Tanesashi Coast & Gonohe Music Fest

In the last weekend of September, my friend Patrick and I took a fun day trip to a couple towns in the southeastern area of Aomori Prefecture. Starting from Aomori City, we put our bikes on a train and took the nearly two-hour ride to Hachinohe City (八戸市). Once off the train, we jumped on our bikes and headed out towards our first destination, the Tanesashi Coast (種差海岸, Tanesashi kaigan). We were very lucky to have excellent weather once again.

My friend Patrick (right) and I (left) at Hachinohe Station

Riding through the city had a much different feeling than I'm used to experiencing. Whereas other areas I've seen have been characterized by commercial business, local fishing operations, vast rice patties, or uninhabited places of beauty, Hachinohe City is a stout industrial city comprised of large steel, chemical, and fishing industries and a big international shipping port. But as we approached the eastern coast the atmosphere transformed and the natural landscape exposed itself to us. One of our brief stops was at Kabushima Shrine, a quaint little Shinto shrine located up a tiny hill on the coast. 

Kabushima Shinto Shrine in Hachinohe

We then proceeded to the Tanesashi Coast, about 20 kilometers from the city center. The coast is vast with great variation in its terrain, including sections of rough coastline with large jagged boulders, an immense sandy beachfront, and expansive grassy areas. My friend and I spent most of our time in the more rugged stretches of coast. We watched the powerful ocean waves crash down and rapidly sweep up the sandy shore, then gently recede back into the ocean before the next big wave came--the heartbeat of the ocean, perhaps. There was something very relaxing about it and honestly I wish I could have spent all day there.

Chilling on the coast; perfect weather

We also stopped at a massively-wide sandy beach a little further down the coastline. We played around a bit, attempting a epic frisbee throw in the process. Unfortunately we couldn't quite complete the challenge successfully since we only had time for one attempt (but we did get close). We took in the impressive views a bit more and snapped a few photos, then decided that we better get on our way. It's worth nothing that expansive grassy areas of the coast exist just a little farther south that we couldn't explore that day. We simply didn't have time to see everything, but based on pictures I've seen it also looks stunning (you can see some images on Trip Advisor here). Next chance I have, I'll definitely be checking out that area in more detail. But on this day we wanted to get going to our next destination, a music festival in Gonohe (五戸), about 30 kilometers away.

Massive sandy beach on the Tanesashi Coast

The Gonohe International Music Festival (五戸国際ミュージックフェスティバル) took place at Kowatari-Koen Park (小渡平公園) from late morning until dusk. The whole event was created, planned, and organized by two classy JET participants, Dave Herlich and Michael Warren. According to the event website, it was created as "a celebration of the music, the food, and the people of the world."

Gonohe International Music Festival stage

The event featured a variety of performers and artists, including the following: Axé Capoeira, The Hatsukoi Four, Kyle & The College Try, Zodiac Nova Pop-Machine and Contemporary System, Michael Warren's Honest People Band, Satomi Okazaki + Kazuma Sotozono. There were also two traditional music/dance performances in both Japanese and West-African flavors. Notably, both organizers participated; Dave Herlich in Axé Capoeira, and Michael Warren in his self-titled band (above). Members from Kyle & The College Try are also well-involved with the JET community (although are not specifically JET participants themselves).

Kyle and the College Try performing on stage

Gonohe International Music Festival Flyer

In addition to the music and performances, there was also food and drink vendors present. People were also playing frisbee and kicking soccer balls around throughout the day too. Otherwise it was a good chance to see old friends and make new ones. The festival wasn't massive in scale, but I don't think it had to be. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the event and everything went smoothly as planned. Hats off to Dave, Michael, and everyone involved in making the music festival possible.

Just as the festival was wrapping up and the sun was going down, Patrick and I left the park. We had to bike about 20 kilometers to get back to Hachinohe, where we could board a train returning to Aomori City. It had to be one of the fastest paces we've ever biked, as a combination of factors seemed to really push us to ride fast. We were tired from the long day, it was getting dark and cold very quickly, and we were in a fairly rural area with narrow roads. Our timing was so good, that we actually managed to catch an much earlier train than we had expected. A couple hours later we made it back to the city. 

It was a great day. The weather was fabulous, and I got to see a lot of new and interesting places. Tanesashi Coast was incredible, and the Gonohe International Music Festival was fun. It was a nice way to finish off the month, and take on another nice bike trip before the weather makes doing so impossible.

Tokyo: Fun at Disney Sea & Disneyland

I've been to Tokyo many times, but a couple weeks ago I finally got the chance to enjoy Disney Sea for the first time. The charming theme park sits right next to Tokyo Disneyland; both of which are conveniently located just 15 minutes away from Tokyo Station via public transit (JR Keiyo Line). Whereas Tokyo Disneyland features a storybook-fantasy aesthetic perfect for young children, Tokyo Sea is aimed more at adults with a nautical, worldly theme. Prior to this recent trip, I had also been to Tokyo Disneyland. So even though I'm going to focus on my new experience at Disney Sea in this post, I will also briefly touch on my past experience at Disneyland as well.

Tokyo Disney Sea (東京ディズニーシー)

I went with my friend, Nozomi, during "Disney's Halloween" special

My visit to Disney Sea was really great and a lot of fun! I went together with my good friend, Nozomi, during the park's annual Halloween event season. "Disney's Halloween" features festive decorations throughout the park, unique food and gift items, and special Halloween-themed shows. I was impressed how the park incorporated this theme throughout while keeping it fun but classy. I think the balance between the original themes and Halloween decorations was good and I never felt like it was overdone. Indeed, I have a lot of positive things to say about the fabulous park. Tokyo Disney Sea is nicely decorated, feels spacious, and is a truly pleasant place to spend a whole day exploring. Whether people come with significant others, friends, or family, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Nozomi and I visited the park on a breezy, blue sky day. The main entrance of the park opens up to Mediterranean Harbor. It's a picturesque area, themed as an Italian port city, that has various shops, restaurants, and a couple attractions. It's a nice place to relax and catch some of the special shows presented there. Disney Sea Hotel MiraCosta is located here as well, which is a particularly neat addition as it blends seamlessly into the park and even has guest rooms that are facing the inside of harbor (just be prepared to spend a lot of money to reserve one of these amazing rooms).

Mediterranean Harbor at Tokyo Disney Sea

Mediterranean Harbor is just one of seven main areas, or "ports of call" in the park. From here, visitors can walk around either side of the harbor to reach the different areas, each featuring a distinctive theme. Walking to the left in a southwest direction will lead to the American Waterfront (20th century eastern seaboard) and Port Discovery ("marina of the future"). Walking to the right in a northwest direction will lead to the Mysterious Island (mythological volcano fortress), Mermaid Lagoon (based on The Little Mermaid), and the Arabian Coast (based on Aladdin). The last area, Lost River Delta (Aztec ruins and jungle), is located in the back of the park and can be reached a few different ways.

Modified Disney Sea park map | © Disney All rights reserved

One of the first things Nozomi and I did was get "fast passes" for the Tower of Terror  ride. These passes allow visitors to effectively reserve a time slot for certain rides, return later, and skip the regular long lines to board quickly. Obviously, this is highly recommend since popular rides can have regular wait times of 1-2 hours (see my tips below for details). In the next couple hours we casually walked over to the Mysterious Island and then went on the ride, Journey to the Center of the Earth, a light roller coaster ride built inside of the volcano located there. We continued walking around for a while, taking some snapshots and eating some yummy Halloween-inspired, pumpkin-flavored churros. 

Our next stop was at Mermaid Lagoon. This is mostly a large indoor area with rides and play areas designed for young kids; but for adults it's still worth checking out as the underwater feel of the place is really neat. There's also an amazing Little Mermaid show we watched at the theater there and is recommended. By mid-afternoon, we returned to Mediterranean Harbor to watch the big, colorful daytime show called "The Legend of Mythica". Afterwards, we went the Lost River Delta and ate at a restaurant for a real meal. We took our time, and then hopped over to get a fast pass for the park's looper roller coaster, Raging Spirits. We continued on to the Arabian Coast and explored the area for little while; I though it was neat that it looked straight out of scenes from the movie [Aladdin].

Left to Right: Mermaid Lagoon, Legend of Mytica Show, Arabian Coast 

Finally, our time slot for the Tower of Terror was approaching. We had time to make a quick stop at Toy Story Mania, and then walked a few minutes over to the ride. With the fast passes, we were able to skip the regular 90-minute line and get on the ride within 15 minutes. Personally, I think this is the best ride in Disney Sea because it's the most all-around fun. The building's decor is detailed and the ambience is cool; but the best aspect is that the free-falling elevator ride is really suspenseful since you don't know when it's going to drop.

View of Tower of Terror from across Mediterranean Harbor

Our timing was really perfect that night. After the fun ride we had just enough time to find an excellent viewing spot for the big nighttime Disney show, Fantasmic! The theme features Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, who, "creates a magical world through the power of imagination". It's a must-see show. It's packed with lively entertainment and cool visual effects including lasers, fire, etc. Then, just as it ended, we had enough time to walk over to the Lost River Delta to ride Raging Spirits. Again, we could skip through the long lines using the fast passes we obtained earlier. This is probably the park's best roller coaster, and I loved that it had a fun loop. That being said, keep in mind that all roller coasters in Disney Parks are very mild. There's really no comparison to other parks' coasters I've ridden. Nevertheless, you don't come to Disney Sea or Disneyland specifically for the coasters, you come for the whole experience.

Disney night show, Fantasmic!

Another photo from Fantasmic!

Indeed, my experience was really fantastic! Nozomi and I enjoyed the whole day there and were able to do a lot of things without having to rush at all. Visiting the park, you may feel like you need to go on every ride and see every show, but it's much nicer to take your time and enjoy the overall experience. Perhaps the best aspect is not even the attractions and entertainment in the park, but the people you can enjoy it with. 

By the time we finished riding the roller coaster, Disney Sea was getting ready to close so we made our way to the front of the park to the exits. We captured a few more pictures and quickly browsed a gift shop before walking out through the gates. We were tired, but happy that we could have such a nice time at the theme park. 

For more information, please see the official website: Tokyo Disney Sea (English) / 東京ディズニーシー (日本語) .

Daniel's Tips:

• Fast Pass: instructions in English / 日本語; fast passes are free and allow you to skip the regular long lines for select popular attractions. Each fast pass admits one guest only--and can only be obtained about once every 2-3 hours from my experience. My advice: go early and get fast passes as early as possible!
• You are allowed to board most rides with a small backpack, purse, etc. I could ride the roller coasters with my small backpack, for example. So this shouldn't be a concern but obviously use your own discretion.
• Be sure to check out some of the shows, not only rides.
• Camera tripods are not allowed. My bag was inspected and passed security with a mini tripod inside, but inside the park, staff asked me to put it away. If you are sneaky, you can probably get away with using it--but the better solution may be to not bring it and instead just ask the staff to take pictures for you when necessary.
• Bring sunscreen; the stuff sold at the shops wasn't good quality yet still expensive.

Getting there:

From Tokyo Station, take the JR Keiyo Line (towards Sogo) to Maihama Station. Get off and walk to the Disney Resort Line (monorail). Take this to the Disney Sea entrance.

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Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)

In February of 2009, I visited Japan for the first time. Looking back now, I realize that I was really fortunate to have good people around me at the time, because they introduced me to their country and really helped me enjoy my trip. I went to some of the most popular cities, including Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and of course Tokyo. There in Tokyo, I was able to spend a day at Tokyo Disneyland during their 25th Anniversary.

Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983, almost 20 years before Disney Sea. Interestingly it was the first Disney park built outside the U.S., yet is not actually owned by the Walt Disney Company (instead the theme is licensed to another company). The theme park was built just like it's American predecessors--Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom (Disney World) in Florida--and honestly feels pretty much the same. I had been to Disney World a long time ago when I was about 10 years old, and walking around in Tokyo's version seems nearly identical in my opinion.

It's fun just like Disney Sea, but as I previously mentioned, it's definitely aimed much more at children. There's much more of a fantasy motif throughout the park. There are many more cute-looking designs and decor present. And Disney characters are much easier to see and interact with here.

The park has seven distinctly-themed areas, and are nearly identical to the same areas found in the American Disney Resort Parks. They include the World Bazaar (20th century America),Adventureland (New Orleans/jungle themes), Westernland (old American west), Critter Country (forest theme), Fantasyland (home to Cinderella's Castle), Toontown (cartoonish-styled area), and Tomorrowland (futurist theme).

Comparing both Tokyo Disney Parks, I could appreciate Disney Sea a little more from an overall perspective. For young people or adults, I definitely recommend Disney Sea if you have to choose one park to visit. If you are with your family or young children, it's more of a toss up. But ultimately, both parks can be a lot of fun!

For more information, please see the official website: Tokyo Disneyland (English) / 東京ディズニーシー (日本語).