Tokyo Disney Resort MEGA UPDATE: Thrillography's Asian Persuasion Tour 2017 Trip Report - Part III

You guys. 

We did it. 

Do you see what I see?

🌊This ocean of people? 🌊

TOKYOOOOOOO DISNEYYYYYYYYY

LET'S GO, MICKEY!!!

LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO!!!

RUN, DON'T WALK! RUN, DON'T WALK! 

"Actually, please walk! For the safety of you and those around you! Thank you!"

People are running because this. is. it. 

Do you see this? ARE YOU SEEING THIS???

We have arrived at humanity's greatest achievement:

Tokyo DisneySea.

My 6th Disney Resort!

We have arrived in no mere theme park. The things are not merely "themed." They just are. 

You can't call this a building themed to an active volcano. It simply is an active volcano, somehow constructed by man. 🌋

Are you ready for this?

It's so chilly outside, but I've got the geothermic activity inside Mt. Prometheus to keep me warm.

The steamy fog of the lens can only partially obscure the experiments, specimens, and workspaces of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island.

Decades of subterranean tunneling has carved us out quite the passage.

Take the lift to the launch bay! There's no time to waste!

Here begins the journey to environs far beyond your wildest dreams.

Before the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, Journey to the Center of the Earth was easily Disney's greatest dark ride. It's exactly as sensational as you'd expect a TestTrack-style dark thriller centerpiece of a $3Billion theme park to be. 

The end of the Shanghai Disneyland report directs readers to Thrillography and California Coaster King's "Worldwide Walt Disney Top 20" article. If you happened to end up there, you might've noticed that Journey to the Center of the Earth was at #3 on the list: Worldwide Walt Disney Attractions Top 20

If you want the best Disney has to offer that doesn't require a visa, come here. Be merry. Lose yourself. 

Even today, work continues. 

Across the bay, things are more relaxed.

The film credited with ushering in Disney's second renaissance features an appropriately substantial land in this ocean-oriented environ.

Attractions based on The Little Mermaid entertain riders both indoors and out.

Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster cheery undersea answer to Goofy's Barnstormer and Gadget's Go Coaster. 🐠🐟

Yesterday we rode the first Togo coaster. Today we ride the last. 

As part of an agreement to support local business, Tokyo Disney enlisted Togo to build DisneySea's first coaster. Less than a year later, Togo folded under the lawsuits filed by Cedar Fair over Knott's Berry Farm's Windjammer Surf Racer coasters. 

Like Hanayashiki's Roller Coaster, Flounder's Coaster is smooth, mild, and oh-so-cute. 

Not-so-hidden Mickeys abound.

This mesmerizing display of simulated bioluminescence is part of what helps keep DisneySea an' all-seasons park, even on the coldest of days.

Between this and Mt. Prometheus, who really needs to be outside anyway?!

Nostalgia came hard and fast for the ride the DisneySea shares with Disney's California Adventure: Jumping Jellyfish!

It's easily the oddest ride one could expect to find at more than one Disney park, since it's not explicitly themed to a Disney IP and the one in DCA is really a stretch thematically.  It feels much more at home inside Ariel's Grotto than on a Victorian-era boardwalk.

Mermaid Lagoon was a precursor to areas like DCA's It's a Bug's Land and the Toy Story Lands in Hong Kong, Paris and (eventually) Shanghai. It's more of a fleshed-out "kiddie area" than the earlier Toontown areas of Orlando, Anaheim, and Tokyo Disneyland (which we will be visiting later!).

Here's the theatre for the Little Mermaid show, which I kind of just stumbled into. It was LIIIIIIIT! 

Tokyo Disney merch game on point!!! 🛍🛍🛍

Back to Mysterious Island for lunch. :}

🍲🍜🍛

Dig the details. :}

Moving on.....

Feast your eyes on the future home of Arendelle! 

Arendelle will be located next to the Lost River Delta, which takes place roughly around where Mexico meets Central America (?).

Full-scale replica of a Mayan temple. Naturally.

Lost River Delta is a Disney thrill rider's paradise. This latin-style Adventureland is home to ships, shops, and a ship-shape near-clone of Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure (Instead of "Temple of the Forbidden Eye" it's "Temple of the Crystal Skull"). 

Indy's partner in crime, Raging Spirits, is a near-clone of the other Indiana Jones – Disneyland Paris's compact looping coaster. 🎢

The Japanese need for transparency motivated Disney to make it abundantly clear that Raging Spirits does indeed go upside down.

I'm a fan of Paris's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. Expectations weren't terribly high, but I was pleased with the experience overall.  

Raging Spirits is – on paper – the same ride as the Paris coaster. 

In reality, it's surprisingly more. It's smoother, more comfortable, and more thematically immersive. 

To keep up with the standards set by the other rides in the park, a "good enough" presentation for this ride simply would not have been...well...good enough.

Fire, water, and smoke effects push the ride's already top-notch presentation over the edge. 🔥

SWITCHING GEARS. Two more amazing scenescapes that call DisneySea home.

Let's take the trolley from Port Discovery (aka Tomorrowland with water) to the American Waterfront (aka Main Street U.S.A with water).

Right now Port Discovery is the smallest of DisneySea's 7 areas. The "Storm Riders" simulator ride has been retired in favor of an attraction themed to the Marine Life Institute from Finding Dory.

This leaves Aquatopia (more on that later) and the DisneySea Electric Railway as Port Discovery's only rides right now.

The American Waterfront is DisneySea's largest area – an amalgam of 1930s New York City, Boston, and Cape Cod.

Big Band Beat is the park's most popular show (and that's really saying something). People will camp out all day for seats to this jazzy Disney revue! 

Commanding attention from all passers-by is Tower of Terror, American Waterfront's signature attraction.

It only slightly resembles the Hollywood Tower Hotel motifs of its kindred; as you might've guessed, a different theme altogether was necessary for a NYC-style Tower of Terror. 

A tiny build-it-yourself replica of TOT is further evidence of DisneySea's superior souvenirs. 

God even the bathrooms here are outstanding. 🚽🥇

I'm just here for a FastPass. We'll take a look inside NYC's famous "Hotel Hightower" later.

Let's take another trip on the trolley. I really like the ride. Also it's raining. ☔

TROLLEY DUEL!

The more inland bits of the American Waterfront depict a Madison Avenue sort of thing.

American Waterfront borders Mediterranean Harbor, the park's entry area. We sorta blew past it all in the excitement of getting here this morning. 😅

Back in Lost River Delta I noticed local children playing with this...thing. 

These gold statue thingies have something to do with DisneySea's crystal-themed "Year of Wishes" (the park is now 15 years old; 15 is the crystal anniversary). You can buy magic wand-ish things that fit into the statue sort of and it...like...does stuff. I don't know. But the kids around the park were really excited about it. 

I'm frankly more excited about all the skeletons on the floor of the large Mayan temple.

Tokyo's Indiana Jones has a cool queue, but it's not quite as impressive as the virtually endless queue to Anaheim's Indy. 

Some aspects of the ride are eerily similar. Others are noticeably different (Tokyo's Indy lacks temple god Mara and fire effects, but features a large crystal skull (hence the ride's name) and a small tornado. Cool, right?)

Between Lost River Delta and Mermaid Lagoon is the Arabian Coast. 

At first I thought this area was all Aladdin themed, but its major ride is actually themed to Sinbad!

The small world-style Voyages of Sinbad ride really won me over. Great music and atmosphere.

This is the only place in the world (I think) where you can meet Middle-Eastern Stitch and Angel.

The bazaar features lots of shops, food, and even some cleverly themed midway games. 

The obligatory spun glass shop can be found here!

Inside the Sultan's Palace is an Aladdin show,

And a very impressive double-decker carousel. 🎠

*GASP*

CURRY POPCORN!

There will never be anything better than a rain-proof popcorn sleeve full of curry popcorn.

Although this view comes pretty close. Both DisneySea coasters in one shot!

As mentioned in the Shanghai update, coasters aren't really Tokyo Disney's strong suit. Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster is actually the closest thing they have to a unique coaster. Perhaps a coaster on the scale of TRON will come to Tokyo Disney someday??

You know what goes great with curry popcorn? 

CARAMEL POPCORN.

At Hong Kong Disneyland you can get curry and caramel corn served together. Having the two flavors within a few paces of each other is the next best thing!

ALSO: Special Tokyo Disney Resort green tea! 🍵

Next up is a classic re-born! It's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Mirroring the defunct attraction of the same name at Walt Disney World and echoing the nearby Journey to the Center of the Earth attraction, 20,000 Leagues is a Jules Verne-tastic sojourn through the briny, steam-punk-y depths!

Hey look! A map of Mysterious Island! You can even see Mt. Prometheus!

Here's where Captain Nemo comes to chill out when he's had enough of hipsters defiling the steampunk aesthetic.

Whoa. Look at this place. Ships' Graveyard. That definitely seems like a place we should go to in a submarine. Surely nothing bad will happen to the submarine at all.

Unlike the original 20,000 Leagues and Disneyland's Submarine Voyage, the Tokyo ride is actually a simulated underwater dark ride. The scenes and animatronics are all there in their rust-and-copper glory, but you aren't really in the water; special double-paned porthole windows fill with water and bubbles to create the illusion of being submerged! They did a great job of making the props behave as though they're under water, however. 

Who's up for a spin on Aquatopia? 

If you took Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters at DCA, swapped the cars for these little hovercraft things, and filled the area with about 6 inches of water, you'd have Aquatopia.

(well actually Aquatopia came first, so picture everything I just said, but in reverse).

Aboard your hovercraft you'll enjoy a small adventure around the tide pools of Port Discovery. The hovercraft almost seem to have personalities – venturing deliberately to areas of the shore they find the most appealing.

STOP EVERYTHING.

What you're looking at are Green Alien Mochi, which are strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ganache-filled bundles of perfection. 

I KNOW I SAID CURRY CARAMEL POPCORN IS THE GREATEST THING EVER BUT NOW I'M HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS, GUYS. 😱

Oh ok. White chocolate popcorn.

I'll just gain fifty thousand pounds on this trip from all of this epic junk food. No big deal. 

By this point it had started to, like, for real rain pretty hard. With another 45 minutes before my Tower of Terror FastPass, I decided to just wait in standby and ride twice. 

The queue was over an hour long, but I really didn't feel like going anywhere and then coming right back. Besides, look at this amazing lobby!

Like the TOTs before it, the Hightower Hotel has an elaborate lobby-themed queue that begins to tell the story of a fateful evening in which something went horribly, horribly wrong.

Harrison Hightower is the owner of the Hightower Hotel. He's a fearless explorer and avid collector of antiques.

On his last expedition, Harrison Hightower brought home a Polynesian tiki idol. 

No sooner was the tiki thing added to his archives did Harrison come crashing down the hotel's elevator shaft. His body was never found. 

Harrisson Hightower's disappearance was used as a marketing ploy to attract visitors to his archives. Naturally.

The archive is this Tower of Terror's version of the boiler room. Every holding bay has different themes reflecting the artifacts found inside. This one has lots of hieroglyphs. 

During my 2nd ride I got some pics of the preshow. Notice the tiki-thing on the left.

The preshow is in Japanese, of course,

but the imagery makes it pretty clear what has happened. 

Different holding bay! This one is all suits of armor and weapons!

Atmosphere-wise, this TOT blows Anaheim's (RIP) and Paris's out of the water. Still not quite the crazy trip-fest that is the Orlando one, but the unique story of this installation really makes it stand out.

The Hightower Hotel is captivating to watch. Lightning from Harrison's penthouse suite  strikes each elevator shaft as it hurls tourists to their deaths. ⚡

Full-sized ocean liner. Obviously.

Inside is a fancy restaurant and Crush's Turtle Talk! 🐢

Scrooge McDuck owns the pawn shop and the department store on the American Waterfront.

I SEE YOU TOT!

Coming back around to the entrance of the park, we enjoy Mt. Prometheus at night.

🌋💖

The windows you see above the shops of the Mediterranean Harbor are actually rooms inside Hotel Miracoasta! Yes, there is a Disney hotel literally inside of DisneySea!

For dinner we have some amazing pizza and some panna cotta that I am like 90% sure had some kind of booze in it.

There is just nothing more amazing to me than this view right now. 

Although the atmosphere is ⛆top-notch, Tower of Terror's ride cycle leaves something to be desired. It's short, overly gentle, and apparently requires a 3-point seatbelt. 

Journey to the Center of the Earth is only outside for, like, a microsecond. But it's still worth a night ride!

Now that I've ridden every major ride in the park at least twice, I'm kind of in the mood for some coaster action!

Lines for all the major rides were pretty long throughout the day (1-2hrs), even with the cold weather.

Even Raging Spirit's single ride line was almost a half hour earlier today!

But thanks to this amazing rain, everyone has cleared out!

Time for a Raging Spirits nighttime marathon! 🎢🎢🎢

As surprisingly good as this ride was during the day, it was even better at night! And in the rain! It's downright LIT, fam! 🔥

It took DisneySea almost 5 years to bring an adult-sized coaster to the party, but the wait yielded a ride worthy of the park's already flawless lineup. 

It's worth mentioning that, while the Paris Indy has basically Intamin shoulder restraints, Raging Spirits has custom harnesses with fluffy pillows on the shoulders! Such luxurious comfort! 

The super cozy harnesses are very important, since everyone here is...well...short. Headbanging would be a problem for a lot of people if this ride's harnesses weren't made out of clouds. 

Alright folks! Time to pack it in!

Goodnight DisneySea. See you again in two days. With better weather. 🌞😎

First day of Tokyo Disney Resort was AWESOME. Almost as awesome as this collection of character popcorn bucket-themed keychains.

God I love Japan. 

BAM! DAY TWO!

TOKYO DISNEYLAND!

My last "new" Disney park for the foreseeable future. 

Thanks to Tokyo Disneyland's unique wagon-wheel shape, you can take a hard left or a hard right on Main Street (or "World Bazaar", as they call it here) and be immediately in New Orleans Square or Tomorrowland, respectively. No hub passage necessary!

The closest ride to the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland is also the park's newest and most popular: "Monsters Inc: Ride and Go Seek!"

This one is a must-FastPass. The ride is lit and capacity isn't the greatest.

Tokyo Disneyland is the most symmetrical of any Disney park; the hub is surrounded by an almost-perfect circle of midway. The furthest distance between any two given points in the park is no more than a 10 minute walk, making for remarkable crowd flow and accessibility!

See? Amazing!

(also, notice how the Disneyland Railroad doesn't encircle the park. More on that later)

My 6th and final Disney castle. 💜

(hopefully we'll have a 7th in the next 10 years?) 🏰

Bad weather? Egregious photo altering. 

Tokyo Disney's Fantasyland is the oldest Fantasyland to not yet receive a major overhaul, making it the most "old school".

Tokyo Disneyland opened the same week as Disneyland Anaheim's "New Fantasyland." Tokyo's Pinocchio ride beat the debut of Anaheim's by just a few days, making Pinocchio's Daring Journey a Tokyo Disney original! :}

Much of Tokyo Disneyland is a "best of" of Disneyland Anaheim and Orlando's Magic Kingdom. A good example of this is Tokyo's Fantasyland being roughly half "New Fantasyland" from Anaheim and "Classic Fantasyland" from Orlando. 

Tokyo's "it's a small world" combined the larger-than-life façade of the Anaheim ride with the indoor station/queue and central-to-Fantasyland location of the Orlando ride. The lack of a massive façade for the Orlando ride was a mistake that Disney fortunately didn't make twice, but the "small world midway" at Disneyland Anaheim (and later Hong Kong Disneyland) is missed here in Tokyo. 

The medieval tent motif of old Fantasyland is still alive and well.

Tokyo also has the last of the old Dumbo configuration. It's quite quaint compared to the elaborate Dumbo presentations at all other Disney resorts. 🐘

Old-school Peter Pan sign!

If you feel at all nostalgic about how Fantasyland used to be in the U.S., put Tokyo on your list! Not a lot has changed here since 1983.

Do you miss Orlando's original Snow White ride? Tokyo's Snow White draws primarily from the opening-day Orlando version, with some elements of the Anaheim version.

To better prepare riders for the ride's frightening nature, the Anaheim ride's name was changed from "Snow White and Her Adventures" to "Snow White's Scary Adventures" (the Orlando version received the name change and substantial overhaul in 1994 that replaced many of its original scenes with happier scenes). 🍎

🦆 While in line, we met a couple of Donald Duck super fans! 🦆

(this level of character obsession is not uncommon in Japan)

Both U.S. versions of the ride opened with the concept of passengers "being" Snow White on her adventure, but guests were bewildered at the lack of her presence in her own ride (obviously she wouldn't be in the ride if the riders "are" her).

Updates of the U.S. rides (particularly the Orlando version) would come to include appearances from Snow (thus reducing the passengers from Snow White to mere onlookers), but Tokyo's remains largely unchanged from the original Orlando version.

The Tokyo and pre-1994 Orlando version consist almost entirely of scenes inspired by Snow's frightening run through the forest and scenes featuring the Evil Queen. The ride abruptly ends with Evil Queen's death. ⚰

BEHOLD: Miniture Mermaid Lagoon and it's a small world play sets.

There will never be better park merch than this right here. 

Alright! Who's ready for Tokyo Disneyland's bread & butter?

🍯 (or bread & hunny, I should say) 🍯

Delicious snacks have been procured for our wait!

Molten chocolate and sweet potato stuffed churros!

When time came to give Tokyo Disney a ride based on arguably the region's most beloved international IP, absolutely no shortcuts were taken.

Disneyland, Disney World, Hong Kong Disney, and Shanghai Disney all share a very similar Winnie the Pooh ride that, while popular, isn't exactly star status at any park. 

"Pooh's Hunny Hunt", which actually began development before any of the other Pooh rides, was the first to feature Disney's remarkable LPS (location positioning system) ride vehicles. It's also #12 on California Coaster Kings' Worldwide Walt Disney Top 20!

AND it has a queue that puts you literally inside of the book, which I think it PRETTY COOL GUYS. 📙

The simple tracked dark ride that calls every other Disney resort home (except for Paris, which, despite its proximity to Great Britain, apparently doesn't care about Pooh) certainly gets the job done, but wasn't going to be enough for Tokyo.

Pooh's Hunny Hunt is a bonafide E-ticket attraction in the truest sense. When it opened in 2000, guests were dazzled by the way hunny pots seemed to "dance" their way through the ride independently. Classic dark ride elements and several 4D-esque incorporations elevated the attraction well beyond its Fantasyland contemporaries. 

Later dark ride implementations of the LPS dark ride (Paris's Ratatouille and Hong Kong's Mystic Manor) as well as outdoor, flat-ride-esque implementations (DisneySea's Aquatopia and California Adventure's Rollicking Roadsters) have amplified what this technology is capable of, but many still consider its original incarnation to be the best. 🐝

Ok guys. Sad time now. 😔

As of this writing, Tokyo Disney's Grand Circuit Raceway has been retired after 33 years of service. 🚗⚰

The still-well-loved ride is being replaced with an AMAZING-LOOKING Beauty and the Beast LPS dark ride.

But man, this is an end of an era. Arrow Dynamics car rides are quintessential Disney.

This is the 2nd of Disney's 5 Tomorrowland car rides to retire, following the quiet departure of Hong Kong Disney's Autopia last June after a mere 10 years of service. 

Cast members REALLY seem to love their jobs at Tokyo Disney, and nowhere is that more apparent than the Grand Circuit Speedway. They must be very sad at the ride's departure. :{

This was the last Raceway / Autopia I had left to ride. Had my trip been a few days later, I would have missed it!

The Tokyo ride has the same basic layout and concept as the Orlando's Tomorrowland Speedway (Formerly "Grand Prix Raceway"), only the Tokyo one is honestly lot nicer. The landscaping is a lot more like Anaheim's Autopia, and the queue and station are quite substantial compared to the bare-bones Orlando ride (whose days are also rumored to be numbered).

⛽⛽⛽

It takes a veritable army of cast members to operate this ride. That's part of the problem.

As iconic as it is, there's nothing futuristic about driving a race car (or in the case of the Anaheim, Paris, and Hong Kong Autopias, there's nothing futuristic about driving on the freeway. At least, not anymore).

Like, these people REALLY love this ride.

Just look. 

Nearby, a soggy Space Mountain plays host to a national "coming of age" holiday. 🎎

The throwback element of Tokyo's Fantasyland can also be found on Space Mountain, which still features a moving incline entrance and a low-tech interior, where the only stars come from some strategically-placed disco balls.  

Next up! Our FastPasses for Monsters Inc Ride & Go Seek are ready! 

This simple and unassuming little ride is yet another Tokyo inclusion on the CCK Worldwide Walt Disney Top 20, coming in at #9.

"Really, Alex? This is one of the 10 best rides Disney has ever built?" 😕

"Yeah, fam. This ride is genius. It's rooms full of countless passenger-activated animatronics you trigger with a flashlight. It sounds so simple but IT'S PRETTY DANG COOL, GUYS. I was skeptical when Kaitlin said this was better than Pooh's Hunny Hunt but she was TOTALLY RIGHT."

Alright. Back to Fantasyland for some grub.

Anaheim may have the only Alice in Wonderland dark ride, but Tokyo has the only Alice in Wonderland restaurant. 

The local fascination with Alice in Wonderland is on par with that of Winnie the Pooh. The Brits have definitely struck a chord in Japan!

The Asian practice of displaying delicious-looking fake food samples at restaurants is something I miss greatly when I return to the states.

Lots of commotion in the Queen of Heart's royal kitchen. Today's special is severed head. 

Hah! Just kidding. Today I'm having steak, caesar salad, and strawberry mousse in the shape of heart with a side of white rice (obviously). 🍚

Hey look! The sun came out just in time for Tokyo Disney's daytime parade! :}

The parade is called "Happiness is Here".

As the name suggests, the parade is both here and also happy.

This parade is big on carousel horses. Or in Lilo and Stitch's case, carousel sea horses.

In general, Happiness is Here seems to have a toy theme. 

Leave it to the actual toys to roll up in a tricycle.

Well ok this just looks like a typical over-sized elephant. Maybe it's not all toy themed?

The Star Jets sort of look like toys. 🚀

Here comes Rapunzel! I bet she likes roller coasters. And Parachute rides. :}

The other princesses are on a giant (toy?) swan? 

They have to stand up while Rapunzel gets to sit for the whole parade. 

Here comes Tinkerbell floating upon a toy flowerbed.

The Brits are definitely down for some carousel horse / bicycle action.

I really appreciate that the King of Hearts is an especially small character actor and the Queen is...like...a tank.

Here's the Mad Hatter towing a likeness of himself. I guess you could say he's got multiple personalities. 

Rabbit seems like the least likely character to ride on the back of a Woozle, and yet here we are. 

Hunny Hunt float! 

Hey, can you guess what's on this float?

Yep. Carousel horses. 
🎠🎠🎠

"Wow! The Star Jets look awesome!" said Minnie.

"Well don't get too attached. They'll be joining the Grand Circuit Raceway soon" 🚀⚰

The last float is made of lots and lots of Mickey balloons.

Well ok actually this is technically the last float. The sponsor!

Look at the time! It's time for it's a small world. :}

This is all so familiar and yet so different.

The inside is very nice. Unique to Tokyo Disneyland and true to Mary Blair's style. :}

Poor Grand Circuit Raceway 😞

🎫 🎫 🎫

Yeah, so they take their popcorn very seriously out here. The park map even shows where you can get each flavor.

One of the gift shops in Tomorrowland has unique Disney Gashapon.

What's Gashapon, you ask? Capsule toys! 

The Gashapon machine in Tomorrowland is actually its own attraction. People line up for it all day to buy one of 4 mini toys (dispensed randomly).

I wish U.S. Disney parks took merchandise as seriously as Asia.

Both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea have entire stores dedicated exclusively to cookie tins. 

Yes. Cookie tins. 🍪🍪🍪

The glass roof over World Bazaar seemed kind odd at first, but I bet it really comes in handy during wet weather!

Marching entertainment at its finest.

When you take that hard left out of World Bazaar, you end up in a nice little spot of Adventureland that's kind of a mix of the two areas.

New Orleans Square!

Unlike Disneyland Anaheim, Tokyo's New Orleans Square is not an independent area. It's listed as part of Adventureland.

When you walk into the entrance of Pirates, suddenly it feels just like Anaheim!

Though a key difference is this indoor overflow queue.

Here's a nice planogram of today's pillage. 

Just like Anaheim!

A bonus Tokyo exclusive is the Theater Orleans, which is located roughly where the Disneyland Railroad Station would be in Anaheim.

There was a time when Anaheim's New Orleans looked just like this! At some point in the 80s, the current bridge configuration over the Pirates entrance was added to improve traffic flow.

Hey look! It's Rapunzel! You know, we've only just met her today, but I feel like we've know her for a while. :}

Whew! Look at that lovely afternoon sun!

Oh yeah. This is some prime Cinderella's Castle lighting right here.

Here it's almost hard to tell we're not in Orlando. :}

Hi Walt. :}

Forced perspective photography in progress. These people are such nerds! Just like me!

Back to Adventureland! 🌴🎋

Tokyo Disney's railroad is quite interesting. 

As mentioned before, it doesn't actually encircle the park. 

And, surprisingly, Tokyo Disney's "Western River Railroad" is not actually a mode of transportation. It's a roundtrip ride with just one station!

🚂 Yeah! Leg room for the win! 🚂

The oddness of the Tokyo train continues; it has a western theme, a western name, and is, for the most part, located in Westernland (Frontierland) and Critter Country. Its station, however, is located in Adventureland – directly above the docks for Jungle Cruise! 

Tokyo Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Rivers of America, and Splash Mountain are all arranged together in a row. 

The Western River Railroad threads itself through these and other attractions, making itself generally more visible than similar Disney railroads. 

The railroad hugs roughly 70% of the perimeter of Tokyo Disney's other major railroad-themed mainstay. 

Wrapping the railroad around Big Thunder makes so much sense. Both attractions benefit from an elevation of atmosphere.

If you're lucky, you might find yourself racing the Mark Twain on one side...

...and Big Thunder on the other!

But before the ride ends, you may find yourself in a race with the Jungle Cruise as well! (and yes, the dinosaurs from the U.S. Disney railroads make an appearance)

Enchanted Tiki Room Orlando? Nah fam! Tokyo! 🗾

Adventureland has a nice, seamless transition into Westernland. The stretch from Tiki Room to Big Thunder is a (relatively) quiet place in the park due to its lack of attractions.

If we go back to picturing Tokyo Disneyland as a "wheel" for a moment, literally the only segment of wheel not occupied by a ride is this little bit of Adventureland/Westernland just left of the castle. The entire rest of the "wheel" is literally caked with rides (although the Country Bear Jamboree can be found here, for what it's worth).

Bearing in mind (haha...get it? Bearing) that Critter Country was devised specifically for Country Bear Jamboree in Anaheim, I was surprised to find it located in Tokyo's Westernland.

Because of its location next to the Tiki Room, the longest distance between two actual rides at Tokyo Disneyland is the Wester River Railroad and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

When you look at a map of this place, it really is astounding the amount of care that was taken to arrange all of these rides in the most space-conscious manner. 

While the word "sprawling" is a good way to describe Disneyland Anaheim and Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disney is the antithesis of sprawling. The park is systematically compartmentalized – a trait made possible by developing a roster of pre-existing rides into a virtually complete-upon-opening theme park.  

While this makes for a highly efficient experience overall, the coziness and quaintness found only in the smaller tendrils of Disney parks is totally nonexistent here. 

And, with major attractions lined up so uniformly together, it's hard for any one ride to have any particular presence. The Haunted Mansion (closed for its transformation from Haunted Mansion Holiday into regular Haunted Mansion) is a good example; an attraction this iconic carries a great deal of presence in its other respective locations, but here, in the interest of space conservation, the ride is squished between Splash Mountain and the Alice in Wonderland restaurant. Blink and you'll miss it. 

It can be inconvenient at times, but there's something to be said for the more...organic arrangements of Disneyland Anaheim and Magic Kingdom. The parks since Tokyo Disneyland have been a return to deliberately asymmetrical layouts, particularly in the case of parks like DisneySea and Shanghai Disneyland. 

I would have loved nothing more than to stand back far enough to really appreciate the small world façade the same way one can in Anaheim or Hong Kong...

... but the planter arrangements that break up the midway allow for only so much unobscured viewing. Even without them, a shot of small world from as far back as possible (literally inside the station of Pinocchio's Daring Journey) is only about 50ft away. 

With Tokyo Disneyland's immediate near-completeness-and-perfecness is the double-edged sword of things changing very slowly. Only a handful of attractions here – Splash Mountain, Toontown, Pooh's Hunny Hunt, and Monsters Inc being the most notable – came after the park's initial planning stages. 

The Grand Circuit Raceway closing was especially big news out here, since very few attractions have left Tokyo Disney Resort (especially compared to the U.S. parks). When the resort made their first ever ride removal (Tokyo Disney Skyway in 1998), Pooh's Hunny Hunt followed in short order. 

Like Tokyo's incarnation of the Disneyland Railroad, Tokyo's rendition of the iconic Skyway ride was rather peculiar; it, like the Western River Railroad, was more form than function. The entire length of the Tokyo Skyride was only from Space Mountain (or just in front of it, rather), to roughly where I took this picture; much shorter than the Anaheim Skyway and close to half the length of the Orlando Skyway. 

Only a few small chunks of land were set aside for future development within Tokyo Disneyland. Those spots became Critter Country and Toontown, thus capping out the space-premium'd park just 10 years after it opened (fortunately a whole 'nother theme park would soon show up right next door).

I'm used to Disneyland's Toontown being a far-removed area of the park branching off the already far-removed it's a small world midway. In Tokyo, Toontown is right on the midway between Hunny Hunt and Grand Circuit Raceway.

It's pretty much the same as Anaheim's, although some things are moved around.

I have literally gone all day without riding a roller coaster so far. And in a park with three new credits! Sheer insanity! 😱

Despite the PG-13-esque nature of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Anaheim's Toontown has a reputation for being the kiddie area in an already kiddie-oriented theme park. In Tokyo, Toontown is no more or less occupied by children than any other area in the park. 

If there's anything the locals take seriously here (besides parades and shows), it's Meet & Greets, which renders character-heavy regions like Toontown particularly popular. While the Anaheim Toontown closes hours before the rest of the park in most cases, Tokyo Toontown is a hoppin' party right up until close. 

I think it's finally time for my FINAL SPACE MOUNTAIN CREDIT!

Seemingly incapable of settling for ordinary aesthetic, Tokyo's Space Mountain becomes a light show at night. 

Light aside, Space Mountain Tokyo is actually the most classic of the five Space Mountains at this point.

Orlando's may be the oldest, but the Tokyo rendition has a noticeable lack of updates since its debut. Neither Orlando nor Tokyo feature onboard audio on their Space Mountains, but Tokyo's lacks offboard audio as well. There's no sound in Tokyo Space except for the rolling of coaster wheels and the screams of riders!

A silent Space Mountain ride in Tokyo will bring back memories of pre-2010 Space Mountain Orlando rides and pre-2005 Space Mountain Anaheim rides. 

Just like Anaheim, there's a chicken exit for guests who've gotten cold feet about their space mission. 

What's that I see over there??

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in the same frame!

I was looking forward to a traditional Anaheim/Hong Kong-style Space Mountain ride (in contrast to all of the Hyperspace Mountain rides I've been getting), but I was pleasantly treated to a down-right old-school Space Mountain experience instead! 

Tokyo Disney Resort is obsessed with turning their landmarks blue at night. Space Mountain, Cinderella's Castle, Mt. Prometheus, and Tower of Terror all glow blue after sundown!

The differences between Cinderella's Castle (relatively) nearby Shanghai Disneyland Enchanted Storybook Castle are highlighted by visiting both parks in the same week. 

With such easy access to every attraction on Tokyo Disneyland's outer loop, the hub is surprisingly serene. :}

The classic Crystal Palace is here too, of course. 💎

Let's head back into Adventureland for a bit.

The Swiss Family Robinson treehouse lights up the hub entrance to Adventureland! 

As I was walking to Westernland I heard over the PA that the Tokyo Disney Electrical Parade was about to start! Naturally I got 🍦 and settled in for the show!

Everyone knows that the Main Street Electrical Parade is one of the LITTEST (get it? Lit-est. It's lit. Because it's made of lights) about going to Disney...

...little did I know that Tokyo's Electrical Parade is LITERALLY THE LITTEST THING EVER.

I mean, I really shouldn't've been surprised. Everything about Tokyo is either a cut above or a wild nostalgia trip. "Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dream Lights" is maximum levels of both.

The Dream Lights edition of Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade has been around since 2001. It must be pretty good to have lasted so long, right?

The floats are a nice bridge between the analogue charm of the original Main Street Electrical Parade and the outstanding light-magic of Hong Kong and Anaheim's Paint the Night parade.

Classic floats like the Cheshire Cat and Pete's Dragon are super-sized in Tokyo; all the better for shuttling around the films' respective lead characters. 🐲

Captain Hook's pirate ship is here too! But this one also has some serious upgrades from the original. 🛳

Dream Light parade floats change color seamlessly in time with the music (which is various interpolations of the classic Electrical Parade theme, "Baroque Hoedown").

Some floats are composed almost entirely of thousands of tiny LEDS (made to look like the incandescent bulbs of the original floats).

Other floats mix the traditional mini-bulb style with lifelike technicolor illuminations of famous characters, a la Paint the Night.

Every float seemed to outperform the last. Eventually you think "the next float can't possibly be cooler than this one."

And then this SENSATIONAL every-color Genie float rolls up and steals the show. 

The Genie float is seriously a wonder among wonders. I wanted to follow it all the way down the parade. 

Genie is basically a massive 3D LED Genie-shaped screen. 

Patterns and shapes exploded on the Genie-screen in time with the music or in rapidly increasing succession until a sort-of explosion resets him back to his signature blue for a moment. 

It's worth pointing out that Dream Lights isn't the only nighttime spectacular where Genie reaches superstar status; arguably the most memorable moment in the nighttime castle shows in Disneyland Paris and Shanghai is when projections turn the castles into Genie himself. 

Not to be totally outdone by Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine come rolling up in traveling likeness of Agrabah that would make even Las Vegas blush.

Here come Rapunzel and Flynn in – what else? A giant, glowing version of her tower home, carried along by rainbow flowers and luminarias. Naturally. 

Here we have Punzel going full Titanic. 

Genie is probably the best float ever, but are you ready for the FUNNIEST float ever?

Here we have Prince Charming on his own float, wherein he is HOLDING CINDERELLA'S GLASS SLIPPER OUT TOWARD THE AUDIENCE WITH THIS CONFUSED LOOK ON HIS FACE LIKE "yo I met this cool girl last night but she lost her shoe and I forgot what she looks like help plz."

Behind Prince Charming is this cavalcade of women who wish they were Cinderella.

Behind the float of Cinderella wannabes is the Tinkerbell squad (which is basically Tinkerbell and a bunch of Tinkerbell wannabes). 

Oh! We're transitioning into the finale floats now!

The music became a mash up of Baroque Hoedown and it's a small world.

I was losing my mind. 

Chip and Dale were kind enough to pose for a picture. 

Pinocchio and Stitch on the same float?? 

It really is a small world after all!

It really is a small world after all: Exhibit 2.

The Three Caballeros and the Aristocats together on one float? Sure. Why not!?

At a few points in the show, every float glows white as the music crescendos. It's remarkable. 

Honestly even the sponsor float is amazing!

Nighttime rides on Big Thunder were an incredible end to an outstanding night!

We'll be back for some daytime rides too, of course. 🌞

Let's take a moment to reflect on the stunning Cinderella's Castle before we depart for the evening. 

:}

BAM! Day THREE! Amazing weather at DisneySea!

DisneySea's colors really pop in the morning sun! 🌅

Dazzling in any weather, DisneySea is straight-up unbelievable on a perfect-weather day.

Some of the shows were cancelled on my first day because of the rain. We'll get to enjoy them today!

But our focus will stay on rides and scenery as always. :}

Just a friendly reminder that the park's lagoon is ACTUALLY PART OF THE OCEAN. I can't get over how cool that is.

Tokyo Disney seems to have just about everything – including tulips in every color. 🌷

First order of business! Meeting Ariel!

Isn't she just beautiful?? She kind of looks like she could be Rapunzel's sister. :}

It's like 45º outside but this ice pop was irresistible.

So delicious! This is a signature sweet for Tokyo Disney, along with an orange tropical fruit-flavored Mickey counterpart. They've been immortalized in keychain form – available only at the Tomorrowland Gashapon machine (along with miniature Mickey and Minnie themed cheeseburger keychains*).

*Yes, cheeseburger keychains. In the shape of Mickey and Minnie's head. I'm not making this up. Don't believe me? Go back and zoom in on the shot of the Gashapon machine!

*___________________*

There are some nice outdoor areas that we didn't tackle on day one because of the weather. We can appreciate them much more on a day like today. :}

This area reminds me of the entrance to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. Only cooler. 

American Waterfront: Springtime Edition.

Tower of Terror doesn't actually lend itself to a lovely day. Grey skies or dark of night are what elevate this elevator!

Oh yeah almost forgot! This is here!

I wasn't planning on doing this one, but the fam was happy to use one of the day's FastPasses on it. We'll be back in...11 hours. 😂

On a nice day, Hotel Hightower looks almost normal.

Almost as normal as Japan's obsessive culture.

Hey! It's Mickey! Can you guess what that means?

It means it's time for the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!!!

Enter: "A Table Is Waiting", a spirited musical revue about food. Seriously. 

Act 1 (or First Course, I should say):

Mexican Chip & Dale sing about tacos. Donald shows up and dances with a lady dressed as a taco salad. (I'd use the taco Emoji but it hasn't made its way to Blogger yet)

The hot salsa is too hot for Donald! He's burned his bill!

Here we have a highschool girl taking pictures of the show with a $1000 camera set-up.

Second Course: Indian Curry, featuring Daisy and four dancers: Paprika, Cumin, Saffron, and Coriander. Together, they are:

*wait for it*

THE SPICE GIRLS!!!

(this is literally the greatest put ever. Don't tell me that it's not)

Third Course: Japan's favorite American cuisine, Cheeseburger (curated by Pluto).

In true American fashion, the Hamburger sequence plays out like a major-league sports competition thing.

Half Time! 

The lettuce-clad cheerleaders usher out a bottom hamburger bun and a ketchup bottle that shoots confetti. 

At this point all of the cheeseburger components assemble themselves into a fully-realized symbol of American pride. 🍔

🍱 MAIN COURSE: Goofy's Bento Box. 🍱

 🍤 Complete with shrimp tempura! 🍤

"Hey man, heard you got a job at Tokyo DisneySea!"

"Yeah! It's great"

"What do you do there?"

"I hoist a large tower of shrimp over my head and parade it around park guests."

I mean, there are certainly worse job descriptions out there. Like being the hamburger patty at the bottom of a human cheeseburger.

I seriously want to eat everyone on stage right now. 

Dessert: Mickey and Minnie's French pastries.

Leave it to Mickey to fake out the audience by pretending to throw pies at us! 

*cue a wild finale of all the foods coming together as one*

This is seriously the best show I've ever seen. Sadly it just ended its 7 year run; the good news is you can watch it on YouTube with English subtitles! 

Just across the bay are the goings-on of the 15th Anniversary show.

Everyone's favorite characters have arrived upon boats made of crystals. Obviously.

The fact that they somehow took crystals and made them buoyant is unbelievable, but then so is everything else here. 

"Hey, what are you doing today?"

"Oh nothing, just watching Tokyo DisneySea's new show from my hotel room."

There's singing and dancing and jet skis and more!

The crystal outfits are on point. 💎

See this woman in front of us? She is holding two stuffed Pluto toys. Pluto is dancing in front of us. IT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. This lady stood right here because she knew her beloved Pluto would be dancing here. #obsessed

The jetskis tow these magnificent stunt kite quintets behind them.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Neither.

It's DISNEYSEA!

OH LOOK Genie is here to steal the show ONCE AGAIN. It's ok tho because he's awesome.

I wanted to watch the whole show but it just kept on going and going and going and I was about to collapse from hunger.

I tried to sneak over to the pizza place I went to a couple days ago but the midway was crawling with characters!

There's no costumed character too obscure for DisneySea! Where else can you find Scrooge McDuck dancing with Panchito Pistoles and José Carioca!

After visiting Epcot's Venice, Las Vegas's Venice, and actual Venice last year, I can now say with confidence that DisneySea's Venice is my favorite one of all!

Gotta love the Japanese Gondoliers. :}

There's a special place in Disney Sea's Mediterranean Harbor that's always abuzz.

And not just because of Pete in drag.

Big Band Beat, Tokyo Disney Resort's most popular show, offers lower-bowl seating for each of its daily showings, but only via lottery! Scan the ticket of every person in your group and see if there's a lucky row of seats waiting for you!

Hey! We won!  🎉🎊

Stepping back outside I'm like "wow oh yeah I'm at a theme park!"

Like show this picture to someone and be like "Yes. What you are looking at is a theme park. Italy isn't actually this nice."

Look at the people camped out for Big Band Beat! We are lucky ones today! 🎵

Back for mooooore 💚

The part of the park that's closest to the open sea is a lovely stretch between the American Waterfront and Port Discovery. Look at all of the 🚢s in the background!

Before I'd just been taking the trolley along this area. Today we do the scenic route!

Welcome to Cape Cod! A lovely region devoted to shopping, food, and that gorgeous ocean view. 🌊

There's no rides or major shows here, but that doesn't mean Cape Cod isn't a happenin' place!

Welcome to Aunt Peg's Village Store! Home to one of Tokyo Disney's biggest stars!

It's Duffy the Disney Bear! 🐻

Duffy is Mickey Mouse's Teddy Bear. Duffy's girlfriend is Shellie Mae, which is Minnie's Teddy Bear. They are an enormous cultural sensation in Japan and I don't exactly know why, but hey – the bears are pretty cute.

To Japanese people, Teddy Bears are sort of like...well...cheeseburgers! Quintessentially American and therefor totally fascinating, right?

Can you believe this is in Tokyo?

It's a beautiful day for a drive on Aquatopia!

Love taking your Duffy Bear around DisneySea?? There are some specially-designed Duffy photo "seats" set up so you can show the world how much fun your Duffy Bear is having on his dream vacation!  

Aquatopia sounds kinda dumb on paper, but it's truly a delight; LPS vehicles scuttling around in a few inches of water, exploring different elements of the tide. 

LOOK AT THE MICKEY HAND EARS! I WANT THEM!  👐

Hank and Dory are here to hype us up for the new Finding Dory attraction coming this year! Port Discovery will once again have two main attractions!

Things are a little quieter today over at the Lost River Delta.

Indiana Jones has closed for its annual refurbishment. Good thing we got two rides on it the other day!

Raging Spirits is still kickin' however.

Funny thing happened to me on this day's Raging Spirits ride: a couple of cast members plucked me out of the queue but couldn't really explain to me why (language barrier). They lead me and my cousins backstage, down a secluded hallway, and into a small room with a Raging Spirits test seat!

They wanted to make sure that I wasn't too tall before I got in line! 😂😂😂


(it's funny that I'd already ridden 5 times but I had only just now been put in the test seat)
 

The Kingdom of Agrabah looks radiant in the afternoon sun! 🌞

As does Mt. Prometheus and Mermaid Lagoon :}

A dusk ride on Journey to the Center of the Earth is always a good idea. :}

Who's up for a twilight trolley ride? 🚋

#sunsetgoals 🌅

Sun-drenched Aquatopia!

And Mt. Prometheus!

Night rides on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are nice but pretty much the same as a daytime ride. ;}

I spy a Journey excavator! 

Look at this amazing duck animatronic! 

🌄

Tokyo DisneySea's water taxi has a station that's underneath the Lost River Delta! It's right next to the Saludos Amigos Meet & Greet!

There's some extra-nice views to be had from water level. :}

See? 

This place is so beautiful. I never want to leave here.

Think they'll let me live in the MiraCosta?

Yes. I have decided to move into the hotel.

Hey! Let's check out my new house. :}

The kitchen features unlimited Green Alien Dumplings.

In the parlor we have an artist's rendition of DisneySea on opening day!

Not a bad hallway view 🌋

And here's the living room! Quaint, isn't it? :}

The ceiling is sufficient. ;}

The hotel shop is called MICKEYANGELO! 😂

You can get a little model of Japan Airlines DisneySea 15th Anniversary jet!

You can even get a bag that looks like the MiraCosta!

Here's a street view. :}

Let's check out some local amenities! Tokyo Disney's answer to Downtown Disney / Disney Springs is called "Ikspiari". There's lots of amazing indoor and outdoor shopping, and incredible food!

I had a field day at the grocery store in Ikspiari! So many Japanese goodies!

One of Ikspiari's countless amazing food options is an Asian street food restaurant called "Food Food".

LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAVE! IT'S TAKOYAKI! 

Now that I've procured two shopping bags full of food, time to meet the rest of the fam!

Soy rice cakes, takoyaki, inari, and fruit nectar!

This is my death row meal. Right here.

Now for a monorail ride back to DisneySea! We still have one more FastPass!

Unlike other Monorails, the "Tokyo Disney Resort Line" is actually a functioning offshoot of the Tokyo metro. It costs money, but you can use your metro card as payment!

There's a lovely view of the Disneyland Hotel from the Ikspiari station. :}

Back to DisneySea we go!

Another great station view!

Back to the world's most beautiful park for one last ride!

💎💎💎

Gotta pass through Venice real quick!

Don't forget Toyland Trolley Park! 

This area of the American Waterfront is a throwback to Victorian-era seaside parks, like Coney Island's Luna Park.

The inside is similar to the queue for Toy Story Mania in Orlando.

Now every Disney resort will have either a Toy Story Land or a Toy Story Mania, and Orlando will have both!

Through the door to Andy's bedroom!

Toy Story Mania is extremely popular. Even more popular than Ride and Go Seek!

Ah, Tokyo DisneySea. I love you. You are the best.

🌊Goodnight🌋

Morning of Tokyo Day 5 = exhaustion sets in.

Need some caffeine!

The shuttle is here! (this is how we've been getting to Disney from our Airbnb)

Our 4th and final Tokyo Disney day: unfinished business at Disneyland!

Good morning Space Mountain!

Today is a tough day for some at Tokyo Disney.

Today is Grand Circuit Raceway's final day of operation. 😭😭😭

The crowds were out to show their love for the classic attraction.

I'm very glad that I got my rides in earlier...

...cuz today the line is LONG!

Look at them go! 🚗 🚙

The humming of the little cars fills the air for one final day.

The charmingly-NASA-esque doesn't have much time left either. We'll be back for a ride shortly!

It's another gorgeous day in Tokyo Fantasyland!

Today we're needed elsewhere, however!

Westernland ho! 

Today I want some quality daytime rides on Big Thunder Mountain! ⚡

Looks like everyone else had the same idea! 

Big Thunder Mountain is more popular than Space Mountain or Raging Spirits!

Standby waits for the wildest ride in the wilderness often exceed an hr wait, much like in Disneyland Paris.

Also like in Paris, Tokyo's Big Thunder features an elevated queue that leads to the double station underneath.

Unlike Paris's, however, amazing up-close views are to be had from the queue of the Tokyo ride. 

Despite the re-arranged station, brake run, and finalé sequence, this Big Thunder is quite similar to its U.S. counterparts.

Every Big Thunder has its third lift through the tallest peak, but only Tokyo's puts you face to face with the queue as you crest the hill.

The signature dinosaur skeleton splashdown has moved to a more secluded area. It's a thrilling surprise for first-time riders!

From Big Thunder's queue we can see the last Disney mountain I have yet to experience: Tokyo Splash Mountain!

Between the two country/western mountains are the rafts to Tom Sawyer's Island.

And...Snowgies...?

Oh wow, there's a few!

Big Thunder Mountain in action? Nope! It's the Western River Train chuggin' along! 🚂

The Indian War Canoes are still going strong in Tokyo!

I caught some sick breakdancing between Fantasyland and Critter Country! 

Perfectly unassuming cast members just started bustin' a move hardcore! I love this park!💃🕺

Tokyo Critter Country is based on the Anaheim version, but the two areas have totally unique layouts!

Splash Mountain is a close replica of Orlando's, but with a few subtle differences.

No matter what country, I just adore this ride. It has become a must-ride for me over the years. Tokyo's and Orlando's are both wonderful, but I still prefer the classic in-line style of the Anaheim original. :}

Tokyo Critter Country is a bit more concise than the Anaheim version. Tokyo doesn't do bottlenecks, so their Critter Country had to be nice and wide!

Western River Railroad makes lots of daily appearances. :}

The waterfront of Critter Country is a great place to watch the Mark Twain steam along. 

Oh! So the canoes here are not called the Indian War Canoes. I guess that's just what I assumed they were called based on my Disneyland upbringing. I like the beaver name too! :}

So, get this! Critter Country here is two stories! The "upstairs" is the entrance / midway for Splash Mountain as well as this cool enclosed gift nook. 

The "downstairs" is Splash Mountain's station and drop spillway and the Hungry Bear Restaurant!

Splash Mountain Tokyo is a mirror-image of the Orlando version. The "Slip n' Falls" drop is enclosed here, however.

The view from the drop is especially nice! The castle feels like it's right in front of you!

Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Pooh, and Monster's Inc are the four most crowded rides at Tokyo Disney for sure. :}

Can you spot the train? :}

Normal picture, right? WRONG. Big Thunder was temporarily broken when this was taken!

2 for 1 Mountains!

10 for 1 Snowgies!

Look at the time! We only have a few hours left to squeeze in some can't-miss rides!

But first! A sunny stroll on the hub.

Gotta love Cindy's Castle. :}

🏰

Wow! A Snowgie dragon! 🐉

Today the hub is a playground fit for snowgies!

Got a spare A-ticket? hop on the Omnibus!

My 4th and final Jungle Cruise is next!

Wherever you are in the world, the Jungle Cruise humor is always on point.

(look at the menu)

Noted!

Our chariot awaits!

Look at the beautiful butterflies!

I wish all the Jungle Cruises had butterflies! 

*ANIMAL EXPLOSION*

On Tokyo's Jungle Cruise, the lion cubs play with their mom's tail (instead of the tail of the dead zebra).

Watch your back!

Ooooooooooh snake babe! 😀💙

The backside of water may be more famous, but the frontside cleans up pretty good.

The signs for this ride are full of win. 

We narrowly avoided being eaten by these fat river dogs.

*native uprising sounds*

More snake babes!

I couldn't understand what the skipper was saying, but I'm sure it's wonderfully cheesy. 

It's an elephant pool party!

🌊🐘

Trader Sam's!

Aurora: "Hey boys! Wanna picture in front of my castle?"

Boys: "Your castle? I thought this was Cinder–"

Aurora: "Shut up nobody asked you."

Snow White's wishing well is getting a smidge of TLC.

Just like in Shanghai, I straight-up forgot to do the castle walk-thru.

We'll just have to enjoy it from down here. :}

I didn't go for a spin on Alice's Tea Party today, but I did stop for a moment to smell the roses. 🌹

Tokyo is arguably the world's most futuristic society, but they still show love for payphones around here! 

Hey! How about a spin on Roger Rabbit?

I think the queue is the same here as it is in Anaheim. If it's different, I couldn't tell.

*EXCEPT* I think in the Anaheim version they took away Baby Herman's cigar. 🚭

Ride-wise, it's exactly the same as the Anaheim version. Orlando peeps are missing out!

Of course there's Snowgies on the counter. 

💗 Dumbo 💗

I came for the little map of Toontown, but I stayed for the epic uniformity of the flowerbed in the background. 

Alrighty! It's Start Jet time! Sponsored by Japan Airlines!

Detailed rocket operation instructions!

The jets are wider than earlier Disney rocket tides, but these still have inline seating.

Down below, the parade is hoppin'!

The last day of flights over Grand Circuit Speedway 💔

A peak at Beauty and the Beast construction will give guests a cool new reason to fly the Star Jets! 

Yes, I had to come back for my Gashapon keychains. Gotta love the cast member outside showing everyone what the line is for!

If Disneyland Anaheim had one of these, people would probably line up around the corner there too!

Oh! Real quick! Let's ride Star Tours!

And by quick, I mean quick! Star Tours had literally the shortest wait of any Tokyo Disneyland ride on our visit. 

The contrast is startling: Star Tours in the U.S. can easily fetch an hr wait on a medium-crowd day. In Tokyo, the line for the Gashapon machine is longer!

All of the Star Tours charm is alive and well in Tokyo; it's just grossly underappreciated around here.

I miss classic Star Tours, but there's no denying the awesomeness of new Star Tours. Someday I hope they bring the classic back to Anaheim for a bit. This area may not care one way or the other, but Anaheim would line up for hours to ride the old version again!

The #1 reason why there's no Hyperspace Mountain in Tokyo is the ride's lack of technological updates, but a public that is utterly uninterested in the brand is a close #2.

Last ride of our little Japan trip is a FastPass for Ride & Go Seek!

From start to finish, Tokyo Disneyland makes an outstanding impression.

I hate to say goodbye, but I've got plenty more to see in Shanghai!

But I also rreeeeaaallllyy want to stay in Tokyo for ever. 

Before we leave, let's take a peak at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel!

The hotel actually has a slight Alice in Wonderland theme.

I'm definitely here for the carousel obsession around here, too. 

The longer you look, the better it gets. 

Look at this beautiful dollhouse on display in the lobby! Looks a bit like Mystic Manor, no?

My family has this tiny 5-piece Disney toy train figurine set we got years ago at a Hallmark store. Imagine my surprise when I saw the very same train figurines inside the dollhouse!

Ugh...I don't want to leave...

But the time has come! Gotta go catch our flight!

My first visit to Japan has been a dream come true! And we've only just scratched the surface! I can't wait to come back for more of what this amazing country has to offer!

There's one final chapter of our Asian Persuasion Tour left! Come back next time for a tour of the regional parks of Shanghai! Happy Valley, Downtown Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and MORE!

See you soon. :}