Toshimaen: Tokyo's Center for Watery Summer Fun

Toshimaen has the best combined features of waterpark swimming, thrill rides/slides, and location!

When the blistering, humid days of summer hit Tokyo, Toshimaen is arguably must-visit stuff when other outdoor activities become borderline miserable during the hot summer day.

The water park is actually within the Toshimaen Amusement Park (in Nerima, cloes to Ikebukuro), so for those living/lodging in and around Tokyo, Toshimaen is likely the best located water park option during the summer.

Water slides at Toshimaen: The Big Thrill Leading to the Big Spill!

The best part of Toshimaen water park is the abundance of water slides.  From flume/tunnel types that curve around, to straightaway speed slides, and even a slide you can ride down on an inflatable innertube, there's lots of variety of thrill to be had if that it what you're looking for.

There's also a wave pool (called the Surf Pool here), for simulated floating/swimming with a current of sorts.  I haven't seen anyone with a surfboard here yet, but it's still a fun part of the water park to be at.



And, the lazy river: probably best experienced with a floater (available for rent) so that you can watch the scenery and the Toshimaen scene pass by as the river takes you for a relaxing water ride with everyone else.

Besides the slides and the Surf Pool, there are other water based attractions in the park that are worth a look.  Pools, watery playgrounds, and waterfalls can make for some fun as well as nice photos.

On one occasion, there was a soap bubble party!  It was a lot of fun, so indescribable that I can't even begin to find the words to do it justice, so...

The water park operates on a pre-paid wristband system; put as much money you think you'll be spending on the wristband and just use the wristband for food/drink/rentals while you're in the water park.  Pretty handy (no pun intended) when you're just wearing swimwear and would have some challenges holding coins and/or keeping yen bills dry.



Toshimaen my favorite among all other water park experiences in and around the Tokyo summer.  It's my preferred destination and highly recommend it to you as well.  Splash down at Toshimaen water park, by all means!



Recommendations:
- Go with friend(s)!  Though I haven't tried going alone, I imagine it would not be as fun as having someone else to chat with and share the thrills and spills of the day.
- Footwear at the water park: optional.  Most of the walking surfaces are not too rough/hot, and most are wet from the water, but if you have sensitive feet that might be in pain at the slightest barefoot contact on hot surfaces... bring flip flops or sandals, etc, to use inside of the water park.
- "Must bring" stuff: towel, sunblock (if needed), and a bag/container to hold your wet swimwear in after the day/night fun.

Specifics:
Toshimaen Water Park
Duration: Late Jun to early September
Admission: Adults 4000 yen, Children taller than 110cm 3000 yen, Children shorter than 110cm 2000 yen
Location:

The Beautiful Game in Japan: J-League

Football (or soccer as it's known in some countries) is truly the world's game.  Though baseball reigns supreme among spectator sports in Japan, football is probably a solid third behind sumo.

With my buddies and fellow enthusiasts at Saitama Stadium

Japan League (known as J-League) is the highest level of professional football in the country, with teams situated in many part of the country throughout its top tied and lower tier leagues.  From as high north as Hokkaido down to the Ryukyu team in Okinawa, professional teams have their strongholds with fervent fan support.  In the Kanto Plains, there are more than a handful of teams with support divided somewhat along city lines.

Fernando Torres with his Sagan Tosu teammates just after the match at Urawa Reds

In recent years, with more international players and some very well known international stars making their way to J-League such as Lukas Podolski, Andres Iniesta, and Fernando Torres, not to mention the Japanese National Teams making impact on the World Cup and Olympic stages, the beautiful game is very much alive and well in the Land of the Rising Sun.

So, you'd like to attend a game in person, you say?  Check online at each respective team's website for specific info on tickets.  J-League has its own ticket website (English language) so this helps tremendously for us Gaijin; we simply purchase ticket(s) online and present the email proof of purchase at the stadium on game day/night to receive the tickets.

Once you get there... for the seasoned football/soccer game enthusiast, you'll find the atmosphere, crowd, and stadium experience just as good as that you'll find anywhere else in the world where the sport is a passion among its fans.  Songs, chants, fans dressed in team jerseys/colors, all of it.

If you're a sports enthusiast of any kind, JLeague soccer is worth seeing at least once.  Whether you have an interest in any team or player, or if a specific team's home games are more convenient to attend, perhaps that should dictate the route you take towards the beautiful game in Japan.

Recommendations:

- Purchase tickets in advance

- Understand the seating arrangement: some tickets are reserved seats (specific row and seat number), while others give you unreserved seats in a particular section of the stadium.  For the unreserved ones, you could get really close to the action but need to arrive hours early.

- Find out where the game will be played, and find out what train station is closest to the stadium... which is usually the best for getting to the game.

Tokyo Drift at Odaiba: Part Cinematic, Part Motor Show, All Awesome!

Tokyo Drift event at Odaiba: Part Cinematic, Part Motor Show, All Awesome!

Japan, and Tokyo specifically, have always had the image of automobiles associated with the geographic location.  Also, thanks to a certain 2006 movie, "drifting" is associated with Japan as well, also in specific, Tokyo.  One doesn't necessarily need to be a fan of the entire Fast and Furious movie saga, though, to become fascinated with the art of drifting cars.

Drifting originated in Japan, so one can easily argue that taking part in the sport is as traditional as kimonos or samurai.  Or maybe not... 

There is a professional "league" that hold events for drifting: the D1 Grand Prix (D1GP for short), which has each round of its competition staged at various courses around Japan, and sometimes even outside of the drifting motherland.

The focus on this webpage will be on the round held at Odaiba, Tokyo, near DiverCity (actually, in its parking lot as it appears).  The area is easily accessible by train for tourists, or even by car for anyone who drives... though I'm sure you're not allowed to drift your way there.

Unlike the typical auto/motor show in Tokyo, the drift event at Odaiba is well spaced out and thus not too crowded/suffocating for the attendees.  Though the seating area is a bit tight, you can always get up and walk around the food/exhibit areas just outside of the track and bleachers area.

And about those exhibits...cars, and race queens.  Though on a much smaller scale, it's just like Tokyo Auto Salon, but outdoors and with less crowds!  Definitely worth a look.







But, you came here to see drifting, right?  Seeing it on the big screen or on your phone/computer screen is one thing, but seeing it in person is a whole different experience.

The sight is one thing, that you can kind of see online already.  But the sounds of roaring engines and the screech of too-strained tires... combined with the feeling of the asphalt vibrating from the mechanical stress transferred from those metal beasts, and the smell of burning rubber... all of it wrapped in a neat Tokyo package is quite an experience.

Also, in between car drift segments of the event, there are pretty extreme Motocross performers, which are pretty awesome/exciting to see and photograph as well!

The Drift event at Odaiba is definitely worth seeing in person at least once, whether you're a motorhead or not.  Cars are everywhere but drifting is not... so why not see it at its best, in its motherland of Japan?

Recommendations:

- Buy tickets online in advance.  Though not mandatory (tickets/seats seem to be available onsite even during the event), buying in advance ensures that you and your companion(s) get seated at the location/price you want, as there are different seating areas at different prices.

Specifics:

Tokyo Drift at Odaiba
Location:

Night Buses: Transporting You Comfortably From Place To Place, In Dark Space

When it comes to travelling between distant cities in Japan, the Shinkansen (and its distant "relatives" in the form of various types of express trains) immediately come to mind as the most famous means of travelling large distances in the country.  Though, for those who have tried it or even just searching out bullet train fares, it's not cheap.

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The most comfy bus ride ever! #japan #bus #willerexpressbus #asia #iphoneasia

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Air travel, while generally even more expensive than rail, is also up there in popularity.  Though personally, I could live without the hefty check in, wait, and baggage claim times associated with any travel via airport.

Through the internet and word of mouth, though, I learned about the cheapest reasonable means to travel from the Kanto plain to the Kansai region: the night bus (also known as the highway bus).  For a relatively reasonable fee, one can conceivably sleep through the night and wake up at his/her destination.  And from the photos I've seen of the night bus interior, this is travelling in style!  Some buses afford passengers an enclosed room for themselves to presumably enjoy and await arrival at the destination the next morning.

So, we decided to give it a go.  I'd never been to Universal Studios Japan, so that seemed like a good destination to give this mode of travel a try.  It would preclude the need for hotel/lodging, since we could also board a night bus the evening of our arrival at Osaka to get back to the Kanto region.

Reservations were easy enough, through Hyperdia, though it takes you to Willer Bus express, which is the company that manages the route we would be taking.  They had a convenient trip scheduled both ways, which had us arriving at USJ just before opening (08:30) and departing around the time I expected we'd experienced all we wanted for the day (19:55).

On the evening of our travel, a couple of things amazed me:
- the bus terminal area was on the fourth (4th!!!) floor of a building(!!!)
- the clockwork precision of the buses, departing and arriving like a choreographed performance:

The onboard experience was wonderful!  For the nine hour journey from Shinjuku to Universal Studios, I had a comfortable seat (which reclines pretty way back, though not quite close to horizontal), and my own personal space courtesy of curtains that provided a cozy "room" on the bus.  It kind of felt like flying business class on an international flight, though without the served food and drink.

I slept probably as well as possible, considering I was in a moving wheeled vehicle, after all.  Bathroom/rest area breaks were about 2-3 hours apart during the journey, which are a welcome opportunity to use the bathroom (there was no restroom on the bus), get food/drink, or otherwise just bask, breathe in, and wander around in a part of the country I would not find myself at if not for this red-eye journey.

Coming home, I slept even better, which was predictable since that was coming off a full day of USJ walking and excitement.  For all the reasons I've stated and understated, the night bus is an experience worth having, and for me it'll be the preferred mode of travel to other major/distant cities to keep more money in my travel budget!

Recommendations:

- Book your trip in advance; though there were a few empty seats on both rides of my experience, I can't imagine what trouble it would've been had I not booked in advance and the bus was full.

- Wear comfortable clothes for the trip, something you believe can fall asleep in.

- If needed, bring snacks/drinks but not the smelly kind... to be kind to your fellow long-distance travelers.

Specifics:

Visit some of the bus companies that have night/highway buses to book online:

Willer Express

Japan Bus Online

JR Bus Kanto

Ashikaga Flower Park: Mysterious Wisterias Abound

Though I have gained a greater appreciation of nature, and all of God’s creatures over the past few years, I’m not the type to really go out of my way to see something along those lines.  After all, even in the urban Kanto plain you are never really that far from nature, right?

For my lover’s passion and interest though, on a Saturday morning in May we ventured out to Ashikaga-Shi, in Tochigi prefecture, to see what the hysteria over Wisteria was all about.

Ashikaga flower park had been recommended to me by a few friends, but those friends’ interests run a bit differently from mine... so the idea had hit a dead end until this year, about three years since I’d first heard of it.

Well, I really enjoyed it!  Not as much as other things I tend to enjoy, but still, it was a breath of fresh air to be out in a more natural setting.  The flower park is well thought out in both appearance and egress.

If you like water, there is a lot of it to see and it complements the flowers quite beautifully.

But the main attraction was the wisteria, and it didn’t disappoint.  It was my first time to see this type of flower/plant and my camera had more than its fill of image work on those wisteria.


Aside from the main attraction(s) of the park, I will also mention that the food is worth the visit as well!  The ramen is a different variety that that found in the Kanto plains, and gyoza in Tochigi prefecture (especially Utsunomiya) is wonderful.  Ashikaga will definitely not disappoint, and leave you in awe of all creations of god and man alike.

Recommendations:

- Be prepared to walk!  Even if you opt to drive or take a bus tour to get there instead of using the train system, to see/taste all that is good here you'll be walking to get to it.  Wear shoes you're comfortable with for walking a lot.

- Keep an eye out on the weather.  As the flower park is entirely outdoors, plan accordingly with regards to forecasts of rain.

Specifics:
Ashikaga Flower Park
Admission: Varies by time of year and age (see website if specifics costs are needed)
Location:

Azuki Shiba Cafe: Geeking Out on Doggies in Akihabara

Akihabara, as you may already know, has a great many things catering to many interests.  So, while the animal cafes (notably owl and cat) have been in the neighborhood for years, it is only recently that canines have entered the Akiba scene.  More specifically, those cute mame shiba dogs.

Azukishiba No Sato is in the heart of the "otaku" world in Akihabara, along Chuo Street and very close to JR Akihabara Station (about a 1-2 minute walk).  As it is a newer establishment, compared to the popular Mame Shiba café in Harajuku, it was less populated with visitors and wait times very minimal, if any, at the times I'd visited.





So, if you find yourself curious to meet the shibas, Azukishiba gets my recommendation for a first timer due to ease of entry and being less crowded.

Azukishiba offers 30 minute stays with the dogs.  It can go by quickly, but you always have the option of purchasing another stay.  They also offer point cards, the rewards for filling up are unknown to me at this time.





The dogs seemed lesser in number compared to the café in Harajuku, but there are quite a few here to fawn over.  And, they are no less cute and cool than their counterparts.  It's also a bit easier to move around from shibe to shibe here, as it's less crowded, so that is another plus.




If you're in Akihabara and your schedule (and your heart) has room for more, the mame shiba at Azukishiba café can easily fill up both with their cuteness and affection!


Recommendations:

- Wear comfortable clothing: you'll likely sit or kneel on the tatami (mat) floor to get closer to the pups

- Use restroom before going if needed: I didn't notice any public restroom in or near the café.


Specifics:

Azukishiba No Sato
Location:

TeamLab Planets: A Fun Time In The Dark and Lights (and water!)

TeamLab Planets is a relatively new attraction in town, and along with its sister attraction, TeamLab Borderless, gets a lot of attention and reviews from both locals and tourists in Tokyo.  Be warned: it is relatively on the high cost of activities (even in Tokyo), but if you can manage it, and manage it along with others, it is definitely a fun experience and worth the time and money you put into it.









I won't go too much into detail here, as I believe that the element of surprise always has its merits.  But I'll share some of the photos and videos I took at Planets, and along with the many others you'll see online (or already have seen), and perhaps it'll convince to give it a try.









As you can see, it is a fun experience which takes your eyes all over, and puts your feet into some wet places... submersing yourself into nearly knee-deep waters at times.  Don't worry too much about the moisture though, as the event gives you towels to dry off after each water-based experience.  Just watch your step(s).






According to their website, Planets is operating for a limited time, until Fall 2020.  So for those considering taking a step into the world of Planets... don't think or procrastinate too long on it.





After all, after that first step into Planets, every step, every second of the experience seems to differ from the last one.  A galaxy full of possibilities and fun awaits!

Recommendations:

- Regarding the waters, TeamLab Planets does give everyone an informational briefing before you enter, part of which addresses how to avoid getting clothes wet.  That said, for the ladies, long skirts probably give the most headache with regards to them possibly getting wet.  Jeans and pants can be rolled up relatively easily.

- Bring a photographic device of some kind!  Whether it's your phone or a DSLR camera, you have to capture some of those moments somehow.  That said...

- Video is even better than photos.  You'll discover this while you're there.

- If you fully intend to use the site's app on your phone while there, it's probably worthwhile to download and install it on your phone in advance of your visit.

- Go with someone!  Selfies, while great, won't do your experience justice by itself... having someone do the photography for you will be worth it.

- As is the case with almost all activities that occur every day, weekdays will be more pleasant and less crowded than weekends.


Specifics:

TeamLabs Planets
Admission: Various depending on day of week, as high as 3200 yen for adults.  Night admission tickets are cheaper.
Location: