Bucket List: First Trip
Japan, Tokyo Metropolitan and Chiba Prefecture
This was another previous article written by myself and posted in this travelogue blog as the very first entry. Although this was a working trip, it was also the very first overseas trip for me traveling without any family members. Needless to say, it was also my first trip to Japan, a country that I had come to enjoy visiting over the years. While Japan and Tokyo are no longer strangers to me after so many visits over the past years, this post which was unedited from the first time I wrote it, truly reflects what I felt and experienced during that so-called virgin sojourn into a land unknown to me (at that time).
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Japan is a large country and I have only been to Tokyo. Although Tokyo is the capital of Japan, I'm sure there is more to the country than this city. In May 1995, I was sent to Tokyo on a one-week working trip while I was still working in Apple Computer. I shall not go into the detailes of the working nature of my trip. What I will try to share with you will be the sights and sounds of Tokyo as I saw it after my working hours and during the only weekend that I had spent there till this day. Wandering around Tokyo with a fellow colleague who was there with me, we managed to somehow find our way through the maze of subways. This we did though the help of maps of Tokyo, a Lonely Planet guidebook as well as help from the locals we met.
Tokyo Disneyland
How different is the Tokyo Disneyland from its cousins in the United States and France, I do not know. But this is a vibrant place that will bring out the kid in each and everyone of us, at least it did for me.
Located just next to the Maihama Station, Tokyo Disneyland is easily accessible. I went on a Sunday and the crowd was simply too big for comfort. I cannot remembered how much I paid for a full package ticket that allowed me unlimited rides in all the rides. But I remembered that for all the popular rides, I only experienced them once. The large crowd and long queue was simply not worth the wait. But that did not mean that I was frustrated. In fact, far from it.
Wandering around the theme park, I had lots of photographic opportunities and there were still the "road" parades within the park. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and friends sure know how to make visitors feel at "home". I even had a photograph taken together with Captain Hook! Can't find Peter Pan though. He was too busy with some kids.
A last minute shopping spree saw me laden with sourvenirs. T-shirts, key chains, chocolates and candies. Those at home were in for a treat!
Overall, this was an enjoyable place taking into consideration my personal dislike for theme parks. I ended up spending the whole Sunday there and just when I was about to board the train back to Chiba, the night sky was lighted up by spectacular fireworks. A wonderful panorama of lights filled the night sky and standing on the elevated platform of the train station gave me a front-row view of the whole display. Goodbye Disneyland and see you again soon!
Located just next to the Maihama Station, Tokyo Disneyland is easily accessible. I went on a Sunday and the crowd was simply too big for comfort. I cannot remembered how much I paid for a full package ticket that allowed me unlimited rides in all the rides. But I remembered that for all the popular rides, I only experienced them once. The large crowd and long queue was simply not worth the wait. But that did not mean that I was frustrated. In fact, far from it.
Wandering around the theme park, I had lots of photographic opportunities and there were still the "road" parades within the park. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and friends sure know how to make visitors feel at "home". I even had a photograph taken together with Captain Hook! Can't find Peter Pan though. He was too busy with some kids.
A last minute shopping spree saw me laden with sourvenirs. T-shirts, key chains, chocolates and candies. Those at home were in for a treat!
Overall, this was an enjoyable place taking into consideration my personal dislike for theme parks. I ended up spending the whole Sunday there and just when I was about to board the train back to Chiba, the night sky was lighted up by spectacular fireworks. A wonderful panorama of lights filled the night sky and standing on the elevated platform of the train station gave me a front-row view of the whole display. Goodbye Disneyland and see you again soon!
Tokyo Disneyland, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan (1995)
Tokyo
As a Singaporean, I do not require any prior visa application for stays of up to 90 days in Japan. So, I simply booked my air ticket from Singapore Airlines through American Express Travel and off I go to Japan. The whole process from booking of air ticket, confirmation of hotel accommodation and cash advancement from my company (this was a working trip, remember?) took less than a day. What a breeze!
On arrival at Tokyo's Narita Airport, I went through the usual customs clearance which was as simple as declaring that I had not brought along with me any food items and showing the immigration officer my return air ticket to Singapore. By the time I left the airport, it was about 7.00pm in the evening and I took a bus to the hotel somewhere in Chiba, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Accommodation was the Hotel New Otani and I arrived at about 7.45pm. Checking into the hotel, my colleague and I decided to do some light exploration of the area.
We went around the neighboring areas of the hotel, browsed through some packed Japanese eating outlets, decided that we were not going to jostle with the crowd, saw a MacDonald's fast food outlet, got lost along the way, rediscovered our bearings with help from a local policeman, went past a shopping complex that sold lots of baseball stuff and finally had our dinner at a restaurant in the hotel. Pretty uneventful stuff.
The next day was a Saturday and although we were not required to report for work, we still went to the office at about 8.30am. Met our Japanese colleagues at the Apple Operations Centre, checked our emails and had a brief orientation of the facility conducted by our hosts. In the afternoon, we took the JR Line to Central Tokyo and wandered around the area. I cannot remember much of where I had been although my Japanese colleagues did name the places that we have been to. The only place I remembered was Ginza. Lots of shopping can be done here and you can literally shopped till you dropped. Didn't buy anything but did enjoy the food.
Tokyo was chaotic in an orderly manner and everybody went about their business in the usual Japanese way of no-nonsense effectiveness. Soon, it was dark and after a nice meal, we were back at the hotel. The next day was a Sunday and we had plans to visit the Tokyo Disneyland.
On arrival at Tokyo's Narita Airport, I went through the usual customs clearance which was as simple as declaring that I had not brought along with me any food items and showing the immigration officer my return air ticket to Singapore. By the time I left the airport, it was about 7.00pm in the evening and I took a bus to the hotel somewhere in Chiba, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Accommodation was the Hotel New Otani and I arrived at about 7.45pm. Checking into the hotel, my colleague and I decided to do some light exploration of the area.
We went around the neighboring areas of the hotel, browsed through some packed Japanese eating outlets, decided that we were not going to jostle with the crowd, saw a MacDonald's fast food outlet, got lost along the way, rediscovered our bearings with help from a local policeman, went past a shopping complex that sold lots of baseball stuff and finally had our dinner at a restaurant in the hotel. Pretty uneventful stuff.
The next day was a Saturday and although we were not required to report for work, we still went to the office at about 8.30am. Met our Japanese colleagues at the Apple Operations Centre, checked our emails and had a brief orientation of the facility conducted by our hosts. In the afternoon, we took the JR Line to Central Tokyo and wandered around the area. I cannot remember much of where I had been although my Japanese colleagues did name the places that we have been to. The only place I remembered was Ginza. Lots of shopping can be done here and you can literally shopped till you dropped. Didn't buy anything but did enjoy the food.
Tokyo was chaotic in an orderly manner and everybody went about their business in the usual Japanese way of no-nonsense effectiveness. Soon, it was dark and after a nice meal, we were back at the hotel. The next day was a Sunday and we had plans to visit the Tokyo Disneyland.
Roppongi
To me, Roppongi is much the same as Central Tokyo. I'm not sure if it is considered part of Central Tokyo but that doesn't really matters. We were at Roppongi during a weekday evening and as usual, there was the crowd and traffic.
Browsed around several bookstores but didn't buy anything. But I did buy some small items intended as sourvenirs for my colleagues and friends in Singapore. Visited Hard Rock Cafe and bought a couple of the usual Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts. Saw the Tokyo Tower and had a picture taken with it in the background. The Tower reminded me of the more famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. Since I have yet to travel to Paris, this will be a good substitute. I was told that Roppongi is the nightlife capital of the area and the number of nightspots in the area confirmed this.
The people here were mainly the younger generation and although some may frowned on their dressings, I thought these young people were really just out to have a nice time and in a way, I sort of envy them. In Singapore, if you were to dress like them and wander around town, people would stare at you like you were some kind of freaky alien creatures from outer space. But I did not notice the same treatment being dished out to these young punks, at least not in Roppongi.
Browsed around several bookstores but didn't buy anything. But I did buy some small items intended as sourvenirs for my colleagues and friends in Singapore. Visited Hard Rock Cafe and bought a couple of the usual Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts. Saw the Tokyo Tower and had a picture taken with it in the background. The Tower reminded me of the more famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. Since I have yet to travel to Paris, this will be a good substitute. I was told that Roppongi is the nightlife capital of the area and the number of nightspots in the area confirmed this.
The people here were mainly the younger generation and although some may frowned on their dressings, I thought these young people were really just out to have a nice time and in a way, I sort of envy them. In Singapore, if you were to dress like them and wander around town, people would stare at you like you were some kind of freaky alien creatures from outer space. But I did not notice the same treatment being dished out to these young punks, at least not in Roppongi.
Hard Rock Cafe, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan (1995)
Shinjuku
Shinjuku is the most vibrant part of Tokyo and the whole place is packed with office buildings, shopping centres and nightspots.
Like Roppongi, I was at Shinjuku during a weekday night but the activities going on in the area would beat any weekend activities in Singapore hands down. The mass of humanity moving through the area was simply phenomenal.
There were street bands performing in the open areas, giant TV screens screaming out advertisments, street hawkers peddling food and much much more. Walking along the small streets, I was constantly approached and "invited" to visit the numerous nightspots. Some of these bars looked real sleazy from the outside. I was polite in declining their "kind" offers and apart from some pesterings, there wasn't any unpleasant incidents. Some of these "hosts" were able to tell that I am a Singaporean and conversed with me in the local Singaporean dialect of Hokkien. But still, I was steadfast in my refusal to visit any of these nightspots, staunched in the belief that the moment I walked in, I will be ripped off, at least in the monetary sense. Instead, I window-shopped but again, I did not buy anything. The G-Shock watches that I was interested in, cost more there than in Singapore even though they were marked "Made in Japan"!
With my colleague, we sat in an open area where some street bands were performing to take in the sights and sounds of Shinjuku. This is the place to be!
Like Roppongi, I was at Shinjuku during a weekday night but the activities going on in the area would beat any weekend activities in Singapore hands down. The mass of humanity moving through the area was simply phenomenal.
There were street bands performing in the open areas, giant TV screens screaming out advertisments, street hawkers peddling food and much much more. Walking along the small streets, I was constantly approached and "invited" to visit the numerous nightspots. Some of these bars looked real sleazy from the outside. I was polite in declining their "kind" offers and apart from some pesterings, there wasn't any unpleasant incidents. Some of these "hosts" were able to tell that I am a Singaporean and conversed with me in the local Singaporean dialect of Hokkien. But still, I was steadfast in my refusal to visit any of these nightspots, staunched in the belief that the moment I walked in, I will be ripped off, at least in the monetary sense. Instead, I window-shopped but again, I did not buy anything. The G-Shock watches that I was interested in, cost more there than in Singapore even though they were marked "Made in Japan"!
With my colleague, we sat in an open area where some street bands were performing to take in the sights and sounds of Shinjuku. This is the place to be!
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