Tokyo Part 1

Travel 

I flew into Narita airport via Shanhai Pudong on China Eastern as they had the cheapest flights. Once in Narita airport I bought an IC card and put money on it to travel on the trains and subways. It's a pay as you go fare, but fares weren't too expensive. Tokyo has a vast subway system and with a little help from Google maps I was able to get around without any problems. All of the public transport has signage and announcements in Japanese and English, so it was easy to know where you were. Some stations, however, have so many exits it can be confusing how t get out of the station to head for the direction you want to go. 

DisneySea 

 I didn't arrive pre-opening time and didn't manage to get any standby passes for performances or rides. One ride broke down whilst I was queuing for it and another broke down before I found where it was. I only made it on one ride; Sinbad's voyager storybook, which was very good. There were ques for everything, from snacks to ride ques over 2hrs long. It was a nice day out but I'm honestly not sure I would go again. Unlike Disneyland, DisneySea has a volcano, which I think I expected more from.

Activities 

 I used Klook to pre-book what I wanted to do well ahead of time. Lots of things were fully booked due to it being peak season. I did a sweet making and matcha tea workshop near Kanda (there is nothing else to do in Kanda), which was a nice experience. I visited Ueno Park and a couple of shrines within it, which was nice despite the rain. Tokyo National Museum is actually a complex of museums. I only made it round the Japanese gallery and the gardens because there was so much to see, so I missed a lot too. I was able to buy my ticket when I got there, rather than having to pre-book. Really interesting visit, as well as layered stamps and Eki stamps. 

My highlight was Teamlab Borderless, aka the digital art museum. This is an immersive digital artwork with hidden rooms and no route. I thought I was done and then discovered a whole new corridor with more to explore. The photos don't do it justice, you really need to go and see it for yourself. In one room I coloured in a turtle template, which was then scanned and appeared as part of the sea scape room, with hundreds of other creations, drawn by other people. At the end you could even get your design printed onto a badge, towel or bag. There is also Teamlab Planets, but I didn't book for this as I didn't have enough time to do both, but I hear that is also pretty amazing. 

 I also booked for the 3 main towers; Tokyo tower, Skytree and the very popular (thanks TikTok) Shibuya Sky. Tokyo Tower was the first I visited and I was here over sunset, so I had day and night views. The orange and white tower stands out in the surrounding area and I really enjoyed my visit here. It has a cute cafe that sells drinks and ice creams. Skytree was rammed, granted I visited on a Sunday afternoon, but the que for the lift back down from the top level was a good 20mins on its own. Great views over the great expanse of Tokyo that seems to go on to the horizon and beyond. Good shopping available there too. Although, personally I think I preferred Tokyo tower. Lastly I visited Shibuya Sky, which books up super fast when the bookings open 2 weeks ahead. The only slot I could get was midday and as it came recommended, I booked it. It has an open rooftop with great views and lots of places for a great photo. It was busy, but not as bad as Skytree and they had free lockers as you aren't allowed to take anything other than your phone/camera out with you.

Tokyo Tower

Skytree

There are also lots of temples and shrines in Tokyo, I found that almost everywhere I went I would see the distinctive red Torii gate of a shrine or temple and enjoyed visited both quieter and popular ones whilst I was walking around. Some were small and others much bigger, but they were all beautiful and well kept. As most are actively used, they don't come with a huge amount of English signage, but are lovely places to visit.

Accomodation 

I stayed in an APA hotel in Kojimachi, which was a comfortable hotel that provided breakfast. One night however, I took an overnight bag and stayed in a capsule hotel. I felt it had to be done. Towels, pyjamas and toothbrush/paste were provided and the capsule was actually quite spacious, including a light and a USB charging point. The male and female facilities were on different floors, serviced by different lifts, although the lounge on the top floor was open to everyone and had a lovely view of Tokyo Tower.

A Capsule at the 9hrs Capsule hotel

Budapest, Hungary

I decided to take up an Easyjet package for a city break to Budapest for the Christmas markets. It was only a 2hr flight from London. It is a lovely city with lots to see and do. I got a 72hr travelcard from the transport stand at the airport so I could get around easily. I was only there for 2 days, so this is a short post. I stayed at the Grand Jules Boat Hotel. This is a boat docked on the river Danube by Margaret Bridge. It is easily accessed from the bus (no.9), the tram (no. 4 and 6) and the City sightseeing bus (stop 18). The room was super hot and rather small, but came with a mini-fridge and some great views from the decks. I visited the Széchenyi Thermal Baths nearby Hero's Square. I pre-booked, which got me a wrist band that allowed entry and provided me with a locker. There are lots of different indoor and outdoor pools at a variety of different temperatures. I enjoyed my visit, especially as the water was warm and the air temperature was cold. You need to take a towel and 'slippers', or you can buy these there. If you want to go into the swimming pools then you need to wear a swimming hat. The Christmas markets were lovely, with lots of food and crafts to buy. I am a big fan of Chimney cake, so that certainly featured in my trip. I enjoyed the night time views from the Budapest Ferris wheel and the light show projected onto the front of the Basilica. Fashion street was also beautifully lit up and connected two of the markets with a short walk. I decided to take a city sightseeing bus to take me around the sights as I hadn't done much preparation. It took me past the Dohany Street Synagagoue, which is the largest in Europe, past lots of pretty buildings and included a boat ride on the Danube. I walked over chain bridge which is the oldest Bridge in Budapest to get from the bottom of Castle Hill to the dock for the hour long boat ride, which also gave great views of the impressive architecture, including the Parliament Buildings. I was planning on taking the funicular up to the top of Castle Hill, but the que was long and stationery, so instead I walked up, which wasn't as bad as I expected. There is a Church at the top that you can visit and a collection of places to eat. I chose to visit the Hospital in the Rock Museum. This consisted of a 1hr guided tour of the caves that were used as a hospital and nuclear bunker towards the end of WW2 (1944-45) and during the failed uprising in 1956. It was built as a small emergency facility, but was heavily used during the two periods it was open. As nuclear weapons have developed it would not be able to function as a nuclear bunker in the present day, so is now solely a museum.