Unbelievable Tokyo

Visit Asakusa Kannon Temple (Asakusa Station); this major tourist spot has a big lantern at the main gate and a shopping street leading all the way to the temple shrine. Visit Sanrio Puroland (KEIO-Tama Center Station), aka Hello Kitty Land, a very good alternative to Disneyland if you are already sick of it. Visit Meiji Shrine (Harajuku Station) -- not only do you get to visit the past emperor shrines, but on weekends, you will get to see teenagers dressed up and posing for tourists right beside the train station. If you like to buy electronic products, go to Electric City in Akihabara (Akihabara Station), where you will find all the latest gadgets at a good bargain.

Visit Sunshine City (Ikebukuro Station). Sunshine City is a beautiful shopping town that even has a theme park (Namco Namjatown). This park has too many rides and attractions to do in a day, and you will need to understand Japanese to enjoy them all, but fret not -- just pay the entrance fees to get in, and you will feel just great by seeing others enjoy. There is also Sunshine International Aquarium at the top floor (which has a mini zoo as well).

Before you leave Ikekuburo Station, remember to visit Toyota Auto Salon Amulux Tokyo, to see the latest models Toyota has launched! You will even enjoy the pretty babes in the showroom!! Visit Odaiba, the Tokyo Waterfront Area, which is a very photogenic area where you can find Sunshine Bridge, Tokyo Big Sights, Palette Town, the Fuji TV Station, and could even take a water taxi. Visit Tama-Tech, a children’s theme park (Tama-Dobutsukoen Station), they are over 30 rides for children and adults.

Try to watch a J-League Soccer match at Ajinomoto Stadium (Tobitakyu Station), too. It will be an experience you will never forget, for the sports fever of the Japanese fans. And if you like to shop in the open, with stalls lined up in the streets, you must visit Amekoyo streets (Ueno Station), as this place has so much to offer and lots of things to try out.

I avoided places like Ginza and Shibuya that mainly consisted of boutiques and department stores only.

Quick Tips:

One-hundred-yen shops are plenty all around Tokyo, where everything goes for 100 yen. They are superb places to find cheap stuff.

Best Way To Get Around:

• Unit Type: Studio
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Very Good

The street shops are a great place to shop for souvenirs: kimonos, yukatas, key-chains, foldable fans, ornaments, t-shirts, lanterns, and much more. You can even get very cute gifts parcels in many different shapes and sizes. Nakamise Dori offers a few good local, traditional snacks, like the rice crackers (you must try the freshly fried and soya salted ones – they’re extremely addictive!). Also available was Agemanju, a deep-fried, soft cake with red bean-paste filling. You can easily spend two hours just shopping and appreciating the food.

Beyond the Hozomon main gate is Sensoji Temple's main building, and on the left is a five-story pagoda. Before entering the main building, you may wash up at a small hut beside the street. We followed what the Japanese did. We cleaned our faces and hands. Once in the temple, you will realize that many people are frantically shaking hexagonal containers of numbered sticks. When one of the sticks "pops" out of the container, they will look at the number and search for a corresponding charm paper at the cabinets beside the shrine. They do this to ask the god to tell them their futures. You may make an offering by lighting a candle beside the shrine, and please remember to put some money (minimum 50 yen) into the money box. In and around the temple, you may be able to put a few charm bags; there are different ones for love, wealth, health, and prosperity. Outside the main temple, there are different altars, which you may find interesting. The Japanese we witnessed started to rub their cheeks and forehead, we believe it brings good luck!

You can find two big department stores, Odakyu and Keio, in the west exits. These offer almost everything, from fashion to food to imported products. We enjoyed the basement floor of these shopping areas the best. The basement sell freshly cooked Japanese food. They have bentos, which are extremely tasty for very reasonable price. Also on offer are freshly baked Japanese cookies and pastries. Most are remarkably packaged and well suited as gifts to friends and relatives.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a 10-minute walk to the south from the east exit. There European gardens consist of the French Formal Garden, with rows of beautiful sycamore trees and rising trees, and the English Landscape Garden, with a vast extending lawn. There is also the Japanese Traditional Garden, with an iris pond and teahouse that harmonize perfectly with each other. Having a picnic in the garden was definitely a treat for us.

From Shinjuku Station, walking back to the resort (Sun Members), you will pass Electric Street, which offers nine Sakuraya Stores and various dining establishments. Pachinko Parlours are aplenty in this area. I tried my luck in two of them, but Lady Luck was not shining on me-I lost ¥10,000, and in return, only got cigarette-smelling clothing and mushy hair.

Overall, Shinjuku was a fantastic town, and everywhere is filled with people, so you will always feel energized.

Tip: take the express service to Chofu station (two stops from Shinjuku), and then change to the train heading to the Hashimoto Station. From Chofu to Tama Ceneter Station, it’s only three stops with the express service. This way you can avoid the local train, which stops at every station (a total of 25 stations from Shinjuku to Tama Center).

From the station, it’s another 10-minute walk to the park. Once nearing the park, the majestic theme park entrance will greet you (see photo below). The passport price for same-day purchase is ¥4400 and ¥3300 for an adult and child (4 to 11years) respectively. (Visa and MasterCard are accepted.)

Once inside, the park is a swamp of various cartoon mascots. Every kid is just busy trying to get a hug with these characters.

There is a mini-ride in the indoor park. After the ride, we immediately go around to attend the different live performance and shows in the park. (Read the schedule given by park.) The performance is done on very deliberated stages, perfect for photography.

There is also a gift shop in the park-and obviously the main featured creature is Hello Kitty. Do not miss the gaming Arcade Park, as the variety of the games available will blow you away.

Don’t miss the attractions like the Ice-cream Factory, Bread Factory, Wishing Tree, and many others offering ample photography opportunities.

MOST IMPORTANT:
The Grand Parade at the main center stage is around 3:30pm. This is definitely the icing on the cake of the entire day of fun. Every character, from Melody, Kerropi, Pekkele, Pochaco, Badzt Maru, and Giant Purin to Dear Daniel, will be out here performing. The act was that an evil monstrous-looking creature that somehow kidnapped Hello Kitty. Somehow, Hello Kitty was eventually released, and the grand finale featuring Hello Kitty "flying" in on a horse with wings!

It’s a pity that all these were conducted in Japanese. If they weren’t, we would have appreciated it even more.

The match was to be played between Tokyo Verdy 1969 F.C and Nagoya Grampus Eight F.C at the Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.

I took the train to the Tobitakyu Station on the Keio Line. Immediately, I could sense the electric atmosphere of a football carnival. Fans with painted faces and football jerseys were everywhere. The streets were filled with football fans carrying flags and horns. Children, ladies, and men, both young and elderly, seemed to be ready for the ultimate football party.

Tip: get a return train ticket when you arrive, as there will be a long queue after the match.

I bought hot dogs, sushi, crackers, and beer to make sure I was fully equipped to enjoy the football action. Again, make sure you make the purchase at the convenient stores along the way to Ajinomoto Stadium. The prices at the stadium are pretty steep compare to the stores.

Upon reaching the stadium, I was greeted with souvenir-grabbing fans. Most fans being crazy about the team they support, they were willing to spend lots of money on football souvenirs to show their support.

Not to be left out, I managed to get some free paper flags and whistle from the ushers. I entered the stadium and chose a seat near the home fans (Tokyo Verdy). The fans were just fantastic. They were cheering, chanting, and singing throughout the entire match. There were giant flags being waved by a few strong lads.

The giant TV in the stadium was incredible. Not only did it provide the player’s profiles before kick-off, but it also provided instant replay on the goals scored and super saves made.

Unknowingly, I joined in with the crowd to start humming the songs. The action on the field was not to be forgotten. There were four fantastic goals. Tokyo Verdy eventually won it with a 3-1 score against the Nagoya team. It was such a wonderful experience.

Starting from the JR station, you could easily find Ameyoko through the signboard (in red fonts and white background, lit in the evening). Ameyoko is formed mainly by four main parallel streets (or almost parallel) and many small little links between them.

Jancy went into action right away. There was a big shoe store having a big sale right across the street from the train station. The shop was so packed, but she just wouldn’t give up. In the end, she bought four pairs of shoes for my two little girls, Rochelle and Xanessta at ¥500 each. That was really a bargain!

Immediately, we turned into the small streets and headed to the market streets. The market offers many things, ranging from perishable products to children's and ladies' apparel. It was another eye-opener to us. Bags and handbags, clothes, jeans, cute little umbrellas, hats, satin dolls, belts, perfume, watches, cosmetics, stationery, clocks, sports shoes, Swiss Army knives, souvenirs, Levi's jeans and jackets, suitcases and haversacks, rings and jewellery, swimsuits, etc, etc, etc, were on sale!

I particulary liked the shop that sells Levi’s apparel. I bought a pair of 533 at only ¥5500! While I was quite happy with my find, Jancy had a field day. She loved almost everything she saw (just take a look at the pic below -- I was lucky I brought the stroller along, as I could hang all the shopping bags on it).

Food was also a major highlight in Ameyoko: seaweeds, salmon, quails’ eggs, fish eggs, crab legs, octopus, tuna, and even sea urchin is on sale. Other traditional Japanese dried food was also available.

I was particularly adventurous that day, when I tasted many things in Ameyoko. One particular one was from a street hawker; it was a pan-fried "cake". I think it was made up of flour and vegetables and lots of mayonnaise and soya sauce toppings. It was not bad.

Ameyoko was one of the best places we visited in Tokyo. If I were to return Tokyo, Ameyoko surely will be on our list again!

First Floor: Amulux Welcome Information Counter. Other than the Toyota’s Formula One, TF104 on exhibit, it has an F1 cube, a cubicle that boast a large LCD TV to enhance visual and audio experience for visitors. The other major highlight of this floor is the Amlux Theater. This spaceship look-alike presents Toyota’s history and future through a high-quality picture and sound system.

2nd Floor: This floor showcases recreational and welfare service vehicles. There is also a kid's corner on this floor, just in case your kids get bored. What I like about this floor is the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) Simulator. You can sit on a Daytona race-car-style machine to test out Car-Navigation and G-Book on the console.

3rd Floor: The cars on this level are designed for families and young adults. There is also a TRD accessories collection on display on this floor.

4th Floor: The fourth floor is dedicated to luxury cars, and I spent the most time on this floor, admiring the different models of sports cars on display.

5th Floor: Amlux Hall, only open to public if there is a special forum or seminar.

Other than the cars on display, look out for the pretty car babes who go through a fanciful car-cleaning routine.

Opening Time: Tuesdays – Sundays, 11am-7pm
Free Admission
Station: Ikebukero Station (about a 10-minute walk)
Collect a copy of the English brochure at the information desk on the first floor if you don’t understand Japanese.

If you understand Japanese, then it will be worthwhile to pay the passport fees, or else just pay for the admission ticket (¥300) to enter Namja Town. (Passports are cheaper compared to paying individual ride fees.)

Visitors could rent a baby toy cat before entering the facility to enhance their interactive play in the park. The cat serves as a participant, which may have its life shortened or lengthened by going to different sites of the park.

Namja Town is divided into different sections. These are the interesting ones:

Gyoza (Dumpling) Stadium (second floor): This is actually a street with various shops selling gyoza from all over Japan. Other than the variety of dumpling on sale, seating arrangements are very interesting. If you don’t just want to sit at a normal table to eat, you could choose to go to some Japanese-style rooms, locker rooms, drinking pub, or back alley to eat. Prices are from ¥300 and up for three gyoza.

Suburb Town (second floor): This is a large ghost town, which I find it quite cute and funny. There is a bicycle ride, which you may cycle with your toy cat, where you are supposed to avoid the ghost because it may shorten the cat’s life. There are different huts and rooms with interactive buttons, which when depressed, a ghost or some scary figure will jump out and try to frighten the visitor. There is also a mini-theatre (completed with a moving stage) where you can watch a short horror movie. The adventure of the cats depends on how willing you are to explore the whole park. There are various sites that can top up the cat’s life. It is quite interesting, as some are hidden in ridicules places, like trash areas and props that look like toilets. You can even play detective in one area to solve the puzzle to five past incidents.

Ice-Cream City (third floor): Ice-cream, soft ice-cream, gelato, yogurt, profiterole parfait and all sort of dessert with all sorts of different flavors and all sorts of different toppings are available here. Be it from Turkey, Italy, France or Japan, these ice creams will surely blow your minds. Where else can you find unbelievable variety, including funny flavors like rice cake, custard, garlic, durian, potato, octopus, chicken, etc. Don’t worry if you have a weak stomach-typical flavors like strawberry, chocolate, coffee, toffee, etc., are also on sale. I tried the Honey Island Parfait and cucumber ice cream. Both were very good. Prices are from ¥400 and up.

You must understand Japanese to fully appreciate Namja Town, but it still will be a new experience for any first-timer. Furthermore, the park is a great place to take pictures.

To reach TamaTech, take the train (on Keio Line) to Tama-Dobutsu-Koen Station (Tama Zoo Station), and then take the TamaTech feeder bus from outside the station (7-minute ride that costs ¥170) to the theme park entrance.

One-Day Matopia Passport- Adult ¥4,000, Child (6 to 11 years): ¥3,000, and Young Child (3 to 5 years): ¥2,200

If you intend to just enjoy a few rides, you could just pay the admission fees (¥1,600, ¥800, and ¥800 respectively) and then pay the rides fees separately in the park. It opens daily, but may close due to weather-just call 042/591-0820 to check.

Selected Attractions (Fees listed are payable if not using the passport)
(Pink 13) Space Shot (¥800)– Similar to the Paramount’s Great America Drop-Zone, it’s a vertical launch at 65km/hr with a pull of 4G. The Space Shot send you 50m high!

(Pink 17) Big Ferris Wheel (¥500)– This wheels takes you to the top of the park and provides a magnificent bird’s eye view of the surroundings!

(Orange 2) Canadian Jet Rider (¥500)– This roller coaster negotiates the sharpest corners. Fast and furious, it will definitely bring the screams out of anyone.

(Orange 4) Paddleboat (¥400)– This is for the family-you can enjoy by "cycling" the amphibious vehicle, which runs both on the land and water. You will get slightly wet.

(Orange 5) Super Sky Rider (¥500)– This "flying" monorail lets you tour around the center of the theme park in a quick wonderful ride.

(Orange 8) Hyper Cart (¥500)– This is a high-powered machine for you to cruise through the 1.2km of paths, passing through bridges and ravines.

(Orange 22) Moth Lyon (¥600)–This moth-looking ride travels in threes. It’s a roller coaster with a different attitude.

(Purple 10) 4D Motion Theater (¥400)– This is a four-dimensional insight showcasing a story about a dinosaur. Be careful, as the seat rocks and mist is sprayed when the dinosaur sneezes!

(Purple 12) Racing Go-Kart GX (¥600)– You can challenge up to five friends in this race. I dare you not to step on the brakes at the sharp corners and bends.

Parents need not worry about kids being left out, as there are also many rides suited for the child, like the Merry-go-round (¥300), Flower-Cup (¥300), Mini-Airplane (¥300), Motor-Cycle Parade (¥300), Electric Automobile (¥300), TV Street Car (¥300), Formula GP (¥500), Robotic Machine (¥300), Kids Drive (¥300), Vintage Drive (¥300), Drift Kids Racer (¥300), Tri-Motorcyle (¥300), Kids Motorcycle (¥300), etc.

Other than the rides, visitors can try the fair games to try to win prizes. And there is also performance by the park mascots on the center stage. The mascots are extremely cute while dancing and hopping around. Don’t forget to take some pictures while they roam the park.

At the entrance of the shrine is a gigantic torii gate (see picture below), which was built from some 1,700-year-old cypress trees from Taiwan. The gate marks the gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds. When passing under the torii, the worshippers’ hearts and minds are purified before praying to the gods and spirits. The path leading to the inner shrine temple features a few more Torii gates, which were donated by different groups of people.

Along the way, the visitor will get to see an extremely big shelf of sake barrels. Many companies donated them to the shrine and its monks. Upon reaching the Outer Garden entrance, visitors will find a small fountain provided at a corner for them to purify themselves by rinsing their hands and mouths.

In the Outer Garden, you can see two huge trees left and right, and under one of them are the prayer plates. You can buy empty ones and inscribe your wishes. Those are then burnt. At another corner of the Outer Garden is the Meiji Memorial Hall, where the shrine carries on one of its important religious activities, like performing Shinto-wedding ceremonies. I was lucky that day, as I got to witness two couples having their weddings performed at the shrine. It was really a major experience. The monk would somehow sound the drum after the priest went through a series of rituals.

The main temple shrine is just ahead. There is a small courtyard in front of the temple entrance. The gates in there have very nice decorations. From here, you can see the main hall, where the shrine of the great Meiji Emperor and Empress are. I prayed and made wishes just like most Japaneses did. I was happy to make the trip to this shrine. It was certainly marvellous.

Tips: Go on Thursday or Sunday, as weddings are typically on these days.