Tokyo Dome City

Hail to you, champion.

That rubber banana was my birthday present.

Today we briefly pulled into Tokyo Dome City, in part to celebrate Julian's 26th birthday. Twenty six! And he still has a face like a baby.
 As far as theme parks go, Tokyo Dome City isn't particularly huge or glamorous, and neither is it trying to be. It's kind of a side-attraction, relative to the more important Tokyo Dome itself, which hosts many of the large scale events within Tokyo, such as baseball games featuring the home team, the Tokyo Giants. But for what it is, it's a cheery place and fulfills its role quite well.

Actually, what had really drawn Ken and I to the place from the beginning was the haunted house attraction. These flash-illuminated pictures don't really do much justice to the meticulous set-up of the place, but I enjoyed the anticipation the place built up as to what would pop out next. Notice the difference from the props you would find in a western haunted house! Gone are the mummies and Frankenstein and in come the creepy dolls and ghosts with long, hanging hair. Though brief, the visit was quite enjoyable. It'd be fun to work as staff here.

Of course, Tokyo Dome City has its other rides and attractions. A roller-coaster that doesn't look half-bad at all, Ferris wheel, arcade, parlor games and a couple of water-based ones as well. And it's all nice considering you don't have to pay to get in the park. One ride or game will bring you down 600¥, with a 5-ticket package going for 2500¥. Without the entry fee, you don't feel obliged to spend your whole day here, and that's nice.