EPCOT Has Japan And China

Today is Bruce's birthday.  He is 63 years "young" and is celebrating at Walt Disney World....it is our final day here.  So...Happy Birthday, Bruce!! 

I'm running out of time here in the Happiest Place on Earth, so I'm lumping some World Showcase pavilions together for one post.  We'll be leaving WDW on the 29th and getting back to the real life of fulltime RVing.  The vacation will be over.

Let's Look At Japan:

Japan is beautiful and serene.  There is a lot of vegetation surrounding this pavilion and I've read that they are all varieties of native Japanese plants and trees.   There are some semi-hidden paths for exploring some of these native plants.  There is a lot of natural beauty here.

The building in the left photo is a 2-story building with 2 restaurants on the top floor and a huge retail shop at ground level.  It is one of the largest shops in all of the World Showcase.  The photo on the right shows the same building (right side of photo) and a walkway through a large courtyard which will take you to another shop entrance or to the Bijutsu-kan Gallery.  The gallery shows off some beautiful Japanese artifacts.

The 5-story blue-roofed pagoda is the centerpiece and landmark for this pavilion.  The roof detailing here is amazing.

We are not eating at the full-service restaurants here this time.  Last June we ate at the Teppan Edo and it was very good.  The teppan chefs prepare your meals at your table.  Guests sit around 3 sides of the cooking stove to be entertained.  The other restaurant is called Tokyo Dining.  We have never eaten there.

Downstairs in the large shop you can buy anything relating to Japanese culture.  They have a huge selection of chopsticks and a large toy department and home goods department, besides many other things.

Up by the quick service cafe is a beautiful garden with a koi pond.  It is hardly ever busy and we enjoy eating there.

Now Let's Take A Quick Trip To China:

In contrast to Japan's pavilion with the quiet color scheme of blue and white, China is a kaleidoscope of bright, vivid colors.  The main entry to the pavilion shows those beautiful colors.

There is also a beautiful 1/2 sized replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.  If you walk into this "temple" you will find a waiting area for the circlevision 360 film.  This is a fantastic film showing many of the wonders of China.  We always see this film when we visit.  There were a pair of beautiful Chinese women standing on the temple steps to welcome the visitors.

Both small and large details are seen in the architecture here in China.  I can only imagine how beautiful the "real China" must be.  There is a large pond in front of the temple and this time there was a large dragon in the middle of it.

There is a very large gift shop here, much like in Japan.  There is also an exhibit representing the Tomb Warriors that have been discovered in China.  They had several replicas of the terra-cotta warriors and some information about the excavation still ongoing.   I thought about buying this hat, but decided against it.

Quick trips to 2 countries, but I hope you enjoyed the tour.  Until next time....so long for now!