August Trip Report

[shaycamp21]

I have been back from Japan for about 2 weeks and I finally found some time to start writing this trip report. On this trip it was my DH, myself and our youngest daughter who turned 12 a few days after we returned home which was a bonus since she qualified for child pricing which was under 12 for a lot of places.

Japan and Tokyo Disney Resort were a small part of an epic overall trip to Southeast Asia which started with 5 nights in Singapore then a 12 cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas (at some point I will write a trip report for that for the RCCL board) with ports in Vietnam, Hong Kong (2 days in port here and we did do a day at Hong Kong Disneyland here is the trip report if anyone is interested :https://www.disboards.com/threads/hong-kong-disneyland-one-day-trip-report.3927241/), Taiwan and 2 ports in Japan: Kobe (we did a shore excursion to Kyoto here) and Shizumi, finally ending in Yokohama. We spent two nights in Tokyo post-cruise then 3 nights at the Ambassador Hotel with a day in each park before flying home to Toronto.

For the purpose of this trip report, I will focus on our time in Japan post cruise and honestly it just wasn’t enough time in Japan. We just loved the people, the culture, the food and as mentioned before by previous posters how clean it was. And the scenery was stunning. It really was one of our favourite places we visited in Asia (though I have to mention Singapore was beautiful and exceptionally clean too). We definitely need to go back and really spend some time exploring more of Japan. Though we’d have to go at another time of the year, as it was so unbelievably hot (and that was everywhere in Southeast Asia but I think the worst heat was in Taiwan). The heat just zaps and drains your energy so we weren’t able to do as much as we would have liked. I think Autumn or cherry blossom season would be incredible. One day, I have to go back, hopefully soon.

So I was really stressed about how we would get to Tokyo from the cruise port, a taxi would have been way too expensive and I really didn’t want to haul all our luggage (and we had A LOT) onto public transportation. Fortunately, Royal came out with a surprisingly budget friendly post cruise excursion to the Sensoji Temple with a drop off in Ginza which is where our hotel was. Getting off the ship we went through immigration fairly quickly (we had to do this for every port in Japan–they didn’t ask us any questions, just looked at our passports, the Customs form and Disembarkation card and we were free to go), and then met our tour group and guide. There were some people that had their luggage opened and searched. Our guide spoke English really quite well and shared some history about the Temple on the way, though we later found out that he was actually from China not Japan. I was actually quite surprised how little English was spoken in Japan compared to everywhere else we visited in Southeast Asia. However, the Japanese people were just lovely, so kind, friendly and helpful despite the language barrier.

The bus ride to Asakusa took about an hour and when we got off the bus there was a great view of the Tokyo Sky Tree which we did not have time to visit but at least we got to snap some good pics of. We had about an hour to explore the Temple area and it was just so bright and vibrant with the giant red lantern hanging from the Kaminarimon Gate and the 5 story Pagoda. You were allowed to take pictures everywhere except in the Gokyuden, the room inside the main prayer hall of the temple which was filled with beautiful and intricate golden objects. We also walked around Nakamise-dori Street which was filled with shops selling food and souvenirs–many of which were not open or had limited food available since it was still early (around 10 am). I am sorry though we didn’t at least try something from some of the places that were open. We ended up just grabbing some lattes (and matcha latte for DD) from a Starbucks on the way back to the bus and they were delicious, not if sure if it is because SB is just so much better in Japan or because we’d been deprived of good coffee for 2 weeks (the coffee on the ship was horrendous).

The bus dropped us off at the Ginza 6 mall which everyone was surprised about (many were thinking we’d be dropped off at a train station). Google maps said we were about 10 minutes away from our hotel but it was already crazy hot and with all our luggage we didn’t attempt to walk it. After waiting for a bit and trying to find a cab to hail that was big enough for the luggage we just ended up booking an Uber, which in Japan felt like a luxury experience with the drivers in suits and white gloves. It cost us $29 for a 10 minute Uber ride to our hotel so I can only imagine what it would have cost from the cruise port over an hour away.

We stayed at the Miramu Tokyo Ginza East, which is an apartment style hotel. It was nothing fancy but was super clean and was surprisingly spacious. They do have Pokemon themed rooms but since our daughter wasn’t a fan we didn’t bother to pay extra to stay in one. We stayed in a family loft apartment which had two single beds that were pushed together on the bottom and two bunks facing each other on the top (oh man were the beds hard–one of the only things I didn’t like about Japan). There was a banquette for seating and kitchen with cooktop, microwave and good-sized fridge. There were also cups, plates, cutlery and cooking utensils. You could also borrow small appliances like blenders and even rice cookers from the front desk but since we were only there for 2 nights we didn’t do any cooking, we basically only used the fridge. There was a shower room with a large tub and toiletries and toilet room (can I say how much I love those Japanese high tech toilets) there was also a mini sink with a soap pump in the toilet room and there also was an area outside with a large sink and mirror for getting ready. The hotel had all the amenities like slippers, toothbrushes etc.. to grab in the lobby area instead of in the room. There was also a self-serve laundry on the first floor.

It was still early when we arrived at the hotel around 11:30 am and check in wasn’t until 3 pm so they graciously offered to store our luggage. We were starving by this point and asked for recommendations where to go for sushi. The hotel staff spoke English very well but again neither were from Japan (one was from India and the other was from the Philippines). They recommended going to a place close to the Tsukiji Fish Market which was about a 20 minute walk. Sadly we didn’t get a chance to really explore the fish market by the time we walked to the restaurant in the blazing sun and we were drenched in sweat and just wanted to get out of the heat. We were a little lost on how to get a table at the restaurant (I wish I could remember the name) but a couple showed us that we had to write our name down on a list outside. We waited for about 15 minutes and were taken inside to our table. The waiter didn’t speak much English but we were able to communicate what we wanted by pointing to pictures on the menu. The menu was not in English but funnily enough there were English instructions on the back on the proper etiquette on how to eat sushi. We totally failed on the etiquette. Oh my goodness this was the best sushi of my life – so fresh and delicious the tuna especially, just melted in my mouth. We thought we had also ordered tempura shrimp and I guess technically they were but not what we were used to. They were tiny battered shrimp not cleaned with the heads, eyes, legs and shells attached but we did still eat most of it so not to be rude and they were tasty enough. It was quite reasonable around 6000 yen for two large platters of assorted sushi, twelve tuna rolls, the shrimp and iced green tea.

After lunch we walked to the fish market but it was super crowded so we decided to go back later but never found the time. Our DD was obsessed with going to a 7-Eleven after watching so many youtube videos about all the tasty food they had but the one we found wasn’t that well stocked. I was hoping to get some of those egg salad sandwiches for breakfast but they didn’t have any so we just grabbed some water and some snacks and headed back to our hotel. It was around 2:40 pm but we were able to get into our room. We were exhausted by this point from the heat and also from getting up so early to disembark from the ship so we ended up napping when we woke up, it was pouring rain (there was a Typhoon that was supposed to hit Osaka and we were starting to get some of the after effects). So we decided to do some laundry, we had quite a bit since there wasn’t a self-serve laundry on the ship. With the heat you’d sweat through your clothes so you couldn’t wear things again without washing. This ended up taking a lot longer than expected, washing was quick but the drying took forever (it was 300 yen to wash and dry but the dryer time was only 30 min) and in the end we just hung up a bunch of clothes around the room to finish drying.

By this point it was 8:30 pm and there was not much around where we were staying that was still open. It was a very quiet area. We remembered though there was this burger place we had passed on on our way to lunch that was open later so we went there. It was a cute diner style place and again we communicated our order by pointing to pictures on the menu. I had hoped to have had something more Japanese, since we were in Japan after all, but wow were these burgers good– probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Our meal here was quite pricey, costing a bit more than our lunch, but we really enjoyed it.

Since we had our daughter in tow we didn’t experience much nightlife on this trip, though honestly most days we were pretty exhausted after spending our day out in the heat. We headed back to our hotel and went to bed since we had to be up early to go to teamLab Planets. I will share more about going to teamLab and Shibuya tomorrow. That’s all for now.

Also I’d be happy to answer any questions.

 

[shaycamp21]

Sorry about the lapse between posts,I have been so busy at work this week.

So the next morning was Sunday and we had a 9:30 am reservation at teamLab Planets Tokyo (I had bought our tickets on Klook and we had to choose a time). We had looked up on Google maps how to get there using the closest train station to our hotel (Shintomichō Sta). At the time of our trip they had temporarily suspended the purchase of Pasmo and Suica Cards, though we weren’t sure if we actually would have needed one since this was the only day we had planned to use the train. We bumbled around for a bit trying to figure out how to use the machine to purchase the tickets but eventually figured it out (there are English settings). In hindsight we should have just bought a day pass as we had to purchase another ticket when we transferred trains at the next Station because it was a different line. TeamLab was a short walk from the Shin-Toyosu Station and we got there right on time but still had to wait in line in the hot sun for around 15-20 minutes before we were let in.


When you get inside they have you put all your things, including your shoes in a locker except for your cell phone. It’s not a good idea to wear a dress or skirt because you walk through areas with mirrors on the ground that you walk on (they do have shorts you can use however if you forget). You also walk through sections of water, some fairly deep (it was up to my knees) so it’s a good idea to wear shorts. You start with the water exhibits and then do the garden sections and you are barefoot throughout except one garden room where you are provided with a pair of slides to wear. It was quite busy and I found you got rushed by the staff somewhat through the exhibits (especially the rooms with crystals and the hanging flowers)– we got inside around 9:50 and we were done with the whole experience by 10:30.

Overall, I found the teamLab experience a little underwhelming because we had done something similar when we were in Singapore at the Cloud Forest Avatar Experience in the Gardens By the Bay Attraction which had more to offer and was a better value. Sure there are some cool and instagrammamble exhibits at teamLab (if you are able to stay in the rooms long enough to take decent pictures) and it was a nice break (albeit a short one) from the heat but it is quite out of the way and there really isn’t much else to see or do around that part of the city. For us with such limited time in Tokyo it was a skippable attraction and not worth the 3000 yen pp we paid for a 40 min experience but YMMV.

The next plan for the day was to go to Shibuya to see the scramble crossing, get lunch, walk around and then head to Akihabara since our daughter loves and Anime and Sanrio. My husband used Google Translate to ask the Station Attendant at one of the booths how to get to Shibuya. This time we bought a day pass, however we ended up having to buy another day pass when we realized we had to transfer to a different line. We stopped in the transfer station to buy some pastries (they were fresh and yummy) to tie us over because we were starving, by this point since all we’d had were some drinks from a vending machine and some leftover 7 Eleven snacks which were not substantial.

By the time we got to Shibuya it was raining quite heavily (though still hot and muggy) so we walked around the mall that was attached to the station until it let up a bit. We had considered purchasing Shibuya Sky tickets on Klook when I had bought our teamLab tickets but was glad I didn’t because with the rain the visibility wasn’t great. Our hotel had umbrellas we could use so we brought one and we also had another we had purchased in Kyoto with us so we decided to venture out and find the scramble crossing. It was busy and overwhelming for sure, but it was just exciting to be there after watching so many videos of it. Shibuya was a lot more crowded than Ginza, especially where we were staying, but it still had a zen vibe to it, I don’t know how to explain or describe it. We explored some of the shops and streets for a couple hours and found a Daiso that our DD had to shop in which had quite a bit of Disney themed merchandise. DD also had to try a Korean corn dog which had chunks of potato in the batter and cheese and sausage inside (I had a few bites and it was pretty tasty). DH and I couldn’t really decide on where to eat lunch. Most of the restaurants were tiny with counters or seats that were full and many had lines.

It started raining again and quickly turned into a downpour (effects of Typhoon Lan) and we started getting soaked despite the umbrellas. We found a station and since the forecast wasn’t great we decided to head back to Ginza instead of Akihabara which was disappointing but the right decision in the end. When we got off at the station in Ginza there was a mall across from which we made a beeline to try to find somewhere to eat as DH and I were light-headed from lack of food at this point. Sadly almost all the stores and restaurants inside were closed. We did find a coffee shop that was open and got these delicious coffee and ice cream concoctions, a sort of coffee milkshake.

We had got off at a different station from the one we started at in Ginza which was farther away from our hotel. The rain was now torrential and it was windy –it seemed like a tropical storm (it was a little unnerving) –biblical rain my DH called it. It was like that for about an hour and when it was just pouring we realized it probably wasn’t going to let up so we just sucked it up and walked the 25 minutes back to our hotel. Though by the time we got there it was only drizzling. We decided after our ordeal we were going to treat ourselves to some Wagyu so asked the front desk staff if they had any recommendations of where to go and they made a reservation for us at this cute Japanese Steakhouse. We changed out of our wet clothes and headed out. The food was incredible and surprisingly, reasonably priced. We had an eclectic mix of dishes: grilled vegetables, Wagyu skewers, beef fried rice and spicy garlic pizza but it was all sooo good.

Next up brunch @ A Happy Pancake and checking into the Ambassador Hotel.

 

[shaycamp21]

The next morning (Monday) was our check out day out of our hotel in Ginza and our check in to the Ambassador Hotel. We had read that they were pretty strict about the 3 pm check in time at Disney so we didn't see the point of heading to the hotel too early especially since we weren't planning to go to any parks that day. So once we checked out of our hotel (they said they could hold our luggage for a couple of hours) we decided to check out more of Ginza and go for brunch.

Our daughter really wanted to try the Japanese souffle pancakes and I had found a place in Ginza called “A Happy Pancake” (it’s chain–they are all over Japan). We used google maps to help navigate us but it was tricky to find because it was actually on the 7th Floor of a building on a side street and the signage was in Japanese. After walking up and down the street we noticed a small sign in a corner with pictures of pancakes. It turned out you needed to scan the QR code on the sign to make a reservation and when we first did it said it was a 110 minute wait. We didn’t want to wait that long and we were going to just go somewhere else but a couple who overheard us talking said it actually wouldn’t take that long as it also told them 110 min but it ended up only being 30 minutes. The only problem was you couldn’t wait upstairs (there was no room) in the restaurant or outside the building for whatever reason. So we decided to go to a nearby Starbucks and grab a latte while we waited. Sure enough within 30 minutes we received an email that we were next in line for a table. The restaurant was quite small and you literally get off the elevator and are almost inside the restaurant. There was signage saying that the pancakes would take a long time to prepare and to be patient but we found that we didn’t wait very long (maybe 10 min). I am not someone who likes pancakes very much, or sweets in general but these were just light, fluffy pillows of deliciousness. I ate every bite.


A Happy Pancake is in the section of Ginza where there are all the luxury, high end stores so after we just window shopped and walked around for a bit. The architecture was really beautiful and I loved all the planters and greenery. The streets were so clean and it wasn’t as busy and crowded as Shibuya. It was raining off and on so we decided to just head back to our hotel. I booked an Uber and it was about 20 minutes to the Ambassador Hotel which cost 9500 yen.

On the way I booked our park tickets online on the Tokyo Disney site because I had read in a previous trip report that someone had difficulty getting the tickets they bought at the hotel to load in the app. Also there was a summer promotion for two day tickets, one for each park, that you had to use in two consecutive days, which is what we planned anyway. They were a little cheaper than buying tickets for individual days and much cheaper than WDW or DL or even Hong Kong Disneyland. My DD just squeaked by to get the child pricing since she wasn’t turning 12 until a few days after we got back from Japan. I also love how there is junior pricing for 12-17 year olds unlike WDW where you are a Disney adult at age 10 (HKD also had child and junior pricing). I didn’t have a problem using my Canadian Visa card to purchase the tickets, I just had to turn on my cell number since I was using an ESIM in order to get a text from Visa with a code to verify the purchase.

We got to the hotel a little after 2 pm and our luggage was taken right away by bell services and we were greeted by a cast member who I think may have been the manager. The lobby seemed quite busy with a number of families sitting and waiting and we were reminded that check in was at 3 pm. So we went to the gift shop and looked around for a bit. I was shocked at how reasonable the prices were, like Minnie ears for example were 1900 yen (which is around $17 CAD so even less in USD). We were maybe in there for 10 minutes when surprisingly the manager came to get us to say they were letting us check in now. The line up wasn’t too long and I realised that many of the people in the lobby area must have already checked out and were waiting for airport transport. While we waited, a cast member brought us a cool drink which may have been lycee juice, I am not sure, but it was yummy. The whole process was pretty painless, unlike some of the reports I had read that it was chaotic and took forever. We even were able to make a dinner reservation for Chef Mickey that night which I was so happy about since I had tried online but there were no times available. We were in our room by 2:30 pm.

I love the art deco style and theme of the Ambassador hotel. The outside reminds me of old Hollywood glam and the lobby has grand high ceilings with a colourful mural and there is a large gold Mickey and Pluto statue in the centre of the lobby. The furniture is very posh and there are Disney touches everywhere like characters in the stairway railings or etched in the mirrored elevators without feeling garish or tacky. I loved all the framed memorabilia of the original Disneyland and Walt Disney throughout. The art deco theme continued in the room. We only had a standard room yet it felt spacious. The carpet was bright with geometric patterns with hidden Mickeys, the bed (which had a pull out trundle for DD). The toilet and shower were in separate rooms and the mop and buckets from Fantasia were decorating the glass on the doors. The mirror in between Sorcerer Mickey was etched into the mirror in the vanity area. There was Mickey themed wall paper and a border and a runner on the bed with hidden Mickeys. The room felt so bright and cheerful in contrast to the rooms at WDW which to me have become so sterile over the years. The only thing that wasn’t great, which we expected since we only got a standard room, was the view which was just a side view of the front of the hotel.

After exploring our room and unpacking a bit we decided to go swimming. This is where we experienced the biggest sticker shock, food and souvenirs at Tokyo Disney Resort are relatively inexpensive, swimming is not. Paying to swim at a hotel seems like such a foreign concept to me, especially when you are paying such a high price to stay there. I don’t think we’ve ever had to pay to use a hotel pool anywhere else we’ve ever stayed. I‘ve paid a resort fee at some hotels but never individually per person. I thought I read that Miracosta charged for swimming but I didn’t think the Disneyland or the Ambassador hotel did. Not sure if this is a new development of them now charging or just an oversight on my part. Anyway, we decided to suck it up and pay the 7000 yen (3000 yen pp for adults and 1000 yen for children 12 & under) to swim for an hour and a half before we had to get ready for our 6 pm dinner at Chef Mickey’s, which may sound crazy but it was insanely hot out.

The pool area was very chic, it had an old Miami beach club vibe. Not surprisingly it wasn’t busy. The big “pool” was more of a wading pool than a swimming pool, the water barely reached my thighs. There was a deeper, small lap pool that was on the upper level of the pool area that was quite busy given its smaller size. So we just chilled and floated in the bigger pool until it was time to get ready.

Chef Mickey was just off the lobby and we didn’t have to wait long to be seated. The decor is very bright and colourful geometric patterns keeping in line with the art deco theming. Mickey was the only character there and we were told we would be called when it was time to take a photo with him. The hostess also mentioned that we had 90 minutes (which was more than enough time). The food was quite good overall, nothing amazing but we enjoyed it. The buffet was small with a mix of Japanese, other Asian and a few Western choices. You got a tray and used a number of small plates for your food. The buffet line was very orderly, no one cutting in line or reaching over you or taking more food than they could possibly eat. One thing I loved was the thoughtful details in the garnishes with hidden Mickey shaped carrots and other foods. When it was time for our photo we were told only one but the Cast Member took a lot of great candid shots of us greeting Mickey as well as several posed pictures. There were no professional photos taken with Mickey but someone did take one of us at our table which we ended up purchasing.



After dinner we decided to head to Ikspiari, which was just a short walk from the courtyard to the entrance. There was a large Disney Store but other than that there were no other stores with Disney themed merchandise. Even the Daiso, which usually has Disney merch, did not. It was a nice mall but didn’t feel like you were in Disney, no vibes of Downtown Disney or Disney Springs. It was also very confusing with the different levels and the maps (at least the ones we saw) were only in Japanese. It said it was open until 10:30 but very few places, mostly just food venues, were open past 9. There was a grocery store on the lower level that was open late where we grabbed some ice coffees and breakfast items for the morning and headed back to the hotel.

Next up: Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[nono]

We were at the Ambassador Hotel in December 2019, and of course the pool wasn't open. But, I do remember that in the summer when the outdoor pool was open there was a charge. The Hilton Tokyo Bay is now charging for their indoor pool year round as well as their outdoor pool in the summer (a new development).

 

[Agent 86]

Paying to swim at a hotel seems like such a foreign concept to me, especially when you are paying such a high price to stay there.

Absolutely! We were in Japan in July and the continually oppressive heat really took us by surprise.

We looked at accessing some of the hotel pools and the pricing was crazy! To go to the pool in our hotel in Odaiba was going to cost more than what we paid for the room (per night). No wonder it was always empty, despite the heat.

I wonder what the reasoning is? Presumably they're paying to "maintain" the pools even when they sit empty, so it can't be a cost recovery exercise. Maybe it's to prevent overcrowding, but there would presumably be other ways to achieve that? The pools look nice, but not grand Las Vegas resort style nice with waitstaff, etc.

 

[shaycamp21]

Absolutely! We were in Japan in July and the continually oppressive heat really took us by surprise.

We looked at accessing some of the hotel pools and the pricing was crazy! To go to the pool in our hotel in Odaiba was going to cost more than what we paid for the room (per night). No wonder it was always Iempty, despite the heat.

I wonder what the reasoning is? Presumably they're paying to "maintain" the pools even when they sit empty, so it can't be a cost recovery exercise. Maybe it's to prevent overcrowding, but there would presumably be other ways to achieve that? The pools look nice, but not grand Las Vegas resort style nice with waitstaff, etc

The pricing just doesn't make sense. When we were in Singapore at the start of our trip, we weren't charged to use the hotel pool. We are planning a trip to Thailand next year and from my research so far there is no cost to use pools there either-- so wondering if this is just in Japan. What I also don't understand why the pools are only open for such a short season. Where I live in Canada, most outdoor pools are open end of May to Sept (if heated you may even be able to get time in Oct). It doesn't make sense that the pools at TDR are only open in July and August. When we are at WDW or DLR swimming at the hotel pool is such a big part of the experience and that was the one negative I found about TDR.

 

[dunkindonut]

The pricing just doesn't make sense. When we were in Singapore at the start of our trip, we weren't charged to use the hotel pool. We are planning a trip to Thailand next year and from my research so far there is no cost to use pools there either-- so wondering if this is just in Japan. What I also don't understand why the pools are only open for such a short season. Where live in Canada, most outdoor pools are open end of May to Sept (if heated you may even be able to get time in Oct). It doesn't make sense that the pools at TDR are only open in July and August. When we are at WDW or DLR swimming at the hotel pool is such a big part of the experience and that was the one negative I found about TDR.

Japanese people don't really use hotel pools, so instead of charge people for a service that not many people will use, they make it an extra fee. Generally people who are swimming for exercise or something are much more likely to use it. I mean of course there are people who go, but the majority of people going to TDR are not using the pool.