Leaving Fuji-Q Highland was a conflicting experience; on one hand the park was awesome and we could ride our "big 3" forever, on the other the hotel was overpriced, dated and smelt a bit funky. Either way you choose to look at it, we had other plans and reservations plus we had no cash in our hands or a way of obtaining it so we made our way back to Fujikyu station on foot. Having spent the previous day in the park on the coasters we were able to navigate a shorter, more pedestrian-friendly route to the station through the amusement park's carparks.
We had anticipated catching the limited express train back up to Otsuki but, as luck would have it, we were short just 10 yen to pay the limited express surcharge and thus had no choice but to buy regular tickets. Thankfully the normal train was only 10 minutes after the express so we lived vicariously through the riders of Eejanaika, just across the fence, as the train cycled through a few times.
Catching the normal all stops service proved to be more exciting than expected - the service was operated by a 2 car set completely covered in ads for the ThomasLand area inside the park. This made sense considering that the railway and park are owned by the same company but the extent to which the advertising went came as quite a shock. Not only was the outside completely covered, the inside roof and walls as well as seat headrests and even the driver and guard's uniforms were all advertising ThomasLand! I can't talk for Steve, but I reckon this made up for missing our reserved train (again) at Otsuki due to not catching the limited express. That, and seeing the Japanese maglev test track as we passed under it on our way back up the valley certainly made for an enjoyable trip.
Upon arrival in Otsuki we ascended the stairs to change platforms at the station to the logical platform for Tokyo services. On the overpass bridge I noticed that the display indicated that the train waiting at the platform across from the one into which we had arrived was a special rapid service to Tokyo. With our reserved train already on its way this was the next service to the capital and, being a "special" rapid held the promise of a journey time not too much longer than that offered by our intended limited express train. Although this was an outer region commuter train with the usual peak seating arrangements the set was newish, featured padded side seats and televisions showing the route map, indicating where we were, how long it would be to the next few stops and which stations would be skipped.
The journey was only about 25 minutes longer than the limited express, bringing us into Tokyo in a bit over 2 hours. It was then time to reacquaint ourselves with Tokyo Station as we had 1 more train leg to arrive at our home for the rest of the trip. We needed the JR Keiyo Line for this connection and it just so happens that these trains leave from the most isolated part of the station. Apparently these underground platforms were originally built for the never-realised Narita Airport Shinkansen, regardless they are 500m away from any other platform and are accessed by a long travelator corridor, resulting in a 10-15 minute transfer time from all other lines.
Once down at the Keiyo Line platforms it is easy to catch a train to Maihama, the station at Tokyo Disney Resort, because every train except a limited express or commuter rapid will stop there. We took a rapid for our first journey and appreciated skipping a few stations on the way. Only a few stations are skipped because Maihama is just a few stops down the line, although it must be mentioned that the journey is still 10-15 minutes long as stations are far apart. The line travels along the edge of Tokyo Bay, initially in a tunnel then over semi-industrial and dock areas, which is just another interesting side of this large city.
On the surface Maihama looks like any other JR commuter station but when you look around the abundance of Tokyo Disney Resort advertising becomes apparent and the Disney songs used for the 'doors closing' jingles just make things obvious. At the exit of the station we were greeted by a vista of Ikspiari, the resort's themed shopping centre, the Resort Liner monorail overhead, a bus interchange below and the backside of Tokyo Disneyland (Frontierland). Just to the left, at the entry to Ikspiari, we found the Resort Welcome Centre where we checked in to the Hotel MiraCosta, received our monorail passes and left our bags until later in the day. At this facility they have check-in desks and a conveyor belt for the bags, just like an airport - it was kind of bizarre but efficient and cool in a very Japanese way.
As soon as we were liberated from our bags our minds turned to lunch so we went for an explore in Ikspiari. No, we didn't end up at a fast food joint, we settled on a very yummy-smelling French self-service bakery. With an entire afternoon ahead of us we couldn't just sit around the resort so we took advantage of our JR Rail Passes and headed back into Tokyo on the train. Since the passes were only valid on JR services we were avoiding locations that were best served by the city's subway systems. Steve had also left his maps and information about where he wanted to go in the city in his bag at the resort so we were also limited to places we knew how to get to.
There were only a few options left to us so I took the lead and charted a course for Tokyo Dome City, despite it being a busy Saturday afternoon. We had passed by on our Chuo Line Special Rapid earlier that day so it was a simple matter of retracing our steps and using a local service to get to Shimbashi Station.
As always Tokyo Dome City, in particular the more modern LaQua section, was impressive and worth the visit. Unfortunately crowds were a bit of an issue so we only got 1 ride on the Thunder Dolphin (10th fastest - 130km/h and 7th tallest - 80m coaster in the world), with it's very fun, free first drop and trip through the world's first centre-less ferris wheel. We did of course manage a trip on the Big-O (that centre-less ferris wheel), as well as the Linear Gale (an odd U-shaped linear induction motor coaster) and the spinning coaster. This meant that we did make better value than just buying individual ride tickets but the experience would've been better had we been able to ride the Thunder Dolphin ad nauseum, or should I say "ad nausea"?
All the riding took quite a bit of time so by the time we were done crowds were starting to materialise for that evening's baseball match in the Tokyo Dome itself and the sun was fading below the horizon. Dinner was in order and, having had lunch at Ikspiari, it was decided to eat somewhere in Tokyo. Before you shake your head at another Maccas dinner I'll have you know that, due to the restaurant's dining space being renovated, we ate on the street, sitting on a little wall next to the river and overlooking a busy intersection, commenting on the various passing cars. That was a pleasant change and a different way to immerse ourselves in the city and the culture without even trying. Beat that authentic, non-chain restaurant!
It was dark by the time we made it back to Tokyo Disney Resort but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. As mentioned above, we had received passes for the monorail, to the tune of 7 days, so we hopped aboard at Resort Gateway Station. The monorail is driverless but there are guards to facilitate the smooth loading and unloading of passengers. Trains are 6 carriages each and travel in a single direction (anti-clockwise) around the loop track, stopping at 4 stations. Steve and I were able to enjoy almost the full trip around the loop to Tokyo Disney Sea Station, passing the front of Tokyo Disneyland, the official partner (non-Disney) hotels and the back and sides of Tokyo DisneySea before arriving at our stop. Needless to say this provided a good preview of the fun that lay instore for our upcoming park days.
What can I say about the MiraCosta other than "wow"? I know you probably won't appreciate it when you read this and the photos won't do it justice but this has to be the best hotel I've stayed at and I didn't feel ripped off for the premium price we were paying. Whether its the hotel's own exit from the monorail station, the way the lights flicker as if they had real flames in them or the bell staff everywhere openning doors for you and offering assistance or simply the amazing detail of the theming that allows you to leave semi-industrial Tokyo as you step through the doors, this hotel is hard to fault. When we approached the check-in desk the lady even guessed (correctly) who we were and had our reservation ready to process!
Our door keycards were personalised and we were given a chance to admire the grand architecture of the foyer while the bell staff rounded up our bags. One of the bell staff then took our bags and led us to our room, explaining some little things about the hotel and pointing out some useful facilities on the way. They provided a brief tour of the room, left our bags and didn't even give the slightest impression that they needed a tip - fantastic! As we settled in we felt no need to leave our room except to get ice from the machine in the hall, of course, and were contemplating how we were going to live in the real world after this experience. All non MiraCosta guests were all just so common and dirty to us and what is better than looking out your window into a theme park, with the park's nice area music floating into the room?
There was but 1 disturbance during the evening; I called guest services to ask about the nearest coin laundry. It took a while to explain to the cast member that I understood that the hotel only had a[n expensive] laundry service but I wanted to know where the nearest DIY facility was, even if that meant Tokyo. Once this had been successfully communicated I was told to sit tight and that someone would be up shortly with a map! Sure enough a very friendly bell services girl arrived a few minutes later with a map of the resort and a printout (unfortunately all in Japanese), explaining to me that there was a coin laundry to be found at the Sheraton on the other side of the resort. I was surprised that there was a coin laundry on the property but happy at the same time so the fun task of cleaning was penciled in for the following morning.
Sunday came and we accepted the fact that Tokyo was a cool place worth visiting so we'd have to drag ourselves from our palatial hotel and be normal once again. Though we thought we'd indulge in a buffet breakfast at the MiraCosta's Oceano restaurant to help us make it through the day. The buffet did not come cheap so Steve and I excelled at being stinges (it comes naturally to both of us) and set a minimum plate count of 4 each, which had to be reached prior to leaving. These weren't small plates either; 4 large, main course plates, each fully loaded with fruits, pastries, cooked, steamed and baked delicacies. A highlight of the meal would have to be how our waitress asked as where we were going that day when she seated us, only to return halfway through the meal with a list of recommended places to visit in Tokyo that she had written out on a piece of hotel paper - that's service! There was no question that we had acheived fantastic value for money when we stumbled out 1 and a half hours after entering; the food was of a superb quality and a lot of it had been consumed!
By the time we were leaving the hotel with my case full of dirty clothes the cleaners were out and about, all bowing politely and wishing us a good morning as we passed in the corridors. A notable pass was in the main corridor from the lift to the foyer of the hotel, where we passed a lady vacuuming the carpet. As we approached she not only stopped the vacuum cleaner but also unplugged it and moved all of the cord down the corridor to the wall before bowing as we passed. This kind of service is shocking but you get used it and it all just adds to the feeling of exclusivity.
At least visiting the laundromat at the Sheraton meant a trip on the Resort Liner, if only for just a few minutes around to Bayside Station, in between the massive carpark and the official hotels. Even though the Sheraton sits across the road from the station exit we were greeted by a 1950's retro-designed Mickey bus running a shuttle bus to the hotel. It was a bizarre and pointless bus trip - out of the station slip road to dog leg across to the other side and then drive down the driveway to the front doors. We walked around the main hotel building for a bit before asking a staff member where the laundromat was. It is in a separate entertainment building to the side of the hotel and is a thin room with 5 machines and dryers. We didn't want to hang around the random coin laundry in the middle of a video game arcade so we walked back to the station and rode the monorail back to Resort Gateway.
Between the main resort interchange there and Tokyo Disneyland's entrance is the Bon Voyage merchandise shop. It was 1 of 3 that we could use our hotel guest 10% discount vouchers at, the other 2 being the shops at the 2 Disney hotels. The shop was quite large and we were there to scope out the collection so we knew which items not to buy at the park, because we could get them cheaper at Bon Voyage. The time went pretty quickly so we soon had to leave and take the monorail back to the Sheraton, this time embarking from the Tokyo Disneyland stop.
Back at the aptly-named "Oasis" centre at the Sheraton we moved our clothes into the dryers and headed off once again. I had been interested in visiting some of these "Official Hotels" because if I wanted to revisit the resort they present a sometimes cheaper accommodation option, with some of the Disney benefits. Unfortunately the Sheraton was really dated, hot and a bit smelly whilst having no charm or character. Next door was the Hilton, which has some fantastic ultra-advance purchase rates so we popped on over there. It was much nicer than the Sheraton and even had a Starbucks in the lobby area. The Hilton was nicely furnished, stylish and not dull, tired and completely neutral like the Sheraton. I'd choose this if I wanted a normal hotel but I guess in that instance I would prefer to stay in Tokyo itself rather than out at the resort.
Upon our return to the coin laundry the drying cycle was complete but the clothes still wet so we ran it again. This time we just sat and talked in the dingy space, waiting for the cycles to finish. The clothes were still pretty wet at the end but we couldn't be fussed spending more time and money so we packed up and took the monorail home to the MiraCosta. We did the stingy hang-all-the-clothes-up-on-something trick to let them dry before we left once again, this time for sightseeing.
Back out in the big bad world we completed the Resort Liner loop by travelling the 1 stop, past the monorail maintenance shed, back to Resort Gateway Station. Here we bloatedly boarded the next JR train back into Tokyo, where we were hoping the walk to the main part of the station would help with our digestion. Since our JR passes were still valid we transfered to the Shinkansen part of the station and boarded the next MAX (Maximum Amenity eXpress) train heading on the northern line. These trains are the latest generation of double deck bullet trains, serving the destinations closer to Tokyo on the northern line. After a quick stop at Ueno it was a lengthy journey to Omiya Station, allowing us time to investigate this semi-commuter train which featured 6 seats across on the top deck with no recline but 5 normal, individual reclining seats on the bottom. The food service was limited to a poor girl carrying a backpack of drinks and a tray of food, walking through both decks of the train.
Why were we travelling to Omiya, a city just to the north of Tokyo? It's quite simple really - here one can find the recently openned new Japanese National Rail Museum! Although, we still had to make 1 more connection from the main station at Omiya to the museum entrance. There is a signposted walking route but it follows the dingy, semi-industrial road for 2km so we travelled on the local elevated people mover system the 1 stop to get us there.
Japan's National Railway Museum can lay claim to be the busiest railway museum that I've ever seen. Sure, we were visiting on a Sunday, but on what day of the week would you ever expect a train museum to be busy? It was so packed in there that it was necessary to queue an hour beforehand to even have a chance of viewing the model railway layout show (we didn't) and it was virtually impossible to get photos of the equipment without 10 other people being in the shot. The museum deserves its popularity; the collection is extensive and touchable, there are a lot of interactive exhibits and the setting is modern. My only gripes would be the lack of representation given to the modern steam era, although I gather that there is a lot of that equipment around the country and the absence of English on the railway timeline display. Despite the crowds we managed to enjoy our visit, lasting at least 2 hours, especially the main engine hall, mini-train garden and Shinkansen viewing platform on the roof. I had hoped to purchase a souvenir or 2 from one of the shops before we left but the selection was not particular relevant to me and the sardine tin circumstances prevented any serious browsing.
By the time we had made it back to Omiya then taken another MAX Shinkansen back to Tokyo the hour was growing late and, with Steve becoming increasingly weary with a cold, we made the choice to return to Maihama. This could not go ahead without thought of dinner, for which we now had the slightest of cravings. To this end we exited the station through the Tokyo Convention Centre then walked the streets at least 500m to the other end of the station before giving up on street level in favour of potential subterranean dining options. Expeditions through underground shopping complexes adjoining Tokyo Station proved fruitless so we eventually decided to head straight back to the resort and assess our options there.
As it turned out there was a nice cafe/burger bar under Maihama Station so we gave it a whirl for dinner. The service was good and the food nice enough but, again, nothing can top our memorable MOS Burger experiences in Sapporo. Afterward it was time to retire for the night and cleanse ourselves from our encounters with "the great unwashed" throughout the day. The evening was capped off with the fireworks show from the resort's 2 theme parks being viewed from our room, adding to the excitement of hitting Tokyo Disneyland the following day.
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