While we are in Japan, we decide we need to head over to Tokyo Disney. This has not been as easy as it seems because they don’t sell tickets on the property and for whatever reason I had a lot of trouble purchasing through the Tokyo Disney app. I finally worked everything out and today we are headed across town to Maihama station where we will transfer to the Disney monorail.
There are two Disney parks in Tokyo, both operating under the Oriental land company (licensed by Disney). We opt for Disney Seas park since it is the only one of its kind in the world. Unsure what to expect, we walk to the monorail that will take us to the entrance of Disney Seas. The familiar mouse ears and Mickey Mouse tune makes me smile.
What doesn’t make me smile are the massive crowds gathering at every entrance gate. It is overwhelmingly and the gate isn’t even open yet. People press us on every side and there are no clear lines. This is going to be a challenging day. It is even raining. Don’t people know to stay home in the rain?
Eventually we enter the park and decide to take a boat to the far side of the park hoping to avoid the crowds. We find ourselves near Ariel’s grotto. I want to find the “journey to the center of the earth” ride. I am looking at the app, which is very, very confusing. It looks like…. Suddenly my screen flashes a warning. My phone is vibrating with an earthquake early warning. Sounds go off like an Amber alert. I don’t know what to do. The park loudspeakers are demanding that every guest lay down on the ground and cover their heads. Park employees are running and gesturing to lay down.
We lay down. It is wet. We wait and wait and wait. I wonder if it is possible to be crushed by a decorative sea shell? Nothing is happening.
People are getting restless and try to get up. They are shooed back down. After what seems like a very long time, the loud speakers tell us “all is clear. Don’t worry Disney Seas has been designed with earthquakes in mind. Have a very Disney day.” And with that, the music starts back. “Under the sea, under the sea, down where it’s wetter, everything’s better, don’t you agree?”
I am a bit unsure of what just happened. Was there an earthquake somewhere? Was it a false alarm? Will it happen again? Oh well, Ariel’s grotto is right here. It is impossible to be grumpy when you are riding a jellyfish under the sea. Or when you are 20 thousand leagues under the sea. We decide to just get on with our day. If there is an earthquake, we will still be somewhere in Tokyo. Might as well be here.
We head to Agrabah to see Aladdin. Just as we get to the front of the line, the ride shuts down. Sigh. We ride the carousel because the flying carpets will take at least an hour. I wander around and take a few photos and we leave without ever finding Aladdin (or Jasmin). We need to be across the park to see Mickey and Minnie’s stage show.
We ride a water ride. I figure I am already wet, what is a little more water? We eat and rest. The restaurant is themed around Duffy the bear. I had never heard of Duffy. He is a Japanese phenomenon. Duffy and friends are ridiculously popular here. Apparently, the backstory is that Minnie Mouse sewed the teddy bear by hand and placed him in a duffel bag so Mickey Mouse would not feel lonely on his long sea voyages. Japanese marketing created a Duffy empire. It is news to me.
I am stunned at how many people are here. Every ride we check has at least a two hour wait. We don’t even try to get in line, it is not worth it. I decide to shop, but there is literally nothing I want to buy. Everything is Duffy, Duffy, Duffy. I am about to get cranky, but then Mickey sees me and blows me a kiss. How can you stay cranky after that?
It is probably futile, but I want to see the “frozen “ section of the park. There are at least three rides I am interested in. Rapunzel: three hours. Frozen: four hours. Unbelievable! Peter Pan: two hours. I give up. The ride times just keep getting longer. We look at the beautiful landscaping and wander around a bit. But, we keep getting wetter. I think I am ready to go.
We take the boat back to the front of the park. It is getting dark and it is very cold. It is crazy crowded around the shops and restaurants. People are still coming in the gates. Now I am more than ready to leave.
It has been an interesting day. We survived an earthquake (it actually happened and was confirmed just north of our location). We withstood the rain and wind. And we navigated ridiculous crowds. I rode very few of the rides I looked forward to experiencing, but we walked a very clean and beautiful park. We experienced Disney from a completely different cultural lens. It was not what I imagined and every bit more memorable.
