Tokyo Disney Throwback

Exactly one year ago to the day, I stepped foot in Tokyo Disneyland for the first time. You can read my trip diary here, but today I thought it would be fun to share some of my unseen photos!

Tokyo Disneyland Station

There’s a slight upset among some Disney fans because Tokyo Disneyland doesn’t have a classic Main Street USA when you enter the park, replaced instead with the World Bazaar. The World Bazaar is a lot like Main Street in a lot of ways, just covered with a kind of greenhouse roof, and decorated with lanterns and flags.

Tokyo Disneyland balloons

Tokyo Disneyland World Bazaar

It does make the walk down towards the castle feel a little longer, and take a little bit of the focus away from the beautiful Cinderella castle, but its so interesting to walk through something a little different from Main Street USA

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First thing in the morning, you’ll get to meet quite the collection of characters at the end of the World Bazaar. My favourites by far were Bernard and Bianca from The Rescuers – so tiny and adorable! I’ve never liked Gideon and Honest John that much, but they seemed to like my camera!

Tokyo Disneyland Partner Statue

I just love statues in Disney parks, don’t you?

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo DisneySea is a park like no other – quite possibly one of my favourite Disney parks of all time! It is totally unique and packed with amazing attractions and the most perfect tiny details, and I could walk around there all day without going on a single ride and still feel amazed by everything.

Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror

Unlike its Western cousins, the Tower of Terror in DisneySea isn’t sponsored by The Twilight Zone, and therefore has its own unique design and the story behind the ride is different – no spoilers, but its still as scary!

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There’s also a full-sized cruise ship docked in the park!

Tokyo DisneySea

If you’re a little mermaid fan, you HAVE to visit DisneySea just for Mermaid Lagoon. From the outside, you see the beautiful underwater city of Atlantica, just as it appears in the movie, but once you enter and journey under the sea (yes, you really go down!) you can play among the fishes til your heart’s content! Its a great place to avoid summer heat!

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You should also watch out for street rats in Arabian Coast – a practically perfect replica of Agrabah!

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Hmm.. I wonder where the imagineers got inspiration for this one..

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

And I’ll just leave you with this absolutely stunning sunset over the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel!

I’ve got all sorts of Tokyo Disney posts, from trip tips to dining reviews, be sure to check them out here °o°

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Baking Magic – Mickey Steamed Buns

With looking forward to my trips to Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneylands, it seems a little crazy that its almost been a year since I visited Tokyo!

Tokyo Disneyland was the most unique experience, and I would thoroughly recommend a trip if you get the chance – I’m dying to go back already! – and one of the many unique features of the parks was definitely the food. Forget corn dogs and fries, the cuisine is almost entirely suited to the Japanese culture, and we didn’t have a single bad meal there!

While you may not be in the Western parks, there are a couple of burger options for you, but before you go searching for a cheeseburger, even these have an adorable Japanese twist: steamed buns, and a touch of Disney magic! Today, I’m re-creating the most internet famous of these..


These buns are available at Tomorrowland Terrace in Tokyo Disneyland park, but other variations include a Donald equivalent in Toon Town, and a seashell bun in Calypso Kitchen in Tokyo DisneySea, and now I’m so excited that I can make my own!

Being totally clueless on where to even start, I stuck pretty close to the steamed bao bun recipe on BBC Good Food:

  • Mix 525g plain flour with 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl
  • Dissolve 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast and a pinch of salt in 1 tbsp warm water, then add to the dry mix with 50 ml milk, 200 ml water, 1 tbsp sunflower (I used olive) oil and 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and mix into a dough, using either your hands or a dough hook attachment on a food mixer < so much easier than your hands! Knead for 10-15 minutes
  • Put the dough into a lightly oiled dough and cover with a damp cloth, then leave for 2 hours to rise. It should double in size, but don’t worry too much if it doesn’t!
  • Tip it out onto a floured work surface and flatten it out, then sprinkle 1 tsp baking powder over it and knead for 5 minutes.

This is where I deviated a little from the method of the recipe.

  • Roll out the dough until its about 1cm thick. I found this easier by cutting the dough in half and doing one half at a time!

Mickey steamed buns

  • Using a big flower shaped cutter, preferably a five petal design, cut out shapes from the dough. Using your hands, stretch these out slightly, dab with a bit of oil and fold them over a chopstick so that three of the petals are on top (see that Mickey hand shape?) and repeat with all the dough.
  • Cover the buns with a clean tea towel or oiled cling film, then leave somewhere warm to prove for 1 hr 30 mins.
  • The buns should double in size, but again, don’t worry about this too much – mine didn’t!

Mickey steamed buns

  • Before cooking, use black food colouring and a paintbrush or toothpick to add Mickey’s glove markings!
  • Cook the buns in a steamer for 8 minutes, then unfold, fill and close back up!

Mickey Steamed Buns

The buns are best served still warm, but still delicious once cooled! I personally recommend filling with pulled pork or teryaki chicken!

Love the look of these? Have a look at my favourite crazy Tokyo foods!

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The ‘I Just Can’t Wait to go to Disney’ Tag

Its now 20 days til Dad and I leave for our Disney trip, so it was perfect timing when the lovely Lizi tagged me to do the ‘I Just Can’t Wait to go to Disney’ tag!

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1. How do you get extra excited for your Disney trips?

To be honest, counting down to my next Disney trip is always the most exciting thing, but what really make a countdown extra special is having so many supportive friends and followers who always seem just as excited for my upcoming trip as I am! I also love planning, so spending ages sorting out the details of my trip is actually so much fun for me!

2. How do you feel the few days before your trip?

Oh my gosh, I can’t even describe. There’s a lot of squealing and jumping around, and also a little bit of worrying about things I might have forgotten about, ha! Before my last WDW trip, I actually made myself physically sick with excitement, and the same thing happened when I arrived in Tokyo Disneyland, but I never let it hold me back for too long!

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3. What are the things you are most excited about?

Oh where to start! The magic always starts when you see the first road sign, then when you see the parks for the first time, then laying eyes on the castle and knowing that you’re back; that’s pretty much the best feeling! I also get so excited for parades and character meets, and for Disney park food!

4. When you see the park for the first time of your trip, how do you react?

Its a combination of butterflies and pure excitement, and there’s a lot of failing to fight back tears!

5. What do you like to do while travelling to Disney?

Depends on how I’m travelling. I drove to Disneyland Paris back in October, so I was busy concentrating on the road, but whenever I fly to Orlando or California, I pack out long flights with plenty of films, reading, writing and daydreaming!

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6. What do you pack when you go to Disney?

I have my special Disney backpack, which at all times contains my planning notebook, camera, autograph book, sunglasses, phone, purse etc, and usually a few changes of Mickey ears just to be on the safe side! My outfits are always carefully planned (and I’m not even the slightest bit ashamed to admit that), and sensible shoes are a must, along with all the relevant accessories. I also like to try and pack efficiently so I can maximise space for souvenirs to bring home!

7. Do you count down the days until your next Disney trip, and how?

Always, that’s what iPhone apps are for, right?! Since I upgraded to an iPhone 5S, my new app counts down to the second, which is super exciting!

If you’ve got a Disney trip coming up, I TAG YOU!

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Friday Favourite Five – Crazy Tokyo Disney Food

Yes, I’m still reeling about my Tokyo Disney trip even though it was months ago..

Something I was really excited for when preparing for our visit was the food, photos of which I’d seen all over Pinterest and Instagram, and I couldn’t wait to try some of the delicacies in store for us during our stay. Truly, we couldn’t fault any of the food during our entire visit; it was pretty, delicious and reasonably priced – happy family!

A few, though, really stood out as memorable, and here’s my top five:

1. Mickey Burger

2. Little Green Men Mochi

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3. Clam Burger

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4. Mickey Churros

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5. Queen of Hearts Roll Cake

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Don’t you just love it?! I do!

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Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

Tokyo Disney has three Disney hotels, as well as six ‘official’ hotels, five partner hotels and a load of Good Neighbour hotels, so finding somewhere to stay nearby is not a difficult thing to do, but the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel takes the cake if you ask me! Ok, this was the only place we stayed and we didn’t get any of the other hotels, but just look at it:

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If the exterior doesn’t drop your jaw to the floor, then the lobby definitely will!

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During our stay, we actually stayed in two different rooms: a standard room for the first night, then we moved into a family room for the rest. Both rooms had the same decor, a gorgeous classic design, with elements of Beauty and the Beast throughout, so the only difference between the two was the size. The standard room had two double beds (although double is a generous term, these beds were so narrow my parents ended up sleeping separately!), but had a roll-out and a sofa bed as well, whereas the family room had three doubles and a roll-out, and also a sitting room area with a sofa and another tv, and both rooms had a sink area, a toilet, and a wet room with a shower and bath.

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As well as the beautiful lobby, the hotel also has several gift shops, restaurants and a swimming pool (which is pretty small, just to warn you!). It also has a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for your little princesses, and some really pretty gardens to stroll around.

The hotel is literally on the doorstep of Tokyo Disneyland, and less than 100 metres from the monorail station, so there’s no worry about transport to and between the parks, and guests staying at Disney hotels get early access to the parks – only 15 minutes but its worth it – as well as all the extra Disney magic that staying on site provides!

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Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall

This was by far my favourite restaurant in Tokyo Disney. I had seen pictures online, and I knew I wanted to eat here!

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QoH is right in the centre of Fantasyland, next to ‘Its a Small World’, and you can’t miss it! Its surrounded by statues of the Alice in Wonderland characters, as well as the iconic teapot vending machines, and perfectly pruned shrubbery.

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Once you step inside, you’re transported into the Queen’s gardens; mazes, red roses, Playing Cards, even a Cheshire Cat! The restaurant is a ‘buffeteria’, a cross between serve yourself and being served (grab your own dessert, choose your main, be seated by a cast member). The scenery is phenomenal, everything from stained glass scenes to giant flowers!

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And as for the food.. Unbelievable! I had a seafood selection and a chocolate fudge cake, both totally faultless! All of the choices had something Alice in Wonderland themed about them, and some of the dessert selections had souvenir bowls or plates (my sister had the cake, I got the plate!).

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Sweet, right?! There was loads of seating, so we didn’t feel at all crowded, and entirely indoors which was perfect for the heat. It really was a totally unique dining experience, even the toilets were keeping with the theme! The Queen herself would be most impressed, and if you don’t eat here, then off with your heads!

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Unique Rides at Tokyo Disney

As I’ve touched upon in my diary posts, Tokyo Disneyland Resort is packed with totally unique experiences, and probably the biggest aspect of any Disney park is the rides! And while maintaining some true Disney classics, Tokyo manages to throw guests into the unknown with some wacky twists to the traditional line up..

Tokyo Disneyland

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents ‘Aloha E Komo Mai!’

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Yes, you can go to The Enchanted Tiki Room in other Disney parks, but those shows don’t get hijacked by a ukelele playing Stitch, do they? (PS. you can check out short clip of the show on my Instagram!)

Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes

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Quite possibly more of a workout than a ride, you and your group can paddle around Tom Sawyer Island, working as a team and taking in the sights, but watch out for the Riverboat!

Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek!

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I LOVED this ride! Set inside Monsters Inc itself, the queue runs through the lobby of headquarters before you board your cart and your mission begins! Similar to Buzz Astro Blasters, you’re equipped with a torch to find the hidden monsters as you zoom through Monstropolis.

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Tower of Terror

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I can hear you, I know there’s a Tower of Terror in every Disney park.. But this one is unique, promise!

Unlike the others, Tokyo’s ToT isn’t sponsored by The Twilight Zone, and therefore has a totally different design (as you can see!) and a different storyline; a historian, a cursed statue, we all know where it goes from there!

Aquatopia

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Fun and totally bizarre at the same time, hop aboard a buggy that follows a totally random path through the water, spinning and swirling, with the occasional splash or spray!

StormRider

We didn’t actually get to ride this on our trip; the queue was huge and Mum doesn’t do well on these sorts of rides so we decided to pass. It’s a simulator, where guests board a mission to defeat a powerful storm, but not everything goes smoothly!

Raging Spirits

Another ride we didn’t try! Raging Spirits is a more hardcore rollercoaster, with a 360° loop as you travel through an excavation site of an ancient temple.

Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage

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A ‘Small World’ style boat ride through the stories of Sindbad’s adventures. Great for little ones, or just a bit of air con on a warm day, and it normally boasts a super low wait time.

Caravan Carousel

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Yes, a double decker carousel! Choose to ride upstairs or downstairs, and then take your pick of noble steeds, from horses to camels, elephants, and you can even ride Genie!

Mermaid Lagoon

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An underwater wonderland full of unique rides, from Blowfish Balloon Race to Jumping Jellyfish and more! My favourite ride here was Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, which is just outside the main underwater area; it was just a mini coaster, but super fun to ride when its dark out!

Journey to the Center of the Earth

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That glorious volcano in the centre of the park? Yep, this is the ride inside it, and its awesome!

Travel down through the earth to discover new lifeforms and ecosystems, but not all the inhabitants are friendly, so be prepared for a quick getaway!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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Another journey of discovery, head underwater to discover what’s lurking in the depths of the ocean underneath the volcano.

Fortress Explorations

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Explore the Mediterranean fortress, and search for clues as part of The Leonardo Challenge (in Japanese though, just to warn you!)

These rides truly add to Tokyo Disney’s unique quality, and I haven’t gone into too much detail so as not to spoil too much, so now you just need to go and try them yourself!

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Top Tokyo Disney Tips

Being in Tokyo Disneyland is a totally unique experience, and expecting a regular Disney park experience could leave you a little out of your comfort zone, so here are some of my top tips for doing Disney Tokyo-style!

Language and Culture

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– Do not expect English – I’m serious! While there may be the occasional announcement in English or clip of English singing, all of the shows, parades and attractions are in Japanese, and most of the cast members speak very limited English, if any, so be prepared to mime, signal and act out your conversations, and embrace it – everyone has a laugh over it! Also don’t stress over not knowing the language, all you really need is hello and thank you, and you’re pretty much set.

– Everyone is really friendly – cast members are literally everywhere, and their job is basically to wave and say hi. Smile and wave back, and you make their day!

– Generally, the Japanese are pretty small – if you’re short (like me!) its ideal, say goodbye to watching parades on tip-toes! If you’re fairly tall, however, you may be asked to move at times, purely to be considerate to other guests. Similarly, the seats on rides tend to be a little smaller than on their American counterparts.

– Personal space isn’t a big deal – you know when you’re waiting for a lift and its a little crowded so you decide to wait for the next one? Yeah that doesn’t happen so much in Japan, so be prepared to be a little out of your comfort zone if you like your space.

Park Life

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– Tokyo Disneyland utilises the classic Fastpass system – going to the machine, getting your pass, and only holding one at a time. Be sure to make good use of these, Fastpasses are taken pretty seriously and you get to skip a lot of the line, and it could save you some major waits.

– Characters randomly appear around the parks throughout the day, rather than at specific places and times, and they tend to have a slightly more eclectic range: The Rescuers, Wolfgang Puck, Jiminy Cricket etc, and you’ll be hard pushed to find a princess! They’re also not big on autographs, so although they’ll sign them, you won’t find anywhere to buy an autograph book.

– There’s no running, but expect a stampede – at park opening, cast members are everywhere to remind guests not to run, but that doesn’t stop it! Expect stampedes heading to the most popular rides: Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror etc

– Do not be afraid to dress up – people in Tokyo Disney go all out, from matching outfits to Disneybounds, and everyone has at least one thing Disney in their outfit

– Don’t expect wifi – unlike Disney World where you get free wifi everywhere, there’s no wifi connections available in the parks.

– There’s no Photopass option – with the exception of a few meet and greets, there are no dedicated photographers in the parks, and no Photopass option. You can buy your ride photos, or order prints from your character meets, but that’s pretty much it.

Shows and Parades

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– You can reserve your spot for a show or parade up to an hour before, and bringing a plastic mat to put down will save you burning on the hot concrete

– Some shows have priority seating – you can take part in a lottery to win these priority spots once per show each day, so be sure to pick up a show guide to find out where these lotteries are held

– Be prepared to be asked to remove hats and Mickey ears – if you’re standing to watch a parade or show, or even in attractions like Country Bear Jamboree and Philharmagic, you’ll be asked to remove any hats or ears so as not to block the view of those behind you.

– Take the ‘get wet’ signs seriously – if you’re in one of these zones, its not a maybe, its a promise. We watched crowds get seriously soaked in these areas!

Hotel, Tickets and Travel

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– If you’re staying in a Disneyland resort, you get access to the parks 15 minutes early – don’t turn your nose up, it can mean the difference between a 20 minute wait and a 90 minute wait!

– The easiest way to get to your hotel or the parks is by train – the Japanese train system is flawless, and the JR line has a train station at Ikspiari, from which its less than 5 minutes walk to the Disneyland or Tokyo Disneyland hotel, or you can transfer onto the monorail.

– Like in the parks, don’t expect wifi, but ask just in case – we asked about the wifi, and were told there wasn’t any, but they provided us a little router for our room

– Parkhopper tickets are only available to guests staying at Disneyland resorts – otherwise its one park per day

– The monorail isn’t complimentary – you’ll need to buy a pass!

– All of the partner hotels are right near a monorail stop, and there are also resort buses to take you to the parks

– The swimming pool at Tokyo Disneyland hotel is pretty small – don’t expect Floridian flamboyance!

– There’s a Bibbity-Bobbity Boutique in Tokyo Disneyland hotel for your little princesses

– Don’t forget your handstamp – if you’re leaving the park for a while, to parkhop or popping back to your hotel, don’t forget to get your hand stamped as you leave so you can get back in! Its a UV stamp, so don’t worry if you don’t see anything on your skin, and its pretty tough so washing hands/swimming won’t rub it off

Food and Drink

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– Don’t expect Western food everywhere – while there are some Western options, most of the food is very much oriental based, and the Western options are a little odd: pizza with seafood etc. Portion sizes are also smaller than in American parks, but still very filling!

– There’s no dining reservations, but there is priority seating – similar to Fastpass, head to the restaurant first thing, and you’ll be given a ticket with an allocated time to return

– There are water fountains everywhere, and its the norm for people to bring in their own bottles to fill up

– Beware of the coffee – I’m not a drinker, but my mum and sister both hated the Japanese coffee, apparently its crazy bitter. Also, some bottled drinks in the vending machines look like fruit teas, but are actually iced coffees.

– On the subject, you won’t find a lot of milk or milk-based products – around 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant, so milk for tea and coffee, ice-cream etc is fairly limited.

– Also beware of the popcorn – there are popcorn stands everywhere, but you’ll only find salted in a few locations. Flavours include honey, curry and soy sauce!

– People save tables, and its taken pretty seriously – if you see a bottle or a jumper left on a table, don’t move it and sit there. Everyone does it, and everyone respects it, so find somewhere else.

Shopping

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– The same merchandise is everywhere – don’t stress that you might have missed an opportunity to buy something, chances are it’ll be in the next shop you go into!

– There’s a Disney Store at Ikspiari, which is the shopping centre on the monorail loop – it has different products to what’s available in the parks

– There are biscuits everywhere – souvenir biscuits are a big deal in Japan. They come in millions of shapes, sizes, fancy tins etc, and there are entire shops dedicated to them, so don’t resist!

Weather

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– Be prepared for all conditions, and possibly all at the same time – it can be burning hot and bucketing down with rain and blowing a gale simultaneously!

– Because of how extreme the weather can be, shows and parades can be cancelled with little notice, or modified for the safety of the cast members and guests

– Carry an umbrella – not only will it keep you dry during those mega downpours, but it will also provide great sun protection, and don’t worry about looking silly, loads of people do it

– Don’t expect air-con – while most buildings are cooled during the summer months, its not always that instant super-cool feeling you might expect; more like a comfortable temperature once you’ve adapted to it

Tokyo Disney is a totally unique experience, and the most important piece of advice I can give is this:

Just do it. Go, experience it all for yourself, and you’ll have an incredible time, I promise!

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Tokyo Disneyland Day 3

Last day, waa!

Up bright and early once again to make use of our Magic 15, we headed round into Adventureland to get in an early Jungle Cruise before the queues got crazy long. Jungle Cruise is new to Tokyo, so really popular later in the day. It’s the same as the American version – over-acting and cheesy one-liners – but entirely in Japanese, so we were clueless as to what was actually being said and just went along with it. It was still fairly quiet after that, so we jumped on the Western River Railroad for a quick loop. Again, pretty similar to its Western counterparts, looping through Frontierland and round Tom Sawyer island, but with the random bonus addition of a tunnel full of dinosaurs..

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By this time, the park was open and so were the restaurants, so we stopped into Cafe Orleans for breakfast – a seemingly small but incredibly light and filling crepe – before splitting up for the day as Dad and Hannah wanted to go out into Tokyo, while Mum and I stayed in the park. The aim of the day was to hit as many of the bits we’d missed on day 1: Country Bear Jamboree, the smaller Fantasyland rides, Philharmagic, Toon Town etc, and we were pretty lucky with queue times, not waiting more than 30 minutes for anything. We’d already snagged a Fastpass for Splash Mountain for the afternoon, so we headed into the Hungry Bear Restaurant for lunch, mainly because everywhere else was rammed (not that it wasn’t there too!) but the food was actually pretty great: curry and rice in a nice air conditioned room!

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By the time we’d got back to Splash, we were pretty chuffed about our Fastpasses as the queue was well over an hour, so we felt pretty smug as we sauntered to the front of the line. I’d definitely say that this was one of the best Splash Mountains of any Disney park! The plan from there was to wander round the World Bazaar a bit before scouting a prime spot for the Happiness is Here parade, but as we picked up ice cream sundaes from Squeezers Tropical Juice Bar, there was a park announcement to say that the parade was being cancelled due to the strong winds; I mean, it was WINDY. I was pretty gutted as this was the one parade I was desperate to see as its they Tokyo equivalent of Festival of Fantasy, but as most of the floats consisted of balloons and inflatables, I could understand the reasoning behind the cancellation.

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With that in mind, Mum and I headed back to the hotel to chill out for a bit, knowing that Hannah and Dad would be coming back soon for us all to leave for Tokyo together, so we sat in the Dreamers Lounge in the hotel lobby with a drink and cake before going to meet them, and with that our Tokyo Disneyland adventure was over..

I can honestly say that Tokyo blew me away. I expected the same old, but still awesome Disney park set-up, just in Japan, but everything still managed to be unique, from each ride to the atmosphere and the people; it really is a totally different experience, and I can’t recommend it more!

Tokyo Disneyland Day 1

So after almost 26 straight hours of travelling, we finally arrived at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel just after 12.30am Sunday morning. I was totally and utterly exhausted, and unfortunately it had all taken a toll on my poor little body, and after just two short hours of sleep I was awake again with stomach pains, and promptly spent the next few hours feeling rough as hell, and heartbroken at the thought of being too ill to head into the park for opening.

Fortunately, it didn’t take too long for my system to flush (if you get my drift!), I scraped a little extra nap and we got straight down to business!

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So we’re staying at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, which is literally 100m walk from the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland (and also the monorail station that connects us to DisneySea), so we were in the park within minutes, and first priority was breakfast, so we hit up The Great American Waffle Co. in the World Bazaar before starting our park exploration. Naturally, as we were out that way, Pirates of the Caribbean was our first ride, and from there we worked around the park clockwise: Adventureland to Frontierland, to Critter County for Splash Mountain followed by a quick Mickey churro before continuing on to Fantasyland and onwards.

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Still running on definitely not enough sleep as a family, we began to flag early afternoon, so we sat down to eat at Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, a restaurant I’d read about while researching the trip and was desperate to try, and it did not disappoint! Food was on point, theming was on point; we were impressed.

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At this point, we decided to take the rest of the day fairly easy; we were tired, feet were sore, so we opted to finish up the main rides, watch the  Dreamlights Electrical Parade, which we did nomming on a Mickey burger (the bomb), and call it a night so we can get a head start on DisneySea in the morning!

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10 things I’m looking forward to at Tokyo Disney

I can’t believe its only 10 days til I leave for Japan!

Strictly speaking, we won’t actually hit the parks until the 12th, but I’m counting down til Friday as that’s when I leave for the airport, then I’ll be travelling for the whole of Saturday, arriving in Tokyo at midnight.

So with 10 days to go, here are 10 things I’m super excited about:

1. Tokyo Disneyland hotel

We were crazy lucky to score a room at the Tokyo Disneyland hotel for the duration of our stay, and it looks INCREDIBLE, plus it puts us right across from the park entrance to Disneyland!

2. Park food

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As a Brit, its a common knowledge that Americans do food better than us, but Japan takes it to a whole new level! We’re really excited to try as many different foods, and as much as possible stay clear of Western food to soak up all the Japanese we can.

3. Merch, merch, merch!

There’s a reason I’ve been saving for this trip for months: the merchandise looks amazing! Tokyo Disney has such a huge range, and most of it is exclusive to Japan.

4. Tokyo DisneySea

Of all the secondary parks at all of the Disneylands, Tokyo DisneySea seems to boast the most unique experiences. The Japanese are big on The Little Mermaid, hence the sea theme, and there are loads of totally different rides, unseen at any other park.

5. That monorail though

Just look at the little Mickey windows!

6. The outfits!

Speaking of unique, in Tokyo we’ll be seeing our favourite friends in a whole new wardrobe!

7. Toon Town

I love Toon Town in Disneyland California, but I haven’t been there for 5 years so I’m suffering major withdrawal!

8. This double decker carousel

That’s right, double decker!

9. Fantasmic – Japan style!

Again, lets see if the Japanese can do it better!

10. Seeing that castle..

Yep.

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Tokyo Disney Giveaway!

You guys, I am SUPER BUZZED.

Its now only 30 days til I leave for Tokyo, and not only am I crazy excited myself, I’m loving the fact that so many of my lovely Instagram, WordPress and Twitter followers are so excited for me; it honestly blows me away how many people have said they hope I have a great trip, and how many people have offered to help with planning and recommendations etc. You guys are amazing!

And that’s why I really want to give back to all these lovely people, so I’m planning not one, not two or three, but potentially FOUR giveaways! Yep, four opportunities to win!

So here’s the deal: its all about my followers. If I can hit the following numbers before my trip, then each platform will have its own giveaway which will go live when I get back from my trip, so all you need to do for now is follow me before July 10th, then sit back and wait until the 20th when I’ll be posting how you can enter, and more importantly, the prizes!

WordPress target – 200 followers

lottiedoesdisney.wordpress.com

Instagram target – 300 followers

@lottiedoesdisney

Twitter target – 100 followers

@lottieanddisney

Bloglovin’ target – 50 followers

https://www.bloglovin.com/people/lottiedoesdisney-8520793

Get following, and stay tuned for more!

°o°