During the summer, the family (just the three of us), traveled to Japan. It was our first time taking the flight overseas together and it was quite an experience. On our first day, we landed in Tokyo at Haneda Airport. After the long hour flight, it was already evening in Tokyo. We noticed that sundown was earlier than where we live. We were exhausted and decided to rest up, have some food, and then explore the next morning.

Here are a list of places in Tokyo that we recommend checking out:

ODAIBA (お台場)

Odaiba is a man-made island located in Tokyo Bay and has now become a large entertainment hotspot and shopping district. It is also a nice sightseeing spot and there is an amusement center. Odaiba can be accessed via the Rainbow Bridge or the Rinkai Line.


Odaiba Statue of Liberty (自由の女神像)

This small-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty provides a small taste of New York City along with the views of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay.


Palette Town

You won't miss the Palette Town ferris wheel. At night it is lit up in different colors and displays a beautiful night view. It is the world's largest 115 meter tall ferris wheel and features and amazing view of Tokyo Bay and Odaiba area.

Venus Fort (ヴィーナスフォート)

Venus Fort is part of Palette Town. It's a large 3-floor indoor shopping mall that offer shopping and dining as well as various entertainment and attractions. The interior is decorated in the style of the 18th century South European town.

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (ダイバーシティ東京 プラザ)

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is a large shopping mall designed with the theme of creating a "theatrical city space." It has a variety of authethic Japanese restaurants and shops as well as foreign shops. This fun and exciting destination is geared towards tourists and provides shopping services with special discounts for foreign visitors.

Gundam Unicorn Statue (実物大ユニコーンガンダム立像)

Just outside DiverCity Tokyo Plaza stands a life-sized Gundam statue that stands 20 meters tall. The brand new Gundam Statue, which is the Gundam Unicorn, was unveiled on September 24, 2017 after the original statue was retired the year before.  I was told it also transforms during the evening between 7pm and 9pm with glowing lights.

Mega Web Toyota City Showcase (メガウェブ トヨタ シティ ショウケース)

At the Mega Web, you can experience interactive showroom featuring a Toyota cars where you can see, test drive, and learn more about the latest toyota models. Great thing about it is that it's all FREE (no admission fee). There is also a museum exhibit at the Toyota Megaweb History Garage on older Toyota cars that date back in the 1960's.

Flame of Freedom Statue (自由の炎像)

The Flame of Freedom was donated to Japan from France to commemorate the French Year in Japan from 1998-1999.

Imagine Dragons, the GRAMMY®-winning band behind recent hits “Natural” and “Whatever It Takes,” wrote and recorded the end-credit song “Zero” for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” The song, which will be featured on the upcoming Walt Disney Records soundtrack album, is available today from KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records. Listen HERE. It was just featured as Zane Lowe’s World Record on Apple Music’s Beats 1. The “Zero” lyric video also debuts today—check it out HERE. Directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” opens in theatres on Nov. 21, 2018.

In the movie, video-game bad guy Ralph struggles with his evolving friendship with fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz. According to Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds, the film’s emotional themes are reflected in the song “Zero.” “It's a pretty timely movie in a lot of ways in that it addresses some of the issues of identity and loneliness unique to this internet generation,” says Reynolds. “Ralph's internal struggle for self-acceptance really resonated with us, and this song speaks to that.”

Adds Moore, “It’s a bold choice for an end-credit song because it’s about someone who feels like a zero, someone who hasn’t always felt worthy, someone who’s allowed his entire sense of self to rely on a single friendship. When that friendship is threatened, there’s a lot of insecurity.”

“We can all relate to that feeling,” adds Johnston. “But the song tells us we’re not alone. They nailed the theme of the movie in a way that also makes you want to dance.”

Says Reynolds, “The song is a dichotomy in some ways, with sometimes heavy lyrics over pretty upbeat instrumentation. The result is a tone that is somewhat bittersweet, which felt appropriate given the complexity of Ralph as a character.”

“Zero” is now available from KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records:

Retail | Amazon | Apple Music | Google | iTunes | Spotify

“Zero” will be featured on the “Ralph Breaks the Internet” soundtrack, available from Walt Disney Records Nov. 16, 2018. Stay tuned for more information about the soundtrack.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

In “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” video-game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) leave the comforts of the arcade in an attempt to save her game, Sugar Rush. Their quest takes them to the vast, uncharted world of the internet where they rely on the citizens of the internet—the Netizens—to help navigate their way. Lending a virtual hand are Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), the head algorithm and the heart and soul of the trend-making site “BuzzzTube,” and Shank (voice of Gal Gadot), a tough-as-nails driver from a gritty online auto-racing game called Slaughter Race, a place Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces—so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he’s ever had. Directed by Rich Moore (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) and Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia,” writer, “Cedar Rapids”), and produced by Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt,” “Lilo & Stitch”), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” hits theatres on Nov. 21, 2018.

ABOUT IMAGINE DRAGONS:

Formed in 2009 and featuring lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman, Imagine Dragons earned a grassroots-following by independently releasing a series of EPs. After Alex Da Kid signed them to his KIDinaKORNER/ Interscope label, the band made its major-label debut with the release of Continued Silence, a 2012 EP featuring the 2x platinum breakthrough single ”It's Time.” Night Visions arrived later that year and Imagine Dragons found themselves on a skyward trajectory that saw the album debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and became the No. 1 album on Spotify Worldwide for 2013. Night Visions has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. The album's second single, the 10x-platinum ”Radioactive,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rock chart and earned the band a 2014 GRAMMY for best rock performance. The third single, ”Demons,” hit No. 1 on Alternative and Top 40 radio, and has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. Imagine Dragons' platinum-selling second album, Smoke + Mirrors, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has sold 1.1 million copies worldwide. The band's third studio album, Evolve, was released June 2017 and went double platinum within a year of its release. The first single “Believer” topped the alternative radio chart for 12 weeks and the follow-up, “Thunder,” hit No.1 at alternative and top 40 radio.

All throughout September you can earn large bonuses when sign up as my referral on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching the web, watching videos, shopping, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, or PayPal cash.

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a 500 SB bonus! Here's how:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Earn 500 SB total before October 1st, 2018. You'll get a 500 SB bonus for it! 

3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned over 5000 Swagbucks and redeemed for Amazon gift cards.

The digital rewards site Swagbucks is offering big payouts during on their September Swago Board, which runs from September 10th through September 17th at 9am PT! Swago is just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online. If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster. Here are a few tips:

• Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores!
   
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
   
• You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, September 17th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
   
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
  
• Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin & Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you'll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!

The Spin & Win Wheel will be available all throughout Swago and you have until 11:59pm PT on Monday, September 17th to use all your spins.

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points - if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus, which is enough for a $5 gift card from the retailer of your choice. 

Click here right now and click "Join" to get started! If you don't already have a Swagbucks account, you'll be able to quickly sign up; PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of October, you'll get a bonus 300 SB!