Better Late Than Never - A Tokyo Disney (And Japan) February 2019 Report (Updated 18th April - Arashiyama & The Temples!)
- Thread starter grayquaza
- Start date
You're in luck since I have plenty to share!
And so we begin! The layout of It's A Small World in Tokyo is apparently the same as the one in Magic Kingdom.
During its refurbishment, it was updated to be more like the Disneyland and HKDL versions by adding various Disney characters throughout the ride. I know it's a little controversial, or it was when they were added to Disneyland's. I don't think it's as controversial now! Either way, I think it's a cute idea and they're implemented pretty seamlessly into the attraction.
There are 40 characters throughout from classics like Cinderella and Pinocchio, all the way up to modern hits like Frozen and Moana. I definitely didn't get a picture of them all, however!
It turned out to be the perfect way to kickstart the parks off. It's recognisable and familiar, yet more than different enough to remind me that I wasn't in the US parks. Something I didn't expect is that all of the dolls in the finale room sing in Japanese instead of English. It makes sense, we are in Japan after all, but it was still a delightful surprise.
As I left the ride, I popped around the corner to see if Pooh had opened yet. It had, and was already a 70 minute wait. Yikes! I was happy to skip it. I had four days in Tokyo Disney, after all. There would be plenty of time to ride it. Plus, I'd heard that the queue dies down to practically a walk-on in the last hour of the park being open because the locals have to worry about getting the train back home. Instead, I figured now would be a great time to see what the rest of Fantasyland had to offer.
My first stop was Pinocchio's Daring Journey, which was opposite Pooh's Hunny Hunt and had a 5 minute wait. It's exactly the same as the one in Disneyland (barring the Japanese dialogue), which I find a bit too frantic. There's no time to really absorb what's happening, and 2 minutes later, you're off. Not much else to say about that!
It was a good thing I did It's A Small World when I did! The queue was out the door now. I made a bee-line over to the Mad Tea Party which was a 5 minute wait. Opposite the tea cups, you'll find the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, which I don't believe was open just yet because it doesn't serve breakfast.
I love the tea cups in Magic Kingdom, my mum and I will share a cup and go hog-wild spinning it until everything's a blur. However, these were more like the tea cups in Disneyland where they have a rudder that stops you from spinning too fast. Booooooo!! I still had fun though. How can't you, spinning about in a tea cup? And after the tea cups, I went on another spinning attraction, the carousel. It's one of those attractions that always has a low wait time (I think I jumped straight on), and quickly ups that elusive "attractions ridden" count.
Did you know that the Haunted Mansion is in Fantasyland in Tokyo? It makes a strange juxtaposition being able to see it from the carousel!
My next attraction is a favourite of mine, Mickey's Philharmagic. The queue was a little different from MK's. It had all the posters in that long hallway, but the actual waiting area had these little displays showing off the films featured.
The theater looks the same. They even have the Hidden Mickey on the right in the french horn. Again, the show is pretty much the same but in Japanese. But it's my "I'm here!" attraction, the one that gives you that Disney feeling. The bit that always gets me is the Peter Pan segment, Tinkerbell appears to the excited cries of kids, that classic Big Ben bit, and the flying segueing into A Whole New World. Oh, I love it! It's such a quintessential attraction so I'm glad it made its way to Tokyo.
I backtracked at this point, wanting to stick close to Tomorrowland as my FP was due to come up soon. Without the train around the park, I didn't want to stray too far! I walked back towards Pooh's Hunny Hunt and the wait was now up to 90 minutes, so I certainly wasn't going to get a shot at it anytime soon. There wasn't much I wanted to do in Tomorrowland just yet, so instead I thought that I would check out Toontown.
Disneyhanna
DIS Veteran
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- Nov 29, 2017
- Messages
- 1,954
Following along! It's a dream of mine to take an extended trip to Japan some day, with a few days at the Tokyo parks of course! I love all of the photos, thank goodness you got a new camera lens! Your room looks huge, and accidentally spending an hour and a half at breakfast sounds like what I would do 
. Looking forward to reading more about your trip!
. Looking forward to reading more about your trip!
StayAwake
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2014
- Messages
- 409
This is bringing back such good memories of my trip to Japan/TDL/TDS! I empathize with your train station woes- when I went to Shibuya to see the crossing, I went out the wrong exit from the train station. And then I tried to go back in and go to another exit and my ticket wouldn't let me back into the station! Finally got it straightened out, but it was challenging with only 3 phrases in Japanese.
I loved the Mickey soap/handwashing station in TDS and I'm so jealous that they now sell the pump to bring home. I know what I need next time I go!
Can't wait for more!
I loved the Mickey soap/handwashing station in TDS and I'm so jealous that they now sell the pump to bring home. I know what I need next time I go!
Can't wait for more!
Following along! It's a dream of mine to take an extended trip to Japan some day, with a few days at the Tokyo parks of course! I love all of the photos, thank goodness you got a new camera lens! Your room looks huge, and accidentally spending an hour and a half at breakfast sounds like what I would do
Thank you both! Hopefully Japan reopens to tourists soon to make dreams reality!
Shibuya station is one of those big and confusing stations with various lines run by differing companies so I'm not surprised. Even the subway lines are run by two competing companies, which makes the Suica card handy since it covers payment on all train lines. I'm glad you got it sorted out in the end!
They actually changed the design of the soap dispenser after the 35th, which I think looks a little classier.
Toontown is almost a carbon copy of the one in Disneyland, down to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Unfortunately, Roger Rabbit was closed for refurbishment during my trip. But I would rather that than one of the Japan exclusive attractions!
I wanted to go and visit Mickey Mouse because I believe they alternate which outfit Mickey wears. Like in Disneyland, Mickey has a home studio and is taking a break from filming. But in TDL, the sets are from different Mickey Mouse cartoons. I don't know if it changes daily or if there are multiple rooms, but there's a chance of meeting Usual Mickey (Thru The Mirror), Sorcerer Mickey (Sorcerer's Apprentice), Steamboat Mickey (Steamboat Willie), or Conductor Mickey (Band Concert). But unluckily, the queue was almost an hour long. I wasn't prepared to wait that long, especially without knowing which version of Mickey I'd see. So alas, it didn't happen...
Instead, I popped over to Chip n Dale's Treehouse. It's just a little climb up climb down attraction, obviously designed with kids in mind, so it was a bit cramped. Nobody else came up, however, and it was nice to get a different vantage point.
And from up top, I could get a good glimpse of what was happening over with the Beauty and the Beast construction. To think it's actually complete and open to guests now!
Afterwards, I paid a quick visit to Donald's boat. Again, to climb up top and get a good look over everything.
I wanted to visit Goofy's house because there's an interactive game that uses projection mapping inside but the queue was a little long, so I visited Minnie's house instead. Of all the areas in Toontown, this was the one I recognised most since it was exactly like Minnie's House when Toontown Fair still existed at MK!
The trees in her garden are actually cherry blossom trees, so they look spectacular in the spring time. In the winter? Not so much.
If my limited Japanese (and translation tool...) is correct, this note is from Mickey to remind Minnie of a dinner date they have planned.
While I was in there, a couple of teenagers came over to ask me to take their picture, but we had a couple of crossed wires. I'm used to being asked by others to take their picture, I think people see my camera and think "hey, he can take photos!" It even happened more than once while in Japan. But these teens kept pointing at me like they wanted a picture of me! So after a bit of awkwardness where I sort of found a place to pose, one of them finally handed me their phone to take a picture of them... Then I think I took the picture before they were ready because they didn't seem too pleased afterwards! But they didn't ask me again. All in all, pretty awkward!
After vacating the house, I noticed there was a film crew doing something outside of Minnie's house. I don't know what, exactly. I thought I took a picture but it may have only been on Snapchat so not a bright move! I think it may have been a news segment or something.
By this point, it was time to head into Tomorrowland. That 2 hour Fastpass window was about to come up, and I wanted to get one for Space Mountain since, according to my park app, they were quickly running out. I did well because I managed to get the FP on the 2 hour mark! It wasn't due until the evening however. I still had a good 15 minutes to spare until my Monsters Inc FP, so I thought it would be a good time to actually check out the hub. It's massive, possibly the same length as Main Street USA in itself. The picture below is taken from where the parade route loops around the castle.
And then I took this panoramic shot from the same spot but from behind. In the middle, you can see where the Partners statue is, and World Bazaar beyond that. So much space! But it's definitely needed given how frantic it can get during parades and firework shows! Also, I suppose the glass roof over World Bazaar limits the view of such things.
Some of that space in front of Partners is actually reserved seating for the parade and fireworks. TDL and TDS each have an area with lottery ticket kiosks where you can scan your park ticket and have the chance to win a ticket for reserved seating at their shows. I didn't actually attempt it until my third day when I stumbled across the room by happenstance (I knew about it, it just never crossed my mind until then).
The area had these little statues dotted about. For some reason, I only got a picture of Tinkerbell, but there was Dumbo, Pinocchio, Goofy, etc.
By now, my FP slot was due to open. So I strolled back into Tomorrowland.
This was one of the few Japan exclusive attractions that I missed; Stitch Encounter. From what I understand, it's a lot like Turtle Talk With Crush and, given that it relies on heavy interaction with the audience, I didn't think I'd appreciate it with my very limited understanding of Japanese!
And here we are, Monsters Inc Ride And Go Seek! At the time, they still did paper Fastpasses with these cute designs on top. I think they still offer paper tickets, but they're more of a reminder of the time slot and don't have a unique design anymore, which is a shame! Makes me wish I could have kept a few somehow.
The queue for the ride is so impressive, it looks just like the lobby in the film!
So if you haven't seen or heard about the ride before, it's a bit like Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (Space Ranger Spin), but the lasers are replaced with a torch. The story, I believe, is that Monstropolis is having a city-wide game of flashlight tag and Sully had brought Boo back to join in. Also, Randall is back and trying to kidnap Boo again. You travel through Monstropolis shining your torch on Monsters Inc. helmets, which then activate various effects.
Overall it's not the most exciting ride, there isn't even a points system since you're not competing, but it is pretty cute. If you're interested, here's a video showing the ride.
Weirdly enough, the ride takes your picture but I don't remember there being anywhere to purchase or even download it? It's also one of the few rides that actually exited into a gift shop. The only others I remember are Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Tower of Terror, and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. Kinda crazy when you think about it!
I'm going to end here with one of my favourite photos from the trip because it makes me laugh. But everyone I show it to doesn't quite get it, and it always pains me a little when I have to explain the joke!
I wanted to go and visit Mickey Mouse because I believe they alternate which outfit Mickey wears. Like in Disneyland, Mickey has a home studio and is taking a break from filming. But in TDL, the sets are from different Mickey Mouse cartoons. I don't know if it changes daily or if there are multiple rooms, but there's a chance of meeting Usual Mickey (Thru The Mirror), Sorcerer Mickey (Sorcerer's Apprentice), Steamboat Mickey (Steamboat Willie), or Conductor Mickey (Band Concert). But unluckily, the queue was almost an hour long. I wasn't prepared to wait that long, especially without knowing which version of Mickey I'd see. So alas, it didn't happen...
Instead, I popped over to Chip n Dale's Treehouse. It's just a little climb up climb down attraction, obviously designed with kids in mind, so it was a bit cramped. Nobody else came up, however, and it was nice to get a different vantage point.
And from up top, I could get a good glimpse of what was happening over with the Beauty and the Beast construction. To think it's actually complete and open to guests now!
Afterwards, I paid a quick visit to Donald's boat. Again, to climb up top and get a good look over everything.
I wanted to visit Goofy's house because there's an interactive game that uses projection mapping inside but the queue was a little long, so I visited Minnie's house instead. Of all the areas in Toontown, this was the one I recognised most since it was exactly like Minnie's House when Toontown Fair still existed at MK!
The trees in her garden are actually cherry blossom trees, so they look spectacular in the spring time. In the winter? Not so much.
If my limited Japanese (and translation tool...) is correct, this note is from Mickey to remind Minnie of a dinner date they have planned.
While I was in there, a couple of teenagers came over to ask me to take their picture, but we had a couple of crossed wires. I'm used to being asked by others to take their picture, I think people see my camera and think "hey, he can take photos!" It even happened more than once while in Japan. But these teens kept pointing at me like they wanted a picture of me! So after a bit of awkwardness where I sort of found a place to pose, one of them finally handed me their phone to take a picture of them... Then I think I took the picture before they were ready because they didn't seem too pleased afterwards! But they didn't ask me again. All in all, pretty awkward!
After vacating the house, I noticed there was a film crew doing something outside of Minnie's house. I don't know what, exactly. I thought I took a picture but it may have only been on Snapchat so not a bright move! I think it may have been a news segment or something.
By this point, it was time to head into Tomorrowland. That 2 hour Fastpass window was about to come up, and I wanted to get one for Space Mountain since, according to my park app, they were quickly running out. I did well because I managed to get the FP on the 2 hour mark! It wasn't due until the evening however. I still had a good 15 minutes to spare until my Monsters Inc FP, so I thought it would be a good time to actually check out the hub. It's massive, possibly the same length as Main Street USA in itself. The picture below is taken from where the parade route loops around the castle.
And then I took this panoramic shot from the same spot but from behind. In the middle, you can see where the Partners statue is, and World Bazaar beyond that. So much space! But it's definitely needed given how frantic it can get during parades and firework shows! Also, I suppose the glass roof over World Bazaar limits the view of such things.
Some of that space in front of Partners is actually reserved seating for the parade and fireworks. TDL and TDS each have an area with lottery ticket kiosks where you can scan your park ticket and have the chance to win a ticket for reserved seating at their shows. I didn't actually attempt it until my third day when I stumbled across the room by happenstance (I knew about it, it just never crossed my mind until then).
The area had these little statues dotted about. For some reason, I only got a picture of Tinkerbell, but there was Dumbo, Pinocchio, Goofy, etc.
By now, my FP slot was due to open. So I strolled back into Tomorrowland.
This was one of the few Japan exclusive attractions that I missed; Stitch Encounter. From what I understand, it's a lot like Turtle Talk With Crush and, given that it relies on heavy interaction with the audience, I didn't think I'd appreciate it with my very limited understanding of Japanese!
And here we are, Monsters Inc Ride And Go Seek! At the time, they still did paper Fastpasses with these cute designs on top. I think they still offer paper tickets, but they're more of a reminder of the time slot and don't have a unique design anymore, which is a shame! Makes me wish I could have kept a few somehow.
The queue for the ride is so impressive, it looks just like the lobby in the film!
So if you haven't seen or heard about the ride before, it's a bit like Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (Space Ranger Spin), but the lasers are replaced with a torch. The story, I believe, is that Monstropolis is having a city-wide game of flashlight tag and Sully had brought Boo back to join in. Also, Randall is back and trying to kidnap Boo again. You travel through Monstropolis shining your torch on Monsters Inc. helmets, which then activate various effects.
Overall it's not the most exciting ride, there isn't even a points system since you're not competing, but it is pretty cute. If you're interested, here's a video showing the ride.
Weirdly enough, the ride takes your picture but I don't remember there being anywhere to purchase or even download it? It's also one of the few rides that actually exited into a gift shop. The only others I remember are Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Tower of Terror, and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. Kinda crazy when you think about it!
I'm going to end here with one of my favourite photos from the trip because it makes me laugh. But everyone I show it to doesn't quite get it, and it always pains me a little when I have to explain the joke!
Shock13
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2006
- Messages
- 580
Before I went on my trip, I read from TDR Explorer that if you just say 'keep'? where you turn in your fastpass, they hole punch it and let you keep it. I saved the ones for rides that were TDR exclusive. I think all paper FP's are scanned now so that's too bad they aren't unique to the rides.
I think I did keep a couple of FP, but under different circumstances. That's a good thing to know in the future, even if the paper passes are no longer unique. I'm a sucker for free paper-based memorabilia!
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and safe winter break. Hard to believe tomorrow's the last day of 2020!
With Monsters Inc crossed off the list, I was feeling a little peckish. I considered going to Pan Galactic Pizza Port, which serves pizza if you couldn't guess, but I think it was coming up to lunchtime at this point and there were queues everywhere. Instead, I walked back to the hub and visited Sweetheart Cafe. I don't have a proper picture, but here's a close-up from that panoramic shot.
It's a bakery that sells loads of pastries and breads, unsurprisingly. Things have changed a little recently because, you know, but back when I visited, each of the offerings were out in baskets which you could pick and choose yourself. There are paper trays and tongs provided at the entrance and you just grabbed what you wanted before lining up for the queue. Check out this video for a look inside.
You might notice one of the more popular, unique items is a melonpan (a sweet bread roll wrapped in a cookie crust, named more for how it looks but sometimes they do add a melon flavour) shaped like Mike Wazowski. But I actually came for something else, something that was being sold as part of the 35th anniversary.
It's a giant Mickey Mouse bread!
The left ear was filled with strawberry cream, the other with white chocolate, and the face a caramel cream. It was 600 yen, I believe. You could also get it in a special set with a drink and a grape jelly for 1070 yen, but I wasn't exactly sure how to order it. A CM went down the line taking drink orders but it didn't click with me until she'd passed, so I just stuck with the bread which was honestly enough. I had a bottle of water on me, which I got free with my hotel room, so I didn't particularly need another drink. I also only ate half of it because it was so big. I folded the box up and stuck the rest of it in my bag for later.
The weather had been mostly overcast with a little bit of sun every now and then which was a little annoying. Nevertheless, I went back to the hub to get a few more pictures.
It still amazes me just how big this area is. Partner's statue is so far away from the castle.
I had a look at my app to see what the ride wait times were, and Pirates of the Caribbean was only a 5 minute wait, so pretty good! Adventureland is to the left of the hub, and POTC is pretty close to the World Bazaar. It's also close to Cafe Orleans which, unlike the one in Disneyland, exclusively serves crepes. I took a look but wasn't quite interested in the offerings, and I'd also eaten half of a Mickey Mouse bread, so I skipped on over to POTC.
Pirates looks just like the building in Disneyland, but without that archway bridge entrance. In fact, it's contained within its own New Orleans Square district, yet still apart of Adventureland. Tokyo's Adventureland is a little weird like that. It also has its own Blue Bayou restaurant that overlooks the ride. The ride has those Disneyland caverns, albeit a condensed version with only one drop. The narration was all in Japanese but A Pirate's Life For Me is in English. You may be interested to know that it still has the bride auction scene that was replaced recently, and the pirates still chase the women in the pillaging scene!
You'd almost think it was the original, untouched attraction were it not for Jack Sparrow. I think his inclusion was pretty much a given.
So I said there weren't many rides that exited into a gift shop. Technically, POTC doesn't, but the exit is flanked by two gift shops on either side. One sold jewellery (I think, I never went in...), while the other was the more typical kitschy souvenir things. I actually planned on getting a few things in there but thought I'd leave it to another day and plum forgot about it... Then again, it's not like I really needed a metal pencil sharpener shaped like a boat!
The gray clouds were back... This is a tiny counter service called the Gazebo that sells something special. I didn't stop by this time around but it will come up again later. I don't want to spoil the surprise.
Once out of Pirates, I had a look around Adventureland, which I just couldn't wrap my head around. It's funny, I look at the park map and it looks pretty straightforward, but I just found myself walking in circles whenever I was there! As I said, it's a bit of a hodgepodge, theming wise. I think I walked past this section that I can only call Typhoon Lagoon-esque. It's small, has a counter service that sells ramen and two food stands. Apparently, it's called Coral Landing. There was also something called Jungle Carnival around that area that always had a long queue. You pay 500 yen to play a carnival game, you get a plush toy if you win and a pin if you lose so you don't leave with nothing. I think I would have given it a go if the line didn't exceed most attraction wait times every time I passed it!
I did manage to escape Adventureland and come into Westernland. My next FP slot was coming up so I had checked my app to see that Big Thunder Mountain still had some Fastpasses left. Once again, I managed to get the FP right on the dot! The timeslot wasn't until the final hour of park opening as well, so it was lucky that I managed to get it!
With 2 FP in hand, I walked back up through Westernland and stopped in Country Bear Jamboree.
The last time I did it was to escape the rain during a drizzly MNSSHP, and wouldn't you know it, it was the exact same circumstances! Except I wasn't dressed like Jesse McCree from Overwatch this time around... There was a small wait before the show started and we were guided into the theatre.
It was a very strange show! Again, all the narration is in Japanese but most of the songs were in English. It was also the full show, including the banter from the animal heads over the exit. If I'm honest, Country Bear Jamboree is one of those attractions my family and I tend to ignore when we go to WDW. In fact, outside of that MNSSHP visit (which was back in 2017...?), I don't remember the last time I watched it! But it was cool to see the whole thing, even if a majority of it was in a different language. I believe they still run the vacation and Christmas versions of the show over in TDL as well.
I was beginning to feel hungry again so I had a look around at what was on offer. Before my trip, I made a list of all the restaurants in the parks, what was on the menus, and the prices. I still have the document, in fact. Albeit I updated it at the start of this year under some foolish notion that I was going to be going back in the near future... Yet I had completely forgot to look at it before I left for the day so I was a little flummoxed! I don't know if I've mentioned this but I'm incredibly indecisive, especially when it comes to food, hence why I made the list in the first place. So I wouldn't waste my time trying to pick somewhere to eat. My picking up that Mickey Mouse bread was a fluke.
There was one restaurant in Westernland that I knew I wanted to visit, Camp Woodchuck Kitchen, but I couldn't seem to find it. I did, however, find the Hungry Bear Restaurant, no relation to the Disneyland restaurant. They serve curry inside, which I generally like. But they changed the menu a few weeks before I arrived to things I didn't like, so that was a bust. I walked past the entrance to the Mark Twain riverboat and up towards Critter Country, where Splash Mountain is. The ride was actually closed for refurbishment but the the restaurant attached was still open.
Grandma Sara's Kitchen is like an extension of the whole Splash Mountain theme. There are so many nooks and crannies inside, I wish I'd explored a little more. Again, the food wasn't to my liking, but I'm glad I had a chance to take a look inside.
Look at this fella, napping with a book! I don't think I returned to Critter Country after this point because there wasn't really any need to. Instead, here's another video of the area!
On the way out, I passed this cute little pond-like area. Gotta love that theming. I also noticed the Mark Twain riverboat was coming around the bend, so I nabbed a couple of photos.
The train that passes through Adventureland and Westernland was also coming around. I attempted to get the two together but I was a little too late! From here, I returned back to Fantasyland to look at Captain Hook's Galley, which sells pizza by the slice. Japan has an odd relationship with pizza, which will come up again in my report, and it's no different here. The mainstays are a seafood pizza, and a ham and pineapple pizza. They have a rotating special that, at the time, was celebrating the it's a small world update, and this is what it looked like.
Eggs and broccoli on a pizza? Another restaurant I scratched off the list... So I ventured further into Fantasyland only to discover that this fan-favourite didn't have a wait!
I don't know why, but Dumbo didn't have a wait! So off I went to ride the flying elephant which is exactly the same as every other Dumbo ride so not much else to say!
As I came off, the sky had finally cleared to a brilliant blue. I found myself at the back of the castle, where they had this awesome statue of Sorcerer Mickey.
I think I may have popped into one of the shops at this point, and when I came out, I encountered one of my first roaming Disney characters.
Jiminy Cricket! He's my mum's favourite, so I sent a quick snap over on my phone before waiting around to get a picture. Character greetings are a little different in Japan. Outside of the organised M&G, you have these roaming characters who decide who they want to interact with. So you have a lot of screaming people trying to get their attention. As a Brit, the thought of drawing attention to myself in such a way gives me the willies, so I patiently waited until the character attendant noticed me and asked if I wanted to take a picture, which I did!
I continued on my journey for a late lunch, and came across this.
They had these golden statues of Mickey Mouse all around TDL and TDS for the 35th celebration. They sold a pendant called the Happiest Memory Maker which would interact with the statues and play a message from Mickey when you were close. I never saw anyone use one or feel the need to buy one myself since I knew it would all be in Japanese. In fact, until I started writing up this report, I didn't even know what it did! So I'll end here with a video that shows off the pendant and all the statues, since I definitely didn't get a picture of them all. It's cool but I don't think I missed out if I'm being honest!
It's a bakery that sells loads of pastries and breads, unsurprisingly. Things have changed a little recently because, you know, but back when I visited, each of the offerings were out in baskets which you could pick and choose yourself. There are paper trays and tongs provided at the entrance and you just grabbed what you wanted before lining up for the queue. Check out this video for a look inside.
You might notice one of the more popular, unique items is a melonpan (a sweet bread roll wrapped in a cookie crust, named more for how it looks but sometimes they do add a melon flavour) shaped like Mike Wazowski. But I actually came for something else, something that was being sold as part of the 35th anniversary.
It's a giant Mickey Mouse bread!
The left ear was filled with strawberry cream, the other with white chocolate, and the face a caramel cream. It was 600 yen, I believe. You could also get it in a special set with a drink and a grape jelly for 1070 yen, but I wasn't exactly sure how to order it. A CM went down the line taking drink orders but it didn't click with me until she'd passed, so I just stuck with the bread which was honestly enough. I had a bottle of water on me, which I got free with my hotel room, so I didn't particularly need another drink. I also only ate half of it because it was so big. I folded the box up and stuck the rest of it in my bag for later.
The weather had been mostly overcast with a little bit of sun every now and then which was a little annoying. Nevertheless, I went back to the hub to get a few more pictures.
It still amazes me just how big this area is. Partner's statue is so far away from the castle.
I had a look at my app to see what the ride wait times were, and Pirates of the Caribbean was only a 5 minute wait, so pretty good! Adventureland is to the left of the hub, and POTC is pretty close to the World Bazaar. It's also close to Cafe Orleans which, unlike the one in Disneyland, exclusively serves crepes. I took a look but wasn't quite interested in the offerings, and I'd also eaten half of a Mickey Mouse bread, so I skipped on over to POTC.
Pirates looks just like the building in Disneyland, but without that archway bridge entrance. In fact, it's contained within its own New Orleans Square district, yet still apart of Adventureland. Tokyo's Adventureland is a little weird like that. It also has its own Blue Bayou restaurant that overlooks the ride. The ride has those Disneyland caverns, albeit a condensed version with only one drop. The narration was all in Japanese but A Pirate's Life For Me is in English. You may be interested to know that it still has the bride auction scene that was replaced recently, and the pirates still chase the women in the pillaging scene!
You'd almost think it was the original, untouched attraction were it not for Jack Sparrow. I think his inclusion was pretty much a given.
So I said there weren't many rides that exited into a gift shop. Technically, POTC doesn't, but the exit is flanked by two gift shops on either side. One sold jewellery (I think, I never went in...), while the other was the more typical kitschy souvenir things. I actually planned on getting a few things in there but thought I'd leave it to another day and plum forgot about it... Then again, it's not like I really needed a metal pencil sharpener shaped like a boat!
The gray clouds were back... This is a tiny counter service called the Gazebo that sells something special. I didn't stop by this time around but it will come up again later. I don't want to spoil the surprise.
Once out of Pirates, I had a look around Adventureland, which I just couldn't wrap my head around. It's funny, I look at the park map and it looks pretty straightforward, but I just found myself walking in circles whenever I was there! As I said, it's a bit of a hodgepodge, theming wise. I think I walked past this section that I can only call Typhoon Lagoon-esque. It's small, has a counter service that sells ramen and two food stands. Apparently, it's called Coral Landing. There was also something called Jungle Carnival around that area that always had a long queue. You pay 500 yen to play a carnival game, you get a plush toy if you win and a pin if you lose so you don't leave with nothing. I think I would have given it a go if the line didn't exceed most attraction wait times every time I passed it!
I did manage to escape Adventureland and come into Westernland. My next FP slot was coming up so I had checked my app to see that Big Thunder Mountain still had some Fastpasses left. Once again, I managed to get the FP right on the dot! The timeslot wasn't until the final hour of park opening as well, so it was lucky that I managed to get it!
With 2 FP in hand, I walked back up through Westernland and stopped in Country Bear Jamboree.
The last time I did it was to escape the rain during a drizzly MNSSHP, and wouldn't you know it, it was the exact same circumstances! Except I wasn't dressed like Jesse McCree from Overwatch this time around... There was a small wait before the show started and we were guided into the theatre.
It was a very strange show! Again, all the narration is in Japanese but most of the songs were in English. It was also the full show, including the banter from the animal heads over the exit. If I'm honest, Country Bear Jamboree is one of those attractions my family and I tend to ignore when we go to WDW. In fact, outside of that MNSSHP visit (which was back in 2017...?), I don't remember the last time I watched it! But it was cool to see the whole thing, even if a majority of it was in a different language. I believe they still run the vacation and Christmas versions of the show over in TDL as well.
I was beginning to feel hungry again so I had a look around at what was on offer. Before my trip, I made a list of all the restaurants in the parks, what was on the menus, and the prices. I still have the document, in fact. Albeit I updated it at the start of this year under some foolish notion that I was going to be going back in the near future... Yet I had completely forgot to look at it before I left for the day so I was a little flummoxed! I don't know if I've mentioned this but I'm incredibly indecisive, especially when it comes to food, hence why I made the list in the first place. So I wouldn't waste my time trying to pick somewhere to eat. My picking up that Mickey Mouse bread was a fluke.
There was one restaurant in Westernland that I knew I wanted to visit, Camp Woodchuck Kitchen, but I couldn't seem to find it. I did, however, find the Hungry Bear Restaurant, no relation to the Disneyland restaurant. They serve curry inside, which I generally like. But they changed the menu a few weeks before I arrived to things I didn't like, so that was a bust. I walked past the entrance to the Mark Twain riverboat and up towards Critter Country, where Splash Mountain is. The ride was actually closed for refurbishment but the the restaurant attached was still open.
Grandma Sara's Kitchen is like an extension of the whole Splash Mountain theme. There are so many nooks and crannies inside, I wish I'd explored a little more. Again, the food wasn't to my liking, but I'm glad I had a chance to take a look inside.
Look at this fella, napping with a book! I don't think I returned to Critter Country after this point because there wasn't really any need to. Instead, here's another video of the area!
On the way out, I passed this cute little pond-like area. Gotta love that theming. I also noticed the Mark Twain riverboat was coming around the bend, so I nabbed a couple of photos.
The train that passes through Adventureland and Westernland was also coming around. I attempted to get the two together but I was a little too late! From here, I returned back to Fantasyland to look at Captain Hook's Galley, which sells pizza by the slice. Japan has an odd relationship with pizza, which will come up again in my report, and it's no different here. The mainstays are a seafood pizza, and a ham and pineapple pizza. They have a rotating special that, at the time, was celebrating the it's a small world update, and this is what it looked like.
Eggs and broccoli on a pizza? Another restaurant I scratched off the list... So I ventured further into Fantasyland only to discover that this fan-favourite didn't have a wait!
I don't know why, but Dumbo didn't have a wait! So off I went to ride the flying elephant which is exactly the same as every other Dumbo ride so not much else to say!
As I came off, the sky had finally cleared to a brilliant blue. I found myself at the back of the castle, where they had this awesome statue of Sorcerer Mickey.
I think I may have popped into one of the shops at this point, and when I came out, I encountered one of my first roaming Disney characters.
Jiminy Cricket! He's my mum's favourite, so I sent a quick snap over on my phone before waiting around to get a picture. Character greetings are a little different in Japan. Outside of the organised M&G, you have these roaming characters who decide who they want to interact with. So you have a lot of screaming people trying to get their attention. As a Brit, the thought of drawing attention to myself in such a way gives me the willies, so I patiently waited until the character attendant noticed me and asked if I wanted to take a picture, which I did!
I continued on my journey for a late lunch, and came across this.
They had these golden statues of Mickey Mouse all around TDL and TDS for the 35th celebration. They sold a pendant called the Happiest Memory Maker which would interact with the statues and play a message from Mickey when you were close. I never saw anyone use one or feel the need to buy one myself since I knew it would all be in Japanese. In fact, until I started writing up this report, I didn't even know what it did! So I'll end here with a video that shows off the pendant and all the statues, since I definitely didn't get a picture of them all. It's cool but I don't think I missed out if I'm being honest!
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It was mid-afternoon and the dreary weather had all but cleared up.
I eventually found my way to the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. But only to take a look inside. I didn't plan on eating there since it's more expensive than the other restaurants, probably because you're paying for the atmosphere. It's a popular spot but was surprisingly empty when I was there, I must have missed the lunch rush.
The food varies between 1400-1600 yen and doesn't have combo sets. In comparison, you can generally get a full meal with side and drink for cheaper elsewhere. Unless you really want a souvenir mug or plate, I would suggest eating elsewhere. But do take a look inside anyway!
Normally, this would be an unbirthday cake. But the decoration was changed to celebrate the 35th anniversary, which feels a little un-Wonderland come to think of it! It's also 1200 yen and big enough to feed two people.
After soaking in that Wonderland aesthetic, I continued walking towards the back of the park. I came back across it's a small world, and it looked very pretty against the clear sky.
While I was taking pictures, the little dolls came out for their scheduled dance!
The parade was due to start soon, and I know it's a fan favourite. However, I didn't plan on watching it just yet. I had four days in the parks after all, and I was hoping that guests watching the parade would lead to lower wait times elsewhere. Which is why I ended up back at Toontown because Goofy's Paint n Play House now didn't have a line.
I do love seeing that Beast's castle in the background. I bet it looks absolutely stunning now that it's completely built.
Inside of Goofy's house is a little game that utilises projection mapping over a room. I think there are 8 guns similar to the one you use on Toy Story Mania and you shoot paint at the walls and furniture to decorate the room. You're competing with everyone else to paint with your own colour, and the designs change depending on who shot the paint. Actually, I think a video better explains the aim of the game! The room theme rotates each round to add some sense of replay-ability but you do have to get back in line to do that. The round I played had a medieval castle theme to it.
Ultimately, I didn't go back to play another round. I did, however, revisit Donald's boat because it's opposite Goofy's house, and Donald is my favourite!
I also checked back in on Mickey's House and the parade hadn't cut down on the wait time in the slightest...
Here's another one of those Mickey statues.
And an entirely different cartoony statue!
At some point, I stopped at a vendor's cart because my mum wanted a pair of Minnie ears and I happened to notice these special ones for the 35th anniversary. Ultimately, she decided they were a bit too flamboyant for her tastes. Still, pretty fetching.
I noticed that Haunted Mansion had dropped down to a 5 minute wait on the app so I backtracked again (it is outside of Dumbo, after all!) and walked straight into the stretching room. There's not much to say, as with every other cloned attraction. It's basically the same ride but with Japanese narration and English singing. Well, not entirely the same. I admit I'm not much of a Haunted Mansion fan. In fact, I didn't even ride it until a few years back. But from what I understand, it's like the Magic Kingdom HM before they refurbished it and changed a couple of scenes. I did notice that the upkeep was phenomenal, it looked practically new. Or as new as an attraction about an old haunted house can be!
Here's a crazy picture. Where else but Tokyo Disneyland can you get Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain in the same picture!
Next on the list was Snow White's Scary Adventures, another ride I would always avoid. In fact, I was terrified of it as a kid waaaaay back on my first WDW trip in 2000 and never rode it again! I don't even think I rode it in Disneyland, so this was almost a first.
And you know what? I still didn't like it! I had obviously overblown the scariness of the attraction but it was still unsettling. I prefer bright and cheerful over dark and gloom.
I was feeling a bit tired by now but still wanted to get something to eat. Somehow, I wound up at Tomorrowland Terrace. So this place has a bit of a reputation, and it's not good. But the restaurant was quite literally empty and I have to admit I was a little tempted by what was on offer. So here we are...
I got a cheeseburger meal set, which came to 980 yen. I know what you're thinking, what's so tempting about a cheeseburger? Well...
Yep, it's Mickey shaped! How can you say no to Mickey shaped food? It's one of the Disney Park food essentials. Mickey ice cream, Mickey waffles, Mickey burger! And while I didn't get them, they also sell these cute little Mickey shaped chicken nuggets.
So what was the verdict? Hmm... Well... There's definitely a reason it has its reputation... I mean, it wasn't terrible, I did eat it all, but I don't know! There was something wrong with the sauce. And the actual meat didn't taste right. It was very weird and a little unpleasant...
So with that lackluster meal and two FP still to use, I thought a break was in order. I made my way to the park entrance where they stamped my hand re-entry. Yup, they still do that in Tokyo! And luckily for me, the bus back to the hotel was just pulling up at the station. So it wasn't long before I was back in my room for a well deserved rest.
I eventually found my way to the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. But only to take a look inside. I didn't plan on eating there since it's more expensive than the other restaurants, probably because you're paying for the atmosphere. It's a popular spot but was surprisingly empty when I was there, I must have missed the lunch rush.
The food varies between 1400-1600 yen and doesn't have combo sets. In comparison, you can generally get a full meal with side and drink for cheaper elsewhere. Unless you really want a souvenir mug or plate, I would suggest eating elsewhere. But do take a look inside anyway!
Normally, this would be an unbirthday cake. But the decoration was changed to celebrate the 35th anniversary, which feels a little un-Wonderland come to think of it! It's also 1200 yen and big enough to feed two people.
After soaking in that Wonderland aesthetic, I continued walking towards the back of the park. I came back across it's a small world, and it looked very pretty against the clear sky.
While I was taking pictures, the little dolls came out for their scheduled dance!
The parade was due to start soon, and I know it's a fan favourite. However, I didn't plan on watching it just yet. I had four days in the parks after all, and I was hoping that guests watching the parade would lead to lower wait times elsewhere. Which is why I ended up back at Toontown because Goofy's Paint n Play House now didn't have a line.
I do love seeing that Beast's castle in the background. I bet it looks absolutely stunning now that it's completely built.
Inside of Goofy's house is a little game that utilises projection mapping over a room. I think there are 8 guns similar to the one you use on Toy Story Mania and you shoot paint at the walls and furniture to decorate the room. You're competing with everyone else to paint with your own colour, and the designs change depending on who shot the paint. Actually, I think a video better explains the aim of the game! The room theme rotates each round to add some sense of replay-ability but you do have to get back in line to do that. The round I played had a medieval castle theme to it.
Ultimately, I didn't go back to play another round. I did, however, revisit Donald's boat because it's opposite Goofy's house, and Donald is my favourite!
I also checked back in on Mickey's House and the parade hadn't cut down on the wait time in the slightest...
Here's another one of those Mickey statues.
And an entirely different cartoony statue!
At some point, I stopped at a vendor's cart because my mum wanted a pair of Minnie ears and I happened to notice these special ones for the 35th anniversary. Ultimately, she decided they were a bit too flamboyant for her tastes. Still, pretty fetching.
I noticed that Haunted Mansion had dropped down to a 5 minute wait on the app so I backtracked again (it is outside of Dumbo, after all!) and walked straight into the stretching room. There's not much to say, as with every other cloned attraction. It's basically the same ride but with Japanese narration and English singing. Well, not entirely the same. I admit I'm not much of a Haunted Mansion fan. In fact, I didn't even ride it until a few years back. But from what I understand, it's like the Magic Kingdom HM before they refurbished it and changed a couple of scenes. I did notice that the upkeep was phenomenal, it looked practically new. Or as new as an attraction about an old haunted house can be!
Here's a crazy picture. Where else but Tokyo Disneyland can you get Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain in the same picture!
Next on the list was Snow White's Scary Adventures, another ride I would always avoid. In fact, I was terrified of it as a kid waaaaay back on my first WDW trip in 2000 and never rode it again! I don't even think I rode it in Disneyland, so this was almost a first.
And you know what? I still didn't like it! I had obviously overblown the scariness of the attraction but it was still unsettling. I prefer bright and cheerful over dark and gloom.
I was feeling a bit tired by now but still wanted to get something to eat. Somehow, I wound up at Tomorrowland Terrace. So this place has a bit of a reputation, and it's not good. But the restaurant was quite literally empty and I have to admit I was a little tempted by what was on offer. So here we are...
I got a cheeseburger meal set, which came to 980 yen. I know what you're thinking, what's so tempting about a cheeseburger? Well...
Yep, it's Mickey shaped! How can you say no to Mickey shaped food? It's one of the Disney Park food essentials. Mickey ice cream, Mickey waffles, Mickey burger! And while I didn't get them, they also sell these cute little Mickey shaped chicken nuggets.
So what was the verdict? Hmm... Well... There's definitely a reason it has its reputation... I mean, it wasn't terrible, I did eat it all, but I don't know! There was something wrong with the sauce. And the actual meat didn't taste right. It was very weird and a little unpleasant...
So with that lackluster meal and two FP still to use, I thought a break was in order. I made my way to the park entrance where they stamped my hand re-entry. Yup, they still do that in Tokyo! And luckily for me, the bus back to the hotel was just pulling up at the station. So it wasn't long before I was back in my room for a well deserved rest.
butterscotchcollins
Drop Chicken
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2019
- Messages
- 1,478
Following along! We're planning our Honeymoon in Japan for Sept (assuming tourism is allowed again) so this has been very helpful so far 
Following along! We're planning our Honeymoon in Japan for Sept (assuming tourism is allowed again) so this has been very helpful so far
Thank you! Fingers crossed on the honeymoon, I think if they go ahead with holding the Olympics then that's a good sign for travel in the later months of the year!
When I left TDL, it was around 4:30pm. so including travel to and from the hotel, I had a good hour or so where I could just rest before I needed to be back for my Space Mountain FP. In that time, I mainly dealt with uploading pictures to my laptop because I was running out of space on my memory card. That hour went by quickly and pretty soon, I was back in Tokyo Disneyland with some time to spare. I strolled down World Bazaar and had a look in a couple shops as I made my way to Space Mountain. I was specifically looking for the Choco Crunch shop that was only open for the 35th anniversary but, alas, I never did find it. I looked it up recently and discovered it was next door to the ice cream parlour that I also never visited. I thought it would have been closer to the park entrance where all the omiyage treats were. Ah well, I shan't dwell on lost opportunities!
It was night time, of course. In fact, it wasn't long until the night-time parade was due to start.
There it is, Space Mountain! Always a stunner no matter the park.
I may have dawdled a little too long since I only had 10 minutes to use my FP. I don't know how lenient Tokyo Disney cast members are with FP time slots, and I didn't really want to find out either! So I quickened the pace and got in the queue.
You have to go up this escalator and the surrounding roof area is used for queue space before going inside.
I noticed a lot of attractions are sponsored in Tokyo. Space Mountain is sponsored by Coca Cola and, if memory permits, there was a little enclosed area here that specifically promoted Coca Cola in videos.
The loading area looks a lot like the one in California, if a bit bluer. And come to think of it, the ride is also the same! Or at least the same track layout. The effects are different, but you have those two-person seats and the singular track around the inside. And if I'm being honest, California's Space Mountain is my least favourite of the bunch. I mean it's fun and all, but I much prefer MK's version with the double tracks and dips instead of the constant curves. And, of course, DLP is the ultimate Space Mountain! If only they'd scrap the Star Wars theming. They didn't even change anything else, you go through this Jules Verne inspired queue only to get thrown into a galaxy far far away... But hey, this is a Tokyo trip report! I only ever managed the one ride on Space Mountain because the queue was always so long and the Fastpasses always ran out quickly, but I didn't really mind.
I'm going to level with you here, I don't actually remember when this happened but I have a half hour gap between pictures at this point, so I think I may have ridden Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters after Space Mountain? The fact I have no pictures or memory of when I rode it probably says a lot here! Again, it's almost identical to the one in Disneyland (how many times have I said that now?). It has the guns attached to cables instead of being stuck to the vehicle, which makes shooting the targets a lot easier. I think it helped me to get a better score than usual but I'm not terribly good at it in the first place!
Anyway, I do know that I took a quick look inside of a shop called Treasure Comet. My sister wanted me to look out for some sort of Stitch headwear which she described as being like Minnie ears but with Stitch. The shop did sell a lot of Stitch merch, as well as a fair amount of Baymax stuff, but I didn't see the hat she was talking about. Nor in any other shop. I think what she wanted was discontinued by then.
I returned to World Bazaar and the hub around the castle along a pathway which gave this stunning view.
The night-time parade, Dreamlights, was due to start soon and unlike the daytime parade, this was one I wanted to watch ASAP. The crowds weren't too busy, which is always a plus. I wasn't quite sure where to watch the parade from. The optimal view facing Cinderella Castle was, obviously, packed to the rim. So I wandered around the hub a little and eventually settled down here.
Back at the edge of the hub overlooking World Bazaar. I think I managed to nab a perfect last-minute spot!
I was there 10 minutes before the parade started, and then I think it took another 10 minutes before the parade music started up, and Dreamlights was due to begin!
It was night time, of course. In fact, it wasn't long until the night-time parade was due to start.
There it is, Space Mountain! Always a stunner no matter the park.
I may have dawdled a little too long since I only had 10 minutes to use my FP. I don't know how lenient Tokyo Disney cast members are with FP time slots, and I didn't really want to find out either! So I quickened the pace and got in the queue.
You have to go up this escalator and the surrounding roof area is used for queue space before going inside.
I noticed a lot of attractions are sponsored in Tokyo. Space Mountain is sponsored by Coca Cola and, if memory permits, there was a little enclosed area here that specifically promoted Coca Cola in videos.
The loading area looks a lot like the one in California, if a bit bluer. And come to think of it, the ride is also the same! Or at least the same track layout. The effects are different, but you have those two-person seats and the singular track around the inside. And if I'm being honest, California's Space Mountain is my least favourite of the bunch. I mean it's fun and all, but I much prefer MK's version with the double tracks and dips instead of the constant curves. And, of course, DLP is the ultimate Space Mountain! If only they'd scrap the Star Wars theming. They didn't even change anything else, you go through this Jules Verne inspired queue only to get thrown into a galaxy far far away... But hey, this is a Tokyo trip report! I only ever managed the one ride on Space Mountain because the queue was always so long and the Fastpasses always ran out quickly, but I didn't really mind.
I'm going to level with you here, I don't actually remember when this happened but I have a half hour gap between pictures at this point, so I think I may have ridden Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters after Space Mountain? The fact I have no pictures or memory of when I rode it probably says a lot here! Again, it's almost identical to the one in Disneyland (how many times have I said that now?). It has the guns attached to cables instead of being stuck to the vehicle, which makes shooting the targets a lot easier. I think it helped me to get a better score than usual but I'm not terribly good at it in the first place!
Anyway, I do know that I took a quick look inside of a shop called Treasure Comet. My sister wanted me to look out for some sort of Stitch headwear which she described as being like Minnie ears but with Stitch. The shop did sell a lot of Stitch merch, as well as a fair amount of Baymax stuff, but I didn't see the hat she was talking about. Nor in any other shop. I think what she wanted was discontinued by then.
I returned to World Bazaar and the hub around the castle along a pathway which gave this stunning view.
The night-time parade, Dreamlights, was due to start soon and unlike the daytime parade, this was one I wanted to watch ASAP. The crowds weren't too busy, which is always a plus. I wasn't quite sure where to watch the parade from. The optimal view facing Cinderella Castle was, obviously, packed to the rim. So I wandered around the hub a little and eventually settled down here.
Back at the edge of the hub overlooking World Bazaar. I think I managed to nab a perfect last-minute spot!
I was there 10 minutes before the parade started, and then I think it took another 10 minutes before the parade music started up, and Dreamlights was due to begin!
ashley0139
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2009
- Messages
- 4,446
I am really enjoying your report! I can't wait to go to TDL one day.
Thank you, I hope I can inspire more people to go in the future and bring back more memories!
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights, as it's officially known, is like a souped-up Main Street Electrical parade. They even use the Baroque Hoedown as the main music. While I admit that I prefer Paint The Night's soundtrack, I think this has to be the definitive night parade. The floats are incredible! It makes you wish this level of quality could be found with all of the parades in the other parks. It all starts off with the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio.
Followed by these guys on horseback? Yeah, I don't know either! But it sure beats those creepy clown guys that kicked off Spectromagic...
Mickey, Minnie and Goofy are up next to really kick off the parade!
The Cheshire Cat float was actually refurbished and replaced with an updated model just over a month after this.
Tinkerbell and her Pixie Hollow friends!
Is it really an electric light parade without Elliot and Pete?
Strange that the Pixie Hollow and Peter Pan floats are separated by Pete's Dragon...
Toy Story gang, specifically the third film.
This Genie float is definitely the big showstopper, the lights are constantly changing so Genie looks like other characters!
Then, of course, Aladdin and Jasmine.
Followed by these guys on horseback? Yeah, I don't know either! But it sure beats those creepy clown guys that kicked off Spectromagic...
Mickey, Minnie and Goofy are up next to really kick off the parade!
The Cheshire Cat float was actually refurbished and replaced with an updated model just over a month after this.
Tinkerbell and her Pixie Hollow friends!
Is it really an electric light parade without Elliot and Pete?
Strange that the Pixie Hollow and Peter Pan floats are separated by Pete's Dragon...
Toy Story gang, specifically the third film.
This Genie float is definitely the big showstopper, the lights are constantly changing so Genie looks like other characters!
Then, of course, Aladdin and Jasmine.
Normally, there'd be a Tangled float at this point but it was mysteriously missing when I watched the parade. Which sucks because it's one of my favourites! Instead, it was immediately followed by the Cinderella floats.
Lumiere appears ahead of the main Beauty and the Beast unit.
Again, there's supposed to be a Frozen float at this point and it was MIA. I don't think I noticed at the time, however. I had a stray thought about the Tangled float but I assumed I was misremembering things.
The last four floats are all themed to it's a small world, and have a pretty great cast of characters. The first one has Donald and Daisy alongside the Three Little Pigs.
Chip & Dale get a float all to themselves!
The Pinocchio gang share a float with Lilo & Stitch.
Panchito and Jose! They share the last float with Marie and Pluto. I actually thought it was one of Marie's brothers at first because Pluto never turned to face my direction!
Since I barely took any selfies during my Disney days (I know, I'm crazy!), you wouldn't have known that I was actually wearing a Three Caballeros shirt that day. They are my absolute favourites so I was thrilled to see them! In the end, only Panchito ever turned to face my direction... I was really hoping to catch a M&G with all three of them but I never saw them outside of this parade. It's a definite must-do for the next time!
And that's Dreamlights! I think I may have planned to see the parade again on one of my last two days but I ended up seeing other shows. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic parade and one I'm glad that I found the time to watch.
Of course, here's an obligatory video of the parade so you can see it for yourself!
Lumiere appears ahead of the main Beauty and the Beast unit.
Again, there's supposed to be a Frozen float at this point and it was MIA. I don't think I noticed at the time, however. I had a stray thought about the Tangled float but I assumed I was misremembering things.
The last four floats are all themed to it's a small world, and have a pretty great cast of characters. The first one has Donald and Daisy alongside the Three Little Pigs.
Chip & Dale get a float all to themselves!
The Pinocchio gang share a float with Lilo & Stitch.
Panchito and Jose! They share the last float with Marie and Pluto. I actually thought it was one of Marie's brothers at first because Pluto never turned to face my direction!
Since I barely took any selfies during my Disney days (I know, I'm crazy!), you wouldn't have known that I was actually wearing a Three Caballeros shirt that day. They are my absolute favourites so I was thrilled to see them! In the end, only Panchito ever turned to face my direction... I was really hoping to catch a M&G with all three of them but I never saw them outside of this parade. It's a definite must-do for the next time!
And that's Dreamlights! I think I may have planned to see the parade again on one of my last two days but I ended up seeing other shows. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic parade and one I'm glad that I found the time to watch.
Of course, here's an obligatory video of the parade so you can see it for yourself!
With the parade done and dusted, I decided to take a walk around Adventureland and Westernland, still trying to get my bearings. I was also looking for somewhere to get dinner but I'm pretty certain that I didn't eat anything until I returned to the hotel later on.
I came across a cart that was selling some different light-up toys so I couldn't resist photographing them.
Around this moment, I saw some fireworks being set off over by the castle. But this wasn't the fireworks show, which is a bit of an oddity that I'll come to later in the trip. This was the castle show, Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland.
But luckily for me, there were two showings of it every night, and I suspected that the second showing would be quieter. Nevertheless, I didn't stick around. Instead, I backtracked to Pirates of the Caribbean because the queue was, once again, a 5 minute wait.
There it is, the auction scene. Still going strong at Tokyo Disneyland.
Another trip through the Caribbean done and dusted, I checked the app and noticed that the Jungle Cruise had dropped to almost a walk-on. The ride was updated in 2013 to give it a storyline and jokes catered to the Japanese audience. So while you'll see the same sight gags as every other Jungle Cruise, the jokes accompanying them aren't the same. Here's an interesting article from D23 when they updated the ride which details how they went about making the changes.
Funnily enough, Disney announced an update to the American Jungle Cruises while I was writing this! I wonder if they'll draw inspiration from the Tokyo update. Especially the temple sequence which comes alive with the added projection effects.
Then there's the special lighting and projections for night cruises which I think adds a lot of appeal.
I didn't take many pictures because, you know, it was dark and night photography isn't really my specialty. So here's a handy video!
Did you know that the Enchanted Tiki Room in Tokyo Disneyland is under new management? It's been taken over by Stitch! That, however, will have to wait. For now, I made my way back to the castle hub because it was almost time for the nightly entertainment to begin.
I managed to get a pretty great last minute spot. Literally last minute as I arrived 5 minutes before it was due to start! It helps that the entire front of the hub is reserved for sitting down. None of this "sticking kids on shoulders before the show starts" nonsense that you get elsewhere. I was eager to see what kind of show they had cooked up for the 35th anniversary.
And that show was Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland, and boy was it one heck of a show! Because it's been so long, my initials thoughts were that it was like a watered down Remember Dreams Come True, which is my absolute favourite fireworks display. Then I watched Celebrate again recently and I couldn't be more wrong!
It does have a similar theme to RDCT, which is a showcase of Disneyland attractions. But because of TDR's location, they can't have a massive fireworks display. So if that's your thing, you may be disappointed by the lack of pyrotechnics. This is more akin to Disney Illuminations in Disneyland Paris. A few fireworks with a lot of projections on the castle, and a fountain display alongside.
I have to say, I don't particularly like when the nightly entertainment is essentially a light show on the castle. You have to be front and centre and pretty close to truly enjoy it, whereas fireworks can be seen from anywhere. But TDL has the benefit of a massive castle hub so you're not stuck watching from the side lines. Hopefully, anyway!
But Celebrate manages to be feel more than a simple light show, the animated sequences are a delight and you can tell a lot of passion went into making it.
The show opens with the ubiquitous original song that every night show seems to have, with the whole thing conducted by Mickey. It's a little hard to see but he comes out on the balcony a few times in the show, which is cute! This leads up to Mickey joining the projections and taking us on a tour around the different attractions.
I came across a cart that was selling some different light-up toys so I couldn't resist photographing them.
Around this moment, I saw some fireworks being set off over by the castle. But this wasn't the fireworks show, which is a bit of an oddity that I'll come to later in the trip. This was the castle show, Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland.
But luckily for me, there were two showings of it every night, and I suspected that the second showing would be quieter. Nevertheless, I didn't stick around. Instead, I backtracked to Pirates of the Caribbean because the queue was, once again, a 5 minute wait.
There it is, the auction scene. Still going strong at Tokyo Disneyland.
Another trip through the Caribbean done and dusted, I checked the app and noticed that the Jungle Cruise had dropped to almost a walk-on. The ride was updated in 2013 to give it a storyline and jokes catered to the Japanese audience. So while you'll see the same sight gags as every other Jungle Cruise, the jokes accompanying them aren't the same. Here's an interesting article from D23 when they updated the ride which details how they went about making the changes.
Funnily enough, Disney announced an update to the American Jungle Cruises while I was writing this! I wonder if they'll draw inspiration from the Tokyo update. Especially the temple sequence which comes alive with the added projection effects.
Then there's the special lighting and projections for night cruises which I think adds a lot of appeal.
I didn't take many pictures because, you know, it was dark and night photography isn't really my specialty. So here's a handy video!
Did you know that the Enchanted Tiki Room in Tokyo Disneyland is under new management? It's been taken over by Stitch! That, however, will have to wait. For now, I made my way back to the castle hub because it was almost time for the nightly entertainment to begin.
I managed to get a pretty great last minute spot. Literally last minute as I arrived 5 minutes before it was due to start! It helps that the entire front of the hub is reserved for sitting down. None of this "sticking kids on shoulders before the show starts" nonsense that you get elsewhere. I was eager to see what kind of show they had cooked up for the 35th anniversary.
And that show was Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland, and boy was it one heck of a show! Because it's been so long, my initials thoughts were that it was like a watered down Remember Dreams Come True, which is my absolute favourite fireworks display. Then I watched Celebrate again recently and I couldn't be more wrong!
It does have a similar theme to RDCT, which is a showcase of Disneyland attractions. But because of TDR's location, they can't have a massive fireworks display. So if that's your thing, you may be disappointed by the lack of pyrotechnics. This is more akin to Disney Illuminations in Disneyland Paris. A few fireworks with a lot of projections on the castle, and a fountain display alongside.
I have to say, I don't particularly like when the nightly entertainment is essentially a light show on the castle. You have to be front and centre and pretty close to truly enjoy it, whereas fireworks can be seen from anywhere. But TDL has the benefit of a massive castle hub so you're not stuck watching from the side lines. Hopefully, anyway!
But Celebrate manages to be feel more than a simple light show, the animated sequences are a delight and you can tell a lot of passion went into making it.
The show opens with the ubiquitous original song that every night show seems to have, with the whole thing conducted by Mickey. It's a little hard to see but he comes out on the balcony a few times in the show, which is cute! This leads up to Mickey joining the projections and taking us on a tour around the different attractions.
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