Tokyo (25 - 28 Dec) Part 2
The feel and mood of DisneySea was vastly different from Disneyland. The attractions and rides weren't as cutesy and kiddy as Disneyland, and even the shopping wasn't as enticing. Or perhaps I say that coz I have already visited 2 Disneylands and wasn't as easily taken in as the previous times by the array of goodies. Sis and I took some time to warm up to the rides, and even less time to cam-whore. We managed to catch a touching good-vs-evil water "fight" between a sea dragon and a lady of the waters at BraviSEAmo! at the Mediterranean harbour, and the closing fireworks.
Due to some trouble with 新幹線 (Shinkansen) tickets, we had to cancel 1 night in Sapporo. I stayed up till 1.30 am looking for accommodations online in Hakodate for Sat night, and had to wake up at 4.15 am to get to Tsukiji Fish Market, which I had missed out on previously. However, by the time we got there in a bleary haze, the market activities had already ended! We thought of having breakfast at one of the shops near the market, but after queuing for an hour, we decided to forego it and go forage for sustenance elsewhere. The early morning wind was so chilly that I had to put on my leather gloves for the walk to the subway.
We then made our way to Asakusa by the Ginza line to see the Sensoji temple in the midst of New Year preparations. We found a yummy hot snack in the form of a pumpkin agemanju near the temple, after sampling a traditional candy on a stick halfway through the street. Sis wanted to try her hand at reading her fortune by shaking a chopstick out of a tin. Hilarity ensued, when she asked me while tying her fortune slip onto a stand, "If I tear this, does it mean..." and at that very moment, she ripped the slip into 2! Her expression was priceless, and from her accounts, my expression mirrored hers as well.
As Sis wanted to look for a gadget, we headed to Akihabara (which was a tongue-twister for her at first, much to my amusement), which is famous for its range of electronic goods. This is where the Otakus hang out, apparently.
After Akihabara, we headed for Uniqlo at Shinjuku for a quick shopping fix before looking for Keiko at one of the many exits that Shinjuku has. Guess who her new bf was? Tomoaki, from the Japan Men's team! In fact, I spotted him first before seeing the person whose hand was attached to his. They brought us to a hotel in the Shinjuku area, but not before getting lost, even with GPS.
After dinner, we proceeded to Tokyo Tower amidst the cold drizzle. Tomoaki was so thoughtful; he popped into a convenience store along the way and bought 2 umbrellas plus hot cans of coffee for us.
Tokyo Tower was beautiful at night; however the cold marred our enjoyment of the sight. We took the obligatory photos and then scuttled back to the station to head for home. We arrived home, cold and wet, prompting Tomoyuki to ask in concern, “大丈夫？” (daijyoubu, meaning "Are you alright?")
It was great catching up on Japan floorball news with Keiko. There were a few surprises we heard during dinner, with people getting married and/or pregnant. "Baby boom", as Keiko put it.
posted by Addy @ 12:23 PM
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