Japan trip part six

The next day we set off to Tokyo Disneyland.

We didn’t ride many rides since the lines were crazy and most of the fastpass/priority access type things were all booked up. Even though we went at the most off season time there is, there was still no chance of riding most rides without waiting hours.

I was prepared for this since I’ve heard the Tokyo parks are incredibly busy, but it did contribute to it not being quite the same amazing experience as going to the US parks (as I said before I haven’t been to Disneyland for over ten years though so I’m not the best authority on the current experience!).

I know it is recommended to arrive very early and queue to get in and then book fastpasses etc. as soon as you are inside the gates, but unfortunately it’s not really an option for me since getting up too early makes me sick and would ruin the day anyway.

My favourite part of the park was probably their version of Critter Country. It had so many cute details and little animal houses.

I really loved the theming of Camp Woodchuck Kitchen were we had our lunch! It had some of that craftsman and national park type design that I adore.

The rides we did go on were Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean. The former two were very similar to other versions of the same rides that I’ve been on, but the Tokyo version of Pirates of The Caribbean is the one most faithful to the original Disneyland version which, for a Disney park nerd, was really interesting to see. As much as I understand the changes made to the other versions, I will always love the glamorous original redhead.

I also wanted to see the the Country Bear Jamboree since I’ve never had the chance to see it before, and Tokyo Disneyland is the only park that still has the original version. It was definitely fun to see, but since half of it was in Japanese a lot was lost on me. I’m going to have to watch a recording of the English version to fill in the gaps!

Also one of the most fun and memorable thing we did was the shooting gallery in Westernland, their version of Frontierland. I’ve always been thinking about doing it in the other parks I’ve visited, but there has always been so much else to do that I’ve never gotten around to it. Not being able to go on many rides at Tokyo Disneyland did mean I could finally check this off my list.

I met Jiminy Cricket! I love him not so much because of Pinocchio, which I only watched quite recently, but because he plays an important part in this Christmas tv special which has been shown every Christmas eve in Sweden since the 1950s.

The stunning exterior of It’s a Small World. One of the most beautifully designed rides ever.

The park was very beautiful, but somehow it felt a bit like something was missing. Maybe it was just the wind (it’s my least favourite weather!), but I’ve had a similar feeling at Disneyland Paris where the atmosphere just isn’t quite the same as in the US parks. I can’t really put my finger on what it is.

I still had a great time though!