Tokyo June 2019

June was the first (I hope of many) oversea trip I experienced. Before I delve into the trip itself I should lay out some logistics of how I approached this new, exciting venture of visiting another country.   Although many people are inclined to take 2 – 3 week vacations to other countries this is not something which appeals to me. I have found that 5 nights is my maximum for any trip but to each his/her own. If you are interested in overseas travel I HIGHLY recommend checking the bundle deals on Expedia, especially if you are heading to Europe. For some reason they seem to have crazy deals for that region, presuming you make the reservations well in advance. I actually have a trip to Munich booked next March for me and my sons, which I was able to get for under $3000 (this is inclusive of taxes and fees and the optional insurance). On the subject of overseas insurance - luckily I didn’t have to use it in Tokyo but to me is seems like a necessity for the mere fact that most health insurances don’t extend coverage outside of the United States. Expedia offers the optional insurance at check out and is based upon a per a person rate; all things considered, it is a pretty reasonable cost. The thought of having a medical emergency for me and my sons in a foreign country gives an uneasy feeling but having the coverage definitely gave some peace of mind.

I’m going on and on about Expedia but I actually didn’t even use them for this trip. In all of my researches, airfare to Asian countries in general was less than reasonable. This being said, they do seem to pop up every now and then, you just have to keep checking sites or sign up for something like Next Vacay, which finds the deals for you. I was able to find a nice deal to Osaka next May through Next Vacay. I set-up this trip to Tokyo through American Airlines Vacations namely to get AA miles and also because AA seemed to be the only airline that had a layover in Los Angeles versus San Francisco or Seattle – being in Phoenix, this cut out a little bit of time for an already very long trip (note that after post-trip research I found that the flights from San Francisco or Seattle are actually pretty comparable in total travel time). Speaking of such, for all of you Phoenicians, it is an unfortunate reality that there are very few non-stop flights to foreign countries. This being the case, one has to make the decision of how to approach the layover. Going to a place like Japan the options are extremely limited, for the obvious reason that you are just flying across a huge expanse that is the Pacific Ocean. Aside from having a layover at a place like LAX, San Francisco, or Seattle, the other option is to go the route of Hawaii. To give some approximations, the flight from Phoenix to LAX is just under 2 hours and the flight from LAX to Tokyo (Haneda Airport) was approximately 12 hours. If a person were inclined to go through Hawaii instead it is about 6 hours from Phoenix to Hawaii then an approximately an additional 10 hours to Japan. Although this obviously adds time to the flight there is always the nice option (at least through Hawaiian Airlines) of having a layover in Honolulu for however many days you choose before continuing on to Japan or back home to the states. Regardless of what you choose, the bright side is that the flight back is shorter (since the world is turning towards the plane) and was 10 hours from Haneada to LAX. Pay particular attention to which airport you are flying into as a lot of the airlines land in Narita airport, which is about 45 minutes north of downtown Tokyo.

It should go without saying that you need to have your passport to make an overseas trip but (more importantly) you really need to carry it wherever you are. It is arguably the most valuable asset being outside of the States…my sons got a bit tired of me having them do a passport check throughout the days in Tokyo but also understood why I was doing it. One thing I wasn’t prepared for was AA asking to scan our passports at the gate for the flight from Phoenix to LAX. This makes complete sense since we would have been high and dry in LAX had we forgotten our passports but I was ill prepared when boarding the plane and caused a bit of a hold-up for the people behind us as I fumbled for my passport. I’m sure the passengers behind us were loving that.

The plane we were on was set-up in 3 seat blocks in that there were 9 seats total in each row which were divided by aisles on both sides of the middle 3 seats.  I choose the 3 seats in the middle to make it a little easier to get out of my seat as I inevitably (inexplicably) knew I was going to be in the middle seat. I pointed out to both of my sons that this arrangement didn’t make complete sense seeing that I was the purchaser of the tickets / trip but it seemed to have no clout. I suppose, in their defense, is that they are both taller than I am and probably need more breathing room. So, on the subject of seats, this is the first area I am changing with future overseas trips. I got the economy seats. One thing to note (at least about the AA plane we were on) is that they really jam in a lot of seats in each plane so even having an additional 3-4 inches of legroom would be a huge difference in comfort. Although I could never justify the asinine cost of First Class, there are Economy Plus options which allow this additional leg room and some other perks. I have also read from online reviews that Japan Airlines tends to have the most leg room and overall comfort.

Luckily, each seat had a tablet in the chair in front of us with a bunch of pre-loaded movies, shows, etc. This made the time pass as well as possible on a 12 hour flight. As much as I tried to sleep on the plane it was not something that was in large blocks. My eldest son was the only one who seems to have the ability to sleep for hours on end on planes. I had a few solid spurts of sleep but ultimately it was uneasy and ended with spastic waking.

I’m not sure if all airlines are the same way but be forewarned (for those who may be vegetarian like myself) that the meal options are not usually meat-free. I anticipated this was going to happen so I brought back-up protein bars but I do find it a bit strange that this was not even an option in this day and age; furthermore, they didn’t even have items I could purchase.

Now that the set-up / flight info is established I can delve into the city. The immigration process in the airport was extremely easy and fluid. With the wait in the line it probably took about 20 minutes total. We were asked pretty standard questions (how long were we staying, etc.) and had our fingers scanned and photos taken then were on our way. One thing to note is that even though you are flying East from the US you lose a day once you get there because you cross the International Date Line. This initially screwed with my head as I always associated flying East with getting hours back (example : Hawaii) but the best way to visualize it is as if you were flying all the way around the world heading West.

We have now reached one of the best tidbits of advice I can give about Tokyo. I VERY HIGHLY recommend renting a portable hotspot for the duration of your trip. You can easily reserve this online beforehand and it was a pretty reasonable in cost (I paid about $75 for the rental for our 5 days in Tokyo). It was a very simple process of picking it up in the international terminal and they provided an envelope to mail it back / drop off when we were done with it. Seeing that we were completely reliant on Google Maps (more on this in a minute) sporadic internet is not something you want to deal with. On the subject of phones, most people probably don’t know that you have to set-up it up through your carrier to have international roaming. Make sure you set this up before the trip and likewise place your credit card companies on notice of the trip as some cards will decline foreign transactions. Also make sure that you use a card with no foreign transaction fees – if you have an airlines credit card it more than likely has this as a perk but make sure to check into such before your trip.

As noted, we were at the mercy of Google Maps for the subways. Taxis are relatively expensive (we only used one during our trip) and for the most part are unnecessary as their mass transit system is superb between the subways and buses. Before heading to your subway / bus from the international terminal I suggest picking up a Pasmo card. Although you can purchase single tickets this seems like a cumbersome process as you have to calculate the cost of travel based upon your departure and destination points. The Pasmo card is refillable and can also be used at most vending machines and certain retailers throughout the city. Think of it as a refillable debit card. What is nice is that you can also keep it for future trips to Japan and just continue to refill and use it…or it can just be kept as a souvenir. An overall important item concerning Japan travel is that they are still heavily based on cash versus credit. All of the subways/buses and refilling the Pasmo card was cash only and a lot of the restaurants were cash only. Make sure to keep this in mind when you get Yen for your trip. There were numerous places to do a foreign currency exchange in the airport but I actually elected to get the money through my bank before the trip. A lot of people don’t like this option since you are getting a different exchange rate than whatever it may be the time of your vacation but I liked the convenience of not having another item to deal with after landing.

If you look at the map of subways in Tokyo you may get overwhelmed. Our first (and really only) hiccup was due to my misreading of the Google Maps routes. My eyes kept gravitating to the first number I saw on the screen, presuming that it was the platform. Note that Google Maps is so detailed that it not only give you the platform for travel but also the best car on the subway for transfer to the next subway. I mistakenly was reading the car number as the platform number. Once I realized my error it was actually pretty easy getting from point A to point B the rest of the trip.

I initially had a few plans for us the day we arrived but was not anticipating the lack of sleep on the plane and the initial difficulty with the subway so when we finally arrived at the hotel (Hotel East 21 Tokyo) we checked in, found a place to grab food, then went to bed. Although it wasn’t a major issues (and it is hard to gauge before you actually know the layout of the city) I would have preferred a hotel a bit closer to the downtown area. That being said, it was a decent place which actually had an option of 3 twin beds in one room (which is hard to find).

The following day we made our way to the closest subway and headed to the Meiji Shrine. It didn’t dawn on me that we headed to the subway during rush hour on a Monday morning until we were in line and the subway car pulled up. I read about the subway attendants pushing bodies into the cars because they are so full and we got to experience it firsthand. The boys weren’t prepared for such an ordeal and were a bit wide-eyed when the completely full car stopped in front of us and the doors opened with the expectation for us to shove ourselves into whatever small crevices we could find. This is probably a good time to point out a huge difference in Tokyo which makes all the difference in the world with these types of circumstances – the Japanese culture seems to be much more respectful of others in that there are no loud conversations in public areas and no people talking on cellphones. There were actual signs posted in the subway cars advising people not to talk on their phone. This quality of the culture (along with all areas of the city being so clean) was extremely refreshing for me and made the trip all the more enjoyable. Luckily my sons and I are pretty quiet to begin with but I could see how someone with a more boisterous personality could have challenges in such a setting.

The Meiji area was a quiet, serene setting with long gravel walkways leading to the shrine. It was free to walk the grounds.

If you are in the area I highly recommend going to the garden, which was a small fee, but well worth the admission.

As we exited the shrine area we passed these sake barrels.

Upon exiting the shrine area you are relatively close to a large, busy shopping district. It was an interesting juxtaposition but somehow worked nicely. We walked down the famous Takeshita Street, which is lined with tons of small shops and vendors selling food and nick knacks.

This entire area was lined with stores and shopping malls and reminded me a lot of New York City.

It was here that we went to our first Tokyo Starbucks (I got a matcha green tea biscuit which was really good) and visited the store Alice on Wednesday, which I had read about months prior. The shop is pretty much in a back alley and you have to “crawl” through the front door. It is comprised of small rooms with the store going up 3 floors.

It was also in this area that we went to our first ramen restaurant. For the non-vegetarians you will not have any issues finding a ton of ramen establishments all through the city; however, finding vegetarian options is not as easy since most broths are either chicken or beef based. I’m sure we could have found more if I searched a bit more but the place we ended up was a chained called AFURI. My eldest son has always been about ramen soups but my younger was initially less-intrigued with the idea of eating there. It is my understanding that most ramen restaurants are set-up the same was as AFURI in that there is a vending machine at which you insert your money (cash only) and place your order – it gives you a ticket which you then take to the counter and give to the waiter/waitress. It was reasonably priced and both of my sons really liked it (to the point of us going back to AFURI while we were there and my youngest son even recently saying he wants to go back to a ramen restaurant).

On the subject a restaurants, note that you do not tip in Tokyo. Also, if you go to a store or restaurant with a cashier it is customary to give and receive money with both hands…you can also place the money on a money tray which is usually next to the register or in clear view on the counter. Also, if nothing else, make sure to learn the word “arigato” which is a form of “thank you” in Japanese. I am by no means an expert on Japanese customs but bowing is another display of gratitude. There are actually extensive articles you can find through an internet search going into the intricacies / meanings of different bows.

After eating we made our way on foot towards Shibuya Crossing. We stopped at the Disney Store along the way (which was also 3 stories high).

Here is a panoramic view of Shibuya Crossing (think of it as the Times Square of Tokyo). There was actually a short scene with Scarlett Johansson from the film Lost in Translation shot here.

After the crossing we took a subway to the Odaiba Island. Of all the places we visited, this was probably my least favorite area in Tokyo; however, if you have younger kids and/or like cars this will likely have some appeal. We had the intentions of going to the completely digital art museum but the line to get in was astronomically long. I found the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation the most fascinating thing in the area, most notably a presentation of ASIMO. For all of you Disney fans, ASIMO is actually an ongoing character used throughout the Autopia ride. I had no idea it was based upon a Japanese robot and the ride at Disneyland really doesn’t provide any backstory on why the character is used. The presentation at the museum was fascinating, amazing and a bit scary as it was literally a robot walking out of a back room and doing things like talking, running, kicking a ball…this appears to be the first step in A.I. towards complete robotic takeover. You’ve been warned.

Our second full day started with a walk to All Press Espresso, which is where I purchased this awesome cup, which was fired in the Japanese region of Arita, Japan.

I previously noted how respectful people were to others in public but I also should note that there was an overall politeness / air of accommodation in the city. Some examples of such were that most restaurants had menus with English and/or photos , which led to the easy process of pointing, and the people were relatively kind as I muddled my way through the ordering process. It got me to thinking how the states are much more ethnocentric in that it is mainly a culture mentality of “speak English or you are on your own”.

From All Press we took a bus to the Sensoji Temple. Unlike the previously serene area of the Meiji Shrine, this is a loud, busy area lined with vendors from the main street all the way to the temple.

As expected, the temple itself was very fascinating with stunning architecture. I have always had a fondness for architecture and Japan is very rich in this area.

After the temple I dragged my sons to an ice cream shop (Suzukien Asakua) just outside the main area which I read about previously and is known for having multiple versions of matcha green tea ice cream. You have the option of choosing your “level” of strength from 1 to 7. I played it a bit safe and went with the “4”. Of note is that when I drink matcha it is usually straight / without any sweetner – even at the middle “4” level it was pretty strong. If you are new to matcha or only drink matcha with tons of sugar, you will inevitably want to go for a “1” or “2” level.

After the Sensoji Temple we headed to the Imperial Palace. Amazingly, it still has an actual moat surrounding the grounds.

Note that there are quite a few strenuous, inclined walks in this area if you want to get to the lookout points. The views at the top are fantastic and the whole palace / garden area in general was one of the high points of the trip for me.

We ended the day going to the Kit Kat Café.

For those who aren’t aware, Kit Kats in Japan are huge. They have tons of unique flavors and along with having their own cafes are sold all throughout the airport. In doing a bit of research later, I found out that Kit Kats are distributed by Nestle in Japan and by Hershey in the US, which is why we only essentially have the standard milk chocolate flavor. We didn’t buy any flavors which were too crazy but of the ones we did get my favorites were the sake and matcha.

Anyone who knows me (and my family) should be surprised that our final full day was devoted to a Disney theme park. There are two different Disney parks in Tokyo, Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland. Seeing that we only had one day we had to make a choice of which park to visit and after reading up on the parks the decision was actually pretty easy. Since we had already been to Disneyland tons of times in Anaheim and with Tokyo Disneyland essentially having the same rides, Disney Sea was the logical choice. I read that it is unlike any of the other Disney parks and after visiting it I can agree with this statement. Aesthetically, it is on par with the original Disneyland and Animal Kingdom at Disneyworld as the best Disney parks I’ve visited. Although it has Disney character themes sprinkled throughout, don’t expect the same “feel” as Disneyland. It is fitting that the centerpiece of Disney Sea is a large volcano in the Jules Verne land as the fantasy element of this park is more in the vein of Verne stories than fairies and pixie-dust.

The Jules Verne land was easily my favorite of the lands and has arguably the best ride, Journey to the Center of the Earth. We were able to get on it relatively quick since it was our first ride choice of the day but I noticed as the day progressed that the wait time increased. Since it was our first visit to the park we spent most of the time walking through each land and just taking in the surroundings.

I was very surprised to see a building and fountain themed around Scrooge McDuck but was a bit disappointed see that the store didn’t have a single Scrooge or Duck Tales item. The Tokyo parks have a character (Duffy the Bear) which is specific to Tokyo and the character seems huge as the McDuck store and a store at the entrance/exit were solely devoted to this character and his friends. I had seen the character around previously online but didn’t realize just how big he was in Tokyo.
Although I didn’t capture any photos of it, one of my favorite things at the park was the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. This was a lounge setting very similar to the Carthay Circle at California Adventure or Nomad at the Animal Kingdom, which incidentally are probably my favorite areas in those parks. All three of them are sophisticated, unique settings in which you can get food and drinks for a reasonable price (by Disney standards at least).

Since our time was limited we focused on rides which were specific / different than other Disney rides we already experienced. This is the big FYI for anyone who does the same, although the Indiana Jones ride has a different name than the Disneyland ride it is the same thing aside from swapping out the forbidden eye with the crystal skull. That being said, the walk-through and outside facades were pretty awesome. Other than that, the only thing I recommend along with walking through every land to see the great detail of the park is to try some of the many different/unique flavored popcorn and the Toy Story alien mochi. If you have not tried mochi previously it is very similar in texture to a gummy worm but not as chewy and the treats usually have something inside. These ones had a pudding-like substance in the middle (one strawberry, one vanilla, one chocolate). I will note this in my later blog about my visit to Hilo but there is a great little store there called Two Ladies Kitchen with multiple choices of mochi.

Our one and only taxi ride was from Disney Sea back to the hotel. Since our hotel was one on the good neighbor hotels to Disney we were able to set-up a timed shuttle from our hotel and back to the hotel (which was very convenient); however, we were too exhausted to stay until the closing of the park. If you don’t have a shuttle service from your hotel it looked like the average time to take a subway back to the downtown Tokyo area was about one hour. As with restaurants, there is no tipping to taxis.

Going through the bag check process when leaving Tokyo was very similar to the process in the states. If you are going through Haneda airport, once you are in the terminal and waiting to board you still have options to gathering up any souvenirs and/or foods you may have missed (or want more of) at the multiple stores. In retrospect I wished I grabbed a few more boxes of Kit-Kats as finding their unique flavors out here is near-impossible and finding companies which ship them have (understandably) high shipping costs.

We returned to our house Thursday evening. I took Friday off to allow 3 days to get back into the Phoenix time before returning to work, which was very smart seeing that I slept most of Friday and needed the entire weekend to get my body back on track. Since this arrangement worked so well I have scheduled future overseas trips the same (leaving Phoenix on Saturday and coming back on Thursday).

I will post shortly about my recent trip to the Big Island, Hawaii.