Christmas in Japan! Day 105

Hey everyone! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and ate lots of belly-swelling Christmas food!

Christmas this year was a bit different for me!

Unlike in England, Christmas in Japan is not really a family celebration. In fact it is foremost considered a day for couples! The feel is somewhat close to Valentine’s Day in England. However Valentine’s Day is also celebrated in Japan but with a little twist (don’t worry I will definitely be doing a post on this in the future!)
So in true Japanese fashion I spent Christmas with Kento!

Kento's family had very kindly given me my ticket to Disney Sea for Christmas which was so sweet! Thank you!!

I got up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5:50am to meet at Tokyo station. And when I say bushy-tailed I do not entirely mean it figuratively for I donned my Tigger tail along with my Tigger hat that I got from Disney Land for we were going to be spending the day at Disney Sea! I know what you’re thinking, isn't that too much Disney? Well, no Grinchy-pants it’s not! 

The train to Disneyland was filled with people on their way to Disneyland, you have got to feel bad for the commuters that have to see Disneyland goers everyday.

From Maihama station we had to take the Disney Resort Line to get to Disney Sea. The Disney Resort train was so cute. The windows and even the handles were shaped like Mickey Mouse!

We arrived at Disney Sea!!!!

I really liked the atmosphere of Disneysea as - like Disneyland - you feel like you are in a completely different world. Each area has it's own theme and they certainly pay attention to every detail! The fact that everything down to the vending machines match the theme mean there isn't really anything to detract from the magical feel of the experience. The only thing that was missed out were the interiors of the toilets but perhaps that really would be asking too much?

Disney Sea was a great place to be on Christmas in Japan because it really did have a Christmas feel to it. There were Christmas trees and decorations throughout the park and even the goods were Christmas themed. This was really great as I knew I was missing the feel of Christmas.

As you can see we were lucky enough to have some really nice weather. It wasn't very warm but Kento had cleverly come prepared with Kairo (pocket body warmers) for when it got cold in the evening.

The first ride we went on was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I was again bowled over by the detail and technology that goes into the attractions at Disney. The ride really feels like it has taken you underwater!

Even the queuing section was decorated

The ominous-looking start of the ride

In 20,000 leagues under the sea you board a submarine-like capsule in 3 groups of 2 where each group has their own window. Through the window you can watch the underwater journey and there is even a joystick to control a flashlight so you can search the sea floor.

Another ride we went on was the Indiana Jones Adventure: temple of the crystal skull. We were lucky enough to get the front seats again, we must have done something good in our past lives because throughout the whole day at Disneyland we kept getting the best spots on the rides and it seemed to be happening again.

For this ride you travel in a jeep-type vehicle and go along a track. This one was pretty creepy, especially with Indiana Jones popping up every so often - sometimes dangling above your head! And there was a surprising bit at the end but I won't spoil it in case any potential Disney Sea goers are reading. This ride takes your photo which you can buy at the end, however it was taken at a rather alarming moment so I wasn't looking too fabulous!

 The funny thing I found about the photos at Disney Tokyo was that when people came off the ride most of them go to look at the photos that were taken that are displayed on those screens - normal right? But then they all whip out their smartphones and start taking photos of the pictures they are in so they don't have to buy it. Fair enough, but I was surprised that this was allowed as the staff did not seem to mind. I'm pretty sure that at the theme parks I have been to before you would not have been allowed to do this. Maybe Disney Tokyo realise that you probably weren't going to buy the photo anyway and if you really liked it you would buy a printed copy from them.

Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dizinushi_aquatopia.jpg

Another ride we went on was Aquatopia where you ride on these little 2-person hovercraft-looking vehicles. As the name suggests, the vehicles go through water and although the squirty fountains may have you believe otherwise, you won't get wet! I was certainly hitting a wall at that part of the day and was feeling quite tired but the jerky end to the ride did something towards waking me up a bit.

The water was on fire! What is this witchcraft?!

Raging Spirits was one of the rides I was really looking forward to trying as it had a loop. It was really good if not a bit short. Surprisingly the little drops were more thrilling than the loop! This was a really fun ride but I wish it had gone around twice as it was over too quickly!

Storm rider - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TDS_StormRider.jpg

Storm rider was another good attraction. This one was a 4D film with a similar feel to the Star Wars. This was really cool! The seats really jerk you around and there are lots of really surprising things that really make you feel like you are in the film. At one point water starts spraying you like rain, I think everyone was surprised as there was an eruption of squeals when the water started coming down! But don't worry, it's very light so you don't get too wet.

Journey to the Center of the earth

Photo from: http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds/atrc/arabian/sindbad/

We also went on Sinbad's Storybook Voyage, the waiting time for this ride was pretty short so we decided to take a look. It was described to us as being like the It's a Small World attraction from Disney Land. Although I would agree with this I would say it was perhaps more like the Pinocchio ride as you follow the story of Sinbad through a boat ride.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth_Ride.jpg

We were going to go on the Journey to the Center of the Earth ride but unfortunately while we were queuing the ride went out of order. Luckily though we were given special fast pass tickets that could be used on any ride. We decided to use it to go on what was my favorite ride of the day for a second time...

The Tower of Terror! This ride was so awesome! You really get that creepy sensation where your stomach feels like it jumps up into your chest. I have never worked out whether I actually like that feeling or hate it but the ride was certainly thrilling, definitely the best ride of the day!

Green Tea with a Tinkerbell label

I mentioned in my previous Disneyland post that the vending machines were themed and the drinks bottles also had special designs. This time we got some drinks so I was able to get a shot of some of the designs. 

A Little Mermaid design on a Salt and Fruit bottle

This drink may sound gross but actually it is pretty pleasant. It is not as salty as you think (perhaps only as much as a bottle of lucozade) and this one was lychee flavour!

Here is some of the food we tried while at Disney Sea, it might not be the normal Christmas fare but it was certainly tasty:

Chandu's tail - steamed cream chicken bun

This was really good! It was a kind of steamed bun shaped and coloured to look like the character Chandu's tail. Chandu is the tiger from the Sinbad's tail ride. I was really surprised at the design, it was so appealing, and unlike most fast-food, it really looked like the picture. The only thing was that I didn't realise that there was paper on the bottom of the bun, so I may-or-may-not have eaten a decent-sized piece of paper along with my first mouthful, much to Kento's amusement. Paper-eating incident aside the bun tasted really good, no complaints here!

The packaging for each snack was always nicely designed

We didn't find the turkey but instead ate some chicken! It was really juicy and the flavouring was absorbed throughout the whole leg making it really delicious!

Of course we did not forget to try as many of the popcorn flavours as we could! At Disney Sea the flavours were:

Caramel
Curry
Black pepper
Apple and Cinnamon
Strawberry
Corn Pottage

Sea salt
Milk tea

Out of these we had the Milk tea, Corn pottage, Strawberry and - our favorite - Curry!
I wanted to try the Black pepper and the Apple and Cinnamon too but I was definitely all popcorned-out so I will have to wait until next time! At 500 yen a pop we certainly spent fair amount on popcorn! Kento and I agreed that we couldn't leave without having the curry again, and I have to say it still stands in top place of the flavours I have tried so far!

In the evening I couldn't help but ordering a matcha latte. I absolutely love matcha and knowing that the rest of the food at Disney is always good I felt that it wouldn't be a bad bet to try it (I often find that matcha drinks can be a bit weak). I was not disappointed! The flavour was strong and inside was a heart-shaped mochi filled with pieces of strawberry that scented and flavoured the matcha. You could also get a red-bean version but I felt that strawberry sounded more curious and unusual! This is definitely one of the nicest matcha lattes I have tried and would recommend it!

Some very Christmassy mulled wine

This mulled wine had a smell that immediately reminded me of one of my all-time favorite museums. The Manannan Museum in the Isle of Mann, I couldn't stop smelling it!

It had got dark and all the pretty lights had come on making it feel much more Christmassy. While we were enjoying our hot drinks in the Christmas atmosphere Kento handed me this adorable box which contained a really cute Minnie mouse necklace! It was such a lovely Christmas present and I love that it even matches the phone straps that we bought at Disney Sea. I was a bit to eager to try it on so I am afraid I didn't take any photos of the necklace but if you see me in person I will surely be wearing it! Thank you so much Kento if you're reading this!

The great thing about being at Disney Sea on Christmas in Japan was that you can feel some of the Christmas spirit that you may be missing from home. The lights all came on at night and it really started to feel like Christmas. Of course nothing can beat the smell of a real Christmas tree or the act of decorating one but it certainly helped make me feel like I wasn't missing out!

We watched a Christmas show which was pretty funny and then later went to the Christmas parade. After which we did some souvenir shopping and then headed back!

Bye bye Disney Sea!

When we got back to Waseda station we were both hungry so we decided to have a super-rushed bowl of ramen before the last train!

There were lots of business men!

Surprisingly it was my first time in a ramen bar even though I had been in Japan since September so I was pretty excited! I know, I know, shame on me!

All the condiments were on the table so you could season the ramen as you like

We both ordered the normal ramen. Even though it supposed to be a small size it was humongous. I was really questioning my ability to finish the hot dish on time but I made it!

When I got back home I was able to Skype a few people back home and open the Christmas packages I had received.

Skype really is amazing technology! It meant I could hang out with my family while they were enjoying Christmas day even though I was halfway across the globe! I'm glad I was able to talk to them!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me cards and presents it was really lovely to have things to open when I got back, it made it feel much more like Christmas, I really appreciated it!

My Disney Sea haul!

I bought quite a few things from Disney Sea as well! Hey it was Christmas!! I seem to be having a slight obsession with Alice in Wonderland related products at the moment! I bought an Alice themed hand towel, phone accessory, hair band and hair slides! We also got matching Minnie and Mickey mouse mugs! 

I truly had an awesome day! Thanks so much to Kento for making it a really great Christmas, even though I was away from home, it really was special and I'm glad I could spend it with you! I certainly won't forget this Christmas, we had lots of fun, plenty of laughs and ate a plethora of delicious snacks!

Also thank you again to everyone who sent cards, presents or Christmas messages!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

That's all for now!