Everything You Should See In Japan

Today we have an appointment with Asahi Beer at 11 o’clock. We arrive earlier than the schedule, so we have to wait for a bit outside. Asahi Beer is one of the oldest and most successful Beer Manufacturing Industry in Japan. The product is easily find in every supermarket and also in almost vending machine all around Japan. When I go inside the building, it doesn’t feel like a beer industry, because the atmosphere is really neat, calm, and clean. First, we watched a short video in English in the auditorium about the Asahi Beer history from year to year. Then, the employee of Asahi Beer guide us around the museum and explain to us the step to make beer, and also show us the leaves to make the beer. After that, the employee guide us into the factory where we can see the process of making the Asahi Beer from the beginning until the packaging. Asahi Beer produce their product mostly by machine. Inside the factory, you’ll only see few people around. Even in the packaging process, they already use machine. In the end of the tour, we gather around the hall of Asahi Beer, and we can try the Asahi Beer “Super Dry”, The black one, and also the original Asahi Beer. If you cannot drink Beer, they also provide other drinks such as apple juice, and so on. Believe me, you should try the Beer. It really tasty and good ! My favourite is the Super Dry one.

Finally we arrived at Fushimi Inari Shrine ! From the parking area, we need to walk approx. 10 minutes to get to the Shrine. You’ll pass through the houses, crossing the train railway, and also passing some souvenir shop and some food stalls. Like other shrine, Fushimi Inari Shrine has a very warm atmosphere. A lot of tourist go to this place just to see around, or maybe to pray. What makes Fushimi Inari different from the other Shrine is it has 1000 thousand of gate. So you’ll see a lot of gate along the way. It’s very beautiful and a must place to go in Kyoto!

From Fushimi Inari Shrine, we got back again to Osaka by bus. At 5 p.m, we already reached Osaka and go to Shinsaibashi to shop ! Shinsaibashi is really crowded and it’s really alive in here! There are lots of digital advertisement around and it’s also surrounded by huge buildings. Oh my, one day is never enough to go around this place! x.x International and also local brands can be found here.

Inside Nissin, we’ll be making our own cup noodles *clapped* So you can draw your own imagination on the cup noodles. After you finish drawing, then you can choose the toppings and the flavour of your cup noodle. Not only that, you can watch the process when your cup noodle is being packaged. After making our own cup noodles, we look around the museum. There are bunch of noodles hanging on the wall, and also a long wall full of the history of Nissin. I’m pretty impressed because the museum is very interesting with all the movement of the product (so in front of is the cup noodle, but if you slide it, the statue will turn back and show us the noodle). It’s kinda difficult to explain it.

We arrived at Shinagawa Station at exactly 17.01 as the schedule said. Yes, we’re in Tokyo now! Tokyo is really different from Osaka. Osaka is pretty much a peaceful city, whereas Tokyo is a very busy and never sleep city. You can tell once you arrive in Tokyo. In Shinagawa Station, bunch of people walking around until you can’t see what is in front of you. It is very important to concentrate here, especially if you’re travelling with others.. If you’re not, you can get lost.

So because today is our first day in Tokyo, Kaze and Midori suggest us to try Yoshinoya, a fast food restaurant in Japan that is super Oishi (delicious) ! It is a MUST try food in Japan.

When we arrived at Asahi Shimbun, we must wait for a while before we can go into the - a kind of - hall / meeting room. Asahi Shimbun is the biggest newspaper company here in Japan. The tour around Asahi Shimbun is quite fun ! We look at the office condition and how the people work. The most interesting thing about Asahi Shimbun is that in the office, they have like 60 watches on the wall, so that they can always remember their deadlines. Time is the most important thing for them, because they need to deliver a fresh and reliable news every morning and evening. So they always need to watch their time in order to stick with the schedule. Before entering to the printing room, the employee tell us a brief history about their printing method. The very beginning technique that they use is a metal plate, and the newest one is this high speed printing machine. If I’m not mistaken, it can print out 25 set of newspaper in just 1 seconds! I’m really amazed when I look at how the machine works. At the end of the visitation, each of us got a little souvenirs from Asahi Shimbun, including our picture that is printed on the newspaper!

We arrived on time in Tokyo Stock Exchange, but because the security on the front door need to check us one by one before entering to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, made us 5 minutes late from the schedule. Tokyo Stock Exchange is very quiet and only a few people were there. It has a very unique architecture design, full of glass and it has a big display of the price’s stock. The employee explain to us about how the Stock Exchange works, and some theory and application if we want to invest in stocks. After the tour, we had a simulation about Stock, and guess what? I rank number 2 ! I was shocked at myself, because I didn’t really know about stocks, I just read what’s on screen and go with my instincts. Guess I really have a good instinct, am I not ?

Ginza is one of the luxuriest place to shop in Tokyo. It’s full of branded products along the road. If you’re a shopping and branded mania, I think one day is not enough to visit Ginza. You will need two days, believe me. I go to Uniqlo, because Uniqlo in Ginza has the biggest store among any other Uniqlo in Tokyo. It consists of 10 floor, and maybe you can spend half of your day here. It’s really complete! I also tried Dalloyau macaroon’s. Actually, I want to try Laduree’s macaroons, since I’m really curious about the taste. But because my tour leader, Masae-san said that Dalloyau has a good taste too and pretty famous here, so I tried Dalloyau instead of Laduree. Yeah, it does taste good and yummy ! My favourite Macaroons from Dalloyau is the Lemon flavour! It’s a must try :d

Nissan is one of the biggest car industry in Japan, and they also do some car export all over the world, including in Indonesia. We arrived in a road that full of white buildings, I think all of them belongs to Nissan. When we got inside, Nissan’s employee has already waiting for us. We gathered inside a room where we get a little souvenir, the miniatur of the new Nissan Leaf (Thank you Nissan!) that is super cute. After a short briefing, before going around the building, each of us were given a walkie talkie that can be operated from long distance so that we can hear what the employee is explaining. It’s really convenience, because we can hear what the voice of the employee clearly. When we go around the museum, I was so amazed because some of the engines can move when you click the button. We also happen to see the oldest or the first car that Nissan has ever made. It has a great maroon colour with an oldish yet stylish design. Also, we can get to know the newest product of Nissan which is Nissan Leaf (If I’m not mistaken) which use electricity to power up the engine. After going around the museum, we go by bus to the manufacturing industry. Inside the manufacturing industry is really noisy and smelly. It has the strong smell of oil. I can see some people moving around, but not many. Almost all of the machine / parts production use machine, and few people to control the machine. Even the machine can walk by itself, following the track of the machine that has been made. In the end of the production, there are few people in line, to make sure that the product is all well built (Quality check).

From Nissan, we stop by the Waseda University. Waseda University is the A list university in Japan. We go into a room that already full of Waseda University Students, and two of the representatives from Waseda explain us about Japan, specifically about Waseda, and two of the representative from IBM Petra Christian University explain a bit about Indonesia, especially about IBM. After the boring part ended, we played a little game with the Waseda University students. It’s really exciting and they are all very kind. They speak English well too ! Unfortunately, because the time given is only for 3 hours in total, we didn’t get enough time to know each other well. I just hope that we can have more time with them

n the Shinjuku Government Building, we go to - I don’t know, this is maybe - around 75 floor. Here, we can see the view below us, and it’s so beautiful. Maybe it has the similar view as Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower (because I didn’t go there, I only have a photostop there), but of course, they have higher view than this. But Shinjuku Government Building is free of entrance fee ! ;)

From the Shinjuku Government Building, we go to Shinjuku to do shopping ;) Shinjuku has Tokyu Hands, like a department store that sell anything - really, anything - and it’s really complete. You can spot a lot of interesting yet unique products here. My friends and I spent a lot of time here. After we go around Tokyu Hands, we go around Shinjuku. As far as I observed, actually Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza all has the same similarities. They all have branded products along the road. The kind of product that they sell is almost the same. Maybe it only has differences in a certain brands and store.

So, NHK Studio Park is like a broadcasting studio that is open for public. A lot of kids go here, because there’s so many interactive games, all about broadcasting, that you can use here. NHK Studio Park is really big, and there are so many things that you can look at. FYI, everything inside NHK Studio Park is all CUTE !!

From NHK Studio Park, we go to Takeshita Dori in Harajuku to visit Daiso. Daiso in Harajuku is the biggest one, and it’s so complete, You can found earphone, headset, make up, tie, sandals, neck pillow, yes, everything! and it’s all for 108 Yen (8% tax included). From Daiso (Yeah, we only stop by just for a while, we’re not visiting other places in Harajuku for today), we eat lunch near Harajuku Spain Slope, and then we go to Asakusa Temple.

Asakusa temple is famous for their big red lantern on the entrance. Don’t forget to look up when you’re at the bottom of the lantern, because there’s a dragon symbol there. Unlike Fushimi Inari (Refer to my Post here), Asakusa Temple is much more crowded. There are some girls walking around, wearing a Kimono ! Ah, Kawaii. Anyway, a lot of people were queueing for “Mochi Cake”, because it’s the most popular food here, so I also join the queue. I think - this is my personal taste only - the mochi taste not that good, it’s only have average taste. Mochi in Indonesia taste better yet cheaper,

Disneysea is different from Disneyland. Disneyland is available in Hongkong, Paris, America, and so on. But Disneysea is only available in Tokyo, Japan. Yes, it’s the one and only just in Tokyo. Disneysea has two main show that you won’t and shouldn’t miss. Both show is located on the Mediteranian Sea (at the centre of the lake). The first show is around 2.30 p.m, and the second show is the closing show, at 9.00 p.m. If you want to see it from a good spot, then you must wait there about 1 hour before the show started. It’s really worth it and I’m sure you wouldn’t miss it ! Not only the main show, Disneysea also have some Disney Parade at a certain hour, and it’s also worth to see. Personally, I think that visiting Disneysea for one day is not enough. There are lots of attractions that you should see, lots of rides that you shouldn’t miss, lots of snacks that you should try, lots of cute souvenir that you should see around! Must eat food in Disneysea : Chicken (near Indiana Jones, in Lost River Delta), Churros (I try the one near Toy Story), Popcorn (It’s everywhere), Disney Ice Cream (it’s everywhere), Cafe Portofino (Located near Mediteranian Sea, has a very nice spot, Recommended for lunch, try the one that has cheese and prawns at the top)

Our first destination for today is to eat ice cream at Milky Way Cafe. It’s located near Ikebukuro station, so you just need to go out from Ikebukuro station, turn left, go straight and look up near the intersection of the road. The location of Milky Way Cafe is on the second floor. Basically, Milky Way Cafe offers you a very comfortable place to chill. From Milky Way Cafe, you can look your surroundings through the mirror. They only sell ice cream - a very delicious and super big one - that you should try ! They also provide a zodiac horoscope, but it’s in Japanese, so I can’t read it…

To Akihabara : Take JR Yamanote (Green line) from Otsuka Station to Akihabara. Akihabara is basically the centre of Anime / Manga. You can found all types of anime, manga, figures, games, and stuffs like that in Akihabara. Just go around Akihabara to look around. When you already out from the Akihabara Station, you’ll directly see AKB48 Cafe and also Gundam Cafe. AKB48 cafe is really crowded, even the people willing to queue while it’s raining. Actually, we want to try Home Cafe, where you can found the waiters dress in a cute cosplay costume. Unfortunately, Home Cafe is closed at 5 p.m. So yeah, we didn’t have a chance to eat there. How to find Home Cafe ? Just go to Akihabara, and you’ll see a big board that will guide you to the Home Cafe.

We go to the Cat Cafe named “Neko Jalala” near Akihabara. In cat cafe, you can have a cup of tea or some drinks while you’re playing with the cat, or you can take photos with the cat. Well, honestly I can say that it’s actually cute, but the cat inside is not playful at all. The cats are really arrogant, and if you didn’t bring any food or you’re not the shop keeper, they won’t come to you. Even some of the cats is sleeping . . . The worst thing is that, I can’t even hold the cat because it’s always jumping when I hold her

To get here : Take JR Yamanote (Green Line) from Akihabara to Tokyo Tower, and search for the Tokyo Tower Exit. You need to walk for a while to reach Tokyo Tower. We didn’t go really near the Tokyo Tower, we only want to do a Photostop at Tokyo Tower.

Basically Meiji Shrine is like a temple that is located far away inside the woods. You won’t feel like it’s in Harajuku, because you’ll be surrounded by woods just like in the forest, and also the path is not paved, it’s still full of tiny little rocks. A little hint : I saw some people bow before and after entering Meiji Shrine, so I also follow them by bowing near the Shrine’s gate. If I can compare Meiji Shrine, Asakusa Temple, and Fushimi Inari Shrine, they all have their own beauty. Fushimi with its 1000 gates, Asakusa Temple with the crowds and the big red lantern, and Meiji Shrine with its Forest Like atmosphere.

Odaiba is a man-made island in Japan, and it’s located pretty far from the city. To Odaiba : JR Yamanote Line ( Green Line) to Shinagawa. From Shinagawa, Transfer to Rinkai Line (Blue Line) for the Tokyo Teleport destination. It takes about 1 hour from Harajuku to Odaiba via MRT. The train to Odaiba is not that full, I can say that it’s really empty that day. Maybe because it’s still in the afternoon, and people is still working. At Odaiba, first we go to the Ferris Wheel to take a photo. From the Ferris Wheel, we also go to take photos at Tokyo Big Site. Unfortunately, seems like we’ve miss understand the location - and also the shape - of the Tokyo Big Site. When we focused taking photos of what we taught was the Tokyo Big Site, we realise that we actually are wrong. . *heads down* It’s located a bit far from what we expected. That’s why we don’t get any photos of Tokyo Big site, we only look at it from far away. It’s because our time is also limited. From there, we go to Diver City where the Gundam Statue is located. It’s really huge and tall, we met some Indonesian newlyweds there! From all the Indonesian people that we already meet so far during our Japan trip, Finally we found someone from Surabaya !!

The Osaka Mint Park is really crowded. Bunch of people want to see the Sakura. Osaka Mint Park has a long road ahead, so you’ll feel surrounded by people, and of course, Sakura. The Sakura is really really beautiful !! If there are only a few people around, I believe it will be more beautiful.

Visiting Japan isn’t complete without a picture with Hachiko, the very famous dog statue that is located in Shibuya. Hachiko is a very loyal dog, there’re some film about Hachiko, and I always cry when I watch Hachiko movie. It’s very sad, really. So yeah, I finally can meet Hachiko statue in person! Shibuya is also famous for its what so called “Shibuya Crossing”. It’s located beside the Hachiko Statue. Shibuya Crossing has five main intersections, and there’s time when the traffic lights will turn all green, and bunch of people will cross around the road. There are lots of photographers waiting for the traffic light turns green and take pictures from the top of the building next to Shibuya Crossing. Unfortunately, because I go here around 10 a.m in the morning, the crowd is not that crowded.

To Doraemon Museum : JR Yamanote Line ( Green line) to Shinagawa Station. From Shinagawa Station, Transfer to the Blue Line for Musahi Kosugi. From Musahi Kosugi, transfer to the Yellow Line to Noborito Station. From Noborito Station, go down to the shuttle bus service for Doraemon Museum. Note : the shuttle bus is not for free. Doraemon museum is really crowded, and our schedule to enter is at 12 p.m, we arrived just on time! Sorry, in some places like the museum, no photos allowed. Inside Doraemon museum, again, we meet some Indonesian that come from Bandung. Yeah, we realised that Indonesian people are all over Japan. Everytime we go to one place, there must be at least one Indonesian people, hahaha. You can found the memory bread, dorayaki, and all the cute doraemon stuffs inside! My personal opinion about Doraemon Museum, well, is not as cute as I am expected. In my imagination, I can touch and feel lots of Doraemon stuffs, but it’s not like that. Overall, it’s okay though, I still can know how Doraemon Museum looks like!