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8D Avia Japan Tour: Tokyo Skytree and Ueno Park

Cherry blossom viewing at Ueno Park Tokyo

Jim Beam Highball Truck at Ueno Park on weekend

Japanese cemetery on the way to Tokyo Skytree

Cherry blossom viewing near Tokyo Skytree Japan

It’s already November and I haven’t finished documenting my travel log from March. But the good news is we are coming toward the end of the travel log and I’m gonna start a new one in December. After our challenging walk at Nakamise Street, we boarded the tour bus again to go to our next destination Tokyo Skytree and Ueno Park. However, the tour does not book a visit to Tokyo Skytree for us so it’s more like photo stop with Tokyo Skytree as a background. Thankfully I’ve been to Tokyo Skytree before although I did not want to spend $ to go up to the observatory deck since I have been to one at Tokyo Tower. But I feel it’s really a pity not to at least stepping into the tower and take a look around the shopping mall underneath the tower. There’s even a huge Totoro shop there.

Oh well, the tour participants seem to be happy enough to pose with Tokyo Skytree as its background so what can I say. After spending 20 minutes here to take picture, we made our way to where the bus could park and then boarded the bus again to next destination, Ueno Park. The road between these two popular tourist destinations is heavily congested especially since that day was a Sunday. So we were stuck for nearly 30 minutes with Japanese cemetery view from our bus window. We saw that each tomb seems to have names imprinted on the wooden sticks. Our local tour guide explained that usually the tomb consists of a family of 4 so you will see many sticks at the top of one tomb. I suppose they layer the casket on top of each other inside one tomb plot.

Someone asked what if the family is huge, would they be able to be buried together? In this case, the tour guide explained that it is common for a big family to be buried separately or even, cremated. Hmm, I suppose land is also scarce and expensive too here in Japan. Not just in Singapore. Haha.

45 minutes later we finally reached Ueno Park and since back then we were at the last week of sakura season, festivity vibe could still be felt right at the centre of Ueno Park where people have picnic while viewing the sakura tree. In addition, there are many food/ drink stall (which is mostly offering beer I dunno why) and also, street performances because it was Sunday. Not sure if the weekday vibes of Ueno Park is that jolly though. There is no entrance fee to Ueno Park so you can just stroll inside to enjoy the beauty of the park for free. To be honest, I prefer Shinjuku Park to Ueno Park for sakura-viewing but the entrance free to Shinjuku Park is not free and you are not allowed to bring alcohol inside the park. Plus minus I suppose.

How to spend 30 minutes in Nakamise Street, Tokyo?

No food or drink sign at Nakamise Street Tokyo

Filled fried bun at Nakamise Street Tokyo Japan

Sakura filled fried bun from Nakamise Street Tokyo

Red bean manju from Nakamise Street Tokyo Japan

Strawberry mochi from Nakamise Street Tokyo Japan

Yummy strawberry red bean mochi from Nakamise Street Tokyo

Melon cream bun from Nakamise Street Tokyo Japan

Japan melon pan from Nakamise Street Tokyo Japan

Funawa Patisserie at Nakamise Street Tokyo

Making pancakes at Funawa Patisserie Nakamise Street Tokyo

Red bean sweet potato dorayaki from Funawa Patisserie Tokyo

Japanese wedding parade at Nakamise Street Tokyo

If you are visiting Tokyo with a tour group, chances are you will have an opportunity to visit Asakusa Temple and Nakamise Street. One thing to take note is that you probably will not have a lot of time to explore these two places and if you visit these two places on a weekend, oh boy, the challenge has become way higher because this area is packed with people. In order for us to go through the crowd until we reach Kaminarimon Gate, we had to spend around 15 minutes. And since we are only allocated 45 minutes in this whole area (oh yes, are you freaking kidding me), we have to move in an orderly planned manner.

After the tour guide let us roam freely, we quickly explored the alleys to enjoy some street food. If you think you can just eat while strolling like what you do in any kind of street food, you may have to remember not to do that here at Nakamise Street. Eating and drinking while strolling is completely against the rule of Nakamise Street. You can only eat or drink whatever you buy in front of the shop. Yikes, I suppose we have to chomp faster if we want to try as many food as possible here.

Considering that we had to queue before securing our food, being able to eat 5 kind of different food at Nakamise Street within 30 minutes is a satisfying result to be honest with you. However, I did give a feedback to the tour group about this crazy amount of short time given to us to explore the area. Oh well, I’m sure they are not going to do anything about it and it’s not like I’m gonna join another tour group if I’m coming back to Tokyo so yeah, whatever. From all the food shop that we visited within 30 minutes, the longest queue is gotta be at the whipped cream melonpan and Funawa Patisserie. Funawa Patisserie seems to be a famous sweet shop in Nakamise Street as its shop is huge and it even has its own eating area (i.e. a few tables where people can stand while eating their food).

There are actually a lot of shops selling souvenirs too but we totally had no time to even check them out in that kind of time limit so yeah, I hope I have the chance to revisit this street again in the future. But until then, I suppose I have just to be grateful to be able to catch a traditional Japanese cart carrying a couple in Japanese traditional wedding gown. Did they just really get married or is this just a parade for tourists? I can’t be sure but still, happy to be able to catch that. Haha.

8D Avia Japan Trip: Asakusa Temple and Nakamise Street, Tokyo

Kaminarimon Gate at Asakusa Temple in Tokyo Japan

Nakamise Street in front of Asakusa Temple in Tokyo

So I have finally decided to use my subliminal amount of leaves to go for 9 days 8 nights trip to Osaka. But when I think about Japan, I remember that I haven’t even finished updating my travel blog about my spring trip to Japan. Oh wait, that means I will be in Japan 2 times in a year, man, I should have gotten that multiple entries visa. But then, I only decided this trip like few days ago and you will need to have your air tickets ready for those two trips if you want to even try your chance to apply for multiple entries visa so yeah, that’s out I guess.

Actually my last write-up about Japan was right about when I was about to enter Tokyo from Mt Fuji. You know you have reached Tokyo when you can see the view of Tokyo Skytree from your window bus. However, a visit to the top of Tokyo Skytree is never in any tour group itineraries in Jakarta so the bus continues to bring us to Asakusa Temple. We were in Tokyo on a Sunday and if you are wondering how’s the weekend crowd is like at Nakamise Street, the street leading to the main gate of Asakusa Temple, you will see head and head of human trudging toward the same direction. In other words, be prepared to get...well, squeezed with some strangers along the way.

Our tour guide did not allow us to make detour or pit stop to buy food because she wanted to dismiss us right at Kaminarimon Gate, the main gate of Asakusa Temple. The main gate is actually pretty impressive but taking picture there without getting any photo-bomber in your picture needs superhuman skill. I did not even feel like trying, to be honest with you. However, if you are not intimidated by the crowd, you should give Kaminarimon Gate closer observation. The huge lantern is especially the famous landmark of Kaminarimon Gate and Asakusa Temple which seems to be the favourite photo-taking spot amongst tourists.

If you are joining a tour, I recommend not to spend too much time at Kaminarimon Gate because there are a lot of food street to explore at Nakamise Street and its neighboring alleys. The problem with enjoying food street at Nakamise Street is that you are not allowed to eat and drink while walking along the street. I’m not sure if there is police to watch over you and summon you fine if you are caught doing that, but I suppose it’s just polite to follow other country’s law and regulation when you are in one. That, and I suspect the food vendor may just scold you right there (especially if they are not youngsters) for eating and walking at the same time.

The New York area of Tokyo Disneysea...at one glance, it seems like a place where you can take a leisure walk looking at all those vintage Broadway-ish buildings in the surrounding.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Welcome to New York at Tokyo Disneysea, Japan

You can also spot this Gothic hotel named Hotel Hightower which is also the starting point of the queue line for Tower of Terror. If you a line is formed here, that's pretty much means you are kinda doomed (even before you take the ride) because that means you have to queue for at least three hours. Sucks.

Hotel Hightower Tower of Terror Tokyo Disneysea Japan

So yeah, anyway, we wanted to do something more relaxing here. In other words, an attraction that lets us sit throughout the ride. That's where we noted that there is a Broadway-themed show, the Big Band Beat, which is shown in the Broadway Music Theatre. The problem is...you need to get yourself a reserved ticket for an access to the show.

Broadway Music Theatre at Tokyo Disneysea Japan

And in order to secure the reserved ticket, you need to go to the neighbouring building and test your luck at some lottery machine. If you are lucky, you will get yourself a reserved ticket to watch Big Band Beat.

Mickey's Broadway Show at Tokyo Disneysea Japan

If lady luck does not smile on you that day, you will see this notification box at the monitor of the lottery ticket. Bummer, I seriously started to get irritated by Tokyo Disneysea at this point in time, to be honest with you. XD

Lottery Machine for Big Band Beat at Tokyo Disneysea Japan

Even Cruella de Vil said that the machines are really ridiculous (okay, I was kidding, she did not say anything because she's busy shooing people). I wonder if the characters in Disneyland or Disneysea are expected to act like the characters that they are portraying. Hmm, I guess that should be the case. If not, Cruella de Vil will not be that bad towards visitors. Hahaha.

Well, if you are in the same situation as us, do not fret because after all if you are willing, they will be a way. Right in front of Broadway Music Theatre, there is an area dedicated for visitors who are willing to queue for the remaining available seats which are given to first-come-first-served customers. Yup, the lottery machines are set not to give out all seats in the theatre so they are bound to be some available seats to be allocated to the less-lucky visitors.

American Broadway at Tokyo Disneysea Japan

You just need to wait for 2 hours plus (in our case) and you can get yourselves in the theatre. The musical was quite nice but we were pretty tired to keep our eyes opened throughout the show. I admitted I slept in some parts of the show. Too tired.

Big Band Beat Show at Tokyo Disneysea Japan

I guess if you really want to catch this show without queueing like us, you should come early in the morning to try the lottery because there are more tickets to allocate earlier during the day. I suppose.