Monday, 27 August 2012

Obon - pt 4!!! The finale!


So somewhere before the fireworks there was a ferris wheel and a roller coaster.  Not sure when that was but it was fun!  We went to Sakuragicho and checked out the ferris wheel.  This is one of the biggest in the world so that was pretty nifty.  It’s called Cosmo Clock 21 and you’re in cars 112.5 m in the air.  I’ve never been on a ferris wheel before so this was a new experience.  Now I’m used to being on roller coasters that plummet to the earth so it was weird being up so high and expecting a drop that never came.  Kinda made me nervous.  And looking straight down also made me anxious – I kept thinking it was gonna break or something but I survived and was very happy!  And what a view!  Toyko has some amazing skylines.
Then we went on a small roller coaster that vanishes into a pool into a tunnel of lights.  It was pretty small but still fun.  And since I hadn’t been on a roller coaster in several years this one made me a little nervous but I loved plunging into a pool so I was a happy camper.  We also tried to get into the Cup Noodle Museum but tickets were sold out by 3pm! All these kids had their inflated bags of self-made cup noodles that were decorated.  We were a little jealous J  Someday…anyway!
Day 6 – Aquarium day! We went to Sea Paradise and loved every minute of it.  I had never been to an aquarium so this was very neat.  Animals seen – seals, walruses (walrusi?), a lazy polar bear, whale sharks, disgusting little worm-like eels, huge crabs, an octopus, jellyfish, sharks, a gross blobby sunfish, beluga whales, dolphins, penguins, otters.
We also saw this great mammal show where the seals, beluga whales, dolphins, and walrus performed.  They danced, hula-hooped with their necks, jumped, dived, balanced the trainers on the noses, and flippered across water.  It was fantastic!  The dolphins can jump ridiculously high and in such union it really is beautiful – it’s just a matter of time before they take over the world…
We walked through 3 aquatubes, which were gorgeous.  The best one was an escalator in a HUGE tank filled with “singing” fish, manta rays that looked like they were smiling, sharks, and other small fish.  Another tube was in Dolphin Fantasy where the dolphins swam over you and played with each other.  One looked really drunk with a silly smile on his face – no lie!  It was great!  And we saw a LOT of dolphins pooping!  So funny!!!!  I mean they have to do it but no one was expecting it to look like that!  It was fascinating :p
Day 7 – final day L We headed out to Odaiba again and walked around the boardwalk area.  It was full of different activities, amusements, and beautiful sights.  My friend got a picture with the mini statue of liberty (no idea why it’s there…) but it was really cool.  Then we checked out another mall, which are in abundance in Japan, and went to the trick art museum.  We were expecting to see those pictures you stare at and the image pops out 3D like – not the case.  These pictures are painted so like-like that when you take your picture with it it looks real!  We got pics of being eaten by sharks, being attacked by ninjas, looking thru secret doors, being trapped in a huge wine glass, and feeding animals.  It was so amazing that these can be painted so life-like.  We had a blast!  Then we went to Korea Town for Korean BBQ!  Yay!!!! Finally!! I had been waiting all week for this!  It was delicious and unlike any KBBQ I had had before.
Our order came with different types of kimchi, pork strips, vegetables, and we ordered the Korean pancake with kimchi – we really like kimchi!  The servers cooked the food for us and then we ate it with lettuce leaves.  It was sooo yummy. 
I was also introduced to K-Pop.  I found I really like it – who’d have thought?  It’s a little hip-hop based and not at all twinkly and sunshiney like J-Pop.  It was pretty cool!  Yay for new experiences!
Obon week was phenomenal!  I got to see my friends that I missed so much and I had many new experiences.  The best part?  Checking out the different areas of Tokyo so I can go back and explore some more.  What an adventure!  I hope the New Year’s vacation will be just as fun!

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