2020

[Japan 2020] Things to do in Tokyo, Japan [Part 1]


Just some suggestions for fun ways to explore Tokyo!

It's actually sort of memory log of my Tokyo trip lol XD

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20 Dec 2019
Indulge yourself in all-you-can-eat desserts

Cafe Ron Ron, Harajuku 🍰🥞🧁🍩🍮

Visited the viral cafe in Tokyo's pop culture centre Harajuku.
Thanks to my job I could eat for free (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

It's more like a theme park as I'd say experience > taste, while the taste is actually decent. All the little plates of dessert are kawaii so it's very instagrammable! Grab the savory option once it's out because it's in high demand among all the sugary stuff lol. Also I found coffee is good at balancing out the taste.

More details:
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/02/japan-2020-cafe-ron-ron-review-all-you.html


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20 Dec 2019
Surrounded by dazzling golden lights in the most luxurious avenue

Omotesando Illumination 2019 by Google Pixel 🎇

In contrast to Western culture which XMAS decoration is just for own houses, winter illumination in public space is everywhere in Japan. That's because XMAS is more like a couple thing for Japanese I guess... walking in the lights is definitely romantic haha!

 There was a specific time when the music started playing and the lights would blink along with the rhythm, very cool!

There wasn't Covid-19 but the biting wind...mask is useful against the cold!

And it worked well in hiding double chin! ( ´ ▽ ` )

The shiny, glittering street lights acted as a beautiful backdrop.
きらきら☆...?

I can be a good photographer too...! (→_→)


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21 Dec 2019
Watch colorful fireworks lighting up the night sky

Odaiba Firework Festival 🎆


 It's always my dream to see firework in Japan - it's a MUST in romance anime!!
However, I never had the chance to visit during summer... (usually firework is a summertime thing)
So Odaiba Firework Festival in December was a surprise to me lol, lucky :3
Source: Tokyo Odaiba Official Site

 Odaiba is a fun place to visit with a beautiful beach, the gigantic statue of Gundam, Statue of Liberty replica, a giant Ferris wheel, and the significant rainbow bridge. I've done the sightseeing here last time, so this time we only came for the firework! 

 We arrived pretty late (7pm) and found a place to sit on the beach, just a few steps away from the seawater. Thank god I brought my shawl to use as a blanket, to protect ourselves from the torment of winter sea breeze -_-
Before the blast 
Hanabi wa kirei na~

 Enjoy the firework~


The luminous giant XMAS tree & colorful rainbow bridge (kind of Xmas light? XD)


The sky deck is a good place to have a stroll and get a nice view of the rainbow bridge, but rather difficult to take non-selfie photos and too cold for a winter night lol.

A giant shopping mall where the highlights are the retro-style arcade & souvenir shop.


There was also a takoyaki "museum" which is just a food court with takoyaki stalls from all over Japan lol.
Takoyaki with poached egg + Takoyaki with cheese
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22 Dec 2019
Celebrate the traditional festival - Winter Solstice Festival

 Touji Matsuri at Ana Hachinmangu ⛩️


 Winter solstice is deemed as the darkest day of the year alongside the arrival of icy winter, therefore the celebration of this traditional festival is aimed to bring light and courage to the people, so the next day will be brighter and merrier °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

It was raining and cold... but I was excited to do my first shrine visit (in this trip)!

It was very crowded but organized.
Didn't buy the season limited "Ichiyo Raifuku" charm because it was pricey...TT


There was a very traditional kind of omikuji (fortune-telling paper strips) with long content that tells a lot of things like your personality, love life, career, and more. I got a really good one! :P Also got a little ceramic blue rat from the matsuri stall for my dad (it's his zodiac sign)



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28 Dec 2019
Feel like a kid again in the seaside theme park

Tokyo DisneySea 🎠🎡🎢

According to my local friend, Disney Sea is a theme park for adults as the rides & performances are more thrilling, and most importantly you can get alcoholic drinks! (but I didn't...;_;)



Arrive Disneysea at the earliest opening time (9AM) so you could grab the FastPass and save lots of waiting time. However, it normally took 1 hour from central Tokyo, we didn't want to sacrifice our sleeping time and when the fatigue hit...

Instead, we arrived around 10AM so we only managed to grab one FastPass at 3pm :c Well~ we decided to just chill & enjoy the atmosphere instead of rushing over different rides~

"Crowd calendar" that predict crowd level every day:
http://en.disneyreal.asumirai.info/monthly/6month-expect.html
Could be a reference for setting the visit date~


The significant sea globe fountain at the entrance~ 🌎

Met Pinochio's grandpa at the entrance!

Japanese like to dress up for a better theme park experience I guess uwu
Portrait photo in the park :3 



It was public holidays so...queues were everywhere and soooooo looooooong... Even food stalls had long lines x_x (luckily we brought some onigiri & sandwiches) The longest time we queued for a ride was 2 hours...>_< 

Eventually, we only managed to try 4 rides, all of them are fun:
Aquatopia - Waiting time is short~ Very chill water ride on your private boat~
Nemo & Friends SeaRider - Swimming with Nemo~ Sooo cute hahaha
Raging Spirit - Sunset on the roller coaster ＼(✧▽✧)／
Tower of Terror - Don't wanna be a spoiler, it's for those who like thrilling ride!

The park lighted up in the night!
Disneyland never loses its spark even in the dark ☆

The volcano would erupt once a while 🌋

Ariel's castle 🏰
So shiny... and still so crowded ><

Aladdin themed carousel 🎠

The nighttime water performance Fantasmic! is super marvelous! It really worthed the half an hour waiting in cold!!
(however it's said to end on March 25, 2020, why?! T_T)


Furry stuff is everywhere in the merchandise shops.
It's also a good spot to hide from cold lol.

Baymax is so soft and cuddly╰(*´︶`*)╯


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2 Jan 2020
Dress up in Kimono and wander through the old town

Kimono Rental Experience in Asakusa 👘


Search up for a kimono rental shop that suits your budget & need, then transform yourself into an elegant hime-sama (Japanese princess)!!

Take lots of photosssssssssssss
Didn't get this OOTD for cheap you know (¬‿¬ )

Drink amazake (rice drink).

Eat the famous crunchy melon-bun.
Catch the sunset view at Sumida River.

See more:
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/02/japan-2020-kimono-rental-experience-in.html



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3 Jan 2020
Visit the historical & cultural heritage site

Tokyo Imperial Palace 🏯



Pass by the Chidorigafuchi Moat on the way to the palace.
The weather was nice, we saw many locals jogging or strolling along the moat.



Well... actually we just wandered outside the palace...because we were too late! It closed...×_× The weather was so bright & sunny but windy af...


I came here because it's where Kirito & Asuna dating!!! Sorry for not having a very cultural reason... Is that why we got shut off ?!?!

Anyways we still had a good time taking random photos outside.

One of my few photos of Imperial Garden lol

This is me taking photos. 


These are photos I took...(ಠ_ಠ) ...
Out of sudden, a friendly uncle (his son was running here and there) offered to take photos for us...so yasashi!!! TT
So this is one of the rare photos of us together :3

We also chilled for a bit at the park nearby.
Ahh... Never liked sunlight until I tried sunbathing in the winter...So warm and cozy~ (*¯︶¯*)


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5 Jan 2020
Appreciate the beauty & serenity of Japanese garden

Rikugien Garden 🌲


Hadn't watched Garden of the Mist when we visited here lol... but we somehow attracted by the images on the internet. Rikugien is quite a big place to explore. Heard that its peak of beauty was during the autumn foliage season! What a shame we were there during winter. Still pretty anyway... just a bit... freezing...×﹏×
Source: Matcha JP

There weren't many visitors even during the weekend, it wasn't a popular site in winter I guess.

New year decorations at the entrance.
Mini Fuji-san da!!


Also some free-to-use traditional clothes and props for photography lol
Hakama (traditional working clothes) and lantern → a Japanese gardener!


A beautiful lake in the middle of the garden.


Found a cozy corner to take a rest and have food~


Climb up the hill for the gorgeous view!
What a therapeutic scene :)
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To be continued... (*¯︶¯*)

[👷 Part 2 🚧]
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🌸
~Check out my other posts on Japan Travel~

Kimono Rental Experience in Tokyo
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/02/japan-2020-kimono-dressing-up.html

Food Review: Cafe Ron Ron in Harajuku
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/02/japan-2020-cafe-ron-ron-review-all-you.html

Food Review: Monjayaki in Tsukishima
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/04/japan-2020-taste-of-tokyo-monjayaki.html

Kimono Rental Experience in Kyoto

Udon-making Experience in Kagawa
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/02/japan-2020-udon-making-experience-in.html

SAKE 101: A Beginner Guide to Japanese Drinks
https://travellingwithjustechoo.blogspot.com/2020/04/japan-2020-beginner-guide-to-japanese.html



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