Trip to Japan

Trip to Japan

Anick Dupuis

5 days on land and 12 days on a cruise ship

Day 1 - Airport and flights

13-hour flight, from YUL airport to Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan. And a 1-hour internal flight to Osaka's airport. The first flight seemed to stretch on forever and ever.

Some things that I'd recommend for a long flight:
- Sitting in an aisle seat: easier to stand up and walk up and down the aisle of the plane, great for blood circulation in the legs and an energy boost. Also a lot easier to go to the bathroom when you want, with no fear of disturbing other people to get out of your seat.
- Compression socks: reduce swelling in the ankles and prevent blood clots
- Sleeping mask and a neck pillow: great for more comfortable sleeping.

Day 2 - Guided tour: Nara, Arashiyama and Fujiyoshida

In Nara: the deer were ridiculously cute. You could give them special biscuits made just for them. They follow you if you have biscuits, and they can bite if you're not careful.
In Arashiyama: photos at a temple and a lunch break. I had a matcha dessert and a glass of iced green tea.
In Fujiyoshida: another temple, very beautiful, but it was also very hot.

Day 2 - Guided tour: Nara, Arashiyama and Fujiyoshida

Day 3 - Universal Studios Japan

The rides I went on:

  1. Space Fantasy - The Ride : Club Zedd Remix : Before even getting in the line to wait, you have to put your belongings in one of the lockers in the attraction's locker zone. You need a 100 yen coin to open the locker, and you get that coin back at the end of the ride when you take your belongings back. The ride itself is a strong roller coaster in the dark, and there are lights, music and clips of Zedd. There were 3 songs, but only one that I recognised.
  2. JUJUTSU KAISEN: The Real 4-D — Clock Tower of Recurrence : I haven't watched the series, and I don't speak Japanese. I still enjoyed the show anyway. Once you get past the waiting lines, there's a waiting room, with a big screen and 3 characters. They explain what the mission the 3 characters have to go on, and then you get into another room that looks like a cinema. Once you're seated and the screen starts playing, the chair moves, and there's sometimes some bursts of air and water sprays. It's a fun one and it's not too wild. You also have to wear the 3D glasses given for the attraction.
  3. Detective Conan 4D Live Show : Jewel Under the Starry Sky : It's a whole experience, in Japanese. Even though I don't understand most of the words, I got the gist of what was happening. I still don't get the Phantom kid thing though.
  4. Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast : feels like if you were actually at a comic con, but minions version when you're waiting in line. It's awesome.
  5. Jurassic Park - The Ride : It's a river safari, then wrong turns into the restricted areas. There's alarm sounds, a fancy lab that got destroyed, a confrontation with T-Rex and then a big drop at the end to escape from the T-Rex.
  6. JAWS : On the boat ride, you have the guide that talks a lot, in Japanese. I didn't understand what she said, but there's a lot of acting that goes into it, so I understood the emotions and the actions at least. Basically, it's like a boat excursion, but it went wrong because sharks showed up, and then the guide shoots at the sharks and it hits the wrong place and then things happen. There's lots of special effects and it was very cool.
  7. Mario Kart : Koopa's Challenge : You're in a car, with augmented reality goggles and the goal is to beat team Koopa by throwing shells and scoring points. It's a fun ride, even if you're not super familiar with the Super Nintendo world.
  8. Donkey Kong: Mine Cart Madness : You're on a mine cart, speeding through the Golden Temple to help Donkey Kong to protect the banana hoard. At some point, it even looks like if the mine cart was going to leap off the tracks. It was fun and intense, but I wouldn't recommend if you don't like rollercoasters
  9. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey : It was one of the rides of my fast pass bunch, so I didn't really see much of the decorations in the waiting line. The ride itself was pretty cool, and it felt like you were there, in the iconic moments of the movies
  10. Despicable Me : Minion Mayhem : It's really cool. You're transformed into a Minion and recruited for a secret mission. The car shakes, tilts and bounces along with the things that happen on the screen.

Also, food and merch! The things I got:

  • Frozen mango popsicle. It's basically frozen half of a mango, put on a stick. Depending on the piece you get, it can be a bit sour. They sell it in the stands a bit everywhere in the park.
  • The Dragon's Pearl Combo for lunch. It's Mapo tofu, fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce, fried rice with edamame beans, eggs, and something else, with an almond jello for dessert.
  • 1UP factory in Super Nintendo World. Got 2 keychains with plush characters (Bob-omb and Boo).

Day 3 - Universal Studios Japan

Expert Advice

Day 4 - Train to Tokyo + TeamLab

Train, then: Shibuya Crossing — packed and chaotic, with people everywhere taking photos.

Day 4 - Train to Tokyo + TeamLab

Day 5 - Guided tour: Mount Fuji

The weather wasn't great and it was very cloudy, so I couldn't see Mount Fuji.

Day 5 - Guided tour: Mount Fuji

Days 6-17 : Celebrity Millennium - 12 night Best of Japan - Nebuta Festival Cruise

Cruise itinerary:
Day 1: Boarding
Day 2: Mount Fuji (Japan)
Days 3 and 4: Osaka (Japan)
Day 5: Kochi (Japan)
Day 6: a day at sea
Day 7: Busan (South Korea)
Day 8: a day at sea
Day 9: Hakodate (Japan)
Days 10 and 11: Aomori (Japan), with the Nebuta Festival
Day 12: a day at sea
Day 13: disembarkation

Days 6-17 : Celebrity Millennium - 12 night Best of Japan - Nebuta Festival Cruise

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Anick Dupuis

Anick Dupuis

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