Travel Diary: Tokyo || Episode 2: You’ve Got a Friend in Me

I grew up watching Disney shows and being able to visit all Disney Theme Parks was my long-time wishlist. Up until now, I’ve only visited two out of twelve in this world. The first was Hongkong Disneyland and the recent one I visited was Tokyo DisneySea, which I’m going to feature in this post.

I visited the Tokyo DisneySea on my second day in Japan. Since I’m going to Universal Studios in Osaka too, I’ll have to choose between DisneySea and Disneyland. My friends who have been to both of them recommended me to visit DisneySea. So, I went there and had a blast experience even though the weather was not helping. I bought the tickets from the Traveloka apps, so we can directly go inside the park. As soon as we exited the JR Line Disney Resort Station, the kid inside me made me jump like Goofy.

I visited DisneySea in September when they are ready for Halloween. Many of the visitors wear Disney Characters’ costumes for the season. It was fascinating to see many Disney fanatics there. They were pretty all out. I bumped into Princess Aurora and Ariel on the train to the DisneySea entrance.

Before we get to the DisneySea entrance, we had our brunch to fill in the energy before we conquer the park. We decided to eat at the Disney Resort Cafeteria. I ate Omurice and it cost pretty expensive. It cost around 853 JPY. But, it tasted pretty good for a cafeteria menu.

To get into DisneySea or Disneyland, we had to take the train from the Disney Resort entrance. The train was full of Mickey Mouse and even when the train started to be seen nearby the station, I’m already excited.

After a 10-minute train ride, we finally arrived at the entrance of DisneySea. At the DisneySea main entrance known as DisneySea Plaza, there was a globe water fountain. You might think it’s like Universal Studio’s trademark, but it’s different. We took some pictures there and then we finally entered the magical place. Too bad we arrived pretty late, so we didn’t get any fast pass tickets.

After acquiring DisneySea’s map, we went left to the American Waterfront area. I wanted to take the fast pass for Toy Story Mania, but we came too late so we didn’t get one. 

So, we went to the House of Terror and waited for around 1,5 hours in the rain. I didn’t know what to expect from that attraction, but it was a very thrilling and exciting one. One of my cousins is acrophobic, so she didn’t join the rest of us at the House of Terror (but she queued the line with us though). 

After the 10 minutes ride, we went to the Turtle Talk attraction. Since it was raining, so we find an indoor ride that all of us can join. The Turtle Talk is surely for families with kids because it was so boring and the commentary was in Japanese, so I didn’t really understand what is it all about. But since the queue wasn’t that long and we can sit down inside and it was air-conditioned, so we enjoyed the break time ride.

Then we headed north and moved to Port Discovery. There, we ride the Aquatopia (see it here). It’s basically a whirling boat ride. There were fewer people because it was raining and Aquatopia is an outdoor ride. We were all wearing raincoats anyway, so we don’t really care about getting wet.

After that ride, we went straight to Lost River Delta. The Port Discovery doesn’t really have much attraction, so we went to the other area. Lost River Delta's main attraction is the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. But, we didn’t try that ride and we ride the DisneySea Transit Streamer Line instead. It took around 20 minutes from Lost River Delta to Mediterranean Harbor. On our way, we passed by the Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island. While riding the streamer line we planned to ride the Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster and Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage, but it’s only a plan in the end. 

As soon as we get off the boat, it started to rain again, and we were pretty tired. So, we just took photos and see the volcano show from afar. It was around 6PM and then we sat down by the cafe nearby for a while.

After that, I went back to the American Waterfront with one of my cousins to buy the Little Green Men Mochi Ice Cream. Then we took lots of photos at Toyville. They lit up the lights and it feels more magical than the daytime.

Japan is known for its’ seriousness in culinary. And DisneySea is not an exception. They take the in-house snacks game seriously. I didn’t get to try all of their famous snacks, but I got to try the infamous Little Green Men Mochi Ice Cream and I love it very much! It was one of the reasons why I went to Tokyo DisneySea.

DisneySea Tokyo is really beautiful at night. It was one of the most magical night scenes I have ever seen in my life. Well, it will be better if you come there with your partner. The scene will make you feel like you are the main character of the Disney movies. Disney has really made me live in dreamland for a whole day. I really wish I could go back there again and stay in this magical place longer.

The only downside of my DisneySea trip was the weather was gloomy and it rains frequently. Brought my own raincoat was a smart move. The raincoat inside the park was pretty expensive. Well, I can't really show off my Minnie t-shirt, but that's okay. It was not the best outfit anyways. Also, too bad that we only can enjoy indoor attractions. I really wanted to play every ride, but the line was too long and we were not that capable to ride all of it. But, it’s the reason to come back again. Let’s pray that I got a job so I could travel back to DisneySea again before I get too old to enjoy all of the rides. For sure, we really need lots of energy to go to the theme parks. Also, friends that have the same adrenaline rush as you.

After the magical journey at DisneySea, we went back to Shinjuku. While on our transit at Tokyo Station, we discovered a random Gyutan restaurant there. We had our dinner at Date-No-Gyutan Honpo. It was one of the best meals I had in Tokyo. I really love the hotpot rice (see more in my video here). It was a superb dinner. Sometimes, things that are unplanned are better.

My second day in Tokyo was very magical because it really felt like I was taken to another world. I was a big fan of Disney and it might sound like a bias, but it was really magical. The Tokyo DisneySea was beyond my expectation and I was grateful to visit there before the pandemic strikes. Since I stayed at home most of the time lately, I got to reminisce about the old days a lot and am grateful for every moment. I hope you feel the same and since the pandemic situation is getting better, let’s hope that we can go back to travel the world again. Thank you for reading and see you on the next episode.

Further Readings & Source:

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disneysea-best-theme-park/

https://www.wannabeeverywhere.com/japan/tokyo-disneyland-disneysea/

https://sometimeshome.com/ultimate-first-time-guide-tokyo-disneysea/#Riding_the_Tokyo_Disney_Resort_Monorail

https://inspiredbymaps.com/disney-sea-tokyo/

https://www.mousehacking.com/blog/ranking-every-disney-park

https://wdwnt.com/2019/09/review-teriyaki-chicken-bun-for-disney-halloween-at-tokyo-disneyseas-seaside-snacks/

JCP FEATURES: MAGIC LAMP

“Like so many things, it is not what's on the outside, but inside that counts”

- Merchant, Aladdin

“Wait. I want to post this on my insta-story.”

“I saw this on Instagram and let’s go here too.”

“This was viral on TikTok, let’s make it too.”

Those sentences are some clips of our daily life nowadays. Especially after the soaring high use of Instagram and TikTok. Many are “busy” making content for their profile. Due to the popularity of social media, anyone can be a full-time “content creator”. Compared to 10 years ago, life as a blogger was not much appreciated because it doesn’t seem to be a profitable job and it couldn’t be described as a job. But here we are now, where childhood dream job is no longer to be an astronaut, or a teacher, but to be a YouTuber or an influencer. Well basically, all job is equally good, but we need to aware that what we see is not the whole thing about that job, especially content creator.

Well, actually the content creator is not a new job description since the magazine we used to read, TV programs we watch, or even the flyers you received are created by a content creator. It’s just the form of content that is new and we don’t have the specific job description for it yet. We can call a magazine article creator a magazine editor. For TV shows, we can call the creator as the producer or advertiser for flyers makers. We started to call people who create content on the internet as a blogger around 8 years ago and people who posted a video on YouTube are called YouTuber. All these job naming is just a name for a person who creates content for other people to read, hear, or watch with a more holistic perspective. The distinctive difference between the new content creator and the previous one is the working hours and independence. As for editors, producers, etc they are dependent on a company or brand and have specific working hours. While the new type of content creator is usually self-employed, more on freestyle, and has no specific working hours.

Many think that being a content creator is just the happiest and easiest job on earth. All it takes is to make your content viral and voila! You can get instant popularity. But, there is no way in this world that success can happen in the snap of your hand. All needs hard work and few times of trial and error. (Well, sometimes lucks played some part in someone’s career, but not everyone got the same luck) I was once helped my friend’s brother in running his studio and content creation business. Our client at that time is e-commerce for outdoor activities. So, we went to the mountain to create content. I enjoyed outdoor activities and moreover, this is my first-time experience hiking plus spend the night at the mountain, so I’m very excited about this content making. But, on the way up, I realized this content creation is not easy as what I usually see on social media. To make a 15-second video I had to hike up for more than 3 hours, not taking any bath, get wet due to rain, and most of all I can’t go to the toilet as there was none. In sum, there is no such easy thing in this world, you’ve to work for it.

Besides work hard, time also plays a part in your success. Who would know that YouTubers that started their channel 12 years ago would gain the spotlight like they received now? If you look at it carefully, many of them have started their career 10 years ago and just got the time to shine. More about time and timing, you can read it here. I’ve made a post about it on my previous JCP Features, so you can check it out there.

Actually, being a content creator is not just making any content. They have to carefully think about what they should make because there are thousands, even millions type of people that will look at their content and make a judgment of it. Their reputation is at stake. As you know, there were many issues with public figures or content creators regarding hateful comments. Many of them got hurt badly and many of them chose to end their precious life.

A few months ago, there are many content creators out there that reminds their followers that what they share is just a surface of their life and just like you and me they are not perfect. Like an iceberg, what we see on the internet is just the tip of their life. They choose the best part of their life or what they do and share it on the internet. Everyone has their own problem and mistakes, so they don’t need to add more of them. Mostly, the aim to create content is to give entertainment, hope, or information. As a semi-content creator, I also just wanted to share the good things here, since life is not easy for everyone. Personally, my aim is to encourage others and share the good stuff with all. We are all the same human beings and we are given the same abilities. It’s just you need to take action to make it happened. I watched one of the TEDx Talks videos titled “Stop Looking for Your Passion”. She said that it’s okay that you don’t have passion but do something. She encouraged us to work and take some action whatever it is.

Everyone already has their own problems and crazy life, so why sharing the negativity or discouraging content? We always see other’s grass is greener, but we don’t know how the others make that grass green. So, comparing your life with others is not really a bad thing to do, but you must know that great things don't happen instantly. Everyone has their own pace and there is an endless way how people achieved what they aim for.

2021 is on the way to the end of the first half, yet I’m still doing my 2020 monthly project (surely my time management didn’t get any improvement). It might have heard like an excuse, but being a part-time content creator is damn hard! See, being a content creator need persistence and consistency, which not everyone can have. In the last month of 2020, I learned how to live a content life. Not about being online all the time and sharing content, but how to fully enjoy life. Obviously, 2020 is not the best year ever, but there is always joy in everything. I started to post my daily activities during the Advent weeks in 2018. At first, I wanted to show how great it was spending Christmas in a winter country, but then I got to reflect that there is always a grateful thing every day, especially during the year-end. Then I continued the ritual up until now.

As I enter my 20s, I started to reflect back on my life more. I started to read self-improvement books or contents (like TEDx), or I started to analyze the main idea of the movie or drama that I watched (should I become a movie columnist?). Basically, I started to pay more attention to little details around my surroundings and fill in my mind and heart with positivity. After I got some insights, I have the urge to share them. Both offline and online. I started simple, by sharing it with my friends. Sometimes I shared it on my blog, but mainly on my Instagram, where I can reach more people I know personally but cannot be reached offline.

Just like what ‘The Aladdin’ movie (the older version) portrayed, he once didn’t want to buy the lamp because of its appearance. But the merchant said, “like so many things, it is not what's on the outside, but inside that counts”. And that lamp turns out to be a magic lamp! So, appearance is not everything, but what’s inside that counts.

This is my last post for JCP Features. I’ll prepare more thorough content in the future and share positivity with all of you. In the second half of my 20s, I’ve decided to restructure my life and I will take that as a chance to share more good stuff. It took me a long time to brainstorm and deliberate for this post. Even though I know that there aren’t many people who read my blog, but I had to finish what I started. Anyways, thank you to everyone who read this post and I’m signing out for now.

XOXO,

Further reading:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQaBpe7Fxuz/

(currently the most relatable account on my timeline)

TEDx Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MBaFL7sCb8

https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1137037/things-about-aladdin-you-notice-as-an-adult/

JCP FEATURES: SWATCHES

“ The beauty of this world is placed in the vivid yet complex colors of nature ”

This September, I got the chance to learn something new. As some of you might know, I worked for a shoe company since July and it produces shoes for a certain brand, which I have to deal with the brand’s standard colors. There is a specific job description for this job and we call it FMCA (Footwear Material Color Approval). The main job is to check the material color against the standard. Sounds simple but, it wasn’t. Everyone has a different ability to see color and color can look different in different lightings.

According to Merriam-Webster, color is “a phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects”. I recall my physics class where we are talking about how colors formed. Not a good student of physics, but this topic is the most memorable one. I remembered that I had an experiment using a flashlight and mirror, there we can see a rainbow. You know the colors in a rainbow, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet are the basic colors. From those colors, we could have a thousand possibilities of other colors, like pastel tone, earth-tone color, etc. Since I was a kid, I always like seeing Pantone swatches for wall paintings or swatches of nail polish in the salon. This time, I got to have an access to textiles swatches, we called it scotdic. Finally, I found something I like about my job (but it's also quite annoying).

Ever heard about RGB or CYMK? Primary color and secondary color? RGB is the most basic color usually used widely in the design world, which is Red, Green, and Blue (if you watched ‘Start Up’, you probably know about it since Nam Dosan is obsessed with RGB colors). CYMK is the colors you can see in your printer inks, such as Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black. Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. The secondary color is orange, green, and purple. After the secondary color, you will have a tertiary color. All of these colors can be seen in the color wheels. I believe you have seen a color wheel before, right? Yeah, the one you can find in photo editing applications. Many are quite familiar with color wheels nowadays and it is very interesting to play with the colors.

RGB (taken from drama "Start-Up"
Credits: Google Images

Actually, color creation is a very interesting topic. Color creation means mixing the basic colors into secondary colors or other colors. For example, if you mix red, yellow, blue, and green with the correct ratio, you will get a violet color. Even to get a black color, you have to mix the right amount of color to have a pure black color. Now, if you look around your closet, you might find your black clothes might have some different hues. Some of them might be a greenish-black, or reddish black, or bluish-black. A greenish-black means the ratio of green color is more than the rest of the color. It’s hard to notice it, but it’s fun.

Speaking of colors, I’m always amazed by how people create names for every color such as the green army, cream, khaki, olive, coral, pink, etc. My favorite color is a baby pink. How about you? But lately, I started to favor dark olive, army green kind of palette. Especially for clothes, I think I have like 5 clothes in those colors in my closet. I think I look good in that tone. I think last year taking a personal color test was quite trending. Every person has a different color tone and you can find out yours by taking a test. There are some websites that provide free tests. I took one from here. I got a deep winter – autumn color palette. For more info about it, you can read it here. You can check out yours and share it with me. I really wanted to try out the test from a professional personal color advisor like Lee Hyeri (Girl’s Day member/Korean actress) ever done before. You can check out her experience here.

Me dressing in shades of dark olives.

Colors are important and beautiful. But, lately, we hear a lot about skin color discrimination. I don’t know why people make a big deal about color difference. We are special in our own way, including what skin color we have. I’m really sad about the fact that people are discriminating against others because their skin color is different from theirs. The skin color discrimination issue has raised since a century ago and it’s getting worse. I mean, come on, we are more civilized and educated. By this time, we should clearly learn and understood that everyone is the same despite their skin color, race, and gender. On my Twitter timeline, there are lots of tweets about this particle issue in the USA. Remember when the #BLACKLIVESMATTERS hashtag was trending all over the media last year? I think it's time to speak out our voices about this issue. No more tolerating discrimination, especially when it comes to taking someone's life. Varieties of skin color make the world more beautiful. Look at the Disney princesses. Disney creates princesses from all kind of culture with different skin tones. Imagine if there is no color to our skin? All of us might look terrible and scary. This kind of issue should have been resolved. I really wish everyone know that skin tone is not defining who you are, your character and attitude do.

Disney Princess from different cultures and skin color, but still beautiful.
Credit: Google Images

Talking about it, the movie ‘Pocahontas’ and its’ theme song, ‘Colors of the Wind’ came across to my mind. ‘Pocahontas’ movie was released in 1995, which is 26 years ago. Even though two decades have passed by, the old same issue is still hanging around in our lives. Despite the underlying storyline about the tribe versus the settlers, this movie delivers an important message. We tend to forget that God gave us beautiful earth so we can live comfortably. We tend to take things for granted. Burning down the forest to get more land to expand, dumping the waste not to the proper place, wasting energy and water, and many more things that resulted in destroying the beautiful mother earth. There is a reason why God provides us the place to stay first before He creates humans. But this sinful human being is not being grateful and like to exploit things. They often forget and overlook their surroundings.

Scene from 'Pocahontas', Disney (1995)
Credit: Google Images

I looked up the lyrics of ‘Colors of the Wind’ after hearing the song few days ago. While looking at the lyrics, I also searched for the messages behind the song and came across this post. As I get older, I tend to focus on the lyrics of the song I listened to.

“For whether we are white or copper skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains 

We need to paint with all the colors of the wind ”

The song clearly and brutally honest about the color differences. No matter what skin color we have, we are the same and no human power can overcome the power of mother nature. So why bother to fight it, while all you need to do is enjoy the beauty of it. The wind is invisible, but clearly, without the wind, there would be no color in our life. But no matter how smart and powerful humans can be, we surely cannot paint with the wind. It is beyond of our ability. Only God can because He is the Creator. (Well, actually I haven’t really watched ‘Pocahontas’ (poor me, I know), but I really enjoyed the soundtrack, which made me want to watch the full movie again.)

Credit: as tagged (via Google Images)

After months of playing with color, I came to think what if there are no colors in this world? I couldn’t imagine if I’m a color blind too. It’s so good and fun to play with colors and couldn’t see it or differentiate it would be terribly sad. Can you imagine, what if God didn't create color for this world? For me, the beauty of this world is placed in the vivid yet complex colors of the nature. I like the orange, yellow, and green leaves when it’s autumn. Also, how calming it is to shades of blue sea when you need to clear your mind. Imagine if those natures don’t have any colors to it. It would be a suck life, I guess.

As the pandemic got worsen every day, I became to appreciate every photo in my phone gallery for the memories captured. The time I got to see the beach, waterfalls, skyscrapers, and even I’m grateful for the blue sky or pretty cotton candy evening sky around the neighborhood. Not to forget the delicious food we eat every day is way much more delicious when it has pretty colors. Couldn’t get enough chance to travel this year and experiences to be in nature, but still appreciate every little thing in this world. Sharing some of my archives that has pretty colors #nofilterneeded

Somewhere in Bali, 2019

Colors = Baloons

Natural Shades of a Mountain
Mt. Gede, 2018

The Best Point of Seoul

Merry Go Round Lights

At the most colorful place on earth, Universal Studios Japan

Thank you, God, for creating colors and I’m grateful that my eyes are totally good for capturing the beauty of colors.

Actually, I was quite hesitant to write about this topic but turns out it was pretty okay. I got to learn much more stuff rather than the things I learn from work. I know it’s been all over the place and I missed my timeline again, but I tried my best and will keep on posting the rest of the JCP Features ASAP. Have a colorful day and stay safe everyone!

xoxo,

Jennifer

Further Readings:

https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/biggest-color-trends-2021-48109389