Japan 2024 with Friends

DK and I, together with my friends A, Z and G went to Japan in April 2024. It was kind of a spontaneous invitation by Z by telling me that her and A planning a DIY trip, and asked if G, DK and I are interesting in going. (A and Z are a couple.)

Anyway, Z laid out the plan--a week-long DIY trip. Since A and Z already had their flights booked, DK, G and I would fly in at a later time then meet them at the AirBnB reserved by Z.

This is our planned itinerary (mostly from our side, since A and Z reserved a day to meet some other friends):

• Day 0 Travel, evening flight, arrival.
• Day 1 Mt. Fuji tour.
• Day 2 DIY Tokyo.
• Day 3 DIY Gala Yuzawa and more Tokyo.
• Day 4 DIY more Tokyo and Sakura-hunting.
• Day 5 Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• Day 6 Disney SEA.
• Day 7 Homebound.

It was an exciting trip for me. DK and I just came from Europe a few months before and I am ready to experience Japan once again.

Days 0 and 7 and Travel Experience
DK booked ZIP Air for the three of us going to and coming from Tokyo.

Our outbound flight is in the afternoon and we were in the waiting lounge by around 2pm.

I remember I bought ChocNuts for the cabin crew. I alway give sweets to the cabin crew in outbound flights. (Well, except for that flight from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt, which I didn't prepare for.) The flight attendant gave me a cup of coffee, with a special request: "Please do not post on social media." (Does this blog post count? I sincerely hope not.) She was really nice about it though. I hope she didn't or won't get in trouble.

Anyway, the outbound flight was uneventful. Even the arrival was uneventful. One thing I did notice though, was that the ZIP Air cabin crew was not the typical cabin crew. There was a very petite lady which I estimate was only slightly taller that 5 feet. I swear I saw her almost hop to reach up and close one open overhead compartment. It was unusual for me because most cabin crews are taller than average. Just my observation.

The homebound flight was the same. Uneventful, slightly stressful when getting in Manila airport because of the process. Unlike the arrival process in Japan which was very very fast.

BTW, we took the Shinkansen from Narita airport to Tokyo station. It was a little after rush hour when we got there but we managed to survive even with our giant luggage.

Day 1 - Mt. Fuji Tour

Z hired a transporter for Day 1, to take us on a Mt. Fuji tour.

Chureito Pagoda
It's a tall temple pagoda with a view of Mt. Fuji and overlooking Fujiyoshida and Tatsugaoka towns. The view is very clean. There's something different when looking over a japan town. There's no clutter. Everything is aligned and organized.

But of course, this day is a fine, clear day, and visiting a tourist site is not without some challenges.

The first challenge, my worst enemy: stairs. Chureito Pagoda is known for its 398 steps of stairs from the base shrine to the temple. It's a bit steep, but the view of Mt. Fuji as you go up the stairs is amazing.

It was quite embarrassing going up the stairs, though. As a generally sedentary person, climbing long flights of stairs is quite difficult for me. Because of that, Japanese grandmas overtook us while going slow and steady.

The second challenge: the pagoda's viewing deck. There's a long queue, and there's limited time to stay in the viewing deck. The main challenge is that Chinese tourists really hog the best spot. They really don't care about others at all. That's just sad. By the time we can take good photos, the time was up.

The third challenge is going down, but we used the ramp on the other side. It was easier.

Fujikawaguchi-ko
This place is a must-visit. Taking a stroll around the lake shore is really calming. Add to that a clear day and you have a core memory. There's a lot of people in the store nearest the lake though. Everybody buys the lavender ice cream.

Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nemba
This place is underrated but kind of designed to be a tourist spot. The village houses have been updated to contain a museum for miners, a house of dolls, and souvenir stores. But the view of Mt. Fuji on a clear day is amazing. There's a stream that flows through the town, and there's a small pond with koi fish.

There's a store there that sells Japanese silk from spiders. Very exquisite craftsmanship. The highlight would be the udon and fruits they sell here. Very fresh.

Gotemba
We dropped by Gotemba to do some shopping. I did window shopping because I don't have anything in mind to buy. But I did try the nikubun. It was delicious. I was also lucky that I bought one just in time for their buy-one-get-one near closing time. I approach the store and I signalled the chef for one, then he motioned to me to wait. He looked at the clock, stepped out of the store, put a sign near the counter, then went back in. He packed two. When I was surprised, he pointed at the sign then signalled "two" to me.

Side Story: "Enough Mt. Fuji for a year"
As I was climbing the stairs to reach Chureito Pagoda, I stopped several times to soak in the view of Mt. Fuji. I just sat there, staring in awe. I really don't know why, but maybe because it's been a while since I just stared at something. Also, it was one of the few opportunities for me to remember and be in the moment.

As I stood there soaking in the view and embedding everything to memory, I just told myself, "I think I have enough Mt. Fuji memory for a year".

Day 2 - DIY Tokyo

Ueno Park, Asakusa, Senso-ji
It has became my oath that everytime I visit Tokyo, I must drop by Senso-ji. And this trip is no exception. But before that, we went to Ueno park, where there's a long row of Sakura. It was magical. There was a moment when the wind blew and petals rained beautifully. It's like a scene from an anime.

We went straight to have sushi lunch before proceeding to Asakusa and Senso-ji. It was mostly a sightseeing tour, with the hunt for matcha. There's a big matcha store on the right of Senso-ji. To not get lost, face the temple, then go towards your left. You will find the match store there. They serve ice cream, matcha, cold matcha, matcha latte, and mochi.

Tokyo Skytree
Did I mention that I'm afraid of that sensation when something might fall from someplace so high? In short, I'm afraid of heights. It gets triggered when I feel that something might drop. Like my glasses. So there. But in most places we go to, we always go to the viewing deck of these towers. Tokyo Tower, Kyoto Tower, Sapporo TV Tower, Osaka Tower. Fukuoka Tower, Taipei 101.

So this is the second chance to visit the viewing deck of Skytree. It's... High. I like the view. Just don't make me lean on the glass. Or have me stand in front of the ledge and take a photo of me, even when there's a thick panel of glass behind me.

I still cringe just thinking about it.

Day 3 - DIY Gala Yuzawa and DIY Tokyo

Gala Yuzawa
It's a ski resort, and this is the second ski resort we visited without any plans to go skiing or snowboarding. Doing these activities is not in our plan and besides, I'm not dressed for the part. And visiting Gala Yuzawa started this trend where we go to a ski resort without skiing, just trying to enjoy the snow and the sun.

I was wearing a normal dri-fit shirt and hoodie, a jogger pants. There was snow everywhere, but it was warm. They say it's like this during spring. There's still a lot of people skiing and snowboarding. We rode the lift to the upper level and played in the snow. We had the first chance to throw some snowballs at each other. It was really fun!

By midday we were so tired and since the train has a schedule, we had to wait in the resort lobby. We had to sit on the floor because there's really very few seats around.

We took the shinkansen both ways, since Gala Yuzawa is quite far from Tokyo.

DIY Tokyo
Of course, a visit to Tokyo wouldn't be complete without seeing Hachiko in Shibuya. But then again, I don't have a photo with Hachiko. There's always a long line of people taking photos, and I don't want to spend a long time waiting. Just having a photo of Hachiko is enough.

Also, the Shibuya scramble crossing is just too much. There's too many people, and there's really nothing special about it because it's just a scramble crossing. And the hype that some people do, where they run to the center just to have a clear photo, isn't worth it. Shibuya crossing is just overstimulating and a sensory overload. Personally, it's a so-so for me. I'd rather look at it from above.

We had dinner in a local diner. I remember I had katsudon. OMG the neverending katsudon. It's my go-to dish for when I'm undecided. I don't know what I liked about it or what got me to like it.

Day 4 - DIY Tokyo and Sakura Hunting

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

This day was focused on sightseeing around the city (doing some shopping), and just roaming around Tokyo.

We tried to catch the early Tsukiji market and have some fresh sushi and wagyu cubes and some yummy breakfast. Sushi or sashimi for breakfast? Why not? I actually did that a few years back. Sushi/sashimi was part of the breakfast buffet and the Japanese guests do eat it for breakfast.

The next goal was to pass by Tokyo Tower (everyone agreed to not go up anymore because we did Skytree earlier), take some photos, then proceed with sakura hunting, since this day timed when Sakura was in full bloom.

We queued up in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which is one of the larger parks in Tokyo with lots of Sakura. We didn't bring a blanket but the grass was so clean to sit on, so we did just that. After taking some (or many) photos, we just sat there, did some people-watching, and just soaked in the cloudy day.

In the evening we strolled around Shinjuku and had dinner at Ichiran. We also did some window shopping.

Day 5 - Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Guess who's the "Potterhead"? It's actually G. She read the books, watched all the movies, and knows the universe really well.

The Wizarding World is a theme park but it's not focused on rides. Its attractions are more on how the movies were produced--the costume design, production design, concept development--which, for me, are geared towards visitors who want to explore filmmaking and file production. The park shows the technical stuff behind the camera and visitors can actually learn a lot.

Overall, it kinda feels like a museum. There are some basic attractions, though. There's a part where a group acts a Quidditch scene in first (or second?) movie. And we had to "dodge" the whatchacallit. So it really shows how a movie is produced. There was a huge green screen and a set, then the video result was provided to the visitors.

Oh, in fairness to them, there's privacy policy disclosure everywhere. Something like "by participating in the video, you are consenting for use of your personal data yada yada yada" which serves as an agreement between the visitor and the operator company.

There's a replica of the set of Diagon Alley where you can actually walk through. There's a scale model of Hogwarts Castle which you really have to see for yourself to actually appreciate. The main attraction, for me? Being able to get butterbeer and bring home the cup as a souvenir. And, in true Japanese efficiency, they give you a plastic bag and there's a washing area for the cups when you take the cup home.

Overall, the Wizarding World is for fans of the Harry Potter universe, but even if you're not a fan, the universe would really grow on you.

And yeah, I almost forgot... There's a dragon* over the entrance. And you can get an animatronic owl.

*I kept arguing that Harry Potter's dragons are not dragons, they're wyverns. But yeah.

Day 6 - Disney Sea

Disney Sea is a magical theme park. I really can't compare it to the other Disney theme park I visited, but Disney Sea has its own appeal. The day we went there were many visitors, even when it was a Monday.

Disney Sea has an app (so convenient, right?) to find your way around the park, and to reserve fast-track slots for rides. We were actually able to get some fast-track slots for a few rides.

The ride I remember most was Journey to the Center of the Earth. I think it was a roller coaster ride. And we also got on the Captain Nemo submarine, a virtual 4D ride. DK and Z went on the Tower ride (I forgot the name, Tower of Terror?) while A and I stayed behind and got some drinks. G went souvenir shopping then joined us after a little while.

It was quite a hot day. During midday I wore my hat and I got sunburn. By late afternoon the wind was cold and I had to close up my hoodie.

We stayed until evening. The last attraction we visited was Around the world in 80 Days. But for the life of me I can't remember what I saw there.

It was a fun day, though. We shared the Mickey and Minnie ice cream popsicles. I think Minnie's is a berry flavor, while Mickey's is orange flavor. We ate at one of the food courts. The good thing about the theme park being in Japan is that there's rice meals. At that point I was thinking, what if this was in Europe. LMAO. But yeah the food was quite expensive but it is what it is. Not bad, but not exquisite, in my opinion.

Conclusion

It was a fun trip with A, Z, and G. DK and I actually want to travel with them again, to a different place, even in Japan. We actually talked about visiting another Southeast Asian country or even somewhere farther. Life (mostly work) just kinda happens and the furthest we went so far was the restaurant a few miles away from our workplace.

I'm really looking forward to travelling with them again, hopefully soon, and hopefully with more of my other closest friends.

--Raisondetroy