by Drew and Gwyn Barba, with contributions by Kate Barba

One of our many reasons for visiting Japan was to experience Tokyo Disney Resort. This branch of “The Happiest Place on Earth” is located on the outskirts of Tokyo, just on the edge of the bay.  It is made of two theme parks and surrounded by hotels, a shopping area a little like Downtown Disney, and its own monorail.  We went to each park for two days and they were both amazing in their own way.  Drew will tell you about our time in Tokyo Disneyland, and Gwyn will tell you about DisneySea.

This year Tokyo Disney Resort is celebrating its 40th birthday! In DisneySea they had a brand new fireworks and water show and Disneyland had a new stage show and parade. Colorful banners were everywhere, and people celebrated the anniversary with new merchandise and limited edition Mickey ears. The original gang even had new outfits for the occasion. The excitement and spectacle made our visit just a bit more special for us.

Tokyo Disneyland

The first thing I noticed when I stepped through the gate was the atmosphere. There was pleasant music playing, with everything from the classic Disney songs like “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” to the new favorites like songs from Frozen and Coco. There were many amazing structures, like the huge castle with its spiraling towers and shining colors, as well as the many rides, which include all your favorites as well as some new ones. One of my new favorite rides is “The Happy Ride With Baymax,” In this ride, you are in a cart being seemingly driven around by Baymax, the healthcare robot, while he takes you around sharp turns. This is fun, but the best part is the Big Hero 6 music with everyone dancing and singing along.  My favorite thing that made this park special was that everyone was smiling. Whether it was a young child or a 70 year old grandmother, everyone had a large grin on their faces. 

Everything was very organized as well. When people were waiting to get onto the rides, they would stand in a perfectly straight line, even when there was no obvious marker telling them where to go. The lines moved very fast because all the workers were insanely efficient. The workers moved fast and with purpose, and were also very friendly. They always politely waved at everyone; waving seems very big here.

Aside from the workers, the structures were also incredible. They were beautiful and amazingly detailed. Disney has always been good at making things seem larger than they are, but this time Disney Tokyo blew me away. The main Cinderella castle is already large, but if it was truly as massive as it appears, then it would be much taller. You have no idea of this when you see it however, and it makes you think that it really is a real castle. In Fantasyland, there is Beauty and the Beast’s castle, and while it seems almost as tall as Cinderella’s castle, it is really only about ⅓ of the other palace’s height.

Disney is also really good at theming the rides, including the wait lines leading up to them. For example, in the ride “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,” the walls are made of what appears to be old wood, and there are pickaxes hanging on the walls. The “Winnie the Pooh” line was made of giant books with illustrations and selections from the story. There are also amazing details just walking around the park, like a miniature house in a log in Critter Country, or a fox on a rock in Westernland. You could spend a whole day just walking around this park admiring the details. 

Additionally, the rides in this park are extremely fun. There were many familiar story and experience rides like “It’s a Small World,” “The Mad Tea Party,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Even though the rides were based on their originals, each of them was unique. A Tokyo exclusive is inside Belle’s castle where there is a fantastic, and very popular, ride called “Enchanted Tale of Beauty and The Beast.” It has you sit in giant teacups that spin around as this famous story happens around you. There weren’t as many roller coasters as I was expecting, but it was still amazing. One of our favorites, “Space Mountain,” was unfortunately closed for a huge renovation coming in 2027. Maybe we’ll come back then? The Disneyland Tokyo rides were all very elaborate and had the smallest details that you wouldn’t see unless you looked very close.

Overall, Disneyland Tokyo has an amazing spirit, incredible rides, and nice people, and I highly recommend going. -Drew

DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is the sister park to Tokyo Disneyland. The overall theme for the park is exploration by water, and there are seven “ports of call” in a ring around a large lake and volcano. Instead of a railroad, there are steamer ships, trolleys, and other people movers. We did miles of walking across bridges, through the volcano, and around the lake to travel between the Mediterranean Harbor at the entrance and the Lost River Delta in the back. In each port there are both re-creations of real places like Cape Cod on the American Waterfront, and movie locations like King Triton’s palace in Mermaid Lagoon. A new port called Fantasy Springs is opening in 2024 and will have elements from Peter Pan, Tangled (Rapunzel) and Frozen!

Part of the park’s attraction is the incredible theming, restaurants, and shops.  The Disney Magic was amazing and we felt like we were traveling to many different places all in one day!  We did a little browsing in the shops, tried some snacks, and enjoyed some great quick service restaurants.  On our second day, Mom and Dad went to visit the fancier “Teddy Roosevelt Lounge” on the SS Columbia for an adult beverage and “Magellan’s” restaurant for a long lunch.  Meanwhile Drew and I went exploring and rode some favorite rides again.

There are several rides at each port of call, though there are less rides overall than at Disneyland. We noticed that the rides ay DisneySea tended to be a bit scarier than usual. For example, the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” on the Mysterious Island had a lot of creepy monsters and menacing plants. The other scary rides included the “Tower of Terror” on the American Waterfront, plus “Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull” and “Raging Spirits” on the Lost River Delta. “Raging Spirits” was a really fun roller coaster with a loop-de-loop and lots of drops and turns! For something different Drew and I decided to do some of the more little kid rides in Mermaid Lagoon and they were great! The most popular rides (and the longest lines!) were “Tower of Terror,” “Soaring: Fantastic Flight,” and “Toy Story Mania.”

“Toy Story Mania” was amazing! The ride itself is just like the one in California Adventure, with 3D digital carnival games.  What made it amazing was the wait line. When we were waiting for the first time it was incredible. Once you stepped in the large waiting building you immediately felt like you were a toy! The crayons were five feet tall and the pop outs were four feet tall. Right before you get on the ride you go though a huge door and enter Andy’s room while still from a toy’s perspective. You go under his really big bed in your spinning car and that’s where the game seems to happen. That is one of my favorite rides in California and it’s even better here!

We loved all the rides at Tokyo DisneySea but “Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage” on the Arabian Coast was our family favorite. The boat story ride is about the seven fantastical adventures of a young sailor named Sinbad. Throughout the ride you hear a song called “Compass of Your Heart” by Alan Menken, but of course it was sung in Japanese. Sinbad was a hero from the 1001 Nights (Arabian Nights). His tiger cub Chandu is one of the cutest Disney characters out there! Chandu appears in every scene and is always doing something goofy; if you’re lucky he will give you a little meow as you float by.

DisneySea is unique, and a fun contrast with the ‘lands” in Disneyland. You can do it in one day, but take two to give yourself enough time to experience the beauty and atmosphere of this amazing theme park. -Gwyn

Japanese Uniqueness

The parades and shows at Tokyo Disney Resort were incredible. Clearly no expense was spared. They were innovative, interesting, and unique! Characters that don’t get much attention in the US are more prominent here, like Baymax and Rapunzel. The parades are a perfect example of this. Besides, the shows were generally no photos allowed, or too hard top capture at night!

One of the things we all noticed was the way the Japanese dressed at the parks.  Many people seemed to take the opportunity to get creative with matching outfits, fun accessories like ears, and generally dressing up!  Unlike California or Florida, Japan tends to be cooler so you don’t need shorts and tank tops to feel comfortable.  Instead, long dresses, nice coats, and sometimes jeans are normal.  Young people especially dressed up with their friends for lots of photos, but families often joined the fun with matching outfits and a few kids in costume.  I’m looking forward to trying a theme outfit (called “DisneyBounding”) next time we go to Disney.

Another difference between here and home is the Japanese adore Disney characters that I had never heard of, Duffy and his friends! The story goes that Duffy the bear was made by Minnie and given to Mickey so he knew he was loved on his Voyages. Everyone here loves Duffy and friends so much that we see lots of Duffy ears, Duffy keychains, and whole stores full of Duffy merchandise. Other favorites appear to be Toy Story and Winnie the Pooh characters and of course Mickey and Friends.

Finally, Japanese snacks were a whole different thing.  Some new flavors like mochi dumplings and soy sauce flavored popcorn were not really our favorites, but they were definitely different from home.  Others, like the Mickey-shaped chai churros in DisneySea and the Glove Shaped Chicken Pao in Disneyland, were amazing.  Whatever your taste, the Disney Magic was everywhere, even in the food.

Overall, Tokyo Disney Resort is a jaw-dropping place with tons of high quality rides, shows, and scenery.  All Disney fans should try to make a pilgrimage here if at all possible! The unique Japanese culture, snacks, and of course DisenySea park are more than enough to make it worth the trip. There are also many familiar places and rides, often improved with new technology and styling. For more about Tokyo Disney Resort we recommend Disney Tourist Blog for in-depth information, recommendations, and tips. We hope to return for more Disney in Tokyo once the Tomorrowland renovation and the Fantasy Springs port of call addition are complete.  Who wants to come with us?

Thanks for reading to the end.  Next up: Tokyo and Nikko, Japan!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  Please note that any links or business names provided are for information only, we did not receive any compensation for our opinions or recommendations. As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us!