Kantō – Tokyo City & DisneySea

Tokyo City

Shinjuku – A major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo. Although the area immediately surrounding Shinjuku Station is home to hotels, department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants, and bars, the rest of the city is a mix of residential with commercial areas concentrated around railway stations.

Look closely at the blue neon sign in the centre :)

Who are these – Yakuza? Gangsters? Ah Bengs?

Dinner in Shinjuku: Kani Nabe (Crab Hotpot)

Ameyoko – A busy market street along the Yamanote line tracks between Okachimachi and Ueno Station, the site of a black market after World War Two. The name “Ameyoko” is a short form for “Ameya Yokocho” (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, “Ame” also stands for “America”, because a lot of American products used to be available on the black market.

Packs and packs of fish roe. Yummilicious!

Local snacks at reasonable prices :)

Street lined with rows of vending machines

Ginza – A district of Chūō, named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period. It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. It is recognised as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Prominent boutiques are Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.

Elections are nearing and the streets are littered with campaign vans

MINI’s new concept showroom in Ginza, Tokyo.

We stopped at Matsuzakaya for some shopping and lunch. Matsuzakaya Department Store is one of the oldest department store in Japan established in 1611. It was the first Japanese department store that did not require its customers to remove their shoes for entering.

Cherries ¥10,500 – Strawberries ¥3,150 – mandarins ¥22,800

Rockmelons ¥31,500 – Mangoes – Peaches ¥6,300 – Mangoes ¥5,250

Tokyo DisneySea
A 176 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea and its companion park Tokyo Disneyland are the only Disney parks in the world not owned by The Walt Disney Company.

There are seven uniquely themed areas or “ports of call”. The entrance to the park is Mediterranean Harbour, which opens up to six more nautically themed ports: American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.

Venetian Gondolas @ Mediterranean Harbour

Tower of Terror @ American Waterfront

Overview of Arabian Coast

Looking at pottery @ Arabian Coast

Ariel’s Playground @ Mermaid Lagoon

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea @ Mysterious Island

Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull @ Lost River Delta

This is one of a three part entry of our trip to Honshū, Japan. Other places we visited on this trip are Nara, Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, Mount Fuji Lake District & Gifu.