance number!

Very cool old Japanese men holding their high-tech cameras sharing photos and tips on taking good shots! :)

Gorgeous women in Kimonos

 A quick demonstration on how to wear Kimono

Cherry Blossoms up close and personal!

Now, if you visit Asakusa, a must visit place is the Senso-ji Temple!  Senso-ji Temple is 10 minutes walk away from the Dormy Inn Hotel, Asakusa, after asking the hotel concierge the direction to the temple, we were given a detailed map of the temple!  Quick tip?  If you're lost, just follow tour buses and tour groups!  We did that and we were guided to the right direction!!! *laughs*

Senso-ji Temple is Tokyo's oldest temple found during the 7th century dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy.  According to my research, this temple was founded by 2 fishermen who were able to pull out a golden statue of Kannon from the sea, from there people flock to pay their respect!

You will immediately see the entrance of the temple with a massive paper lantern.

A traditional Japanese slippers but this was in "giant" version!  You'll see a pair of these on both sides of the entrance.

Five storey Pagoda

We did what the locals do! :)  

Even Chinese does this so it's not unusual for us!

The temple has a street leading from the Thunder Gate (front gate) to the temple itself, Nakamise-Dori is the name and here you will see various shops selling souvenirs and food!

Random food stalls and souvenir shops

Banana Chocolate is quite famous here

 Cute trinkets

Mini Games to play

Yoyo Balloon

Yokitori sticks

 Erm, I'm not really sure what this is?
Help?

Nearing the main temple entrance, it is time to do this!  Each visitor who plans to visit any temples in Japan must follow this...

 I did, eventhough the water was dead cold! hehehe

Inside the main hall

This opens 6:00am to 5:00pm

I played it by the ear and said a silent prayer and threw a coin and make as loud sound as possible!

The detail of the huge lantern

Overall, Senso-Ji Temple is a must visit, the temple ground (except main hall) is always open!  To prove a point, we went there around 11:00pm to take photos at night and it was even better at night as there wasn't much people around and the temple is well lit!

If you plan to visit Senso-ji Temple,  ADMISSION IS FREE and it is just a few steps away from Asakusa Station.  It doesn't hurt that the night view of the Tokyo Sky Tree...

 and the Asahi Flame is there to guide you and you won't get lost! 

Do you like to visit Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple after reading this post?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Japan Report: Tokyo Disney Sea!

Happy Easter Day everyone!  Is it okay to pause the weekend food trip post just for something even more exciting? :D  

We allotted just ONE DAY to get back  into our childhood, Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea?  After talking to friends who have visited Tokyo and research, we came in to the final conclusion --- Tokyo DisneySea it is!

We arrived in a sunny, yet super windy day at Tokyo DisneySea, but before I share to you more about our experiences here, the route is worth mentioning! 

P.S.  This is the only picture of Mr. AMW and myself together, unlike Hong Kong Disneyland and  Universal Studios in Singapore, tripod aren't allowed!  I wouldn't mind though, it was VERY windy that day and I am sure a lot of cameras will topple down!  

Wherever you're staying, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are accessible via the JR Railway and Tokyo Metro Subway.  If you have an Apple gadget, you can download trains.jp and you can use the app anytime even without internet connection to get the answer on how to go to a specific location and which line to take!  This is a very useful application, if you do not have an Apple gadget, thanks to Rowena for sharing THIS ONLINE SITE, you can search via internet before you leave the hotel and note everything down.  

Wherever you are in Tokyo, take a train ride connected to KEIYO LINE and go down at the last station called MAIHAMA.

You'll see this..

You will definitely be walking together with a lot  of other people and go into the Disney Resort Line because you have to pay up for another ride!  The Mickey Mouse Train!

It is a bit intimidating to use the machines but do not be scared to ask (even by using hand gestures) as people are very friendly and you'll definitely get the help you need!

A huge map showing the huge "playground"

Since I opted to go straight to Tokyo DisneySea, there is a ticket price on how much one way cost, always look for the ENGLISH button and everything will be in English!

Note: You do not have to click on DisneySea but click on the "amount" going to DisneySea, the board says JPY250.00 (approx Php125.00)  so click the JPY250.00 icon and you can purchase as many tickets you need.

Mickey Mouse train is here!!!

If you plan to get off different stations (Tokyo Disneyland, Hotel areas, Tokyo DisneySea and a lot more), you can opt to purchase "multiple entry tickets", again, we know that Tokyo DisneySea on its own will take almost a day so we went there straight!  

We're here!!!

Purchasing of the Tokyo DisneySea ticket was easy, the people working there can speak English, the old man even complimented my nails!  He said: "CUTE!" *laughs*  He handed us the tickets and Tokyo DisneySea Guide Map in English!

A 1 Day Adult Passport costs JPY6,200 (approx Php3,100).  

 Yes, it is very expensive but it's once in a lifetime :)

I was greeted by the perfectly shaven Mickey Mouse! :)

What I've noticed at the Tokyo DisneySea?  The merchandise are way cuter!  And there are a couple of guests who would wear cute costumes and bring along a lot of their stuffed toys for photo opportunity? :)

So cute!!! 

Not chipmunk...ME!  *laughs*  

Just joking...where was I?

Tokyo Disney Sea is quite big, the area is separated with the following adventures ---

Port Discovery

Visit the scientists of the Center for Weather Control.

StormRider is one must try!  The line was extremely and painfully long, but go for "Fast Pass" by inserting your ticket and another ticket will come out with the time for you to return!  It's worth it!

DisneySea Electric Railway is also there to help you jump into one area to another without much walking.  Line is long but turnover is quick!

American Waterfront

Here you'll find the excitement of big city

and the charms of New England fishing village

Another attraction that has the longest line!  The Tower of Terror.  Go for fast pass card as a lot of screaming and shouting were heard from the outside as tourists tour inside the house!  Too bad the line was too long they have to cut Fast Pass entrance so we gave this a skip.

Here you can also enjoy dining at the S.S. Columbia Dining Room.  Photography in this area is worst!  The wind was too strong they nearly blew my hair away from my scalp!  *laughs*  Exaggeration but the feeling was there! Hahaha

Mediterranean Harbor 

The ambiance of Southern Europe 

and you can even take a ride on a gondola

Lost River Delta 

The ruins of ancients Central American civilization

Arabian Coast 

Genie from the Disney classic film Aladdin is the major attraction here

Mermaid Lagoon 

The world of my favorite Disney character, Ariel

Mysterious Island

Captain Nemo has created this secret base for his explorations

 into the depths of the Earth and  beneath the waves

In here you will find Journey to the Center of the Earth

A couple of rides we enjoyed and was able to (sneakingly) took photos!

A not so scary roller coaster ride that took around 30 seconds even if the wait was 45 minutes!  *laughs*  Don't worry, there's an adult version of this roller coaster that has 360 degrees turn!  Of course we didn't take photos anymore! hahaha

Jasmine's Magic Carpet Ride

Again, lining up is a serious matter!  Though it was a Thursday, I was told that kids were on Spring holiday!  Or Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are jampacked 365 days a year? 

Oh, I've seen the cute bear called Duffy at least once every 5 seconds (not joking at all).  Duffy Bear is quite famous here and people (super young and super old) would carry them around!  Keith and I both felt out of place without one!  Hahaha

Overall, the experience is quite good!  The pain of lining up and meeting up characters is more difficult as compared to my other "theme parks" experiences, please bring in some "snacks" that you can purchase at the train station!  We actually survived 8 hours without lining up on restaurants!  The lines were EXTREMELY long during peak hours even on those popcorn stalls!  

Bento boxes like these are seen EVERYWHERE!  I am seriously amazed on how pretty they package everything!

 Random snacks that tastes ...well I just tried the thin potato crisps and they taste really good!

Onigiri!

Though I can't seem to understand the flavors, I went ahead and purchased 2 of these and both tastes good!

 Here's a cute camel that makes a "camel sound" every 5 minutes which scared a lot of girls..and boys! hahaha 

And Mr. AMW likes to kiss her! :P

or look like her?
Don't worry I'm as confused as you :)

 Gorgeous flowers that greeted us even on our way out!

Cherry Blossoms! :)

Overall, it was a lovely experience!  I highly recommend to visit either of the 2 theme parks or if you have enough time, go for both!  It is a type of experience wherein you'll tell your kids and grand kids about it!  :)

Would you visit Tokyo DisneySea if you get the chance to visit Tokyo?
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!