DiverCity Tokyo Plaza

After walking through Toyota Mega Web you can also browse through the shops found in Palette Town.  Another option would be to exit the building and walk to Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.

Be prepared for more than just a stroll to DiverCity.  After visiting the area for the past 4 years, I still think that they need a shuttle for tourists, especially those that are used to driving everywhere!  You'll immediately know that you've reached your destination when a life-sized Gundam statue appears!

This life-sized RX-78-2 statue was taken down in March of 2017 during a ceremony.

The Unicorn Gundam Statue now stands in front of DiverCity.

You'll also find a gift shop and Gundam Cafe behind the statue.

DiverCity is a 7-floor complex that includes American stores, fashion brands and Japanese souvenir shops.  The seventh floor also features a huge entertainment facility.  Families can enjoy bowling, karaoke and arcade games. 

When visiting Odaiba, DiverCity serves as our lunch spot.  The food court offers a wide selection in Japanese and Western foods.  Our girls also enjoy Cafe de Miki, another character cafe that creates special treats for Hello Kitty fans!

Super cute pancake dishes!

Desserts here are so kawaii!

 We ordered the tea set for our girls to enjoy as they cuddled up with giant Hello Kitty stuffed animals that are provided by the cafe.

Would you be able to eat this cute little Pompompurin?

After filling up at Cafe De Miki, the experience continues at the Hello Kitty Japan store which features everything Hello Kitty!

In addition to all of the Hello Kitty gifts, there is also a sweet shop connected to the store.

These little Hello Kitty custard buns are cute and delicious!

You can also purchase these scrumptious treats in different character shapes!

Some are chocolate filled too!

This year the sweet shop added Hello Kitty donuts and 

different flavored Hello Kitty shaped mochi ice cream!

Aren't they too cute to eat?

You can also cool down with some ice cream drinks!

 After enjoying all the Hello Kitty Treats, enjoy walking through the spacious and very clean mall full of hours of shopping for the entire family!

Toyota City Showcase

After the kids are done at the Ride Studio, there is much to see at the Toyota City Showcase.  All the latest and future Toyota products are on display as you can sit in the newest cars, trucks and SUVs.  

 The showcase is located on two floors of the Mega Web.

 

We were able to enjoy the motion simulator attraction at the Mega Theater.  At this visit we experienced the "5 Continent Drive" as Toyota tests their vehicles on every terrain imaginable.

If you enjoy race car driving, there are several simulations to enjoy!

Race cars are also on display

At our recent visit, Toyota unveiled a robotic friend that provides companionship for humans.

There is much to see at the Toyota City Showcase!

http://www.megaweb.gr.jp/about/english.html

Toyota Mega Web

As the train enters the Odaiba area, most of the people on board will exit at Daiba.  Stay on board until you arrive at Aomi Station.  You'll have a short walk to the entrance of Toyota Mega Web!

Toyota Mega Web serves as a car theme park.  Located in Odaiba's Palette Town, the Mega Web features 3 separate areas where visitors can "look, ride and feel" Toyota.  As the doors to this theme park opens at 11:00am, you'll find our family racing towards the Ride Studio so that our girls are able to get to the front of the line to drive their own cars.

Walk through the showroom and go up to the second floor where you'll see the door leading you outside under the giant Ferris Wheel.  The Ride Studio is found straight ahead.

There are 2 separate sections found in the Ride Studio depending on your child's age.  First, there is a 230m long course for children ages 6 to 18.  “Petit Ride One” is for preschool-aged children (ages 3 to 5).  As you enter the building there will be an information desk to the right.  All child drivers must take part in driving school before driving any car on the course.

A vending machine is used to pay for the driving school class as well as driving on the course.  After taking the class with an instructor, each turn on the course is 200 yen.  Drivers must be wearing shoes.  At our last visit, we forgot that rule and had to purchase socks for 100 yen from the machine.  After receiving our socks, workers loaned us shoes for my daughter to wear as she drove the cars.

The Ride School driving instructors are extremely patient!

As you can see, the cars don't go very fast.  They're perfect for kids!

After my daughter passed her lesson she got her picture taken and received her very own license!  Each time she drove around the course, a sticker was added to the back of her license.  This is what the waiting area looks like if you enter the Ride Studio on a week day at 11:00am!  No one is here!

Now it's time to get on the track!  An adult must ride with your child.

The adult must also be wearing covered shoes.

The workers will choose what car each child will drive on the track.

They go around twice during each turn.

Toyota Mega Web Ride Studio is definitely a favorite activity for kids!

The Road To Odaiba

After visiting the Tokyo Disneyland area, we were excited to discover Odaiba.  Found on a man made island in Tokyo Bay, Odaiba is full of entertainment attractions for the entire family.  There are several hotels, shopping malls and museums that are found in Odaiba.  We've visited Odaiba four times and still haven't seen all that this island has to offer.  In addition to several landmark buildings, just getting to Odaiba is part of this popular Tokyo destination.

If you're traveling by train, there is one route from Shimbashi Station.  As you walk through Shimbashi Station, look for the Yurikamome signs overhead.

You'll see the two hump symbol next to the Yurikamome signs.

The signs will lead you outside to a separate building where you'll find the Yurikamome train.

After entering the building, you'll take an escalator up to the train platform.  There are two trains that go out towards Odaiba.  The children prefer to sit or stand in the first car so they can get a front seat for the ride out to the island.

As you approach Rainbow Bridge, the train will make a loop before going under the Bridge to Odaiba.

As you approach the man made island, review the map of Odaiba as there are different stops at several landmarks.  Since Odaiba offers a wide range of entertainment options, planning out your visit beforehand would be ideal as many of the buildings are spread out.  There is no shuttle between sites so the kids can get pretty tired walking.

Now that you've made your way to Odaiba, let the fun begin!

Tokyo Disney Sea

 Train pulling up to Bayside Station

Map of Train rail found within the Disney park area.

Let's have fun at Tokyo DisneySea!  Catch the train at Bayside Station and your next stop will be Tokyo DisneySea, a Disney Park that can only be found in Japan.  This unique theme park was inspired by myths and legends of the sea.  Seven themed ports are found within Tokyo DisneySea: Mediterranean Harbor, Mysterious Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront.  The park features rides never experienced before at any Disney park in America as well as a variety of restaurants.

Exit Tokyo Disney Sea Station to find the park entrance.

As you enter the gates, a giant rotating globe greets you.

Ticket prices to enter the park are the same as Tokyo Disneyland.

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/

We've visited Tokyo DisneySea twice during June and we experienced rainy weather during both visits.  During our first trip, we bought a night pass and entered the park at 6:00pm.  One benefit of rainy weather is that there are fewer people navigating through the park which makes for shorter lines and cooler days!

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta is located inside the park!

There is a huge volcano near the center of DisneySea.

Walking through the park area

There are some rides at Tokyo DisneySea that we never encountered before at Disneyland in California or at Disney World.  We did find that the DisneySea Park is very spread out and requires much more walking than Disneyland.  At our recent visit, there were also new rides opened as the park seems to be adding more each year.

Mermaid Lagoon features 6 rides for smaller children.

Scuttle's Scooters was a favorite!

The girls loved riding Aquatopia.  It was even more fun in the rain!

After walking through Tokyo DisneySea you'll soon notice everyone around you with a cute teddy bear.  Duffy Bear was created as Mickey's favorite teddy bear and can only be found at Tokyo DisneySea.  We spent our first day at Tokyo Disneyland walking through every store until finding out that Duffy Bear merchandise is sold exclusively at Tokyo DisneySea.  As we watched the Duffy stuffed animals, backpacks, charms, etc. pass us by in the foot traffic, we found ourselves also bringing home the popular Duffy Bear as a special souvenir to mark this visit to Tokyo DisneySea!

The female version of Duffy Bear is Shellie May.  

Other characters, Gelatoni and Stella Lou can also be found in stores throughout Tokyo DisneySea.

At night, we were able to watch the magnificent Fantasmic! at Mediterranean Harbor.  It was a wonderful show as the Harbor allows for many people to share the best views of the Disney Magic.

Visit Tokyo Disney Sea for another memorable Disney Adventure!