Japan Day 11 - Nakano & Departure

13-May, 1145 - Visiting Nakano Broadway is our main aim for today. Nakano Broadway is a commercial and residential complex created as a part of the development of the area near the north entrance of Nakano Station in 1966. The first four floors are commercial facilities, with residences from the fifth floor up. The second through fourth floors of Nakano Broadway are the home to many shops for otaku and fans of comics, animation, teen idols, music, action figures, and rental showcases, etc. This shopping mall is visited by many fans from around the world, and even just looking at the displays is enjoyable.

Side streets from the Nakano Broadway where we are going to eat our dinner.

One last look at Shinjuku before our departure.

Haneda Departure Hall

Singapore Airline Check-in counter

Last minute shopping for tibits

With this, our wonderful Japan holiday trip ended with an overnight flight back to Singapore. A wonderful experience for a free and easy with our customized itenary.

Japan Day 10 - Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara

12-May, 1000 - As our Japan trip was coming to an end, we decided to spend the last few days visiting the surrounding cities. Our first stop for the day is the Takeshita Street in Harajuku.

Takeshita Street (竹下通り, Takeshita-dōri) is a pedestrian-only street lined with fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants in Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan. Stores on Takeshita Street include major chains such as The Body Shop, McDonald's and 7-Eleven, but most of the businesses are small independent shops that carry an array of styles. The shops on this street are often a bellwether for broader fads, and some are known as "antenna shops," which manufacturers seed with prototypes for test-marketing. [Source: Wikipedia]

Tokyu Plaza, a new shopping mall which opened in April 2012

View of the street from the mall entrance

After our lunch at Harajuku, our next stop is Shibuya.

The famous Shibuya Crossing.  It is located in front of the Shibuya Station Hachikō exit and stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. The statue of Hachikō, a dog, between the station and the intersection, is a common meeting place and almost always crowded. We visited the some of the famous malls in the area such as Shibuya 109 and 109Men's.

In the evening, we finally reached Akihabara, which is one of the must visit for Japan. Akihabara is a major shopping area for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods, including new and used items. New items are mostly to be found on the main street, Chūōdōri, with many kinds of used items found in the back streets of Soto Kanda 3-chōme. New parts for PC-building are readily available from a variety of stores. Tools, electrical parts, wires, microsized cameras and similar items are found in the cramped passageways of Soto Kanda 1-chōme (near the station). Foreign tourists tend to visit the big name shops like Laox or other speciality shops near the station, though there is more variety and lower prices at locales a little further away. Akihabara gained some fame through being home to one of the first stores devoted to personal robots and robotics. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Mandarake - one of Tokyo's largest vendors of used anime and manga-related products.

A cafe for Gundam

Japan Day 9 part 5 - Disney Sea

11-May, 2040 - The second finale of the night - Fireworks! They are simply beautiful!! =)

Night scenery of Disney Sea before we leave the park.

DisneySea Transit Steamer Line

The wizard - Mickey Mouse

A day well spent

Japan Day 9 part 4 - Disney Sea

11-May, 1740 - After the theatre show at the Arabian Coast (Disney), we headed to the Mermaid Lagoon (Disney) to check out its attractions. Here is a ride that simulated the life on the ocean floor as you followed the jellyfish bobbing up and down in the ocean.

The night scene of the mysterious island

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

One of the night finale show: Fantasmic! which premiered on April 28, 2011, as part of the parks 10th anniversary celebration.

The show begins with the tune of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" as out of the stars, Sorcerer Mickey emerges on a tower of stars in a comet. The new theme song, "Imagination" plays as Mickey conducts the water fountains and images of different characters appear on the tower. The music shifts into the traditional Fantasmic! theme and weaves into "Sorcerer's Apprentice" as Mickey conducts the stars and sea and calls on the Magic Brooms. The waters rise and Ariel enters vocalizing "Part of Your World", as Crush and his seaturtle pack from Finding Nemo swim in the background. The dancing fish from Fantasia's "Nutcracker Suite" also appear as does Jiminy Cricket in his bubble, which pops and fills the scene with bubbles.

Mickey's eyes appear confused in the dark and the show enters as the show progresses into a jungle environment. While Tarzan and Jane Porter appear swinging on the projection tower, floats featuring giant inflatable versions of Baloo, King Louie, Pumbaa and a young Simba appear along with a floating Kaa. A medley of music from Tarzan, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King plays, eventually building up into the "Circle of Life" scene.

However, when Rafiki is about to hold up Simba, Stitch appears instead (similar to the "Inter-Stitch-als") and the music transitions into an electric guitar version of "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" with Stitch conducting the water while Angel pilots Stitch's red speeder shooting plasma blasts. Mickey appears again, accompanied by the show's theme song and "When You Wish Upon A Star" and sets the stage for an appearance by the Genie singing "Friend Like Me" as well as the scene of "A Whole New World". As Aladdin and Jasmine fly off, the music segues into Cinderella and a sequence based on the Disney Princesses.

After the Princess medley, Mickey encounters the Magic Mirror. Mickey asks the Magic Mirror if he's the greatest sorcerer of all and the Mirror tells him to look closer and deeper into the mirror. The Mirror and the Evil Queen then cast a spell trapping Mickey inside, allowing the villains to take control, each one appearing within the mirror. The Queen (now as the Old Hag) calls on the assistance of Ursula (singing "Poor Unfortunate Souls") and Chernabog (whose appearance is accompanied with a composition of "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Hellfire"). The Queen laughs at the power of Mickey's imagination and the last villain emerges from the mirror: Maleficent who shows the power of her imagination by turning into her dragon form. Mickey defeats Maleficent with his magic wand and the power of his imagination. He falls back into his sleeping body and with a wave of Tinker Bell's wand, the show moves into the finale, with a reprise of the song and many of the show's other characters appearing on the barges, including classic Mickey and company. The barges stop and Sorcerer Mickey reappears on the tower, clad in a glowing, white, fiber-optic reflecting robe to conduct the final pyrotechincs and fountains as the music builds. Mickey then remarks "Some Imagination, huh?" and disappears, with a few notes of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" theme and the final fanfare. The tower takes on the appearance of the Sorcerer's Hat and the exit music plays.

Attraction Facts

• Official debut: April 28, 2011
• Location: Mediterranean Harbor, Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disney Resort
• Show length: approx. 23 minutes
• Sponsorship: NTT DoCoMo
• Producers: Walt Disney Creative Entertainment in conjunction with Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney, and Pixar Animation Studios
• Executive producer:Roger Heartsner
• Technical Director Darren J. Wilkie
• Production Manager Michelle A. Tritt
• Score: Don L. Harper
• Original Fantasmic! Theme & Exit Theme: Composed by Bruce Healey
• Director: Steve Davison
• Villains: Kaa, Magic Mirror, The Wicked Queen, Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam, Chernabog, Maleficent

[Source: Wikipedia]

Ariel in The Little Mermaid

Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty

Belle in Beauty and the Beast

Japan Day 9 part 3 - Disney Sea

11-May, 1540 - After the wonderful show at the Mediterranean Harbor, we headed back to catch our roller coaster ride that featured a 360 degree loop turn.

After we were done with the roller coaster, it was time to explore a new section of the Disney Sea and we decided to head to the Arabian Coast (Disney).

The first attraction in the Arabian Coast that we explored was the Sinbad's Storybook Voyage. We went on board a small boat and it took us through Sinbad's journey, showing us bits and pieces of the storyline.

After going through Sinbad's voyage, we gathered at the The Magic Lamp Theater for another show.

Here comes Mickey and Minnie!

The Aladdin crews

And the wonderful genie that can grant any wish!