Day 9 – 11 Toys, Fish and Disneysea in Tokyo

Being back in Tokyo for the third time was a welcome relief after 8 days of finding our way around in Osaka and Takayama. We even have our own Suica card from our last trip which was way more convenient than having to buy tickets for every ride.

Much of our time in Tokyo was spent toy hunting in Nakano Broadway and Akihabara. The main new places we visited is Tsukiji fish market and DisneySea.

There are essentially two parts to Tsukiji market – the outer market sells various kinds of dried seafood and restaurants that sells seafood and sashimi. The inner market is where wholesalers sell fresh seafood and is a feast for the eyes for those who want to see how huge tuna is sliced expertly into fillets and various other kinds of odd seafood which we don’t see back home. Entrance to the wholesale area is only open to visitors from 9am and most businesses wind down by 10 plus.

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Breakfast at Tsukijishijo after seeing all the fresh seafood.

DisneySea is beautifully sculptured to replicate the waterways around the world from America, Arabian, to Mediterranean. My favorite ride was Stormrider as I didn’t have the chance to try the more exciting roller coaster rides since Benjamin didn’t make the height limit. The newest attraction King Triton’s Concert was also pretty good as I had expected to see animation but was treated into by a live performance by an Ariel swinging from ropes.

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Views from around DisneySea. Can you identify which scene comes from which movie?

Another amazing thing about Tokyo Disney is looking at the locals themselves. Almost everyone of them was decked in some Disney character costume from beanies, gloves, hairbands, bags to footwear. Duffy Bear was surprisingly the most popular character here as its merchandise was being bought off the shelf at amazing speed. The main gift shop is filled with throngs of patrons. Seems like its a cultural thing for the Japs to be fascinated with anything kawaii and have no fear of being dressed like their fave cartoon character.

At the end of the day, the family enjoyed the trip to Japan, each with their own reasons. I enjoyed the snow, the scenery, the history and the toy hunting. The kids enjoyed the wild life with the deers, dolphins and snow. As I think about it, the children are indeed blessed to have seen so much in their short lives. I just hope this doesn’t make them less interested in what the rest of the world offers over time.

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Toy hunting in Akihabara - check out Radiokaikan, Akiba Anime City, Kotobukiya, Mandarake, Sofmap and Yodobashi Akiba for best deals.

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