Arrived into Narita airport pretty early, and would not be able to check into the hotel (hostel) until later in the day. I had always wanted to go to Tokyo Disneyland and today was the perfect chance. I found out there are giant lockers at the Disneyland entrance for 7 Yen. I had converted some cash in Sydney but was worried about finding coins for the lockers, but as it turns out there are vending machines everywhere in Tokyo. I was able to get plenty of coins from the vending machine in the airport.
But let me back up a quick second. In the airport you will really want to talk to Tourist Information. Tokyo seems to do a great job of making life easier for tourists. I found out not only where to catch the bus to Disneyland but also where to get Metro passes. The buses to Tokyo station or to Disneyland are a bit more expensive ($30US vs $20US for the light rail) however it is direct and you don’t have to worry about rush hour crowds or dealing with your luggage on the subway.
If you haven’t already gotten some cash, you should change some cash in the airport. Go to an ATM machine or to the currency exchange. From there you will want to visit at least 2 other counters in the airport. First go to the Airport Limousine counter and buy your ticket for the bus to Tokyo Station (or to Disneyland in my case). Next go to the Keisei Bus counter (right next to the Airport Limousine counter). There you can buy unlimited ride Metro cards. They sell 1, 2 and 3 days cards so buy as many as you need for your entire stay. These proved to be invaluable, and they do not sell them to locals so take advantage of this great offer. If you don’t buy enough or need more for some reason you can go to the Bic Camera store in Shibuya and they will have them. You need to show your passport though. These cards are good for Tokyo Metro but not JR lines, so you will also need to buy a PASMO card at some point, but you can get these in almost all subway stations. Try to avoid JR line if you can because you pay per ride and if you already have unlimited rides on Tokyo Metro you can almost always get by without using JR. I think there are actually 4 or more different train companies in Tokyo which can make it confusing, but you get used to it pretty quickly.
So I arrive at Disneyland, get my giant locker for 7 Yen and head into the park. One fast pass at a time so choose wisely. Space Mountain had the longest line but well worth it. I think it is almost as good as Space Mountain in Paris.
Gathered up the stuff and headed for Sumiyoshi where our “shared house” (hostel) is. Once there, the owner mentioned a local ramen place and went for dinner. Here is the japanese name, since you cannot find it on google maps in english: 麺屋 中川會. What you have to do is put some money in the vending machine and choose your dinner, then hand the ticket to the staff and they will most likely make you wait outside if there aren’t any seats inside. Once there is a seat available they invite you in and bring your food. Ask them for “Tsukemen” and they should point you to one of the choices on the vending machine.
At the end of the day my feet were so raw from all the walking. Remember not to wear the same shoes every day.
Walking:
Steps: 15775
Miles: 7.72
Calories: 809
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