4/21/2023

Remembering My Trip to Japan part II: A Week in Tokyo

 So my first travel post went pretty well and I wanted to follow up here with some more details about the city of Tokyo and some of the areas nearby. My second time around in Japan I had a much lower budget, but I knew I still wanted to go back there to see more. This time I spent my time mostly in the Tokyo area to see a lot of the things I missed and try to see just how affordable I can make this trip. I bought the tickets to Tokyo in the fall to fly out there in late March. The tickets were incredibly affordable and the airline was actually Japan's own Nippon Airways. Let me say that Nippon Airways was a really great airline to fly out with. The flight is going to be long and punishing no matter what (unless you can afford first-class), but Nippon Airways really did a great job at making it as painless as possible. Now I will say this: try not to fly back into Chicago if possible when returning from an overseas flight unless you have a really long layover or are staying there. They separate the international arrivals into two different buildings and it takes forever to get through security and out into the domestic flights terminal. I nearly missed my connecting flight because of how terrible the setup is there, so I'll always try to avoid returning to the USA by Chicago and you should too on layovers less than 3 hours. 




This time I was going to Japan during its peak tourism time. The flight was way cheaper, but all the hotels were double the price from when I went just a few months ago in September. If you go during this time, just be prepared to pay a lot for hotels in popular locations. I stayed just outside the city at this small place run by this older Japanese couple called the Canaan Hotel not too far from Kawasaki, about a10 minute train ride into Tokyo. It was actually decent for the price, but no one spoke any English there so it was a little hard to communicate at times, but I got by just fine. The hotel is in this quiet area that's not very tourist heavy so it was actually kind of nice to be surrounded by more locals despite the language barrier. I actually really loved how hard some of the locals try to make outsiders like me feel comfortable and try their best to communicate (just my experience in this area). The picture above is the area at night, even in the dark hours I felt safe and relaxed here. So the rest of this will be sharing a few locations I really enjoyed visiting and what you can see and do there.


Day 1: Kamakura




About an hour away from Tokyo by train is a beautiful town on the south coast that's full of amazing history. If you're looking for some temples and a more relaxing kind of day then this place is for you. It's the perfect place to walk around and enjoy some beautiful architecture. There's the famous Kotoko-in temple where there's a giant statue of Buddha and some great temples with unique visuals and experiences. That alongside lots of great places to get some great Japanese food makes it a great place to spend the day. There's also the beach that's not too far from this area if you're looking for some sun time. 

Day 2: Kawagoe




This time we'll be going north of Tokyo, about an hour by train. The small town of Kawagoe is a really great place to stop if you want to go shopping for traditional Japanese gifts or souvenirs. The area has this cool mixture of modern and old historical buildings that make the area feel really unique to anything you'd find in Tokyo. You get lots of little shops and vendors where you can buy some street food that's really good and not expensive, just be sure to have some cash here for the vendors.  

Day 3: Shinjuku




If you're looking for the Tokyo nightlife experience this is the place to go. Lots of neon lights everywhere, tons of bars and arcades around the area, and of course... karaoke. There's even a big Godzilla statue on top of the movie theater staring at you. This is an area of Tokyo that's a little busier and more chaotic than maybe some of the other areas, especially at night. That being said it's still very safe as is most of Tokyo. Even wondering at night alone I never really felt in danger in any way. I will say if you happen to be alone in this area you may get some annoying salespeople trying to get you to come into bars or to get a "massage", but nothing too bad and not aggressive at all. If you're looking for a more "nerdy" version of this experience then check out Akihabara on the east side of Tokyo, there you'll find tons of arcades and anime stores with the same aesthetic as you'd find in Shinjuku. 




While you're in Shinjuku be sure to buy tickets to the Robot Restaurant. It's one of the weirdest things you'll see in Tokyo, but it's so much fun. It's basically a dinner show where a bunch of neon floats that look like crazy robots carry performers around as they dance, play music, and battle. It's one of the most Japanese things you'll see in Japan... if that makes sense. It does look like the show closed down for COVID and still hasn't been reopened, so it could be closed for a while longer. 

Short Stop: Fukagawa




Across the Sumida River to the east of Tokyo is a less popular area called Fukagawa. It's a little out of the way, but there was one thing I really wanted to see here and I'd recommend anyone who's in Tokyo for a few days. There's an Edo Period museum here that's pretty cool and worth checking out. Inside the museum is a replica of a village during the Edo Period in Japan. There you can get a tour in English and they take you through the entire village explaining how everyone lived back then and showing you the tools they used and buildings they visited and lived in. It's really interesting and does a great job of helping you imagine life back in that time. You can even explore the replica houses on the inside which was really fun. It's a bit out of the way, but worth visiting to learn something new. 

Day 4: Ueno




One of the best places to go in the spring if you're looking for some beautiful sights and tons of Cherry Blossoms. There are a ton of things to do here besides just walking around the beautiful park and lake area. There's a big zoo in the area that has some pandas if you've never had the chance to see one. There's also the Tokyo National Museum and an Art & Science Museum around that same area. Then you can head to the Ameyoko shopping district not too far from that area to find some food and stores that sell anything you could probably think of. 

Day 5: Shibuya / Cat Street




I mentioned Shibuya in my first post which you can check out right here. There are some other stops in Tokyo I talk about there if you want more ideas after reading this one. Going back to Shibuya this time around to check out the Cat Street area specifically. There you'll find a ton of stores in a long street with lots of interesting art and some great food (if you're looking for some nice restaurants especially). Most of the stores are ones you might recognize around the States, but it's still a nice place to stop by when you're in the Shibuya area. 


Day 6 (and possibly 7): Tokyo Disneyland / DisneySea




Just outside of Tokyo to the east are the big Disney parks in Japan. There are two parks here, one that's more familiar to California Disneyland and one that's a completely unique park to Japan. If you can only visit one, then of course check out the unique DisneySea park. It cost a little less than 70$ at the time I went back in 2019, but I'm not sure if that price has changed at all since then (after looking it up, it looks like the average price is closer to 80$ now, which is still better than the USA parks). 

Getting to the parks is pretty easy as you can use the rail system anywhere in Tokyo to get to them. It can take up to an hour though depending on what part of Tokyo you're staying in and how busy the day is. It's a good idea to get there as early as possible to be able to enjoy all the park has to offer. In Tokyo Disney there isn't a fast pass you can purchase, instead, every ride has a ticketing system you use that will tell you what time to come back to skip the line. You can only have two tickets at a time, so it's like a weird game you have to play in order to maximize your time there. Still, as long as you get there early you'll have time to enjoy everything. 


News came out recently that the Rail Pass for tourists will be increasing in price by a good amount. The JR Rail Pass is a great deal if you're staying in Japan and plan on going to Kyoto, Osaka, and other cities far from Tokyo. It gives you unlimited rides on the JR lines and that includes the bullet trains that travel across the country. The price will be going from an affordable $220 7-day pass to $370. Probably still worth getting if you're going to be riding across the country and then back to Tokyo, but the increase is significant enough that it makes me wonder if finding a flight to Kyoto/Osaka might be better. 




Be sure to pick up a PASMO card when arriving in Tokyo as soon as possible. These can be loaded up with money and scanned at all stations for rails and buses around Tokyo. It's the easiest and cheapest way to get around without having to purchase individual tickets to every trip you make. There's also a tourist-only version that has more fun designs and comes with discounts to certain shops, restaurants, and fun activities. While you're riding on trains and buses be sure to be quiet and not talk on your phone or play music as Japanese culture has an emphasis on not being a bother to those around you and being respectful. You can use Google Maps to help you find every station and platform to board and what time you need to be there. 

Some other small tips here are: Always carry some cash, there are still a decent amount of places that only want cash. Also, most places want you to put cash on a plastic tray and not just hand it to the person directly. Also, you don't need to tip here usually. 

Traveling early in the morning (8-9am) and around 5PM can be a hassle and the subways/trains can get really full to the point of being squished inside, so avoid if possible. 

Much like other cities, the buses and rails don't run 24hrs so make sure you use them while they're open or you'll be taking a cab or walking. 

Tokyo is a very clean place, but for some reason it's hard to find trash cans around the city. That means you may have to carry trash with you for a while. 

Convenience stores like 7/11 and Lawson sell pretty affordable meals if you're trying to save money and actually... they are pretty decent meals you wouldn't expect from a place like 7/11. 


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4/06/2023

The Super Mario Bros Movie




 After its announcement 40 years ago, the new animated Mario Bros movie is finally here! Made by the studio that brought you The Secret Life of Pets and the Despicable Me franchise... yeah I'll admit the idea of this studio making a Mario movie didn't exactly excite me when I first heard about it. Then the announcement of the cast made me feel a little more confused than I would have hoped (at least the voice of Mario anyway). So with all those things going against it, I still went into this movie with more positive thoughts and hope. So the time has come and the movie has been released, does it live up to the hype or were my worries about this movie proven to be legitimate?


I'm happy to say that this movie is... pretty good actually. There are good and bad things here for sure, but I think ultimately the good stuff keeps this movie from being a mediocre kid's movie. Yeah, so make sure you know this movie is aimed at kids mostly, with some nice little nods to the ones who grew up with the classic Mario games in the 80s and 90s. The humor and dialog are still aimed to make the kids laugh and keeping them entertained. I'll start with the good stuff first though and the main thing you'll notice when watching this is how great the visuals are. There is huge attention to detail in the world and characters that will have you scanning the screen looking for references and easter eggs, but also just enjoying the bright and iconic landscapes of the mushroom kingdom and other Mario levels you might remember. By far the best visuals of any Illumnation movie to date. My only minor complaint would be of Mario himself, I don't know how to explain it but he just didn't feel like Mario from the video games exactly. It's a mix of the visual style and the voice by Chris Pratt that makes it feel a little off. That being said all the other characters are great and the voices fit them well, especially Bowser played by Jack Black. Bowser is the character who steals the scenes and is the best part of the movie when he's onscreen as he's the funniest and Jack Black just nails the vocal performance. 


The story plays out as an origin story for Mario and Luigi and how they first got to the Mushroom Kingdom. They start off as struggling plumbers in New York, who can't seem to find clients for their new business. When the streets of New York start to flood, the Mario Brothers try to fix it by entering the sewers, only to accidentally stumble on a warp pipe that sends them to the mysterious land of the Mushroom Kingdom. There they find themselves caught in the middle of Bowser's plan to rule the world. Mario must team up with his new friends Peach and Toad to stop Bowser and find his brother Luigi. It plays out exactly like you'd expect a Mario video game storyline to, which isn't a bad thing at all. The humor isn't too far off what you'd find in other Illumination movies, kinda hit or miss for me. The story is still enjoyable enough to keep things interesting for the hour-and-a-half length of this movie. It's short and sweet and never feels like it wastes too much time, except maybe at the start where it felt like a little too much time was spent in New York. 


There were a few things in the movie I didn't like too much. As I mentioned before, Mario feels a little off in this movie. Donkey Kong makes an appearance and he's pretty fun, but Seth Rogen as the voice just pretty much sounds like Seth Rogen so it's a little distracting. The humor is overly slapstick at times and can get a bit repetitive in that way. There are only so many times I can watch Mario get hurt before it kinda stops being funny. The movie also introduces Mario and Luigi's family in New York and they are barely in the movie, which makes a scene at the end feel a bit shoehorned in. 


After the movie ended I felt good as the credits rolled. This felt like a solid Mario movie, one that I was happy to see after all these years of waiting. My expectations weren't high going in, but I think it surpassed them overall. The visuals and the fun characters are enough to ignore some flaws in its humor and storytelling. It felt like the people behind the scenes really cared about the characters and the video games and really made a movie that I think most fans of the games will at least like and possibly even love. I guess I fall somewhere in between those two. I think it's a good movie, but one where there could have been a few things done better to really make a great family Mario movie. 


Jack Black is amazing.


Overall Grade: B

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