One week in Tokyo

So this is going to be a long post. I intended to write every few days but I was so tired everyday after going out that I just went straight to bed. Anyway, here we go...

Wednesday 1st December

Our flight was scheduled for 6am out of Melbourne Airport. Early. Amanda and I basically didnt sleep Tuesday night. For some reason I was pretty nervous about leaving and just felt so sick, so sleep didnt really happen. We left the house at around 3:45am to check in at 4am. Because it was SO early check in was really quick. We then got through security to realise that the Qantas lounge wasnt going to open until 5am. What a pain. So we just had to sit around until 5am so we could get our free toast, museli, juice etc. Was surprisingly tasty! We boarded the plane at 5:45am, and left promptly at 6am. well done Jetstar!

The flight to Cairns was pleasant. Sufficient leg room and good seats. I had my iPad, so I just watched some tv shows and played games for the 3 hours and even managed a small nap. I had a chat to a lovely couple sitting beside me who wanted to know all about the iPad because they had bought one and had no idea how to use it. Then just general conversation about what we were going to do on holidays etc.

We finally arrived in Cairns which was disgustingly humid. I was wearing winter clothes which made things even worse. You have to also walk outside for about 5 minutes to reach the international terminal. As we were on out way to the terminal we met a lovely girl called Mazi. She was travelling to Tokyo on her own and asked if she could follow us because she hadnt travelled on her own before and said we seemed well travelled and knew where we were going. We were more than happy to have another person along with us! The three of us quickly became friends and it seemed as if we had already met long before our airport meeting. We then prepared ourselves for the 5 hour wait at Cairns International Airport. Let me tell you. The airport is awful. Zero selection for food and its so tiny. Everything is more expensive than it usually is, and it was really hot. While we were waiting, there Japanese guys came up to Mazi and I and asked for photos with us. We were really confused. After they found out I could speak Japanese they looked relieved and said they wanted to have a memory of Cairns. Really strange. We reluctantly agreed and then they walked off. So weird. They seemed nice enough though. humm.

We boarded the plane for Tokyo at around 12:45pm and finally set out for Japan. The flight was actually really good. The seats were comfortable AND we got a front row with extra leg room because I had paid extra money for the leg room. Because our original flights were canceled, I didnt actually get the leg room until I asked if I could get a refund. Then the nice lady at the check in counter said that to compensate me not getting it on the first flight, all three of us would get extra leg room and an extra seat to make the flight more comfortable. It was awesome! So that made the flight much more comfortable. The service on Jetstar was prompt and really good. I was actually impressed. The food was actually pretty good too.

Around 8 hours later we arrived in Tokyo! Finally. Immigration was really busy but luckily we rushed as quickly as we could to the queue and got through in good time. We said goodbye to Mazi who was travelling onto Osaka with her mum, and Amanda and I got on a train to Ikebukuro in Tokyo. The Keisei Skyliner got us to Tokyo in just over 40 minutes. It is a new train that only stops at 3 stations. We then had to change trains and travel on the normal railway to the hotel. On the train we saw a western guy just smiling at us and we smiled back. We then got off at the same station. He took a look at the vending machines on the station platform and couldnt believe how amazing they were, and this is how our frendship began lol. We found out he (Mike) was on his way to exactly the same hotel as we were, so the three of us made our way together. After getting slightly lost we finally arrived at the hotel. Then after check in we all went to McDonalds for dinner. How classy. First night in another country and we go for maccas lol. I had a salt and lemon chicken burger which was actually really nice and fries which were much better than in Australia and a grape soda! mmm. I love Japan! Then after that we finally went to our rooms for a much deserved sleep!

Thursday 2nd December

After a refreshing sleep and a nice breakfast Mike, Amanda and I set out to do some sightseeing together. We started out in Ueno which has a great street called Ameyoko. It has lots of market stalls and little shops. I bought a nice new handbag for myself and a lovely pack of peach green tea which I cant wait to taste. We spent most of the morning there, bought some lunch at the bakery and headed out to Asakusa. They have a big temple here which many tourists go to. Its actually really amazing to visit. I went during New Years last time and it was PACKED. They have lots of market stalls here also which lots of Japanese presents and things. In Japan it starts to get dark by about 3pm, so it always seems later than it actually is. We went back to the hotel and had dinner (a really nice pasta in a soy sauce and butter sauce with mushrooms. so good) while Mike waited for his friend Satoshi to come and pick him up, as he was going to stay with him for a week. After Satoshi arrived we all became friends really quickly and started drinking, and moved onto an Izakaya for another drink. Its been so lovely making friends along the way! Satoshi then invited us out for drinks and dinner on the Saturday night in Shibuya.

Friday 3rd December

Friday was our relaxation day. I wanted to take Amanda to a Japanese onsen so she could experience something really Japanese. An Onsen is a Japanese style hot spring. It is something that many westerners dont really get to experience because they are too embarassed, but in Japan, going to an onsen is a social thing. We went to a place called La Qua which is situated in Tokyo Dome City. It has a shopping centre, full day spa with onsen and one epic roller coaster (random yes?). We arrived at La Qua at 11am when it opened. On arrival you put away your shoes in a locker and make your way to the reception. At the reception you are presented with a wrist band which you use to open your own personal locker and also to charge beauty treatments to your account. You get special day wear for inside the complex. We went and had full body massages and foot massages which was so relaxing, and even better was that it was MUCH cheaper than it is in Australia. After all that we went into the puclic bath. I always love going to the baths because its just so relaxing. I reccommend that everyone try it at least once! We also paid a little bit extra to go into the special Baden Baden area which had lots of Saunas. It was a really fun day out! Then when we left the complex we decided to go onto the big rollercoaster. It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Saturday 4th December

On Saturday Amanda and I met up with my cousin Mai in Ikebukuro. It was so lovely to see her again. She took us to Sunshine City which is a big shopping complex and we went to a place called Namjatown. This place is like a big food theme park. We went to the Gyoza town for lunch. They have many many different stalls with different types of Gyoza. They were so delicious. I also introduced Amanda to the joys of Melon Soda. After that we went to the the Ice cream town and had yummy soft serve ice creams. After that we went around the shops and saw many lovely things that I wanted (but Im being smart and waiting till the epic new years sales when everything is really cheap!) and then we went out for an ice tea to end the afternoon. I decided to invite my cousin to come to DisneySea with us on the Monday as I always love going to the Disney theme parks with her everytime im in Japan.

At around 7pm Amanda and I made our way to Shibuya, which is a very popular district in Tokyo for young people. It is where they have the really big crossing you may have seen on tv, and also a really big Tower Records. We met Mike, Satoshi and a new guy called Sho who was very nice. The five of us went to an Izakaya where we ate and drank copious amounts! A fun night! We then quickly had a look at Tower Records and went to a bar in Shibuya. There we met another one of Satoshi's friends called Rie who was really lovely. We all had some drinks and then all decided to head home as trains stop around 12:30, even on a Saturday night which is rather inconvienient, and a taxi ride in Tokyo will burn a hole in your pocket.

Sunday 5th December

On Sunday Amanda and I headed out to Harajuku. Unfortunately for a Sunday it was empty of all the cosplay, lolita girls and other dressed up people for some reason. So instead we went shopping and bought lots of things. We went to the big Daiso (100 Yen shop), Forever 21, H&M, a really cool sock shop and lots of other great shops. We then went to a place I cant remember to meet Mike and Satoshi for lunch. We waited at the station for almost 40 minutes until they decided to show up. We then all went to a small mexican cafe for lunch. Amanda and I didnt end up eating much as we were to go out for dinner that night. After the cafe Amanda and I went down the street back up to the station that had alot of cute shops. Alot of second hand clothing too. I bought a lovely warm scarf! After going back to the hotel and getting ready, we quickly went out to Akasaka to meet one of Amanda's family friend's Mike. We had a lovely dinner with Mike where we had Chanko Nabe which is the food that Sumo wrestlers eat (lol), yakitori, yummy fish etc. was a lovely night out.

Monday 6th December

On Monday we went to DisneySea with my cousin Mai. It was such a fun day out. we arrived to the park aroun 10am and it was already packed! I had actully never seen it so packed before. The lines for the rides were absolutely epic. Luckily we worked out that if we decided to go as single riders instead of as a group, we could skip the 70 minute queues, and pretty much ride straight away. best idea ever. Best rides are The Tower of Terror and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Unfortunately the last one kept breaking down, so we only got to ride it once which was a shame. I am going next week again though with some friends from Melbourne, so hopefully I will be able to ride it again. By the middle of the day my feel were really REALLY hurting. Because of my feet being in immense pain, my stomach started hurting. This lasted until we returned to the hotel and I finally took my shoes off! But it was such a fun day. We kept buying each other presents and food. My cousin paid for dinner, and for around $15 AUD each we got a drink, a salad, a main (pasta) and a dessert. Good value, and it was actually VERY tasty! After a long long day we left after 9pm to go back to the hotel. Once we got back, Amanda asked for some ice for us both so that we could ice our feet. They hurt THAT MUCH. So we sat around in pain for ages with ice on our feet. But no regrets! Except for maybe my choice of shoes!!!!

Tuesday 7th december

So today was a really lazy kind of day. We woke up around 9:30am and just stayed in bed. We tried to contact Mike so we could catch up but we kept missing each other's facebook posts, so that feel through. Instead I decided to go to a shop called Samantha Thavasa to get a cute as bag I had been eying for a couple of days. It was expensive but worth it! Then we went to the department store called LOFT (which by the way is amazing!) and did some shopping. I bought some hot rollers as my hair curler doesnt work in Japan because of the damn voltage. After shopping we decided that we were really tired, so we went to an all you can eat place for lunch (which had great food!), stuffed our faces, and then went back to the hotel to sleep for the afternoon. Dinner was sandwiches and yoghurt from the convienience store, as it was cheap and we wernt that hungry. I cleaned up all my junk and shoved it into my suitcase so that I am ready for tomorrow when I move to my Aunt and Uncle's place. They are coming to pick me up after lunch, so the plan for tomorrow morning is to head to Harajuku for some more shopping and sightseeing.

So I hope you managed to make it through most of this post. I apologise for it being so long!

x