Scaredy Cat Travels

Tokyo – Disneyland 

Transportation: The wildest ride in the wilderness 

Hotel: Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay 

Plans: Tokyo Disneyland

I can still see that knowing smirk on your face from here. Tokyo Disneyland may be an almost direct copy of the US Disneyland and Magic Kingdom but did you really think we would travel halfway around the world and not see the Country Bears Jamboree in Japanese? I mean, seriously. How do you translate “All The Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down”?  

Because I am a true nerd, I am genuinely curious about the differences in park culture. I have read that in Japan, guests remain seated for parades and the evening shows. If this is true, it will be a welcome change from the American tradition of sitting nicely for hours to hold the perfect spot only to have some 6′ tall Brit push in front of you right as the show starts and THEN put his kid on his shoulders. Did I confront said Brit? Yes, yes I did. Mortifying the entire family in the process. Did it work? Nope. I can’t remember his exact words but they were something along the lines of “I don’t give a bloody crumpet how long you sat here. I flew from England.” And did I see said Brit accidentally drop his hat at the end of the fireworks? Yes, yes I did. Did I say anything? Nope. I didn’t give a bloody crumpet either.

Did Ryan circle back, pick up the hat, run after the guy and give it to him? Yes, yes he did, bless his heart.

I have also read that the guests do not scream on the roller coasters. I hope this is not true because I can’t. I tried to not scream during our 2020 COVID-peak visit to Magic Kingdom and, even with the potential embarrassment of being the woman who introduced some rare new variant of the coronavirus to the state of Florida because she screamed on Space Mountain, I still screamed my fool head off. I will admit though these days, on occasion, I fantasize about introducing some rare new virus to the state of Florida.

Fun Fact – One of the things I miss most about Ry is his roller coaster laugh. He didn’t scream, just cackled. If you ever rode a coaster with him, you can hear him now, can’t you?

By the way, this is me in every ride photo despite promising the kids I will pose.

Even if Tokyo’s Disneyland is very similar to California Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, we want to ride as many of the attractions as possible just to see the differences. In our family, we can have long, heated discussions about the differences between Splash Mountain in CA vs FL (Florida is better) or Pirates of the Caribbean (California is better). Don’t @ me.

There are a few priorities here too though including the aforementioned Country Bears Jamboree. I can’t imagine Big Al singing in Japanese so I must see it for myself.

The most popular ride in Disneyland at the moment is Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. I don’t know much about it on purpose because I want to be surprised. I just know that it isn’t like the other existing attractions based on Beauty and the Beast. This one regularly has very long lines and will be the one we are most likely to give in and get a pass for even if B&B is my least favorite animated Disney movie. Don’t @ me again.

The other priorities are Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc Ride & Go Seek. Again, there are rides in the US based on these franchises but they aren’t the same. We’ll also want to check out the iconic rides like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain and Jungle Cruise.

Fun Fact – Tokyo Disneyland is in the process of completely redesigning its version of Space Mountain. This isn’t a quick refurbishment or holiday skin, Oriental Land Management is creating an entirely new building and rethinking the ride. It will still be a roller coaster through space but with heightened effects and a detailed backstory about the Earth and harmony and stuff. All of Tomorrowland will eventually be redesigned to match the new Space Mountain. Expected opening is 2027 so start saving your airline miles!

But the attractions aren’t the only thing on our to do list here. We’ll also want to sample some of the food unique to these parks like the ubiquitous-on-Instagram Alien Mochi and the Mickey’s Glove Bao Bun Sandwich.

Tokyo Disney is also known for its popcorn. Other parks also have popcorn vendors scattered throughout and sell the crazy collectible popcorn buckets but in Tokyo they specialize in flavored popcorn. Each land has its own variation including Soy Sauce & Butter; Matcha White Chocolate; Curry; and Garlic Shrimp. At just $3 USD per bag, it will be fun to share and compare.

Scaredy Cat rating: Zero paws – just slightly less excited than the day before.