“Make your passion your profession then work will become play.”
Rancho, from the movie 3 Idiots, struck me with this powerful line. I couldn’t agree more. Being a Creative Writer in the field of Advertising has been my dream and I was blessed to be a part of a company which not only opened countless of opportunities for me, it also reassured me I was in the right industry. In spite of the late nights and stress, as Rancho put it, work felt like play.
How can it not be when the company brings you to Tokyo, Japan?
Aspac-Dentsu Aegis Network, you are awesome! Thank you for this.
Here’s an overview of the 4 solid days of fun, food, and booze we had last September 2015.
DAY 0: MNL – NRT
All our bags are packed and ready to go!
You just know it’s going to be an awesome trip when the fun starts even before leaving. So first things first: beer before going on the plane!
When it was finally time to board, everyone got excited.
But a certain someone was extra excited.
Rolly.
Because it was his first overseas trip! 🙂
We took a redeye flight and had a layover in Hong Kong.
At around 7 in the morning, we finally touched down Tokyo!
DAY 1: Dentsu Tokyo
A whole day of traveling, waiting,
and not bathing (haha)
we went to our first stop in Japan.
Dentsu Tokyo, Aspac’s regional and global office, houses thousands of ad men. WOW.
After the day’s session, we went on to explore the city of Tokyo.
Here’s a glimpse of how our first day was.
DAY 1: Akihabara
Widely known as the electric town or for some, the anime paradise, Akihabara welcomed us all with everything colourful and quirky.
The streets and buildings are full of character!
It was impossible not to play tourist
and take selfies everywhere!
After a long day, we finally checked in our hotel at a Disney-themed hotel.
After settling down
and FINALLY bathing (after more than a day!)
we were off to our first day of Disney adventure!
DAY 1: Tokyo DisneySea
It didn’t matter if everyone was exhausted. We were all hyped up to be at the happiest place on earth.
Featuring water-related Disney movies and characters, DisneySea is one of the two Disney theme parks in Tokyo; DisneyLand, being the other one. This 176-acre theme park, as it turns out, is the one and ONLY DisneySea across the globe!
We entered DisneySea with a Starlight Passport, meaning we only had access to the park after 6pm. It turned out to be a great idea ’cause the rides and attractions looked amazing at night!
We went back to our hotel rooms and continued the party.
Nope, still not tired! Haha.
DAY 2: Tokyo DisneyLand
No one is too old for DisneyLand. Pretty much why we were all sooo excited.
As it turns out, they were excited to see us too! ❤
I almost cried when Piglet gave me the most heartwarming hug when I asked for a photo with him. :’)
Seeing the castle from afar
made us jump for joy!
TOO. EXCITED! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!
First on our long list of rides for the day was It’s a Small World.
I first rode It’s a Small World 20 years ago. Being there, hearing the iconic tune of the song signalled tears to well up in my eyes. It was too reminiscent of my childhood.
The long queue was worth it. 🙂
And in that few minutes, I felt like I was my 5-year-old self again. ❤
Next up:
The aftermath?
Hahaha!
And of course, when you’re in DisneyLand, you can’t not eat all the Mickey-shaped treats
and go crazy over the merchandise!
It was basically a whole day of getting on as many rides as we could and making the most out of the day we get to be kids again. 🙂
The best part?
We got to see all the characters at the parade! OMGGGGGGG.
It was simply magical.
DisneyLand really is the happiest place on earth. :’)
DAY 3: Explore Tokyo
Up and ready to see more of Tokyo!
First on the list for the day’s agenda:
Meiji Shrine
We were able to witness a wedding parade when we were there!
As tradition has it, you write down your wishes, prayers, and words of gratitude on a piece of wood and hang it up the wall.
Next stop:
Asakusa
to explore
shop
and dine
for LEGIT SUSHI.
Harajuku
One of our Tokyo finds:
And of course, what’s a Tokyo experience without riding the train?
Shibuya
At night, we made our way to Shibuya for dinner.
and drinks!
Litres of booze
+ scrumptious slices of sashimi
+ good company = awesome night out!
The night wasn’t over after we left the bar.
In fact, the fun just continued. Hence:
Hahaha.
So much love for these two! ❤
But Rolly has more love for free hugs than for me and Pao. Hahaha!
As for me,
I was simply overwhelmed to finally have a photo with the iconic Hachiko monument.
DAY 4: Eat, shop, eat.
Just like that, we were on our last day of the trip. Jo and I decided to spend the day within Shinjuku to eat, shop, and eat more.
Shinjuku
Just a few blocks away from our hotel was this art paradise:
Sekaido is a 6-storey stationary and craft store that has paint, pens, crayons, canvases, paper, wood, frames… EVERYTHING!
Imagine a buffet of art materials! 
My Sekaido purchases:
Little Prince merchandise! ❤
After going crazy at Sekaido, Jo and I just continued to walk around and met these friendly fellows.
Also, more sushi!
It rained on our last night in Tokyo.
Nonetheless, we still went out to have our last authentic Japanese dinner.
Then it was time to head to the airport.
And have more beer with my boss before boarding. Hahaha.
For most of us, it was time to fly back to Manila. As for me, I was off to Hong Kong for another solo adventure. (Look out for this post!)
It was 4 days of fun, food, and booze.
Arigatou gozaimasu Aspac-DAN for this experience! ❤ 🙂
Tokyo, Japan | September 2015
@samanthaawrites 