Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu, Chiba. There are two parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Both theme parks are situated near Tokyo Bay and are surrounded by official Disney Resort Hotels: Sunroute Plaza Tokyo, Tokyo Bay Maihama, Hilton Tokyo Bay, Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay, and the Sheraton Grand Tokyo Bay Hotel.
There is also a Tokyo Disneyland Hotel which is just steps away from the entrance gates to
Tokyo Disneyland. We hope to stay there one day!
The Disneyland Hotel
The Disney Ambassador Hotel is also connected to the park and Hotel Mira Costa is actually found within the Tokyo Disney Sea park. The last three hotels are actual Disney hotels.
On our first trip to the Tokyo Disney Resort Area we booked a room at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. Again, I tried to select a hotel with a familiar name. The website said that it was and "Official Disney Resort Hotel." I didn't realize that we would have to take another train to the hotel once we got to the resort area. We exited Maihama station and then walked to the Resort Gateway Station. There, we jumped on the train and rode to Bayside Station which is located near the Hilton Tokyo Bay.
You'll immediately know that you're in the right place when the train pulls up!
It's all Disney in the train!
Check out the cute Duffy Bear handles inside!
Riding the train around the resort area! Try and get the seat in the very front!
Boarding the train!
We loved staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. It was nice having a place to return to in the afternoon after being at Disneyland all morning. The hotel also offers several eating places and a convenience store that sells delicious bento, musubi and soba bowls. That seemed to be the busiest place after the park closed at 10pm!
They did offer a "Happy Magic Room," for the kids, but there are no Disney characters in the room since it's not a Disney hotel.
There were 3 full beds for a family of 4 in the Happy Magic Room.
The best part of the hotel was the guest rooms. They were huge compared to rooms we had in Tokyo.
After our stay at the Hilton, we easily caught the limousine bus to Haneda Airport. It's always important to know the transportation options at your last hotel. You have to get back to the airport!
Although we travel to Japan on our own, we hire a private tour guide for one day during our trip. Since we don't speak the Japanese language fluently, we find that having a tour guide is quite helpful in explaining the history and culture of Japan. We save all of our questions for the day with our guide!
My husband found the Backstreet Guides on Tripadvisor as he was actually trying to find a cooking class in Tokyo for our girls. We went to their website and contacted them for a private half-day tour! Each time we e-mailed the Backstreet Guides, they replied immediately. They are a very efficient and organized tour company.
Their website offers a list of set tours on their website. You also have the option of providing them with a list of attractions and work with their team in creating your own half day or full day tour. On our first tour, our English speaking guide met us in the lobby of our hotel. She led us on the train and we visited a private Japanese garden where we were fortunate to experience a traditional tea ceremony. Visiting the tea ceremony was part of our request.
It was helpful having our tour guide as she was able to give us the historical background and significance of the tea ceremony.
Our tour guide also demonstrated how we were to hold our cups and turn them in our hands.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony was definitely a memorable experience.
The private gardens also featured a large koi pond. These gardens are closed to the public and is mainly used for weddings in Tokyo.
We were lucky to witness a Japanese crane flying over the koi pond.
Beautiful bonsai trees lined the walkway.
Most of these trees were older than me!
The sign on this tree read 520 years old!
The beauty of these Bonsai trees takes your breath away.
We highly recommend using the Backstreet Guides in providing your own private tour!
Akihabara proves to be a dream come true for techies. There are hundreds of shops full of the latest electronics throughout this district in Central Tokyo. As you walk the streets of Akihabara, you almost feel like you're in an actual video game.
As you shop in these stores, make sure you have your passport with you. Most stores, including Yodobashi offer tax-free shopping, but you must show your foreign passport. When buying items that you plug in, such as a hair dryer, make sure that you check the voltage as it may be made only to be used in Japan.
On Sundays, the main street in Akihabara is closed. If you visit Akihabara on the weekends, be prepared for crowds of people! Sometimes, it's even hard to walk!
Akihabara is an exciting place for people of all ages!
We walked through Akihabara to find Taito Station. This is a favorite spot for my girls!
The first floor of Taito Station is filled with these games.
Our last stop on the Yamanote Line is Akihabara, an exciting district famous for electronics. Exiting the train station, we were met with construction sites all around us. After wandering through long, narrow hallways, we found our way out and asked for directions to the enormous electronics store that we had visited on our previous trip to Tokyo. A helpful worker pointed us in the right direction and soon we were standing in front of Yodobashi Electronics Store!
Yodobashi is not just a store, it's more like a complex with 9 floors of technology paradise!
You could spend an entire day at Yodobashi!
The 9th floor features a golf store, driving range and batting cages.
I wish someone told us that before we spent half the day on the first 8 floors!
What surprised me the most was that it wasn't just a store full of electronics, but it was almost like they threw in Wal-Mart and Target in this one building too! There was an entire section devoted to cosmetics. I also saw baby supplies, lunch bags, scrapbooking materials and toys!
On the first and second floor of Yodobashi you'll find every cell phone, computer and tablet in the world. We've visited the store twice and still want to go back! There's so much to see there!
Now you see why Yodobashi is a definite stop when visiting Akihabara!
There were 3 full beds for a family of 4 in the Happy Magic Room. 
