マイク＆サム·ヘッド東！- A journey to Hong Kong & Japan - May 2014 - Day 8 - KYOTO TO TOKYO DISNEYLAND

[soarinfan]

Day 8 - Monday 12th May - Kyoto to Tokyo Disneyland

Ok so no need to panic or anything but today we were actually heading to Tokyo Disneyland! Couldn't actually be much more excited away from Florida but today was the day - one of the major points on our list that was on there from day 1 of planning. We had no idea what we were doing for the rest of the holiday but Tokyo Disney was without doubt a must do!

We woke up today and got ready, had a few nibbles in the room and left for check out fairly sharpish. We had a bit to pack in to today because as I said, we were heading to Tokyo later in the afternoon so didn't have the whole day to explore much more of Kyoto. I had one place I really wanted to visit that I'd seen on the TV so many times, Fushimi-Inari which was our first port of call.

The train station was only a 15 minute walk to the other side of the river for the line we needed to get there and the fare was again only a couple of hundred yen which you really can't complain at. After a 15 minute journey on the train we arrived. Of course we knew absolutely nothing about how to get there, so it was just a case of following the crowd and hoping for the best. The crowd was right (Tip - come out the station, walk to the right, turn left at the road which crosses the railway line, follow the road until you arrive!). On the way up to the shrine we stopped at a local bakery and grabbed a few pastries to satisfy our need for some form of breakfast, ate them in the street and continued on up.

There were also lots of local business stalls on the way up to the shrine selling a multitude of souvenirs and edible treats, as well as good old Pocari Sweat...

The entrance to the shrine is a big open courtyard with lots of people taking pictures. We of course obliged before heading in. The buildings you see at the front are only just the beginning of a huge trail as you can see below:

It was fascinating to just stand in this open courtyard for a while and observe everything going on around us. Unfortunately there were some unruly tourists disrupting everything in one corner which is a shame because the Japanese take shrines incredibly seriously and some come there to pray, so it was quite disrespectful. There were certain areas that we were requested not to take photos so I didn't in those areas, but I do have a few below just to show you the kind of setting I'm talking about.

We started to climb a huge stair case next to this courtyard which takes you up to the main pathway through the area. The first set of huge archways you come to I originally thought was the main attraction having only ever seen this on the TV and in movies over the years, however once you walk through these you get to the smaller ones which are much more picturesque. Either way, we stopped for a photo here after wrestling a picture spot from a group of American tourists who were hogging it for AGES!

Walking through this path of archways was awesome. The sunlight was turning everything a nice bright orange which was strange, and it just seemed to go on and curve upwards forever! At the other end was the main shrine where no pictures were allowed so I courteously complied. I also threw a few yen into a well and rang a bell after watching some of locals do it - its seemingly what happens at these shrines - perhaps some form of offering? Who knows. But it felt very cultural!

We headed back down through the archways on the opposite side (theres 2 paths you can choose from to take) and back down the huge staircase to the courtyard. I'm not a huge one for souvenirs like Sam is, but I did really want to buy something to take home from here - I ended up getting a small wooden orange archway which currently sits on my windowsill nicely - a nice reminder of an awesome experience!

We headed back through the town towards the train station and caught the train back towards Kyoto centre. We got off a station early because I had read in a guide book that this was Geisha district, and towards the other end of the road we exited the station on is where they generally "hang out!" - although we didn't get to see any I did snap a pic of the shrine here as well as a couple of ladies dressed in the traditional kimono (which Sam still can't pronounce - its brilliant )

I was very conscious of time because we had a tour booked later which I had arranged (for free!) and knew that it was on the other side of the city, so we had to get a move on. I also wanted to see the Nishiki Market and at some point we would need to have some lunch, so we didn't stick around unfortunately. We walked back the way we had come and ended up taking a back street until we found the entrance to Nishiki Market. Sam was ravenous so we literally stopped at the first restaurant we found, and it was a very good choice!

This was a traditional Japanese restaurant which even had the incredibly low down floor tables. We opted for the standard tables even though we were offered to sit on the floor by the very kind host with a smile, who then went into the kitchen area at that back and went ballistic at the cooks for something or other!

The host came to give us a small cup of tea each which was complimentary, me hating tea gave mine to Sam and she insisted on having a photo with it because it looked cute!

I ordered the Shrimp Tempura, Noodles, and a Kirin Orange drink (which is remarkably refreshing - must try if you head out to Japan where every drink or event is seemingly sponsored by Kirin!) - the tempura was absolutely divine! So so good. Everytime I go to YoSushi now in this country its something I always order. I forget what Sam had but I believe it was noodles or similar. The whole meal was very reasonable in price - I wish I could tell you what the restaurant was called but being in Japanese I wouldn't know where to start so apologies!

Once lunch was done with, we headed out back into Nishiki Market which was a sight to be seen! It basically stretched on for what felt like miles down this back street which was pretty dark where it had all been covered over. A great place for locals to come to get fresh fish and meat products as well as locally sourced fruit & veg. Might want to skip a few photos now if you are a bit squeamish when it comes to creatures of the sea!

Mini Octopus on a stick for 250 yen - a bargain?

Once we had left the market we found a McDonalds - I had been dying for a good milkshake for ages but because milkshakes aren't huge in Japan I had been denied! But McDonalds always delivers (they literally do in Japan - couldn't believe it!) so we stopped in there for a quick shake. I had chocolate, Sam had strawberry! It fuelled us up for much longer than anticipated walk to our next destination - the Kyoto Imperial Palace - it honestly looked like a 20 minute stroll on the map, and it ended up being more of a 20 minute stroll and 20 minute sprint! I had been told if you miss your time slot then that is it, so we didn't want to be late.

Once we arrived in the grounds we found the right gate to the palace where the tours depart from, proceeded through security which was more a case of showing your ticket and smiling and waited in a room for the tour to start. There was a DVD showing on loop, and we had a short introduction from the tour guide (this tour was in English!) before heading out - MORE walking! By this point we were both shattered from the long walk from Nishiki Market & McDonalds, so sat on every rock and bench we came across!

Tiredness aside the tour was actually really cool. We saw where the Emperor used to sit when it was a royal household (picture above), and the Emperor's Gate, which was only ever used for access to the palace by the Emperor himself, or when a very important head of state were to visit and is literally never opened or unlocked outside of these events.

We both really enjoyed the tour, which finished up in this amazing garden which took our breath away, so picturesque!

It was starting to cloud over now, but that didn't matter too much as we had to get back to the hotel to grab out suitcases out of storage and head to Kyoto station to catch the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Tokyo! Sam had really been looking forward to this part of the trip and to be honest so had I - one of the fastest most efficient trains in the world and we were going to go on it!

We had already purchased our tickets the day before at Kyoto station, so after a short walk back to the hotel to grab our luggage and quick subway ride we were back at Kyoto station and found the Shinkansen platform very easily - just follow the green arrows!

Several trains arrived before ours (pictured above) - the length of them makes it seem like they go on forever! We of course followed the traditional boarding queue that goes without saying with every train in Japan - very civilised! We found our seats (I had taken care to choose seats facing forwards as Sam doesn't like going backwards...neither do I really!) The train set off so smoothly and soon we were at full pelt heading towards Tokyo. There were only a few stops along the way and the rain was coming down hard, but it didn't seem to cause a delay.

We tried to grab a view of Mount Fuji out of the window as we had passed by but it was getting too dark to really see what with the cloud cover and the fact we were heading into early evening which was a shame (though we got some good views of it later in the holiday!). The 2 and a bit hour journey just flew by and we were soon rolling through the high rises of Tokyo! It was an amazing sight to see and I'm gutted I didn't get to film or take any pictures of it because we were more preoccupied making sure we had our luggage ready to get off the train.

Next came an interesting challenge - trying to get to Maihama for Disneyland! We followed all the signs for the Keiyo line and went the right way and ended up on the platform, but we had passed by no ticket barriers. I was a bit concerned of getting done for travelling without a ticket so went off to see if I could find somewhere to buy them and Sam stayed with the luggage. I had found out before coming that you can buy a ticket and if you need to pay more on it at the end of the journey you can do before exiting through the ticket barrier, but as far as I was concerned I had no ticket at all! I found a helpful chap in the ticket office and through almost no English at all I managed to find out from him that I pay in Maihama (ontop of my Shinkansen ticket) - I don't know why but I felt like I had accomplished something there!

We were soon in Maihama after about 15 minutes on the train... DISNEYLAND!

It was amazing, as we stepped off the train it was like walking into a Disney version of City Walk. You could see the 2 parks out in the distance, and to our left was Ikspiari which is their version of Downtown Disney. It has a Disney store as well as lots of shops and eateries which we would explore later. We did however first go downstairs and grabbed our Disney tickets.

It was only the other week Sam said she didn't realise our 4 day Disney ticket only cost the equivalent of £90 - so cheap in comparison! With the Multi Park pass in Tokyo however, you have to choose which park you will visit on day 1, and day 2. Any subsequent days on the ticket you can visit whichever park you wish (note the tickets only go up to a 4 day validity in Tokyo - any more and you'll have to buy another!). We chose Disneyland for day 1 and DisneySea for day 2. Waving goodbye to the very friendly ticket agents we headed to the resort trainline which stops at both parks and also a station behind the parks where our hotel was located.

In Japan, the law says that train lines over a certain length are considered a railway, so you have to pay for tickets. So yes, this is not the same as WDW where the monorail is free, but for a small fee you can buy a ticket for the length of your stay which we did. We zoomed around the parks looking out the window all the way until we arrived at the train station. Next we took the shortest and most pointless bus ride of all time. A bell hop was there to greet us with a bus to take us to our hotel - the Sheraton Grande Hotel. We all crammed onto the bus with our luggage and it pulled away at about 5mph, literally crossed the road, and stopped... we'd arrived. Laughing we disembarked and vowed never to wait for that bus ever again!

Can anyone spot the Hidden Mike-y?

The check in process was really smooth and we ended up in our rooms on as good as the top floor! Unfortunately it was pretty dark and cloudy that night so couldn't see too much out of the window (which I later found out that night, was a balcony!). The room was really nice with 2 huge beds - certainly worth staying here if you head this way, certainly matches the description!

We were pretty peckish so dumped our stuff, freshened up and headed back to the resort train to take us back to Ikspiari for dinner. Tonight we had chosen to go west and eat in TGI Fridays - yes they exist in Japan!

The waitress was really nice and brought us over some drinks to begin with. Sam had Pina Colada and I had a very strong Gordons & Tonic - start as you mean to go on ey! I thought as we're here in Disney to say sod it to the budget and go all out for our first meal. I know it was only TGI Fridays but I can honestly say Disney being Disney made me feel at home.

I had some deep fried breaded cheese bits to start with salsa and I think Sam had stuffed potato skins. We both then had a burger and fries for mains, mine was oozing with so much stuff I didn't know which way was up! Really really nice. For dessert (Sam didn't want any, so naturally had some of mine) I ordered this sundae looking beast which was awesome. The server came to me after I ordered it saying she thinks its too big for one, I said I don't care

The meal was reasonably priced, and then we dashed through the rain back to the train station to catch the train back to Bayside for our hotel. We were pretty knackered but when I got back to the room I discovered that the window was in fact a door onto a small balcony which looked like it hadn't been used in a while! How awesome! It was lovely to sit out there listening to the sea watching a few late night aircraft departures from Haneda turn over Tokyo Bay heading somewhere else in the world. But soon it was time to hit the sack because tomorrow meant one thing...

TOKYO DISNEYLAND!


Thanks for reading Day 8, stay tuned for the next one (no idea when I will be posting it because it will be, BIG (being the first day in Disney) so expect a mountain worth of photos!

[lovedisney89]

I've been following your trip report and really enjoying it. I would love to do a similar trip one day.
Looking forward to reading about Disneyland

[soarinfan]

Glad you are enjoying it so far. It's always been somewhere I've wanted to head to and I was so lucky last year to have the opportunity to!

[Guest]

A fab day! Yay for Tgis lol! We're planning our trip for April 2016 so really enjoying your report!

[Dissie]

Yay, next instalment. Great day. Kyoto looks amazing. I would love to see the shrines, palaces, etc. Looking forward to Day 9. Did you find it difficult to be understood when you were there? I know English is not widely spoken and that would be a concern for me

[soarinfan]

You know what actually communication was a breeze, almost easier than going to any closely European countries. There was a lot of nodding bowing and smiling, but you just get by, its fantastic. The Japanese are so hospitable its just in their nature to help you.

You are right, English is not widely spoken at all, but staff checking you in at hotels etc will know enough to communicate what they need to you. Also in restaurants basic names such as "Coke" or "Ice Cream" etc are understood, and they also provide in many restaurants (all in fact that I went to) some form of English (or semi-English) menu, so you can just point at what you want and smile and they will know exactly what you mean.

I was also the same before I went - I was hesitant to go because of being lost in translation, but it was absolutely fine

[Dissie]

Originally Posted by soarinfan

You know what actually communication was a breeze, almost easier than going to any closely European countries. There was a lot of nodding bowing and smiling, but you just get by, its fantastic. The Japanese are so hospitable its just in their nature to help you.

You are right, English is not widely spoken at all, but staff checking you in at hotels etc will know enough to communicate what they need to you. Also in restaurants basic names such as "Coke" or "Ice Cream" etc are understood, and they also provide in many restaurants (all in fact that I went to) some form of English (or semi-English) menu, so you can just point at what you want and smile and they will know exactly what you mean.

I was also the same before I went - I was hesitant to go because of being lost in translation, but it was absolutely fine

See more...

That's really good to know. One day maybe we will get there

[CrazyBaby]

Fushimi-Inari just looks incredible it is one of the top things on my list to visit. Also the Shinkansen looks awesome too looking forward to reading the next day in your report

[welshwiz]

Another exciting yet smooth day. Pleased to read that communication wasn't as tricky as I feared, inspiring me to be brave so just starting to get a feel for the place thanks to your trip report. The big day tomorrow should seem much more familiar though ... looking forward to reading all about it and seeing lots and lots of pics!

[Bobsledwheels]

I am so excited for Kyoto - I think we have three days there (tbc) so hoping to so a lot. Think I will definitely be researching the trains before we go - looks super complicated!