Trip to Tokyo and Nagoya

April 27 - May 3, 2014

Geof S. Oreta

When we arrived in Nagoya, it was already late at night.

Because of this, we decided to sleep in the bus on the way to Tokyo. While going to the bus station, we got a nice view of

the Nagoya cityscape

During our trip, we saw the countryside,

factories, and small towns.

We also saw Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain. My mom had a hard time

getting pictures of it, since the expressway always had barriers

along it.

The first place we went to in Tokyo was the Tokyo Institute of Technology. There, we saw many parks, office buildings,

dorms, and much more.

Our second destination was Shibuya. It was quite an experience when we

walked along the scramble crossing, and

saw all the lights, skyscrapers, and people.

When we were at Shibuya, we also saw the statue of Hachiko, the dog who was known for his loyalty to his

owner, and went to the Shibuya train station

everyday to wait for his owner, even though he was

already dead.

For our second day, we decided to have

breakfast at Mos Burger. It was interesting seeing what fast food was like in

Tokyo. I ate a burger made of rice and eggs.

Next, we went to Odaiba. While we didn’t ride the ferris wheel, we

still had lots of fun exploring around the tourist destinations.

When we were in Odaiba, there was an exhibit of Toyota cars.

This was one of my favourite destinations in

Tokyo.

We saw a massive array of cars, trucks, SUVs, concept

cars, and much more. I even saw a Formula 1 car!

In the Toyota exhibit, there was also an

interactive movie theatre, where we watched a

driving simulation while our seats were moving around. We enjoyed it,

even though it was a bit nauseating.

After the Toyota exhibit, my sister and I went to Legoland. I was exited,

since I’’ve never been to a Legoland before. Inside, there were Lego versions of Tokyo, rides, games,

and much more!

Finally, at the end of our second day, we went to the Tokyo Skytree. Even though

the fee was a little expensive, we were still

excited to see Tokyo from the top.

When we got to the top, we were blown away at the amazing

view of Tokyo at night. We stayed up there for

a while, resting and taking pictures of the

city.

For our third and last day in Tokyo, we

went to Tokyo Disneyland. We

didn’t take pictures of the entire thing until late at night. Even though it was

raining, we still enjoyed our stay

there.

While we were at Disneyland, we tried to go on as many rides as possible. We watched movies, went in

a haunted house, and generally had a good time.

One of the highlights of our trip to Disneyland was

when we rode the “Mark Twain” steamship. We

toured around the river, saw some exhibits of Native Americans, and I saw how a steam engine worked.

Before we left, I decided to have one last picture with the iconic Disney castle.

Before we left Tokyo, we ate at Mos Burger one last

time, so I can taste their famous burgers. Compared to McDonalds, they were

better at making fast food.

Another highlight of our trip in Japan was when we

rode the bullet train, otherwise known as the

Shinkansen. After sleeping for a few minutes, I

watched houses, towns, and farms zip by extremely

quickly. Even though we were traveling at more

than 300 kph, the ride was extremely comfortable.

When we arrived in Nagoya, the first thing we did after

leaving our room was to have lunch. We had a delicious

meal at a small bento restaurant, where there was

only one employee.

After lunch, we went to go shopping at the Osu. There, we bought lots of

souvenirs and food. Most of them were bought at the 100

yen shop.

After the Osu, we went to check out the temple near it. When we were there, it was extremely quiet. The temple also looked

peaceful and serene.

For the first half in our second day at Nagoya, we just stayed in our room and rested while my dad did his presentation at the university. We then went to the museum in the university to look at artifacts from prehistoric times. When my dad’s presentation was done, we went to the cafeteria to have lunch with his friend. His friend paid for our entire meal, which we were very grateful for.

We then went to Nagoya Castle, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Nagoya. There, I

learned many things about the history of Japan,

such as their culture, clothes, food, and much

more.

Inside the Castle, We saw many exhibits related to the castle. At the topmost floor,

there was an observation deck, where we looked around the surrounding city of Nagoya. Finally, we saw an exhibit of

ancient Japanese art.

Next, we had a short stop at the Nagoya

Science Museum. Even though it was too late to get in, I was still able to see the gigantic rocket in front of the building.

Finally, we went to Nagoya Port. I saw the Antarctic exploration ship “Fuji”, a

giant ship propeller, a vehicle used in the

Antarctic expedition.

We also saw the statues of two dogs: Jiro, on the

left, and Taro, on the right. They were known for their bravery during the Antarctic expedition

of Japan.

During our last day in Nagoya, and also Japan, we went to the Nagoya

Zoo. There, we saw many animals that we’ve never seen before in our lives, such as bears, elephants, giraffes, and much more.

One of my favourite parts of the Zoo

were the penguins. It was fun seeing

them swimming and waddling around.

We also enjoyed watching the seals,

who were swimming around in a pack and sunbathing.

We then rode a train that gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire zoo. While it was a little scary, since

there were no walls around the railway, I still liked looking around the

zoo and seeing all the different animals below

us.

Finally, we went to the Higashiyama skytower.

While we didn’t go to the observation deck, we stayed

below and saw all the different cold-blooded animals in the first few

floors.

Ending

• During our trip to Tokyo and Nagoya, I learned many things about Japan. I learned about the uniqueness of its culture, its diversity, and much more. I saw the differences of our culture here in the Philippines and the culture in Japan. Finally, during our trip in Japan, I saw methods there that we can use to improve our country. However, even after seeing the beauty of Japan, I still enjoy being in the Philippines more, because of our unique culture, food, and much more. Also, it’s because all of my friends, relatives, and family are here. I want to stay in the Philippines more so I can enjoy being in their prescence.