Universal Studios Japan
Went to Universal Studios Japan over the weekend. It was awesome. Not the same as Universal Studios stateside, but still pretty dadgum cool. Got my amusement park fix. We took the overnight ferry from Toyo Port (near Imabari City) to Osaka, caught another ferry - the SLOWEST shuttle ferry I have every ridden on in my life - and then did the same in reverse. Left on Friday night, got there Saturday morning - rocked out for a whole day, left Saturday night, and arrived home on Sunday morning. Killer weekend. Highlights included caramel corn, the ridiculous E.T. Ride, watching Ben and Will for about 10 minutes after the final plummet on Jurassic Park, and an amazing dinner at Hard Rock Cafe Osaka. Mmmm. (My standards have fallen, I’m afraid. I used to hate Hard Rock. Overpriced, under-portioned, and thin on taste. But sometimes I’d kill for crappy western fare here. So yeah - big smiles all around.) Aileen and I agree that the coolest ride was the roller coaster, which we rode twice - first and last rides of the day, to bookmark our experience. I think it was actually my first time traveling with Japanese people in my party, come to think of it - and that was a hilarious experience in and of itself. Personality and planning clashes occurred at regular intervals, but it was all in jest at the end of the day. Good times. Thanks again, guys. Now I gotta get myself squared away for November and December trips. Why is this year so busy?