My Tokyo Trip of Dreams ~ Part 1

So I finally got a chance to go to Japan after a very VERY long time of waiting... and wow, it definitely did not disappoint! 

Just as expected it was the most amazing, surreal and magical place... if you're thinking of going but haven't GO! You will not regret it!

This is the view from the hotel ~ 

It was in Shinjuku and the big building directly opposite were the government buildings ~  you can go up the buildings for free and there is a even more stunning/higher view! 

In the far distance you can just about see Mount Fuji on a clear day

We stayed in the Keio Plaza in Shinjuku and booked through Expedia

There are far far cheaper options, but for a first visit this was an amazing place to stay if you want the full experience!

       

This is Shinjuku on the first night ~ the neon lights are so stunning and the place is hustling and bustling

       

One of the stores I visited the most in Tokyo  ~ Don Quiote (or Donki) 

They literally sell EVERTHING you could ever want or need at really amazing prices

I bought so much stuff in these stores....

Each store has different items so it's worth visiting different ones too

One of the first things I ate in Shinjuku (lol) 

At the time they also had Bon Bon Ribbon Happy Meal toys :D

The Mcdonalds itself was amazing ~ it was on 4 floors and check the view!

They have a lot of arcades all over Tokyo ~ this was Shinjuku 

My outfit for my very first visit to Harajuku (whoooop!!!)

Fairy Kei / Magical Girl style

Necklace, Double Ring and Leggings all 'Melty Castle' Design ~ Roxie Sweetheart

Bow Top ~ Princess Melody

Skirt ~ Milklim

Bow Bag ~ MA*RS

With Kiri at the famous Takeshita Street, Harajuku

Such cute stores with lots of vintage 80's toys

The Bodyline costume store

Sanrio Store <3

With the girls ~ Phoenix, Katie and Kiri

At the purikura booths in Harajuku

The purikura machines are ridiculously cheap at only 400 JPY a go (about £2)

They tend to have quite a few different machines with different background/decoration and pose options

You can also often choose the level you enlarge your eyes, add eye make-up, eye colours and lots more, as well as cute decoration 

The next day we visited the Alice in Wonderland Cafe, Shinjuku

We were given cute props to wear (bunny ears)

The menu is themed and super cute with a reasonably varied menu ~ each dish of course alice in wonderland themed of some kind

I chose the Cheshire Cat Spaghetti

The food was beautiful as well as very yummy!

Next was one of the the Cat Cafes in Shinjuku ~

This was my favourite cat wearing a little jacket :)

There were loads of cats (probably around 20-30)

Some were sleeping as it was in the evening ~ you can buy small tubs of chicken to give to them as treats and to get their attention!

You must remove your shoes before entering and put slippers on. Lockers are provided for your bags etc and you can also get masks if you have allergies

Mayumi taking a selfie with the cat hehe

One of my face cats there, very sniffly

My outfit for the day ~ mixed J-Fashion

Dress and Bow ~ Angelic Pretty

Choker ~ MA*RS

Purse ~ Jewelpet 

Purikura with Mayumi <3

Lots more still to come including the Studio Ghibli museum, Akihabara, Shibuya and more Harajuku ~

I have now made a mini guide for tips and tricks for your Tokyo visit!

Check it out here:

Disneyland ♥

This is long long overdue but finally I am making a blog post about my first ever trip to Disneyland ~ Euro Disney, Paris!

I'm going to post lots of photos (obvs) but also write about my experience and advice on the best way to enjoy your visit :)

The epic sleeping beauty castle ~ 

Sweet Lolita 

Dress 'Squirrel Party' ~ Bodyline

Shoes ~ Bodyline

Hairbow ~ Tiny Circus Crafts

Necklace ~ Roxie Sweetheart

Alpaca Backpack ~ Tofu Cute

All photos taken with the Samsung NX Mini Pink ~ an awesome camera which I highly recommend.

One of the best features ~ a screen that rotates so you can take selfies in high definition :D 

Picture perfect ~ the entrance to the Disneyland park

We pre-booked out tickets via the Disneyland Paris website ~ when we got there we queued for about 10 minutes to collect our official tickets for entry

It was Halloween themed! :D

The park looked incredible with all the Halloween themed decorations ~ there was a Halloween parade though we missed some of it. I would recommend finding out the times of all the parades and character appearances before hand ~

Marie Cat ♥

One of my fave characters!

I noticed there weren't really any characters just walking around the park- most of them have timed/scheduled appearances you can queue to meet them 

If you have a good camera it's best to take your own photos rather than paying for the professional ones

Inside the Sleeping Beauty castle ~ 

La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant 

I was amazed by the detail inside it (expecting there not to be anything much but the exterior) 

There were beautiful glass windows and an amazing ceiling with carved trees

Inside the castle told the story of sleeping beauty with paintings, tapestries, statues and books 

Through the other side of the castle ~ the beanstalk! 

This area was made to look spooky with smoke and creepy music

One of my favourite themed areas ~ Alice's Curious Labyrinth

Shall I go this way or that way?

Cute tiny door ~ will I fit?

The hedge maze

Twinkle twinkle little bat ~

Pastel Chairs ~ so much attention to detail

These were delicious! 

Head for the cake and sweet shop on the right hand-side as you go down the main street :)

More Halloween themes and Nightmare Before Christmas (Sadly I missed Jack so this is Jill :p)

The Mad Hatter Tea Cup Ride

Beautifully decorated inside and lots of pastels (my favourite)

Each cup had a wheel in the middle where you can spin the cup faster! 

Not recommended to turn these if you get motion sickness!

There are also a lot of other areas to the park including Discovery Land where I'd recommend the Space Mountain Ride. 

The Pirates area is also pretty good with the Pirates of the Caribbean boat-ride (note though it's not based on the newer Johnny Depp version ~ a bit more oldschool but still amazing) 

Be warned if you don't like life-like puppets (there are all mechanical though)!

If you're very keen on making sure you get on the rides I would also recommend using the 'Fast Track' service ~ especially for the popular ones such as Big Thunder Mountain Road (we missed it because the queue was so long and we didn't fast-track)

All you need to do is get there a few hours early and collect a ticket- it then tells you when you need to return to join the much shorter fast track queue. 

You can't do this with all the rides though so maybe check before you go :)

The castle as the sun was setting ~

At the end of the day (about 7pm) everyone was ushered to the front of the castle area to get ready to watch the fireworks display which I believe happen every night

I recommend grabbing yourself a drink and possibly food before (you will need to queue for about 20 mins) ~ and then find somewhere to sit with a good view

Bit of a random point but if you want a beer they don't seem to advertise these on the menus but they do sell them and provide cups!!

There aren't any seats to sit on so it's concrete floor or the curb... little uncomfortable so maybe even take a blanket with you if you can carry it

Once the fireworks start you will forget where you are though- I was really impressed by the show and the display! For me it was very moving ~ a lot of nostalgia and really very stunning

Here's a video montage I took of the show (excuse the blurring for the focus)~

The second day we visited the Walt Disney Studios ~ I would mainly recommend going this part of the park for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror!

I was genuinely scared to go on this ride and it was probably the most scary thing I have been on (apparently I had a constant scream lol~)

BUT it's amazing!! GO ON IT!!!

I would also recommend going to see 'Animagique' at the Toon Studio ~ an amazing back-light theatre show with seemingly 3D magic puppet characters and songs/dances from Disney films such as 'Under the Sea' and 'Can't wait to be King' ~ you'll want to sing along!

The Disney Store ~

Of course a visit to Disneyland would not be complete without shopping!

When you are inside the park itself there are many different looking shops ~ but you will find a lot of them contain the same kind of things. If you miss getting something inside the park there is a giant store in between the park and studios entrance which sells everything :)

And finally! Here are some photos from the big parade which we just caught before heading home the second day ~ I would advise you check when this is on because it's not to be missed!

Next stop, Disneyland Tokyo!! ;)