Tokyo, 2019
Yesterday I flew in from Tokyo Narita airport.
At the end of last year my Mom and I were talking about trips we could take, and she said she wanted to go to Japan, which she never really desired. So we planned the trip with my brother Steven and his boyfriend Ty.
Last time when I went with my brother Michael and sister-in-law Krista we rented an apartment. It made the trip possible, and gave us the experience of being in a residential area. This time I stayed with my Mom at the Sheraton Grand Tokyo Bay Hotel, right next to the Disney Parks, literally across the street from one of four monorail exits. Super handy.
The trip itself was eight full days, about half were spent at the Disney parks.
Tokyo Disney
I REALLY appreciate the Tokyo Disney parks all the more now, especially DisneySea. Last time experiencing the park was a whirlwind. Two hour train ride there, got into park an hour late, left an hour early so we wouldn't get stranded when rail transportation ends at midnight, and two hour train ride back. It was zip and flash. This time I soaked it in and fell in love.
DisneySea is the best. The. Best. All the details. Nuance. The parks ability to transport you to different Worlds. Atmosphere. Perfect balance between shows and rides. Etc. Etc. Etc. I'm already missing it on so many levels.
When we went into the city it was fun, but once you get back to Maihama station you're in a Disney bubble. The music. Happiness. Magic. It's Disney heaven.
Tokyo and About
I didn't get to do as much as I wanted, but with all short trips you must pick and choose. I shared with my family some of the things I enjoyed last time balanced with new things. TeamLab Boarderless Museum, Ferris wheel at Palette Town, Giant Gundam, Ginza, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Enoshima, and maybe one or two other things I can't remember.
Getting Sick
This is the first trip I caught a bug. It seemed people everywhere were coughing. Something was going around, and with close transportation, hand rails, etc, I'm just glad I got sick at the end of the trip verses the beginning. The second day of the trip was cold with 43 F, real feel 36 F, all day with non-stop rain. My shoes and socks were soaked. Six inches of water up my pants. By the end of the day my teeth were chattering and I had a hard time talking. I should have gotten sick then. I made it to the second to last night.
Walking through Tokyo station I found a pharmacy and got Vick throat drops, but couldn't find salt to gargle with. Thankfully at the hotel restaurant a girl gave me a paper cup with a salt shaker. Didn't think finding salt would be so difficult. My throat isn't sore anymore, but I have a pretty bad cough and almost lost my voice coming home. Ah well, getting sick is one of the dangers in traveling. I'm been pretty lucky.
We were supposed to go to Mount Takao, which I tried to do last time, on our last day, but when I woke up Wednesday morning I knew that was a bad idea. So my Mom and I explored Ikspiari, their Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. And after 6 pm you can buy Disney park tickets for less than $40. We went in and had a good meal with the boys. They took off, I didn't want to slow them down, so I watched Fantasmic one last time and the fireworks before heading back to the hotel for a snooze. Everything didn't quite work out, but it was a nice way to end the trip.
The Round Up
It's just past mid-night (this will post at 6 am MT, so I wrote this from that perspective) and I should get to bed. It was a wonderful trip. Went way too fast!!!! Everyone wanted to stay another week. I'm ready to sleep away the weekend and kick this cold to the curb. Blah. I'm glad to be home, but I loved Tokyo.
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