"A wise man does not lose his way, a brave man does not fear..." - Japanese Proverb
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| (Umihotaru, a man-made island in the middle of the ocean) |
Day 03 - Wednesday: 26/06/2019
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland is a 115-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States, and it opened on 15 April 1983. Modelled after Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland is made up of seven themed lands and features seasonal decorations and parades. Tokyo DisneySea, located next to the Tokyo Disneyland is a fantasy theme park in Tokyo Disney Resort that is unique to Japan inspired by the myths and legends of the sea.
Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and Umihotaru
On the way to Yokohama we made a stop at Umihotaru R&R. It is a sea bound rest area on the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line that connects Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture with Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. On the 4th floor you can shop in a large glass corridor with sea views, and the 5th floor features restaurants where you can enjoy a meal while looking out over the sea. This rest area offers fun activities for people of every age, including Japan's only amusement arcade in a rest area, a time capsule post box that delivers letters about a year later, and the Bell of Happiness where you can share your feelings with someone important to you. We spent time exploring the area and bought some souvenirs here.
Yokohama Minato Mirai
Yokohama Minato Mirai is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama whose name means "harbor of the future". It has many large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, which was Japan's tallest building from 1993 until 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s, when development began to turn it into a new city center. Minato Mirai is blessed with a great location along the water and has a wealth of attractions. Visitors to the area will be able to find shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums and park space. Other attractions: Sky Garden Observatory, Cosmo World Amusement Park, Queen's Square, Landmark Plaza, World Porters, Red Brick Warehouses, Nippon Maru and Yokohama Port Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art.
Yamashita Park
When we arrived in Yokohama it was drizzling slightly. We stopped at Yamashita Park, a public park that stretches along Yokohama's waterfront. The park has a beautiful flower garden full of blooms during this time of the year. There is the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930. The ship is now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s. Near the Hikawa Maru, and also hard to miss, stands the Yokohama Marine Tower which has a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.
The Red Brick Warehouse
Next we visited the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, a historical building that is used as a complex that includes a shopping mall, banquet hall, and event venues. The complex, officially known as the Newport Pier Tax Keeping Warehouse, was originally used as customs buildings. We had our packed lunch in the public park next to the Red Brick Warehouse.
The World Porters
The group performed our prayers in the prayer room at the World Porters Shopping Mall. It is a giant shopping mall with over 200 shops. The floors are separated according to genre such as foods, fashion, sports, variety goods and furniture for shopping convenience. There are also a lineup of many unique and stylish interior shops as well as a movie complex.
Yokohama Chinatown
Tokyo Disneyland is a 115-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States, and it opened on 15 April 1983. Modelled after Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland is made up of seven themed lands and features seasonal decorations and parades. Tokyo DisneySea, located next to the Tokyo Disneyland is a fantasy theme park in Tokyo Disney Resort that is unique to Japan inspired by the myths and legends of the sea.
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| (Sending off some participants here) |
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| (We were here in 1987, more than 3 decades ago!) |
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| (I am too old to ride the roller-coasters) |
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| (A group photo before we split ways) |
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| (DisneySea, next to Disneyland) |
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| (One of the many structures around Disneyland) |
Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and Umihotaru
On the way to Yokohama we made a stop at Umihotaru R&R. It is a sea bound rest area on the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line that connects Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture with Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. On the 4th floor you can shop in a large glass corridor with sea views, and the 5th floor features restaurants where you can enjoy a meal while looking out over the sea. This rest area offers fun activities for people of every age, including Japan's only amusement arcade in a rest area, a time capsule post box that delivers letters about a year later, and the Bell of Happiness where you can share your feelings with someone important to you. We spent time exploring the area and bought some souvenirs here.
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| (9.6 km underwater tunnel of Tokyo Aqualine) |
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| (A man-made island as a Rest and Recreational Area) |
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| (We are in the middle of the ocean) |
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| (A beautiful and relaxing rest area) |
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| (One of the eight cutter head to create the underwater tunnel) |
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| (Another unique sculpture on Umihotaru) |
Yokohama Minato Mirai
Yokohama Minato Mirai is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama whose name means "harbor of the future". It has many large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, which was Japan's tallest building from 1993 until 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s, when development began to turn it into a new city center. Minato Mirai is blessed with a great location along the water and has a wealth of attractions. Visitors to the area will be able to find shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums and park space. Other attractions: Sky Garden Observatory, Cosmo World Amusement Park, Queen's Square, Landmark Plaza, World Porters, Red Brick Warehouses, Nippon Maru and Yokohama Port Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art.
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| (The many attractions of Yokohama) |
Yamashita Park
When we arrived in Yokohama it was drizzling slightly. We stopped at Yamashita Park, a public park that stretches along Yokohama's waterfront. The park has a beautiful flower garden full of blooms during this time of the year. There is the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930. The ship is now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s. Near the Hikawa Maru, and also hard to miss, stands the Yokohama Marine Tower which has a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.
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| (A stroll in the garden of Yamashita Park) |
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| (Japan Girl Scout Friendship Statue in the Park) |
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| (Yokohama Marine Tower in the background) |
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| (Hikawa Maru - An Ocean Liner permanently berthed as museum) |
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| (The White Light House at the end of the pier) |
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| (A private charter cruise boat for sightseeing tour) |
The Red Brick Warehouse
Next we visited the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, a historical building that is used as a complex that includes a shopping mall, banquet hall, and event venues. The complex, officially known as the Newport Pier Tax Keeping Warehouse, was originally used as customs buildings. We had our packed lunch in the public park next to the Red Brick Warehouse.
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| (A relaxing stroll to the Red Brick Warehouse) |
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| (A Curry-Music Concert is currently being held here) |
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| (Enjoy a good scenery of Yokomaha on the Sky Duck Tour) |
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| (A park next to the Red Brick Warehouse) |
The World Porters
The group performed our prayers in the prayer room at the World Porters Shopping Mall. It is a giant shopping mall with over 200 shops. The floors are separated according to genre such as foods, fashion, sports, variety goods and furniture for shopping convenience. There are also a lineup of many unique and stylish interior shops as well as a movie complex.
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| (The Muslim prayer room on the 6th floor) |
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| (Hamley Toy Store occupying the whole floor) |
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| (The World Bazaar Exposition in the Shopping Mall) |
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| (A mini theme park at the back of the World Porters) |
Yokohama Chinatown
Our last stop is Yokohama Chinatown. It is the largest in Japan with temples, traditional gates, and festivals. There are roughly 250 Chinese-owned/themed shops and restaurants scattered throughout the district, with the highest concentration centered on a 300 sq meter area.Its history is about 160 years long. Today only a few Chinese people still live in Chinatown, but it has a population of about 3,000 to 4,000. Most of the residents are from Guangzhou but many come from other regions.
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| (One of the many traditional gates) |
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| (Emperor Guan's Shrine in Yokohama Chinatown) |
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| (A busy street of Chinatown) |
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| (A guide for Muslims visitors) |
It was already dusk when we left Yokohama for Tokyo Disneyland to pick the other group. Everyone was hungry when we arrived at our hotel. Our dinner tonight was packed rice from the convenient store eaten with our packed sambal sotong.
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