Michi Photostory

I watched a lot of Korean drama series but there are times that I cannot finish one series so I also have a long list of unfinished dramas and I don’t know if I can convince myself to finish those series. A few days ago, I was watching one kdrama but I lost interest when one character died. I watch series to unwind so if I feel that the story is too heavy or all about revenge, I lost interest. 

For the last several days, it’s been raining non-stop so I was feeling blue and lazy, Hello #bedweather! I don’t like rainy days so I’m thankful for instant meals sa panahon na parang ayaw ko kumilos. Hehehe! We had instant Pork Congee, Korean Ramyun, and lastly Japanese Ramen. 

It’s been a decade already since I started watching Korean drama series and as of this writing I already watched 115 series. This does not include the series that I have stopped watching because I lost interest. These past few weeks, I have started few series but after watching few episodes, I can’t push myself to continue. 

Cliche as it may sound but I totally agree that travel is the best education anyone can have and adventures are the best way to learn. 

Last summer, we are blessed to visit Japan for 7 days. For the record, it is the longest time that we’ve visited one country because most of the time we will visit two countries in one trip to save on travel tax and terminal fee.

Read: 7 Days in Tokyo Japan

In just one week, I have learned a lot of things in Japan and it is very different from our home country. Now I understand, why even there is a language barrier, people still go to Japan. Given a chance, I wanted to go back again. 


Sharing with you the things that I’ve learned in Japan. If you are first timer in Japan, these things might surprise you too. 

1. Japan is so clean

From the moment I stepped out the airport and traveled to our hotel, I really notice that Japan is a clean country. I’ve been to Singapore but Japan is cleaner. Everywhere we go in Tokyo, the place is very clean.

A. We are used seeing two trash bins, one for biodegradable and one for nonbiodegradable but in Japan, there are so many trash bins so segregation is very significant. 

B. Do not eat while walking or traveling. If you are hungry or thirsty, you have to sit down and eat. 

C. In a hotel room, there are two available slippers, one for room and one for toilet. 

2. Transport System is very efficient. 

A. Bus 

Japan transport system is very efficient. We were sitting outside the airport waiting for our airport limousine bus schedule and we noticed that the bus were really on time, they arrive before the schedule and leave on time. Sorry na lang talaga pagnamiss mo. 



At airport limousine bus, they give bag tags for your luggage and you will present it before getting your baggage. Unlike here in our country na kakaba-kaba ka pag may bumaba at baka makuha yung gamit mo sa ilalim ng bus. Hehehe! 

I did not experience traffic during our stay when we rode the bus. 

B. Trains 

The trains are very efficient and punctual too. Looking at the train map made me so confused, parang ayaw ko na magtrain at baka maligaw ako but I have to because taxi is not an option because it is so expensive. 



If you are a tourist, you need to download an app that will help you in riding the train. It will inform you about the fare, travel time, transfers and train stations. You need to know the fare because when you buy tickets, you will click the fare and not the name of the station. You can purchase Suica or Pasmo card to save time in buying train ticket. 

Aside from knowing the station, you need to make sure that you will ride the correct train because there are so many types of a train ride, it can be local, rapid, semi-express, express, semi-special express and special express. Local means it will stop in every station and other types meron skip. 

3. Train etiquette 

Before going to Japan, I already saw a video where the Japanese fall in line while waiting for the train. They really wait for the passengers to alight before entering the train. So nakita ko na ganun talaga. It is the same in Singapore and Hongkong. 

Don’t speak too loud or if possible don’t talk on the phone while inside the train. There are reserved seats for priority passengers so make sure you are sitting in the right place. 

4. Escalator etiquette 

Here in our country, we stand anywhere in the escalator. We can stand at the left, middle or right but when you go out of the country, you need to know what side are you going to stay. In Tokyo, Japan, if you will not climb up or down, stay on the left side but if you are in a hurry, choose the right side. 

5. Clean before you go 

On our first day, we were eating at McDonald and we were surprised when we saw diners holding their trays, they went to the trash bin and segregate their trashes. So there is no staff who will clean the table or clear your trash, you have to do it yourself. 

It is not only in McDonald but everywhere we go even in Sanrio Puroland, zoos, park and museum, you have to clear your table. The only time that we did not clear the table is when we ate at The Royal Host. 

6. Vending machines are everywhere 

I’m not joking but vending machines are really everywhere. While going to our hotel, I noticed that almost all corners have vending machines. It seems that Japanese likes to use vending machines. 



A. Use vending machines if you will buy train tickets or cards. In Hongkong and Singapore, I bought our Octopus card and EZ Link card at the counter but in Japan, you need to buy, load or adjust your fare at the ticket vending machine. Good thing there is English language for this.

B. We bought zoo tickets, museum tickets and park tickets at the vending machine. There is no other way to buy the attraction tickets except for Tokyo Disney, I bought our park tickets at the counter. 

C. For drinks and food, it is normal that there are vending machines. Just drop your coins and press the button. But I was shocked when I need to use the vending machine just to order food, and present the receipt at the counter. 

D. If you will recycle your plastic bottles, you need to use vending machines too.

7. Shopping 

A. In the Philippines, whenever we buy something we just pay directly to the cashier but in Japan, you have to use the money tray. The cashier will not get your money if you hand it to her/him, they will point you the money tray. 

B. Taxes are not included in the price so sometimes you will see two prices, one without tax and one with tax. 

C. There is no bagger, we pack our own groceries or stuff whenever we buy something. Some groceries even charge for plastic bags, 2 yen per bag. 

8. Cash 



Japan is a highly developed country but not all accepts credit cards so make sure you always have cash. I do not see money changer during our trip so make sure you have Japanese Yen before leaving the airport. 

9. Internet 

Don’t expect that there is free wifi everywhere so I suggest you rent pocket wifi or avail the roaming surf in your postpaid account. 

I don’t know why my roaming is not working properly, I can receive text and call but I cannot send text or call so I just activated my Globe surf roaming at P599 for 24 hours so I can message my husband. 

10. Japanese are so disciplined 

It is obvious that they always fall in line in the train but even in other places like theme parks, they will automatically fall in line even there is no staff na nagpapila. Whenever they see someone standing, makikipila na sila sa likod mo.



I also noticed this sa mga nagfield trip na kids. They are so disciplined, sa isip-isip ko kung sa Pinas yan habol na ng habol ang teacher. Hehehe! 

11. Japan is a safe country 

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world so when we went to Japan, I have peace in mind that my son and I can tour Japan safely. I even see small children who are riding trains alone and even toddlers who are on a field trip have no guardians. 

I did not see security guards in the mall, groceries or restaurants. No one is checking your bag. 

12. Japan toilets are very unique



I’ve been meaning to use the toilet in Japan because it is very unique and true enough, it is very different from what we have. It is something that I really miss in Japan, you have warm seat and different buttons for bidet, deodorizer, scents, sounds and many more. You can even adjust it according to your preference.

13. Mirrors are very amazing too 



It is very common that the bathroom mirror will have moist after you take a bath but in Japan, may space na walang moist. Amazing! 

14. Tactile paving 

I always see tactile paving on the stairs, train stations and footpaths and my husband informed me that this is designed for blind or visually impaired. Ang bongga di ba! People will know if they need to walk, pause or if they are approaching a pedestrian crossing. I also saw this in Singapore train stations pero in Japan, everywhere I go I see tactile paving.



After our Japan trip, we went back to the Philippines. Home is still the same but something in our minds has changed. It is really true that 

Our family loves to travel but of course, the budget is very limited so it is indeed a privilege for us if we can travel from time to time. We really treasure those moments and experiences when we visit other countries. Our (my son and I) last out of the country was in 2014, when we visited Malaysia and Singapore and we renewed our passports in 2015. The year 2016 came and I was itching to travel.

Last March, I saw my husband’s passport and I told him, "Nasa page 13 ka na, sabay lang tayo nagparenew and wala pa kami stamp”. My passport is really waiting and screaming to be stamped. lol

My husband just laughed at me and because summer vacation was approaching, he invited us to join his business trips. Of course, I will just choose one country because like I said, the budget is very limited and we don’t want to break the bank.


I chose Japan because it has been on my bucket list for a very long time. For some reason, the trip was rescheduled. The original schedule was first week of April, then they changed it to the last week of April and it was moved to last week of May. It was supposed to be an eight-day trip, nabawasan pa ng one day because my husband needs to fly to Indonesia after Japan. 

At some point, I was already losing hope because it was rescheduled so many times and classes were soon to resume. We had visas and plane tickets and one week before our trip, muntikan na di matuloy. But thank God, everything fell into place. 

Read: How to Apply for Japan Visa if you have Philippines Passport

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve seen Daiso on our first day in Tokyo, Japan. It is just walking distance from the hotel and you will passed by this store on your way to Sanrio Puroland. 

Read: Keio Plaza Hotel Tama
          Sanrio Puroland
          Exploring Tama, Tokyo 

I did not bother to check it because it is available in the Philippines. But since we canceled our itinerary for day 6, we had our chance to visit the store. 



Daiso is a large franchise in Japan and there are 2800 stores nationwide so I’m pretty sure you will see this everywhere. It offers a wide range of products for only 100 yen or 108 (with tax) so it is really cheap. 

And because of the 108 price, even I have no plan of buying anything, I did not leave empty handed. #wasteland Mura pa rin compared sa P88 natin dito. 








The store was big so I stopped taking pictures na and took my time in checking different items. Lol 

Again, there is no bagger so we have to pack our own stuff.



I wanted to buy more but I have no more space in the luggage, good thing I have ecobag so handcarry na lang ibang napamili. Here are my shopping hauls. 




Read: Cashbook

My husband bought one polo and nanghinayang siya kasi ok naman pala, P300+ lang pagconvert to peso. Natakot kasi na baka magshrink after iwash kaya isa lang binili. Hehehe!

We were lucky that our hotel has a strategic location, you will really not go hungry here because there are several restaurants around the area. The only problem is we are not sure if the taste and price are good. 

My husband asked his officemate for recommendations. One evening, my husband went to The Royal Host restaurant. They have a different menu for take out and dine in food and my husband ordered this.



We were satisfied with the food so we had lunch here on our sixth day. The Royal Host, The Hospitality Restaurant is a family restaurant which serves Japanese, Western food and European food. 



The interiors look simple yet cozy, I noticed that most of the diners are families or group of friends. We took our time in browsing the menu. Good thing that they have a menu for kids and just like other fastfood, there is a free toy per meal. 



The staff even asked the size of the rice, small, medium etc. I only ordered small size since I can only eat 1 cup of rice. My husband ordered medium, ang dami pala. Hehehe! But even you ordered the biggest size of rice, the price is still the same. 



We were surprised with the serving, it was really huge especially for the kid’s meal. My son was not able to finish his meal. 





The taste is good and the price is very reasonable. I can’t remember the exact price but if I remember it right, the total price is not close to P1500. The service is also good, the staff immediately refill our drinks even without asking.

Royal Host 
Plaza 4F on a hill, 1-44, Ochiai, 
Tama-shi, Tokyo, 206-0033

Day 6 is also our last day to enjoy Tokyo, Japan because we had an early flight the following day. Initial plan is to stay till Sunday para sulit but my husband needs to be in Indonesia by Sunday so we need to go home na ng Saturday. 

Anyway, I have three choices for Day 6 so it depends on the weather and our stamina. 

1. Hakone Free Pass Tour 
2. Tokyo Disneyland 
3. Fuji Shibazakura Festival 

We wanted to see Mt. Fuji so we planned to avail the Hakone Free Pass Tour but if the weather is cloudy, we will just go to Tokyo Disneyland or Fuji Shibazakura Festival. 

Fuji Shibazakura Festival only happens from April to May, since we were not able to see cherry blossoms, this is a good alternative where we can see lawn cherry. The ground looks like pink, white, or purple carpet because it was covered with moss phlox. Ang sarap sana magpapapicture. :) 

But on our third day in Japan, my husband’s officemate learned about our plan, he said that the entrance is already free kasi naglalagas na daw ang mga flowers. Maybe because it is already the last week of the festival so we already removed this to our choices. Sayang naman kasi baka hindi na rin maganda at may mga kalbo na part. 

On our way back to hotel after our Tokyo DisneySea trip, my husband and I decided to cancel our Day 6 itinerary. Wala na kami lakas, we really need to rest and suko na rin ang aming paa sa kakalakad. #signsofaging

Read: Tokyo DisneySea 

The Royal Host 



When we woke up, it was raining so I was really grateful to God for giving us good weather from Sunday to Thursday. It was really bed-weather so we had late lunch at The Royal Host. 

Read: Royal Host



Good thing Keio Plaza Hotel Tama is close to everything so even it was raining, we were still able to visit malls and park. Since we cancelled our day 6 activity, we have extra budget for pasalubong. 

Read: Keio Plaza Hotel Tama

We did not bother to go to Don Quijote Akihabara anymore since we will not buy a lot of pasalubong. The train fare is also expensive and ayaw na nga namin maglakad ng malayo. Hahaha!

If you like collecting bento stuff, ang dami dito. 



Side story: I bought Tomica Cars at Sanrio Puroland because I know that there are limited designs in the Philippines so imagine my reaction when I saw Tomica Cars in the mall. Waah, I bought Tomica My Melody at 796 yen and 580 yen lang dito. Akala ko pa naman nakamura na ko. I also checked Uniqlo store but there was no sale so I did not buy anything. 



Then we went to grocery, one thing I noticed here in Japan, there is no bagger so you have to pack your own stuff. The cashier gave me one plastic bag and she asked me if I need two (sign language lang ulit) and I said yes naman. When I checked my receipt, kamote may bayad pala yung plastic. Ang hirap ng may language barrier. hehehe! Ok, next time, I will bring ecobag. 

Tama Central Park and Parthenon Tama 

We went back to the hotel to drop our groceries and off we went to Tama Central Park and Parthenon Tama. Japan likes park, I wish we also have park like this where you can unwind and relax without spending money. I’ve seen houses and residential buildings near the park, so the people are so lucky because they can just go to the park if they want to walk, jog or kill time.





The Daiso 



I’ve seen The Daiso on our first day in Tokyo, Japan but I did not bother to check it because we have Japan Home here. But since we have nothing to do, we paid a visit and even I have no plans in buying anything. May nabili pa rin ako, 108 yen lang kasi, cheaper than the P88 rate here. I will share my shopping finds on my next post. 

Read: The Daiso

Dinner Dan Cafe 



If you visit Sanrio Puroland, don’t forget to eat crepe at Dipper Dan Cafe. The crepe is really good, I wanted to buy pa ulit kaso tinamad na bumalik kasi umulan na ulit. Hehehe! 

Read: Sanrio Puroland

If you have kids in tow in Tokyo Japan, a trip would not be complete if you will not visit the happy place on Earth which is Disneyland. There are two Disney theme parks in Tokyo, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. 

Tokyo DisneySea is a unique theme park, because it is the only DisneySea among the six Disneyland theme park around the world. We’ve been to Hongkong Disneyland, so we chose Tokyo DisneySea this time. 

Read: Hongkong Disneyland Part 1 
          Hongkong Disneyland Part 2

Day before our Disney Trip, my husband inquired if we can ride the Good Neighbor Shuttle Bus to Tokyo Disney Resort in Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo. But we were advised that it is only for the guests in Shinjuku and it was fully booked already. So they gave us a map and instructed on how to get to Tokyo Disney Resort from Keio Plaza Hotel Tama. Sayang, it is complimentary ride pa naman.

Read: Keio Plaza Hotel Tama

According to app, travel time is around two hours so we wake up as early as 4AM. You can see that the sun is starting to rise so Japan is indeed the Land of the Rising Sun. We ate light breakfast (bread) and left at 5AM to avoid the morning rush.



Directions: Walk to Keio Tama Center South Exit. Ride Keio Sagamihara Line Express for Shinjuku. Get off at Shinjuku and ride the train to Tokyo. Get off at Tokyo and ride the train to Maihama. Get off at Maihama and ride Disney Resort Line to Tokyo DisneySea. The fare is 1000+ yen each, half rate for kids, one way.



The directions look so easy, I thought we won’t be having a problem since we’ve been riding trains for the last few days. But I was wrong, when we get off at Shinjuku, we don’t know where to go. We need to get out to buy tickets and we don’t even know san lalabas. Toinks! 

We asked the staff and he just said “8”. At first hindi namin gets kung ano yung 8 so we checked the map and information. I think there are 10 connecting trains (correct me) in Shinjuku so we need to look for Gate 8 (whatever do you call that). It was a looooong walk even there are walkators, nakakapagod pa rin.

So we rode the train going to Tokyo and then transferred train to Maihama. At Maihama, we just went to the counter to ask help for fare adjustment because the tickets that we bought is only for Tokyo. They gladly assisted us and we paid the additional fare. 



The app said, it will take 2 hours but we traveled more than two hours and we still need to ride one more train. We ate breakfast again at Becker’s before riding the Disney Resort Line. Good thing we left early. 

Tokyo DisneySea 

Click here for the video

At last, we’re finally here at Tokyo DisneySea. I was surprised when I saw the Ticket Fee because prior to the trip, I checked their price so nagmahal na agad o di pa updated sa website. Well, this is the costliest theme park that we’ve visited so far. 



The park is huge and we only have one day to explore it but we just take one step at a time as long as naeenjoy namin. According to the map, the park is divided into 7 sections, Port Discovery, American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Mermaid Lagoon, Mysterious Island, Arabian Coast, and Mediterranean Harbor. 

Mediterranean Harbor 



We started our tour in Mediterranean Harbor, we rode DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. We have no idea where it will stop, we just rode it. Hehehe! I appreciate this steamer especially if you're tired of walking from one attraction to another attraction.



Lost River Delta 

The steamer stopped at Lost River Delta. I’m not fond of scary rides so I did not join them when they rode the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. They put a bracelet in my son’s hand after checking the height. I'm afraid that this ride is like Space Mountain of Disneyland. 



After their first ride, they told me that it is not a scary ride so I can try it. But I don't want to ride alone so I suggested to fall in line in Character Greeting, my son doesn’t like the idea because he wanted to go to different attractions but he has no choice, I want family picture. The only downside if you will not avail their photo package, they will only take one picture. Swerte mo na pag galante yung nagpicture sayo at more than one take or else no choice kung panget shot. hehehe! 



Side story: In Hongkong Disneyland, we always carry our bag during the photoshoot but in Japan, the staff told us to place our bags at the side. I remember our trip in Sanrio Puroland, I also leave my bag before picture taking. At first, hesitant ako because sa Pinas nga lang, nasa tabi mo na or hawak mo na ang bag mo, kinukuha pa, yun pa kayang 2 meters away from you. Lol. But in Japan, safe naman ang aming bag. There is Raging Spirits but we did not dare to ride. 

Read: Sanrio Puroland



There are also characters that you will meet while exploring the park. 



Port Discovery 

Then we moved to Port Discovery to ride the Aquatopia and Disney Sea Electric Railway. 





The electric trolley stopped at American Waterfront then we moved to Fortress Explorations at Mediterranean Harbor. 



There is even a separate map for this, you can see Pendulum Tower, Illusion Room, Explorer’s Hall, Navigation Center, Camera Obscurra, Sundial Deck, Chamber Planets, Flying Machine, Alchemy Laboratory, and Cannons. 

Sail a boat at Fortress Explorations for 100 yen.

Mysterious Island



Then we moved to Mysterious Island and rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I was scared at first because it was really dark and you have no idea what will happen but it was a nice ride. The popular attraction here is Journey to the Center of the Earth, we skipped this ride because we love our life, baka maheart attack pa kami diyan.

Arabian Coast 



We’re just eating snacks from time to time but no heavy meals because the restaurants were full din during lunch time. So we moved to Arabian Coast and rode Jasmine’s Flying Carpets, Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage, Caravan Carousel and watched a show in The Magic Lamp Theater. 

Mermaid Lagoon 



Next stop is Mermaid Lagoon, this is the happiest place for kids because all rides are for kids. We rode Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, Scuttle’s Scooters, Jumpin’ Jellyfish. Blowfish Balloon Race, The Whirlpool and we watched a show in Mermaid Lagoon Theater. We still enjoyed watching a show even there is no English version of it. We checked Ariel’s Playground too.



We ate at Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen, we loved the food here. After we ate, we saw some Disney Characters again. 

American Waterfront 



We rode steamer again to go back to Mediterranean Harbor so we can ride Venetian Gondolas but no schedule at that time because there is upcoming show daw so we moved to American Waterfront to ride one popular attraction which is Toy Story Mania. I wanted to try this ride again kaso more than one hour ang pinila namin so nakakapagod din. I forget to avail the FastPass kasi. 



We watched a show at Dockside Stage. Puro sideview nga lang kuha but still we enjoyed the show. 



We rode Big City Vehicles and checked different stores.



We’re supposed to go home early because we don’t want to miss the train but when we saw the crowd at the Mediterranean Harbor, we changed our mind and we watched the last show. We have no regrets in waiting, the Fantasmic show is spectacular. I wanted to take video but my memory is full. Waah! 



Then we went home with sore feet and legs, tired but happy. It was really a long day, we reached the hotel before 12AM. Zzzzzzzzzz 


Same Day Pick Up Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea Ticket 1 Day Pass (Tokyo/TW Pick Up) Tokyo Disney Ticket 2 Day Pass (Tokyo Pick Up)
Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea 1 Day Admission Ticket (Maihama Station Pick Up)
Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea Ticket 1 Day Pass and 1 Night Hotel Stay
Shuttle Bus Transfers (One Way/Round Trip) from Shinjuku to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea 


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