Return to Japan

Last week, I went back to my home away from home, Disney, and I had more of an opportuity to explore Japan. We started at Tokyo Disney, and it was a fun sense of Deja Vu where I felt like I knew where everything was, but in reality it was a different park. We arrived in time for the bright electric parade, which had really cool floats. They even had Pete's Dragon! 

Then we headed over to the rides and made Space Mountain a priority. It's required whenever I vist :)

We rode every big ride, except Splash Mountain, but that was fine with me. (That ride still scares me). We even saw Philharmagic in japanese. Once we finished Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we headed over to the castle for Once Upon A Time, a show hosted by Mrs. Potts and Chip about all the Disney stories, especially Beauty and the Beast. The castle changed from a sky full of lanterns, to a house of playing cards, to a stained glass mosiac. It was really cool! 

After the show we hurried to Space Mountain, and headed out for our next day of fun. Tokyo Disney Sea. 

We took a shuttle to get there, and we got through the entire park in one day. We even saw the last performance of Legend of Mythica, which drew quite a crowd. 

We rode all the big rides, including the Storm Raider where we went inside a storm and tried to stop it from accelerating. We went on Tower of Terror which had a different story about an archeologist who collected rare items. He brought this Tiki to the museuem, and the Tiki was angry an cursed the elevator to drop. Honestly, I found it spookier than the version at Disneyland.

I finally saw Oswald, after waiting in line for the rain to stop, and we caught him just as he was leaving. 

My favorite snack was the mickey churro, which had a different flavor in each themed land. But I also got to try Seasalt icecream at the Arabian coast. (I couldn't help thinking of Kingdom Hearts) 

After watching a show about Genie, we headed over to the stage for Fantasmic, which gets me every time. It was a wonderful show, and the effects were amazing! 

The best rollercoaster we went on was Raging Spirits, where we were offered to the Mayan Gods as a sacrifice. Our fastpast gave us a time at night, which made the ride spookier, but we got to take some nice pictures of the park at night. 

After a magical day at Tokyo DisneySea, we headed out early for Artina cafe the next day. This place has been on my bucket list, and I'm so lucky that Gabriela and Les weren't too bothered by my fangirling.

The cafe was amazing! Our breakfast was chocolate and banana pancakes with cactuar logos on them, and cappuchinos with a moogle and chocobo in the foam ^_^

 I spent a long time walking around the shop,and taking pictures of the merchandise. 

But my favorite part of the cafe was their music section. They had the entire collection, available to listen to for free, and you could buy the soundtracks for a lot of the games. When I go back to Japan, I'm going there again. The prices were reasonable, and it was such a cool cafe. 

After the cafe, we went for a breath of fresh air to the Meiji Shrine. It was beautiful! I had a sense of calm as we walked in, and I even made a wish, said a prayer and found a tree that looked like something from Inuyasha! 

After that, we headed to Harajuku and found some neat thrift stores that sold name brand clothes and even kimonos for reasonable prices! 

We also found a big mall that had a really random selection of pricy fashion brands, but the top floor had the biggest stationary store I have ever seen! 

After Harajuku, we headed over to Akihabara to see the anime district. I found a few places featured in Densha Otoko or Train Man ^_^ 

There were also displays for the new Sailor Moon single Moon Pride ^_^

And I found some fun merchandise, including Sailor Moon make up, and Dragon Ball Z hairwax! 

Our last day was a short one, but a lot of fun. Unfortunately two places I wanted to go to don't exist anymore. They tore down the Ferris wheel from Dream High, and the Benoist building from Train Man was torn down a year ago. But we had time to go to the biggest anime mall, and I found way too many cool things.

After one last shopping trip, we had to go catch our flight. It was a blast, and a much needed break from the stress I was dealing with last week. I had so much fun! I learned a lot about navigation, and I can't wait to go back and see the historical sites! 

Daewangam Rock

Daewangam Rock is one of the most well known places in Ulsan, due to the legend surrounding it. It began with King Mummu, the 30th king of the Silla Dynasty. King Mummu was able to unite the countries along Korea's pennisula in 668 AD. When he died, he wanted to become a dragon to protect Korea long after his reign. King Mummu was buried in the Eastern Sea to fulfill his wish, but his wife never forgot his wish. She was buried on this rock, to become a guardian dragon just like her husband. According to legend, the reason seaweed does not grow on this island, is because a guardian dragon lives here, protecting the island. 

Dae-wangnam Park is beautiful. The old pine trees tower above you as you walk along the path. A beautiful view of the cost, and a glimpse of the dragon rock can be seen near the Ulgi lighthouse.

We visited on the park on a misty and rainy day. The fog over the mountains and the cloudy sky added to the mystery surrounding Daewangnam Rock and inspired me to use this location in my Korean folklore story. (There is a dragon king in it) 

If you ever visit Ulsan, I recoomend seeing Daewangnam Park, and walking along Ilsan beach. At night, people light fireworks and shoot them across the sky. During the day there are some carnival games and snack vendors that line up around the shore. The park has a beautiful view of the ocean, the beach and the mysterious guardian dragon that may dwell under the island. 

Little Wonders

I made a new friend today, and she introduced me to the cute stationary store right across the street from where I work. It was really neat, and reminded me of Hobby Lobby because it had everything from craft supplies to planners. But the coolest thing about this place was the notebooks. 

It can be hit or miss, but the notebooks had so many cool quotes on them about life, love and happiness. I had to buy a few for my writing on the spot notebooks. 

It was a hidden jem among the hustle and bustle of the every day. 

A Beautiful Day at The Garden of Morning Calm

After going to Petite France, we discovered brochures that advertised this really pretty Botanic Garden, so we planned to go there after a few weeks. I was hoping to see lotus blossoms, since this is their time of year, but what I got was even better. 

We got there around ten, so it wasn't too crowded, and there was still a nice morning mist before the sun came out completely. It was like walking in a folktale. There were many gazebos and scenic views from the pagodas and bridgewalks. 

As we were walking around, some of the places looked familiar, and sure enough, a sign in the first exhibit explained that my favorite Korean Drama, You're Beautiful was filmed here years ago. 

The first spot I noticed was the center of the garden, where ANJEL does their photo shoot in episode 12.

But, the first time this area actually shows up is episode 9, when ANJEL shoots Go Mi Nam's first music video. The chapel is really pretty, and you can even go inside!

But the area I was determined to visit was the greenhouse where Go Mi Nyu gets dressed up for a brief moment, and she's allowed to be who she is for awhile. It's one of my favorite scenes from the drama, and we finally found it at the end of the road.

My friend Gabriela even played the theme song to the drama on her phone, since no one was around, and we had a truly awesome Kdrama moment! 

It was such a pleasant surprise to visit another memorable location, by pure chance! The garden was beautiful and inspirational. Now if only I could see the Korean actors every so often . . . 

"There and Back Again": A Tanabata Tale

                                   

       I first heard about Tanabata when I worked for Disneyland, and I discovered that one of the Disney Park Stores sold Tokyo Disney soundtracks. I looked it up, and saw Minnie and Mickey in gorgeous costumes on a picture dated in July. Naturally, I did some research, and I discovered that they were dressed up to celebrate a Japanese holiday: The Tanabata Festival on July 7th. Tanabata means "of the stars" and it was created in honor of a special Asian holiday based on a legend surrounding the two stars Altair and Vega. 

       This festival is celebrated in more countries than Japan. Korea calls this holiday Double Seventh Festival or Chilseok. China calls this holiday the Qixi Festival. 

This star festival celebrates the reunion of the two lovers Vega and Altair.

Vega's names in the mythology are Orihime (Japanese), Jiknyeo (Korean) and Zhinu (Chinese). Altair's names are Hikoboshi (Japanese), Gyeonwu (Korean) and Niulang (Chinese). The legend originated in China, and like most fairytales, the stories have different details. In the Japanese version, Orihime is a princess. In the Korean tale, she is the Jade Emperor's daughter. In the Chinese tale, she is a fairy. But in every version of the story, Vega is a weaver who falls in love with the cowherd of the heavens. Altair watches over the cows that make the Milky Way. They fell in love at first sight, and abandoned their duties. When Vega's father discovers that the stars are no longer in balance, he forbids Vega and Altair from seeing each other, and separates them with the Milky Way. But Vega persuades her father to allow one day every year if both work hard and continue to keep the heavens in order. 

It's a cool myth, and I love the ties to Astronomy. 

                                        

        The festival is celebrated by writing a wish on a piece of paper and tying it to a bamboo tree. It is said that if you make a wish during the star festival, it will come true.

Tokyo Disney started celebrating this about twenty years ago, and because the festival was so popular, it has continued ever since! Mickey and Minnie dress as the two lovers and perform the story, asking the audience to make a wish with them. After the show, you can go to the special wishing spot where Disney Cast members give you a Mickey Mouse shaped piece of paper to write your wish on. And of course there is merchandise. The festival is performed at both Tokyo Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney Sea, so I chose Disney Sea. 

         For five years I told myself that I would go to Tokyo Disney one day and celebrate Tanabata, and I was finally able to make that happen! 

          This trip was an adventure in itself, being my second international flight, and my first trip alone since I arrived in Korea. It was an amazing experience, and I met so many kind and understanding Japanese people who helped me find my way to the hotel and the airport. 

I took a bus directly from the airport to the park, and my adventure began. The ticket teller was really impressed that I knew about Tanabata (probably because I was foreign) and she gave me a bonus Japanese map with all the Tanabata information on it. 

          I arrived just in time to see a very well known show at Tokyo Disney Sea: The Legend of Mythica. The theme of Disney Sea is stories and myth, and in the show, you help Mickey unlock the magic and secrets of Mythica. It was one incredible float after another. From dragons, to unicorns and the extra kites and fireworks in the sky.

                                        

 I highly recommend this show to anyone that loves the Disney parks.

          After the show, I had some time before the Tanabata greeting, so I went souvenir shopping. All the Tanabata merchandise was on a special display, and they had Tanabata specials in some of the restaurants and food stands. There were more shops than I could count, and with the theme being Mediterranean, there were many neat decorations and hidden Mickeys. One of my favorites was in Donald's Venetian shop, where a Donald statue is staring up at a painted Daisy. Outside the shop were gondola rides, and a scenic bridge that lead to a good view for the show. I waited with many eager locals and spotted a Duffy bear dressed as Belle in the crowd. 

        Before I knew it, a Japanese and English announcement announced the Tanabata Greeting, and Mickey and Minnie appeared, riding on a celestial boat that looked like a cloud! So, I knew Tanabata was based on wishes, but I didn't know that they would play the actual song "Wishes" from a much beloved fireworks show I went to see every night when I worked for Disney. (I'll admit that I got choked up from the nostalgia.)

         

         After the show was over, I headed to the wishing place, where I wrote my wish in both English and Japanese. 

         

          To be honest, this was as far as my plan went, so I just decided to wander instead of look at the map and pick a place to go. Their version of the Tower of Terror was a very cool looking building.

I took a lot of pictures of the details in each land, and since I was by myself, I was able to ride the roller coasters very quickly.  (The single riders line was magic I discovered at the Disney College Program) The Indiana Jones ride was different, and the story line revolved around the Crystal Skull. After that I settled on more exploring and got a signature Disney churro (which took a while to find). Atlantica was just around the corner, and I discovered that you could actually go inside the palace, which was a water playground where kids were jumping and splashing. Next up was the Arabian coast, where Aladdin's Magic Carpets could be seen by the bridge and Genie's Lamp theatre stood to welcome you. In Agrabah you could play a game and either win an Arabian Stitch or Angel, but if you lost you got a pin. It started getting late, and I decided to grab the Tanabata drink and be on my way, but I was hungry too. While I ate dinner, Fantasmic started, and I had a good view from where I was sitting. It was a beautiful show, and it reminded me of World of Color with the lights dancing on clouds of mist.      By that time my phone had barely any battery life and I still didn't know how to get to my hotel from the park. 

Well, being me, I panicked, and as the happy guests were leaving the park, I frantically ran to the gift shop and grabbed my itinerary papers from my backpack. Luckily, a very nice Disney Cast member helped me find the best way, which was by Tokyo Metro, and after writing down instructions in Japanese he walked me to the Disney Train Station, where I showed them to the next cast member. I think she panicked more than I did, and I felt bad, because I didn't know enough Japanese to explain the situation, but she found another Disney cast member who walked me to the bus station and there, I met a very nice Japanese couple who guided me to the Tokyo metro and helped me buy my ticket, explaining my next stop. We chatted for a while about Disney, languages and life goals, and I promised to stay in touch and let them know when I return to Japan. 

So at the end of the day, I loved celebrating Tanabata Days at the Disney Parks. I'm glad I went on this adventure, made my wish, and I will be planning another adventure in Japan soon ^_^