- Today is our Tokyo sightseeing day. We had to reverse our plan due to the Tokyo Cruise we wanted being fully booked when we went to buy the tickets yesterday. We had waited since we were unsure if we were going Sat or Sun, and then when Sat was rained out, we went to purchase Sunday, and it was gone, so instead of starting at the SkyTree, we are ending there.
- Started our trip by purchasing new Tokyo Disney Resort Line tickets. The longest pass you can buy is a four-day ticket. This is slightly annoying, having to purchase another one mid-trip, but on the plus side, it means we each get two designs. The process was very quick this morning with no line at the machines.
- We set off for the Tokyo Teleport Station in Odaiba. This was a relatively short trip with a single transfer. We were there in around 30 minutes from the Miahama station in Tokyo Disney Resort.
- This was my first time to Odaiba, unless you count several bus trips through on the expressway to/from the airport. It was a clear and comfortable morning. There was a steady stream of people moving around the area when we arrived, but it did not feel crowded.
- Our first stop was the Diver City Tokyo Plaza. This is one of several malls in the area. We were just passing through it more or less and not really shopping. We arrived right as it was opening at 10 am so it was not busy. The mall seemed like any other mall on the inside, so we did not spend too much time there. The unique draw is an approximately 60-foot-tall Gundam RX-78-2 outside. It was impressive to see this. It transforms several times a day, but due to our schedule, I was unable to stick around and see this.
- The Odaiba Waterfront has a number of walking paths and areas to explore and look out to Toyko Bay. You get a great view of the Rainbow Bridge. A Statue of Liberty is on display in the park with elevated walkways for some great views of it. This status was installed in 2000 following a special exhibit of the French Statue of Liberty from lie aux Cygnes that was on display from April 1998 to January 1999. This is a casting of that statue. I enjoyed seeing this one and the viewing angles were much better than the one in Paris. Here are my pictures from the Statue of Liberty Paris (Statue de la Liberté Paris)
- We booked a Tokyo Cruise, which departed Odaiba and traveled up the Sumida River to Asakusa. In typical Japanese fashion, our boat came into view and arrived right on time. We boarded and cast off on schedule. We were onboard the Emeraldas, which is more like a spaceship than a boat. I really enjoyed the first part of the cruise, where we were able to stand outside on the observation deck and look out at the Bay and upriver. As we started to pass under bridges, though, they closed this area, and we were stuck inside the boat. The views were nowhere near as impressive inside. The boat looks great on the outside but inside there are a lot of obstructions and oddly curved windows distorting the view. The cruise lasted about an hour and we traveled under a number of bridges on the trip. There was some narration in Japanese but not a lot. I would have liked to have had more and the option for English.
- This was my second visit to Asakusa. My last one was on my first trip to Tokyo 10 years ago. We walked the Nakamise Shopping Street and visited the area around the Senso-ji temple. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, the area was very busy with a lot of activity. We walked through the area, seeing the scene and sights, then continued on. I am not a big shopper or food person, nor is anyone in my group today.
- We circled back to the river and took the Sumida River Walk to cross the river. The views were ok from here, but it was more function over form in design and use. We walked by a Hawaiian festival and then along Genmori River. This was my first time in this area so everything was new to look at.
- We arrived at the Tokyo SkyTree just before 2 pm and took a look at the weather and the return time if we bought a ticket. Return times were for 2-3 hours out, and the forecast was for clouds to roll in. So we opted not to go up to the observation deck. This turned out to be the correct decision as the clouds did roll in and the views would not have been great.
- As we looked around at the crowd and dining choices, we opted to go with a tried and true option, a McDonald's. Unfortunately, it was extremely crowded, and we ended up eating at a counter with no view.
- The SkyTree Mall was extremely busy with people everywhere. The stores had long lines and overall it was just a lot of people and noise inside. We walked through the Disney store and by several other stores before calling it a day and heading back to Disney. The mall was a bit challenging to find things in due to the number of people and layout. The only thing clearly marked were the train stations. There were plenty of signs for both of them but the shops were a challenge to locate.
- The train ride back to Disney from here involved two transfers and three train lines. Everything was fairly well marked and easy. It took about an hour to get back to Tokyo Disney Resort.
- Since we were back early and the next two days were scheduled to be park days we decided to go buy our airport bus tickets back. We went to bell services as we have done on previous trips. The process has changed. They were no longer selling tickets at the hotel. Instead they had a QR code to scan and you get directed to the bus website to purchase the ticket. It had the route pre-selected so it did save a little work but you could have done the same thing without visiting the bell services desk.
- I was expecting to find the Sheraton Club to be busy this evening since it was a Sunday, but it turned out to be an average crowd for the week.
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