Tokyo Disney Resort is the largest amusement park in Japan, spread throughout a huge area of 200 ha. This large amusement park complex is comprised of two major parts. One is Tokyo Disneyland and the other is Tokyo Disney Sea. Both these theme parks are based on the films produced by famous cartoon creator Walt Disney. It features popular characters like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Snow White, Pooh, and much-loved other animations. Since all of them are favorite cartoon characters, these parks are hugely popular among both adults and kids. Before visiting this huge theme park, it is essential to read a guide to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea.
Tokyo Disneyland was opened in Tokyo in 1983 as the first Disney theme park outside of the United States. The icon of Tokyo Disneyland, Cinderella Castle is nearly identical to its counterpart at Walt Disney World in the US. Tokyo Disneyland is made up of seven major themed lands. As well, it features seasonal decorations and daily fantastic parades. Tokyo Disney Resort is so large, that it may take more than one day to explore all the attractions completely.
Visiting Tokyo Disneyland was one of our dreams since we started to live in Sendai city as students. But Disneyland was a too far dream during our busy academic schedules. The opportunity to visit our dream destination happened unexpectedly. While we were attending an academic conference in Tokyo, some friends suggested visiting Disneyland. Since Disneyland was one of the things we most wanted to see in Japan, we felt a pure sense of joy about our dream coming true. Here is our complete guide to Tokyo Disneyland to enjoy the attractions conveniently.
Access to Tokyo Disneyland
Access to Disneyland from Tokyo station was quite easy. From JR Tokyo station, we took the Keiyo Line and traveled to Maihama Station. JR Maihama Station is the main stop where you need to get off to go to Disneyland. It locates quite closer to Disneyland and you need only to walk a short distance to reach the main gate.
Bon Voyage
Bon Voyage locates next to JR Maihama Station, at the gateway to Tokyo Disney Resort. It is the official Disney souvenir shop that welcomes visitors to the Resort as they begin their journey. “Bon voyage!” means “Have a good trip!” in French. It is the perfect place to enjoy shopping before or after a day of fun and excitement at Disneyland.
Main Entrance of Tokyo Disneyland
The main entrance is quite attractive with lovely decorations and pictures of the Mickies and Minnies. You can buy the tickets to enter Disneyland here. There are several kinds of tickets, including 1-Day Passport, 2-Day Passport, Group Passport, even Annual Passport Entrance tickets.
If you have only one day to visit Tokyo Disneyland, a 1-day passport is enough to see many different zones inside the park. If you are going to visit Disney Sea, you’ll need a separate ticket to enter it. We bought a one-day passport which permits visiting all the attractions of Tokyo Disneyland within one day.
Major themed areas in Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland has seven major themed areas. World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey Toontown. Together let’s explore each area and discover what you’ll see in each destination.
1. World Bazaar
World Bazaar is the first area of Tokyo Disneyland we met after entering the park. This area was comprised of mainly restaurants and souvenir shops, which lined the Victorian-style streets. When you arrive here, you will feel like you are in a town in the US in the early 20th century. You can buy some Disney accessories and costumes here, or go for dining in a luxurious restaurant.
The most prominent place in the World Bazaar is definitely the Disney fairytale castle. This castle often appears at the beginning of Walt Disney films. If you are dreaming to see the Disney castle, you will see it right here at the entrance of Disneyland. Around the castle is home to many cartoon characters. There is an opportunity for you to interact and take photos with your favorite Disney characters here.
One attractive shop in World Bazaar is Penny Arcade. This is a beautifully illuminated building dedicated to game lovers. There were many other shops such as Grand Emporium, World Bazaar Confectionery, etc. Since we were eager to explore the park, we didn’t spend too much time in World Bazaar and moved into the next area of the park.
2. Adventureland
We exit the World Bazaar and enter the Adventureland. As the name says, this is the land of adventures for adventure lovers. The first attraction we experienced was the Western River Railroad and Jungle Cruise. This was a wildlife expedition, through a tropical American jungle. You’ll climb aboard an authentic steam train that takes you to Caribbean islands ruled by pirates, and meet familiar characters.
Western River Railroad departs from Adventure land and goes through the Westernland and Critter Country, before returning to Adventureland again. Throughout the journey, you’ll have a magnificent view of amusement areas at Tokyo Disneyland.
3. Westernland
The next attraction we entered was the Westernland. The major attraction we visited there was Mark Twain Riverboat. It is a boat trip around the American River, passing through the Westernland and Critter Country. This large-capacity beautiful riverboat navigates the waters around beautiful sceneries along the river.
Like the Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat is a gentle way to explore the park on a tour of the Rivers of America with superb views. The whole experience is absolutely serene and you’ll forget that you are in one of the most populated and busy cities in the world.
Tom Sawyer Island: This is a quiet island where you’ll find plenty of adventures around every corner. You can read the maps and explore the island yourself.
Although it’s primarily a kid’s play area, even adults like taking the raft across the Rivers of America to Tom Sawyer Island. The calm and quiet place will make you forget the feeling of being in the crowded amusement park.
The next attraction we visited was the Big Thunder Mountain. This is a roller coaster disguised as a runaway mine train. It was a wild ride with sudden drops and turns and one of the most thrilling adventures in the park going. The roller coaster went through tunnels which makes 180-degree turns. This ride was exhilarating and most of the visitors were screaming with the thrills throughout the ride. We think this is one of the not-to-be-missed attractions in Tokyo Disneyland.
4. Fantasyland
After enjoying several attractions in Westernland, next, we reached Fantasyland. As the name suggests, Fantasyland is filled with lots of fascinating things. It looks like a dream coming true for fantasy lovers. You’ll enter the world of Disney fairy tales and stories, from Snow White to Pinocchio and many others. There was a beautiful and elaborate merry-go-round and both adults and kids were enjoying it.
The best attraction we visited in Fantasyland was It’s a small world. This is one of the happiest cruises you’ll find in Tokyo Disneyland.
The boat ride goes through lovely decorations, belonging to different countries. Dressed in the traditional costumes of their countries, singing and dancing dolls sing “it’s a small world”.
You can voyage from Europe, through Asia, Africa, Central America, along the dimly light-up beautiful waterway. It’s the happiest cruise that we have ever sailed!
5. Critter Country
The Critter Country is a relatively small area, with only two attractions. However, there is one of the most popular attractions of Disneyland Tokyo: It is Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain is a wooden boat trip that climaxes full of discoveries; the great sound system adds suspense to this game.
This log flume ride is mostly gentle but ends with a thrilling drop over a waterfall. Be prepared for a 45-degree drop down from a 16-meter high waterfall to get wet. This final part of the boat ride was the most fun adventure! It wasn’t terrifying as roller coaster rides but gave us a thrilling experience.
6. Toon Town
Toon Town is an area mainly dedicated to kids. It is an area, where kids under 3 can play. There are animal sculptures for the kids to climb on, and benches for parents to sit and watch.
7. Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is an area with futuristic creations. Space Mountain is a thrilling indoor roller coaster in Tomorrowland. There are no long drops, only quick, unexpected turns and small drops. It’s very dark inside Space Mountain and you never know what your rocket may do next.
8. Dreaming Up Parade
This is one of the major events we enjoyed in Tokyo Disneyland. This parade is an extremely popular event among park visitors. Lots of Japanese people sat on mats by the route an hour or more before the start of the parade.
This large character parade was full of lovely decorated vehicles, chariots, carts, and kids’ favorite characters.
There were dancers, singers, which we enjoyed a lot. We immersed ourselves in music and rhythm and completely forgot the time passing.
The parade was a totally exciting experience. We were thrilled to see our favorite characters on the parade.
Finally the most awaited Mickey was on the parade waving to all the audience. It was such a happy moment, which gave an eternal golden memory of this lovely Disney parade.
As you can see, one day is not enough to explore all the exciting games and interesting activities in Tokyo Disney Resort. We were able to explore only the Tokyo Disneyland since time didn’t permit us to visit Disney Sea. Anybody visiting Tokyo Disneyland surely doesn’t have enough time to discover everything in one day. If you like to visit both theme parks, at least two days is essential. Wish everybody will visit this incredible theme park someday and meet with your favorite characters!
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