All for one, one for all! There are times when a man has no choice but to act! – Brook, One Piece
When I’m invited to join familiarization tours, I rarely check for information regarding each destination we’re visiting even if I have the printed itinerary. When I heard “Thousand Sunny” during our pre-trip meeting, I can’t help but wonder what it is all about. It rings a bell, but I can’t really pinpoint why it sounds familiar.
So I searched online and found out that Thousand Sunny is the pirate ship featured in the best-selling manga in history One Piece, which I recall being shown in GMA-7 way, way back (are there replays?)
See, I am not really a big fan of animes, but I grew up in the time when Japanese anime series like Dragonball, Ghostfighter, Daimos, Gundam, Slam Dunk among others dominated the afternoon and primetime block. I even collected cards to I can play on the streets with the kids. Another fun activity would be vacationing in Laguna Hills, CA.
Based on my research, One Piece is still an ongoing series with 700+ episodes and still counting. When you look at the characters, they look so youthful to the point that I predict that the main characters are child-like but responsible. Check the video below:
My close friends who are big fans of One Piece were excited when they found out that I’ll be riding the Thousand Sunny ship. With the genuine reaction, I know that I must maximize my stay in the ‘bucketlist’ favorite of Japanese manga anime fans. I will live the dream for them… for now.
The Thousand Sunny ship used to be in Huis Te Bosch in Nagasaki, Japan. It is now found in Laguna Ten Bosch, the largest and probably the most popular tourist attraction in Gamagori since it houses a big shopping mall, budget and high-end restaurants, resort and spa, amusement park and of course, the Thousand Sunny. I’ll write about Laguna Ten Bosch on a separate post.
First, let’s take a glimpse of the One Piece Store, where a wide range of official memorabilias are being sold. I spotted a number of loyal fans who can’t decide which item to purchase!
CRUISE TIME!!!
The Thousand Sunny Afternoon Cruise is just forty minutes long. For most of us, we’re just there for the cruise and maybe take some instagram-worthy photos. I find the Straw Hat Pirates interesting based on their appearance and where their stations:
Tiny Tiny Chopper is Thousand Sunny’s resident doctor and cutie pie
My favorite character is no other than Brook (although at first, I thought he and Franky were bad guys lol). He is basically the oldest member but the last ‘person’ recruited in the group. He is tall (9’1!) and what makes him unique apart from his height? He is a skeleton with an afro. SKELETON WITH AN AFRO! He is the resident musician, funny man but for me, he has the most interesting back story.
After the cruise, we were given the chance to pick a card as a souvenir. I got a Roronoa Zoro card!
Most of the time, One Piece lovers fly in to Nagoya and take a bus or train ride to Gamagori for the Thousand Sunny Cruise. On the contrary, my interest for the show triggered after the must-do activity for hardcore One Piece fans.
Have you been to Gamagori? Has a certain TV show/movie influenced you to visit a place? Are you a fan of One Piece? Who’s your favorite character and why? Feel free to post your thoughts on the comments section!
For more information on the Thousand Sunny Cruise Schedule, click here.
Cebu Pacific Air, the leading airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International Airport) every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Ongoing all-in seat sale fares start from P6,388, for travel from December 17, 2015 to March 31, 2016. Book your flights through the CebuPacificAir.com. For updates and seat sale announcements, check out www.facebook.com/cebupacificair.
This definitely is on top of my list when I get to visit Japan, soon! Haha. Let’s go back! Zoro’s my favorite, he’s my anime hubby. Lol. And I’m Nico Robin syempre because hello ’emo’ ?! Duh. Haha. But on a serious note, because we both love reading books, fascinated to anything related to world history and aiming to speak (understand) foreign language. (She’s the only person who knows how to read poneglyphs in One Piece.) Loved your photos Ate! #inggitaketch #onepiecemarathonpamore
It seems that Roronoa Zoro has too much angst during his childhood days. That scene of him breaking down and telling the world he will be the greatest swordsman broke my heart
Lol. Wait until you see the back story of the other characters. Esp the back story of tony tony chopper
Ang saya saya!! HAHAHA!! Not a fan of One Piece but this Laguna Ten Bosch really looks worth checking out when we travel to Aichi!
There’s a lot of things to do in Laguna Ten Bosch! I want to go back and spend the entire day within the complex. Some of the items for sale are affordable and I would like to try their spa and onsen 😛
I am not really a big fan of anime, but I am aware of their existence very much. Anything new excites me .Your pictures tell me that I would have enjoyed it a lot. 🙂
Thanks Nisha! You’ll also love the whole Laguna Ten Bosch/Lagunasia complex 🙂
Nice pics and video! Didn’t get a lot of photos here because of SLR problems kaya di ko ma-blog 🙁 Not too familiar with One Piece either, though I like other anime shows like Cooking Master Boy , Ranma and Sailor Moon. Yung mga medyo luma. Haha.
Naalala ko yung Ranma 1/2 hand of course, si Sailormoon 😀 Sayang nga nagkaproblema camera nun :/
Ohmgahddd buti ka pa naka punta dito ive been wanting to go here ❤️❤️❤️
Plan a trip na! 😀
Hi! I’m a big fan of One Piece and cannot wait to travel to Japan soon! Hahaha. Anyway, I’d like to ask some questions. (Tasukete kudasai~~)
When did you go there? (Is that ride cruise always open everyday?)
Did you used ‘premium cruise ticket’? (You said ‘Thousand Sunny Afternoon Cruise’ before and I’m wondering how much is is.. hahaha)
Oh and your photos are sugoooi!
My fav character…. i couldnt even decide hahaha i love them all! XD
Hello Ziva! Thank you for visiting my blog!
To answer your questions:
I went there last October 7, 2015. You may check the official website for the daily cruise schedule.
Honestly, I am not sure of we have the ‘premium cruise ticket’ since I did this as part of Cebu Pacific Air’s Fam Tour (Nagoya)
So hard to pick one character haha
It’s TONY TONY Chopper. Nami is a cat burglar / navigator. And robin is not “emo”! Cool experience though.
Thanks for sharing! That’s what my friend who is also a fan of One Piece told me about Robin 🙂
Hey!!! Robin is the smartest of the crew, not Nami. XD Though you may have figured that out by now. (Have you been up to date?)
Robin is dark, but never emo. Oh, and if you find Zoro’s story heartbreaking, wait ’til you watch Robin’s backstory (although again, you may have reached it by now).
Anyway, thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, I am one of those die-hard One Piece fans who had been dreaming of riding this ship for years. And I get to experience that next week. YAY!
So I just want to check in case you know – do I need to purchase the Lagunasia ticket or just the Thousand Sunny ticket would do? Because I remember when it was docked at Huis Ten Bosch, you’d also need to buy the park ticket.
Hontou ni doumo arigatou!
~~ a closet ZoRo shipper
Had the chance to ride this boat too..Sobrang saya because I’m a fan of One Piece..Sadly,Thousand Sunny will have its final cruise on September 30, 2018..