Tokyo Disney

A thorough trip to Tokyo can never be complete without a stop at Tokyo Disney. The resort is about 40 minutes away from Tokyo station and easily accessible by public transportation. I decided to head out to Disney just to compare it to Disneyland in CA. There was absolutely no cosmetic difference except for the size. Tokyo Disney is even smaller than Disneyland. Those of you who are used to Disney World Resort would feel a bit claustrophobic at Tokyo Disney and the park experience will be over in a few hours. It was still a great novelty to ride "It's a small world" in Japan and the park is just as fun as any in the world. As an added bonus I was able to catch some fireworks while I was there. Video below, enjoy.

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Temples of Kyoto

As an amateur photographer I live for the right combination of subject, light, and background. With that said I've never had more of the perfect mixture of all three than over the past few days. This weekend in Kyoto has proven to be one of the most enjoyable landscape photography opportunities that I've ever had and I managed to come away with a few shots that I absolutely love.

The temples where absolutely beautiful and immaculately kept, as I expected. The grounds are exactly as they were centuries ago, or so I was told and believed. Making my way through the various temples and their grounds made me appreciate them more than simply seeing them in a picture. Also I had a very strong appreciation of how sacred these sites are to the Japanese. They're not just tourist traps where the locals try to shake you down for your coin. These sites are still very functional and I felt like I would be voted off the island if I mistakenly touched something that I wasn't suppose to.

There are many shrines and templates in Kyoto and just as many ways to see them all. You can go as fast or as slow as you like. I had a little more than two days to get in as much sightseeing as I could and felt rushed, like I could spend 3 more days and still not see everything. Many people who visit either walk around to the shrines, take the bus, or use a combination of both. Considering I wanted to see as many of the sites as I could I opted to cab it from one temple to another when walking was out of the question. This limited my time spent waiting on the bus and made for some very interesting cab driver conversations. Many of the drivers used the opportunity to practice their English, just like in NYC.

It's hard to pick a favorite of all the templates, so I wouldn't. However, if you do visit Kyoto and have limited time I recommend going with the major templates. If you have time to spear then walking from one shrine to the other is by far the most enjoyable way to experience them. I absolutely plan on coming back to the city to take in more of what it has to offer. For now though I'll have to settle for two days, my photos, and my memories.

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Performing in Kyoto

Kyoto sits at the top of most people's Japan must-see list, both those who live in Japan and those who plan on visiting one day. Fortunately I am in the first group and I'm able to make my way to the city with relative ease. Monday is health and sports day in Japan and this provides the perfect 3 day weekend for a trip. I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head west (south-west to be exact) to historic city Kyoto for a few days. It was about time I made my way to this part of Japan.

"Kyoto is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area." - Wikipedia

About 14% of Japan's important cultural properties are in Kyoto city as well as 17 World Heritage Sites. This makes for some incredibly beautiful and inspiring site seeing. From Kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion) in the north of the city to Ginkaku-ji (the silver pavilion) in the south of the city you can spend a number of days exploring historical sites in Kyoto and not get bored. This of course depends on whether you're into this sort of thing to begin with. However, for someone who enjoys photography like myself it's a breathtaking experience.

My adventure started in Tokyo where I took the Shinkansen, or bullet train, from Tokyo station to Kyoto station. The bullet train is a network of high speed railway lines connecting Japan's major cities. These trains can go as fast as 275MPH although they typical don't pass 186MPH during operation. Riding the Shinkansen is like riding a quiet, spacious airline. However those who can't find a seat tend to stand in the isles or congregate at the

doorway, which was a bit annoying.

Traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto via Shinkansen may take as much as 2.5 hours depending on the type of train you use, some trains make less stops. The price also varies by train type. I decided to take the fastest train possible and consequently paid the highest price for a Shinkansen trip to Kyoto. My trip cost about $163 each way and took 2.15 hours which isn't bad for a 230 mile trek across Japan.

The weather wasn't on my side the first night in Kyoto. However, I did arrive just in time to see a great performance of a traditional Japanese opera at a shrine not too far from my hotel. The performance was an unexpected but very welcomed cultural experience. I was one of very few foreigners who happened to encounter the performance and, like most of them, had a taste of the Japanese culture that most people come to Japan to experience.

There were stalls at the shrine that sold some more traditional Japanese snacks like my favorite, grilled rice balls, squid, and chicken. There was also one snack that I thought tasted totally disgusting but all the locals seemed to love.

Minus the rain, my first night in Kyoto was excellent. Once the performance was over it was time to head back to the hotel and get some rest in preparation for a long day of temple hopping tomorrow.

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Sights, Attractions, and Food

This weekend reminded me what an incredible city Tokyo is, as if I need any reminder of that. I started out by cracking open that Tokyo city atlas which I received when I first moved here and headed out to experience and capture some of the best sights, attractions, and food that the city had to offer.

My first stop was breakfast at the Prince Park Tower Hotel, which I consider one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. The hotel is close to Tokyo Tower, which would be my next stop, and having stayed there in the past I knew their breakfast was worth the trip.

Weekend brunch at the Park Tower is served in the sky lounge which is on the 33rd floor of the hotel overlooking Tokyo Tower and other sights in the city. The food isn't quite amazing, but it's not incredibly pricey either, as you may expect, and it's tasty. I enjoyed the steamed scallops and salmon, and the eggs and pancakes really hit the right spot. Once I was stuffed it was time to get up and walk off all that food. My next stop was Tokyo Tower, which is a quick walk from the Park Tower through the hotel's garden and neighboring shrine (name?).

The hotel sits inside a park and the grounds are very well kept which is one of the hotel's most appealing qualities. I couldn't help myself from stopping and taking a few pics on my way through as I've done in the past, it never gets old. After a few clicks of the shutter is was time to ascend Tokyo Tower, one of the major attractions in the city.

"Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At 332.5 metres (1,091 ft), it is the second tallest artificial structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.

Built in 1958, the tower's main sources of revenue are tourism and antenna leasing. Over 150 million people have visited the tower since its opening. FootTown, a 4-story building located directly under the tower, houses museums, restaurants and shops. Departing from here, guests can visit two observation decks. The 2-story Main Observatory is located at 150 meters (492 ft), while the smaller Special Observatory reaches a height of 250 meters (820 ft)." - Wikipedia

I've been to the top of the tower before at night, which is probably an even more amazing experience, but I couldn't help and wonder at the vastness of the city and how peaceful everything looks from above. One of the most distinctive features of Tokyo is the commingling of tall, modern skyscrapers with small, traditional city homes. It gives Tokyo a community feel despite its large size and gives you some respite from its sometimes overwhelming scale. I took about 30 minutes enjoying the view from the top of the tower and taking a few photos, then I headed off to Ginza and Nihonbashi for some shopping and dinner.

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