Disney Sea Pics....

Some pictures from Tokyo Sea...

The Raging Spirit Roller Coaster

The Japanese Version of Tower of Terror.

The Mediterranean Village

Outside Aquatopia

Tokyo Disney Day 1

Having growing up in Orange County, I would venture to say I have probably been to Disneyland well over 100 times. I am used to the best routes to get from point A to point B and consider myself somewhat of an expert on the rides of yesteryear no longer in existence and what Disneyland was back in late 70s until now. So it was with great exuberance I was once again able to attend both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea recently and this time take some notes about both parks and some of the differences and subtle nuances that distinguish both parks and more importantly, the entire experience itself.

 Located about 30 minutes away via a train ride from Tokyo Station, one of the world's busiest train depots, the Tokyo Disney resort is officially located in the city of Maihama in the Chiba Prefecture. What marks the Japanese Disney Experience from the one more accustomed to by visitors to our local park is the complete user friendly set up and lay out of the complex. Immediately leaving the train, you check in at the official Vacation Welcome Center where you can not only purchase your tickets for the parks, but also check into your hotel room provided you booked at one of the 6 on site hotels. The welcome center handled it all giving us our entry passes for the parks, the keys to our room, passes for the Disney Train line, and best of all allowing us to check in all of our luggage.

 Located directly at the same train stop lies the sprawling shopping complex Ikspiari. Think of this as the Japanese version of Downtown Disney but truth be told it is much more akin to South Coast Plaza given the mall like atmosphere and upscale architecture. Ikspiari is loaded with shops and restaurants to the point where one could probably spend a day taking it all in and proved later to be a wonderful respite.

The entire Tokyo Disney Complex has its own Train Line not too different then the Monorail but serving 4 stops along its route with Tokyo Disney, Disney Sea, the Hotels, and once again back to the Ikspiari and Train Connections. What differs here is that the Disney Train does require the purchase of a ticket to board, so it is not like the Monorail which is free inside the park or getting into the park via the Monorail entrance at Downtown Disney. For all intensive purposes, this train is no different then any other train in Japan other then being totally overhauled into the Disney Theme with Mickey Mouse Shaped Windows, Handles, and on this trip a Toy Story Mania motif that coincided with the ride opening at Disney Sea.

 Departing the train, we made our way into Tokyo Disneyland, and while they have their own version of Main Street, the entire street is covered offering guest a dry experience given the frequent rain of the area. Main Street is also layed out in a cross street type pattern as well that allows for more shops as well as guests having the option to short cut to Tomorrowland or Westernland. Yes, Tokyo Disney simply combines Frontierland and Adventureland into one all encompassing land known as Westernland. The rides themselves each have a few minor differences that were interesting to this longtime Disneyland fan. The Pirates of the Caribbean features only one drop instead of the two we are used to in OC. The Jack Sparrow character in the “Well Dunking” scene is much bigger as well, and while I am not an expert of Johnny Depp would not be surprised if this was actual size. Some other notables come from the Jail scene with additional prisoners in the jail as well as unique dialogue as well as a blast from the past in the Pirates Plunder scene where the Pirates still chase the women and none of them are holding food, just as I remembered the original back in OC before political correctness set in.

The Strawberry and Custard Mickey Waffle....was 400 Yen.

 The Haunted House has some differences as well in the House itself is far larger as the ride itself takes place in the house as opposed to our OC offering that takes place largely underground. Once through the entrance you board your Doom Mobile immediately which means the walk through section with the changing pictures and the moving statues actually takes place as part of the ride. The staring statues also feature some other characters not seen in our version. The jungle cruise is different as well in that there is a cave section with large snakes, a tiger with glowing eyes, and a monkey idol inside. Very reminiscent of the architecture used in the Indiana Jones ride which begs to mention Indiana Jones is located in Disney Sea.

A Disney Themed Japanese Lantern 

There is no Matterhorn ride as well which to some extent robs the park of a Central Location to get your bearings straight. Big Thunder Mountain in Japan is far faster and far better in my opinion, actually having the feel of a legitimate thrill ride as opposed to the relatively tame offering of our park.

This Jungle Cruise Cast Member was Happy To post for us. 

One item of note, the shooting gallery in Japan offers a special prize for those who score a 10 of 10. Score Sheets are printed out after every round and showing the attendant a perfect score card meant getting a Donald Duck Sheriff Badge of which I fortunately was able to win, much to delight of my kids and a round of high fives.

One of the many popcorn stands with assorted flavors.

These are actually vending machines located in tomorrowland.

 One other item me and my family loved were the multiple flavors of Popcorn at the Park. Curry, Milk Tea, Soy Sauce, Chocolate, and Strawberry were just a few of the offerings for unique flavors and at 300 yen it was easy on the pocket book to try them all given 300 yen is close to $3.50 in US money. Japanese Disney also has no tax. As a matter of fact almost all of the single snack items were either 300 or 400 yen. The wife and I commented on how the quality and the price made it far more reasonable then our local park.

The Castle at Night.

After our busy day we made it to the Ikspiari center for our dinner and while I was really wanting a glass of wine and a pizza we thought we would keep it simple and go to the TGI Fridays with the assumption there would be more Kid friendly food. We ordered a few beers, 3 appetizers, 2 kids meals, and split a cobb salad with the bill coming to 80 bucks. They do not tip in Japan so given the amount of food and drink we ordered 80 bucks isn't really that unreasonable. Was cute as well that all the waitresses had American names...our server was Bunny, but we also saw Mary and April working there as well.

If you were the one last guy wondering whether or not the Stones have sold out....this should answer your question as the TGI Fridays in Tokyo was hawking all sorts of Stones menu items.

 All in all a fun day at Tokyo Disney!

Japan Days 3&4

After the whirlwind tour of the long plane flight, the long train, and the non stop touring of my first couple of days in Japan I was anxious to settle down a little bit....but that wasn't going to happen and Im not one to complain so the trip continued via a 3 plus hour drive to what is known as a Hot Spring Resort and a few stops along the way.

The first stop was a close to 100 year old hotel called the Tokai-Kan that overlooked the Matsukawa River.....the hotel at one point was the largest and tallest building in the Ito village and closed back in 1997 only to reopen a few years later as a museum. Was fascinating A)seeing the architecture and B) thinking how this was one of the premier hotels in the area back in day. Each room featured unique artistry with traditional japanese art carved into tables as well as etched into the walls. I opened up one of the windows overlooking the river and wondered how many people stayed in this room through the ages and what life must have been back in the day. They had a hot spring in the hotel and it was amusing to see the elaborate and much larger mens spring as compared to relative paltry offerings for the women spring. I should mention as well that much effort went into using a local tree that while it featured strong wood also bent in unpredictable ways so every effort was made to utilize the randomness of the branched worked into the architecture.

The View of the Tokai-Kan from across the River.

This was actually the entrance to the restroom.  In the land of the small the 5'8" white guy is King.

The hand carved at painted woodwork...each room was unique in theme.

Back in route to our destination I marveled at some of the scenic views offered by the coastal drive that was presented before us. Think the drive through Laguna Beach times pi to get an idea. Some areas were strictly reachable via boot as there were no public access and some of the small islands in the middle of the ocean only added to the semi tropical appeal.

Finally we reached our destination that was the Suiko Hot Spring Inn and it was certainly an experience. While it had all the modern amenities(wifi, Satellite TV, etc etc) it was a traditional hot springs resort that meant once you checked in, men were issued a Yukata and the Women the Kimono.

You basically stayed the entire time in the inn dressed in your issued Garb. To further elaborate, once you made it to your room, you had no more need for shoes as there sandals you would wear to walk to the grounds from Point A to Point B and what not.

Alex and me sporting our Yutakas.

We quickly made our way to the hot springs with my father in law and my sons off to the side for males and the wife and her mom for the females. My sons were a bit apprehensive at first but they realized it was like a big jacuzzi sans swimwear were alright with it. The water was blazing hot as well....you really had to try hard to get used to it and I couldnt imagine anyone could stay longer the 20 minutes or so. Japanese Hot Springs are as such that most comes with showers and prebathing before taking a dip is standard fair. In true japanese fashion though they provide every toiletry imaginable including razors, aftershave, lotions, as well as complimentary ice cold genmai cha tea and spring water infused with lemon. The whole effect largely stems from the view though as this mountain resort overlooked the city and offered a wonderful view. For me, and this may be from the “too much info” file but after soaking in piping hot spring water, standing naked on a bluff of a huge mountain with the ocean breeze blowing on the nether regions certainly offers a feeling of satisfaction.

The next surprise came with the revelation that Hot Spring Resorts are not only know for Hot Springs, but Ping Pong/Table Tennis. Not making this up. After soaking in the spring the family goes into a special ping pong room and enjoy some recreation. Was funny in that we are still wearing our Yutaka and Kimonos while playing the game.

Next event came with the serving of a Traditional Japanese Dinner. And this was about as traditional as it got and while I wasnt so sure of the pageantry and the tradition of the meal, I simply copied my father in law and did everything he did. Will say that the Sashimi was arguably the best I ever had and the roasting of a live abalone over a small sterno cell is something that is probably not offered at a lot of american seafood places. We also dined on a lobster tail....that was cut up and prepared tempura style. Some other meal accompaniments I had absolutely no clue what they were. We enjoyed some beer as well as some cold sake with our meal. Was quite the experience to say the least seeing us all decked in our robes and treated like royalty.

Japanese Combo Meal #5 Supersized

We headed back to the spring for a final dip for the night and almost made quite the foopah failing to realize that they occasionally switch the mens spring from the womens spring as there are some difference in the hot spring and they want all to enjoy the variables. Fortunately, being there on a weeknight meant minimum occupancy so my transgression was minor and my oldest son Alex was smart enough to realize and alert me to the circumstance. After one final dip and a fresh shave, I was ready for bed.

One item of Japanese life has not set well with me is the sleeping on the futon. That is not to say that aren't comfortable.....but all in all-they aren't comfortable. I have heard that they are very good for your back and posture but that is a revelation that I have yet to verify. Good fortune was smiling on me however when my youngest son decided to share a futon with my Wife which meant I simply put his futon on my futon and at least then marginally better as far as the comfort factor.

The next day we once again went to out private dining room for what was to be the traditional Japanese breakfast. Not knocking it per se but the Denny's Grand Slam never sounded so appealing. We made one more dip in the spring and this time was lucky enough to go it alone with no kids nor father in law. The Solace offered by the dip with the sound of the birds and the crash of the ocean certainly was some karmic bliss for my soul as I sat and pondered life.

Morning View from the Spring

We made one pass at the gift shop before heading out and I bought an Item I can almost certainly assume can not be had in the States with a package of Wasabi Flavored Kit Kat Candy Bars. At first I assumed it was green tea but it was indeed Wasabi and on that note I could not pass up the opporunity.

Next item on the agenda was a combination Zoo, Amusement Park, and Sports Park in the area. The zoo was not quite the Scale of San Diego but did have some nice offerings and much like my visit to the Singapore Zoo over 10 years ago I marvel how asian zoos are so affordable. You could feed the animals for 100 yen, or roughly 1 buck, and all of the food was built on the honor system. Put you yen into the can, grab a cup, and go to town. I opted to feed the giraffe as well as the baboons. Have to say that never were a more violent, yet talented animal ever created. On one hand you could throw the cracker to them and they would one handed catch the treat while better throws they could simply catch the snack in their mouths. On the downside, a bad throw meant a feeding frenzy and some of the smaller animals being attacked trying to get the snack. Mildly disturbing.

The Cutest Zoo Bus Ever Created

Nothing quenches thirst on a hot day like a bottle of "Latin Biorhythm Mate"

One from the What the heck file....this is the official spokesmen for a Japanese Cheese Company. I guess maybe they figured the cute teen asian female in pigtails thing had been overused so the mildly retared fat guy with glasses was the next logical step in the advertising progression for asian dairy products.

We went on a few amusement park rides as well and since the mid day visit meant the park was virtually empty we had our pick of the litter. I am semi sure our 2 days at Disney will probably not offer that luxury.

More to come....

Rooster PM...so Unpretentious it is actually Pretentious

Picture Courtesy of Yelp...the Britney sans Ponzu

It was a beautiful saturday, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, we had lined up the grandparents to watch the kids, and alas the Mrs and I had a rare respite from parenthood to go out for a few hours with the children and enjoy each others company in celebration of our recent anniversary.

We had considered several options. Spaghetti Bender in Newport Beach, Marche Moderne in South Coast, some various Italian joints in South OC, a WineBar in MV,  etc etc. But after some research and some cost analysis we decided on Rooster PM, a little hipster cafe in Costa Mesa. The main draw came from some very good yelp reviews in conjunction with no a corkage fee wine policy that earned marks right from the get go. Being the corkage at lots of OC places is $15 bucks and some other places with 0 zero corkage only have that policy on select nights and given the recent economy woes etc etc etc.

So we find it and its quaint location in Costa Mesa next to a dive bar and a clear view of a paint store and their ever so scenic trash dumpsters located squarley across the street....well whats not to love?

Bottle of Ghost Pines Merlot in hand were promptly seated given some bread and pesto. Our waiter opened our bottle and poured our wine into 2 6oz(estimated) beer glasses and brought a 3rd for himself at my prompting. Im of the school its never a bad thing to share booze with your server or your Sushi Chef etc etc. And while some would probably bemoan  no wine glasses....I was content to roll with it. 


As our wine breathed we ordered a glass of Sangria, largely driven by yelp reviews,  as well as a glass of the Venta Morales 2009 tempranillo the waiter suggested. I was impressed at the suggestion largely due to the fact the Venta Morales was not the most expensive wine on the menu which helped build the trust factor with our server. Truth be told all of the wines were very reasonably priced and I would be remiss if I didn't mention Rooster PM also had a wonderful selection of beers with pairing suggestions as well.

We started with the spanish cheese sampler that was brought to the table and thoroughly explained by our waiter as to what each cheese was and I while I hadn't thought about blogging about the evening I did not make notes of each cheese like I should have. I know...Im a naughty, naughty little blogger.

Anyhow, the cheeses were served at room temperature and off the top of my head, there was a goat cheese with mango chutney, a cheese from the basque region, some gouda, a paremesan like offering, and a softer cut of cheese much akin to a Havarti. We delighted in trying each cheese alone and the mixing it with a bit of pesto and then again working the combos with our wine. The Goat Cheese and chutney was fantastic as was the havarti offering which was smooth, creamy, a hint of brine, and opened and expanded with a schmear of pesto. The parmesan like cheese was good as well in the it had all of the flavor of a romano/parmesan but not the bite one may expect. The least of the offerings was the gouda, and not that it was bad but we decided that gouda is essentially gouda. Whereas other cheeses you can take the difference between artisan offering and mass production; Gouda always remains Gouda. For the $12 price though, a nice selction of cheeses and certainly worth the price to experiment with cheese, pesto, wine, etc etc.

Next we rolled with the 3 way mushrooms. I did not ask details on the dish but basically came down some sauteed whites, some italian brown/crimini cheese stuffed, and some battered shitakis served with a sweet honey mustard like sauce though the wife thought there were some curry elements as well. Overall, the hands down winner of this selection was the battered shitakis. The breading/batter was light and fluffy and served as the ideal sponge to hold in the sauce. It almost reminded me a bit of the batter they used in indian cooking for breading potatoes and cauliflower albeit a bit lighter in the color dept. If you go and order this dish-may not be a bad idea to simply bypass the other 2 offerings in lieu of extra shitaki and sauce.

Our last item we ordered was an item they referred to as the Britney which was a 5 oz Filet that seared, then rolled in Panko and finished on the grill and then served atop asparagus topped with Bearnaise sauce. We sliced the meat and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare with the panko adding nice textural notes with the Bearnaise adding a cream like element. Not content to roll with the dish(as good as it was) we asked for a side of Ponzu. Quick back story, in some Asian countries steak is eaten with soy sauce or ponzu. I am generally a kosher salt on my steak kind if guy but since trying the soy and ponzu will not hesitate to go that route. Long story short-the ponku added the perfect additional element of saltiness and sourness that enhanced the both the texture of the panko, the creamy herbaceousness of the sauce, and the flavor of the cut. Even with the Asparagus, that were about the size of Albert Pujols Louisville Slugger, the Bearnaise/ponzu one-two punch was a home run.  We mentioned it to the waiter who then jumped at the chance to try it himself and moments later came back to thanks us for the recommendation saying he never imagined ponzu would fit so well with the dish.

I felt satisfied knowing our little experiment paid a culinary dividend that may lead to the happiness of future gastronomes. Our server mentioned some desert offerings but being we still had an hour of kid free time in conjunction with our wine bottle being empty we decided to head and enjoy what little time we had left. Have to say-our server described the ice cream offerings wonderfully and had we been really going for it would have tried it for sure(salted caramal...el yum.)

All in all...we left tip and all for under $60. Considering Marche Moderne would have been $160 we felt RoosterPM one of the best deals in town for exciting cuisine. We also were felt that in the future it was a place we easily could have taken the kids too without feeling too weird about it. I mention if only we lived closer I would have no issues making a weekly appearance to sample 1 or 2 of the dishes weekly. Also neglected to order the Mac and Cheese which clearly was a popular dish and ordered by what appeared to be a large contingent of college students who were growing in number as the evening progressed. All in all.....mega thumbs up to RoosterPM. I am quite convinced it is only a matter of time before  Anthony Bordaine and some other Food celebs make an appearance to sample the goods. After all, it's almost made for some food or travel channel promo solely based  for the quirk quality alone let alone the unique and high quality food offerings. Glad I could try, hope to be back again, and thanks for saving me $100 dollars I would have spent for similar far at Marche Moderne.