Japan 2013: Celebrating 12 years of happiness...

Hooray for today!

...at Universal Studios Japan that is as they celebrate their 12th anniversary. Despite our comfy beds, we were still able to wake up early. By 7:00 AM, Nee-chan was already at the hotel's USJ counter in the lobby inquiring about ticket prices. She came back and told us they had an additional charge (which I thought was weird because they're one of the official hotels of USJ) so we decided to just purchase tickets at the gates. Since the park's ticket counters open at 8:00 AM (instead of 7:00 AM), we decided to grab some breakfast at - you guessed it - McDonald's! I ordered in English while the cashier replied in Japanese but it was all good. They managed to get our orders right except some meals weren't upgraded to sets. :(

Buying tickets

After breakfast, Nee-chan and Karly rushed back to the hotel to put on more layers (because it's so freakin' cold!) and to deal with some business. *ehem* Daddy and I decided to just wait at the park for them when we saw a line already forming at the entrance! Ibang level talaga 'tong mga Hapon. They are punctual with everything! So I just went with the flow and lined up with them. I kept on wishing Nee-chan would hurry up in case someone speaks to me. Haha

As if on cue, a park employee started walking down the line announcing something. I looked on as if I understood every word she said. Suddenly, some people formed another line beside ours. The assumera in me thought that since this new line is shorter, they must already have tickets or annual passes to get to the park. It only made sense that people without tickets would come extra early and thus form a longer line, right? WRONG! It turns out, most of the people who came early already had passes and I was queueing with them. Sila na may passes, kami na ang minority! lol

Obligatory globe photo ops.

After transferring to the correct line, I was all alone. Daddy left me so he can take pictures of the vicinity of the park. Grrreaat, English-Japanese convo na naman ito. Feelingera pa naman ako. :)) After successfully purchasing 4 one-day passes (which is priced the same as the hotel's since the "additional charges" turned out to be tax) and getting English maps/show schedules, Daddy and I headed straight to the iconic Universal Studios globe. In fairness, there were no other people crowding it unlike in USS! As I was posing for my first photo, Nee-chan and Karly suddenly came running out of nowhere. So after a couple of photo ops, we decided to join the rest of the crowd and lined up at the gates.

What's the rush?

It was amazing to see the crowd patiently waiting as the park staff prepared for the opening. But what's even more amazing was the people literally started running upon entering the gates! Parang mga nakawala lang. Haha They were THAT excited to go to USJ! Sino bang turista dito??

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

While everybody was running, we took time to take pictures with the Sesame Street characters. Yes, they're part of the USJ family along with Hello Kitty and Snoopy. Weird, right? o.O

Our spider senses are tingling!

Wanting to save time and beat the crowd, we headed to the most popular ride in the park for our first ride: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride. It was a bit similar in format to the Transformers ride in USS but this one had a photo op in the end. I love how I was smiling at the camera. Hihi We didn't buy it though because it was crazy expensive. :( After the ride, we went straight to the shop to buy souvenirs. Karly and I only bought one cute chibi* spidey magnet while Nee-chan bought boxers for Bryle, and Daddy hoarded a bunch of key chains.

Madhatters alert!

No trip to a theme park is complete without funny-looking hats and costumes. I didn't buy one though because I was saving it for Disney Sea or Sanrio Puroland. Hihi

Can the Delorean take me to where Marty McFly is?

Next up: Back to the Future - The Ride. Now this one's kind of like Rialto but way cooler. The only downside? Marty McFly's nowhere to be found. :( Only Doc and Biff made it to the ride's visuals but hey, it's still nostalgic.

We then went to check out Terminator 2: 3D which is pretty cool. Notice how I can't stop saying cool in this post? Haha With Japan's impressive technology, I doubt if there's anything you won't consider cool. Like Back to the Future, this one's pretty nostalgic too.

Jurassic Park: The Ride

After walking for a while, we found ourselves not-so-lost in the Lost World where they have a Jurassic Park-themed ride which we didn't try because 1) the movie gave me nightmares as a kid 2) the Star City ride made me literally run for my life, and I couldn't have survived it without Daddy picking me up and carrying me on his shoulders as we escaped from dinos 3) the ride involves plunging into darkness from a height of 25.9m and landing on ice cold water. No, thank you. At least not on a breezy day like this. So yeah, we had to pass.

And because we chickened out of Jurassic Park - The Ride, we settled for the less adventurous but still amazing Backdraft. It's pretty similar in format to Lights! Camera! Action! but it showcases a different movie with different effects. And it's in Japanese, of course. Haha Good thing, Nee-chan's always there to offer her free translation services. While we were waiting in line, I kept catching a whiff of the mouthwatering scent of freshly made waffles. We decided right then that we'll have lunch right after watching the show.

Cutesy garden art at Wonderland.

We originally planned to eat at Snoopy's Backlot Cafe but after seeing the menu, we wanted something a little bit heavier aka rice please. So Asian, I know! Of course, we didn't leave Wonderland without taking pictures of their amazing garden art.

Where stars dine. Chos!

As we searched for a restaurant that serves rice meals, we came across Studio Stars Restaurant. We were immediately sold after seeing their menu. I ordered the hamburger steak meal while all of them ordered the roast chicken meal. So filling! But yeah, when in Japan, you gotta do what the Japanese do. So uhh yeah, I finished my plate off. If you're on a diet, better share your meals with someone!

We were so stuffed, we all felt a little woozy right after eating. We definitely needed to rest up for a bit before going on more rides. We just wanted to lounge around but it was too cold outside so we went to the nearest show we could get into - Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll Show! We had no idea what it was but we checked it out anyway. It was pretty fun when it started but none of us survived the show. We all fell asleep within minutes and slept through the entire show thanks to the dim lights! HAHA

Amity Island

In an attempt to wake ourselves up, we decided to try out some of the games. Now, Daddy may hate rides but he loves carnival games. It doesn't hurt that he's quite good at it too! So when we passed by the kiosk that gives out adorable Sesame Street plush toys for prizes, we just had to give it a go. Well, at least Daddy and Karly did. I'm no good at anything that requires aiming so I didn't even bother. :| After several tries, Daddy finally won! You could only win one prize per round so you only need one successful try to take home one of prizes. Nee-chan and I may suck at carnival games but we're good in choosing prizes. Haha It's so cute how everyone at the carnival game (tourists and employees alike) cheered after we won. It felt like Daddy won the game for everyone. But what was even more amusing was everyone we passed by congratulated us upon seeing Cookie. Too funny! And well, slightly embarrassing to be honest. Haha I guess the game's not that easy to win, eh? Gotta love the Japanese's spirit of camaraderie.

Rawr!

We then proceeded to the JAWS ride which looking back, we should have tried first before the carnival game. Since it involves water, expect to get wet during the ride. Sure, we didn't mind getting a little wet but we were worried about Cookie. Haha Since Karly was closest to the middle of the boat, he tried to tuck Cookie under his jacket to keep it dry. HAHA All for the love of Cookie!

The ride has a funny narrative but it's only available in Japanese. Good thing, Nee-chan translated everything to us so we could relate. The ride was really cool and somehow realistic. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. :)) But one thing's for sure, safety is a top priority in Japan so you can rest assure you won't be eaten by sharks. Or would you? >:)

Waterworld

Right after we hoarded surprisingly cutesy shark merch from JAWS, we proceeded to Waterworld just in time to catch the next show. Just like everything in Japan, the crowd was so organized. No pushing, no cutting in line, just everyone queuing in a pure orderly Japanese fashion. Ahh~ I love how the Japanese know and respect the concept of personal space. Anyway, we found ourselves a spot and then waited for the show to start. Aside from Daddy, we've seen the show before but the stunts were still amazing. Basically, the show's the same as the one in USS, except for the language. Again, Nee-chan translated everything for Daddy.

Cookie Monster meets chibi Cookie Monster.

When the show ended, we decided to walk around for a bit to let our fullness subside. But guess who we ran into? The real Cookie Monster! Okay, maybe not the real Cookie Monster but still, it's a life-size Cookie Monster so yay! I love how Cookie was ecstatic to see his chibi* version with us.

It's a Kitty-chan shaped doughnut!

Then we went on to explore other worlds like Wonderland where the Sesame Street, Peanuts and Hello Kitty characters reside. Of course, I couldn't pass up a chance to buy some sweets from the oh so adorable Hello Kitty's Corner Cafe.

Triplets!

We then went back to Amity Island to play more games and again, Daddy won! TWICE. So now we have to lug around 3 Sesame Street plushies. Haha Oh and before going back to Wonderland, we passed by the kiosk selling cute Snoopy buns. I've been seeing it all day and I just had to try one. See, even my appetite's turning Japanese! I can't stop eating (and buying kawaii** stuff obviously).

More Sesame Street goodness.

Oh and while we were taking a break, a street sweeper made some really sick street art by spraying water on the pavement. Really cool! He even made a customized one for someone who's celebrating their birthday. Sugoi ne~!***

Look, it's Charlie Brown!

We saw Charlie Brown but we couldn't get our picture taken with him as he's being flocked by people. I guess Peanuts is really popular in Japan. We didn't try any Snoopy ride because well, it's too childish for our taste.

At Wonderland.

They even had an Easter-themed display which surprised me because I don't think they even observe Holy Week in Japan. Or maybe they included one for consistency since all Universal Studios theme parks are celebrating Easter.

Specialty stores lined up the streets of USJ.

I love how USJ has a lot of specialty stores to offer. Too bad, we weren't able to try all of them. Oh well, I guess there's always a next time.

Who's tired?

Now, lugging a plushie around is fun. But once you do it for a couple of hours, it gets tiring to hug it all the time. So as we were walking along New York, I decided to give my arms a break by carrying Elmo using his little loop at the top. No big deal, right? But being in a Japanese theme park, one should expect to be greeted by every employee. They will constantly smile, wave and greet you all day long. But one photographer for the Daily Bugle (not Peter Parker) not only greeted us but also started to mimic the way I'm carrying Elmo. He kept walking while mocking me until I finally got what he's trying to say. Haha So I carried Elmo by wrapping my arms around it just to make him stop mocking me. Sorry Elmo, I'll take better care of you now. Affected much lang si Kuya e!

With Spidey.

And because of Kuya's antics, we couldn't resist getting our picture taken with Spidey! We didn't want to buy the official photo but the frame's too cute to pass up. Darn you, Japan and your cutesy factor in everything. >.<

Clockwise from top left: Space Fantasy, Backdraft, USJ Theaters, Hollywood Dream

We were saving Space Fantasy for our last ride. But after a bathroom break, we passed by Shrek's 4D Adventure and decided to go see it with Daddy first. We've tried it in USS before but we wanted Dad to experience it too. We'll just go on the Space Fantasy ride afterwards. Or so we thought. Remember how punctual the Japanese are? By the time we got out of the theater, people were already saving spots for the Magical Starlight Parade. WHAAAAT! Of course, we wanted a good view of the floats so we looked for a spot as well.

Yup, this is what the Japanese do with their stickers.

I love how the employees take really good care of the park guests. Not only did they make us transfer to the "best spot", one employee also gave us Kitty-chan stickers. How cute! And then the parade started. Feast your eyes on these lovely lights!

The Wonderland characters - Elmo, Snoopy, Kitty-chan.

Alice in Wonderland

Arabian Nights

Cinderella

By the time the parade ended, all the rides have closed as well. Booooo!!! Space Fantasy, we shall meet next time! :((

Moppy's represent! lol

Since our hotel is just a few blocks away, we spent our walk to the gates by taking pictures wherever we passed by. We even spotted a souvenir shop named Moppy's! Haha

Craving for Italian food in Japan!

We were looking forward to a Saizeriya dinner but the pizzas were out of stock so we had to look for another Italian restaurant. Yes, we're in Japan but we're really craving for pizza that time. Maybe because we didn't eat at Louie's NY Pizza Parlor? Haha To save time, we ordered our food to go since we still need to pack for our check out tomorrow morning.

Photo spot hunting at the hotel.

After dinner, we decided to walk around the hotel for a bit. The hotel map they gave us looked a lot like a treasure map with several photo spots so we checked them all out while we explored the hotel.

Vendo machines.

My favorite part of the hotel has got to be the pantry with all the vendo machines. You can buy anything from a vendo machine in Japan - even Häagen-Dazs ice cream!

More hotel photo spots.

I simply love the uniqueness of the hotel decorations. Since it has a massive aquarium and several indoor ponds, they placed amusing signs for hotel guests too. One sign said "No surfing." while another said "No snorkeling."

Feeling purikura.

Even their elevators are amazing! Feels like having your own purikura**** booth. So after returning to our room, we packed our stuff for next day's adventure. Time to say goodbye to Osaka for now as we move on to Kyoto tomorrow!

Harry Potter is coming to Japan!

Oh and I'm so looking forward to this! If this isn't a good enough reason to come back next year then I don't know what is.


* Chibi (ちび or チビ) is a slang term meaning "short person" or "small child" which is popularly used in anime.
** Kawaii (かわいい) means "lovable", "cute", or "adorable."
*** Sugoi ne~! ((すごいね~！) is the Japanese way of saying "wow", "amazing", or "cool."
**** Purikura (プリクラ) short for Purinto Kurabu (プリント倶楽部) or Print Club is similar to photo booth or Neoprint machines where you get your picture taken and printed onto sticker paper.

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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), and Sera
Travel date: April 10, 2013 [Day 1]
Photo credits: Karl