Tokyo (東京) Disneyland is the second theme park right next to Tokyo DisneySea that I covered in my last article. It’s very much like the Disneylands you have in your own country, with little adjustments here and there to suit the Japanese culture.
In comparison to DisneySea, this park is even more catered towards children as most rides and shows are designed to appeal to a young audience. Same goes for the restaurants, offering many food items that kids know and love. You can also not buy any alcoholic beverages in Disneyland.
If you come to Japan (日本) with your family (that includes young children), then I definitely recommend you go to Disneyland! The DisneySea is of course also highly enjoyable with kids, no worries!
Tokyo Disneyland is also somewhat special as it is the first ever Disney theme park to open up outside of the United States, which was back in 1983.
Similarly to Tokyo DisneySea, the theme park is made up of 7 differently decorated areas, each representing aspects of the Disney universe as well as rides and shows.
Let me give you a list of the areas:
Toontown
This cute little area is inspired by Disney neighborhoods, where their characters live and work. You can find locations from Mickey Mouse or Chip’n Dale along with rollercoasters mainly suited for younger children.
World Bazaar
Not a rollercoaster area, the World Bazaar is focused on shopping and dining. The shops are nicely aligned and remind of older American architecture. As is lies just around the main entrance, it’s a nice stop on your way out.
Tomorrowland
Not to be confused with the popular music festival, this Tomorrowland emphasizes the “tomorrow” as in future. The futuristic design and rides make for some cool photos.
Critter Country
Inspired by Disney film “Song of the South”, this area takes you through America’s landscapes, with many replicated rivers. On these rivers, you can also book guided canoe tours.
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is home to the park’s most iconic attraction, the Cinderella Castle. In addition, many other classic Disney film characters such as Snow White or Peter Pan have their presence here. There’s also a special Winnie the Pooh attraction that only exists in Tokyo Disneyland.
Westernland
Another America themed area, this time covering the US west coast along the Rivers of America. A very popular rollercoaster, Big Thunder Mountain, is also located here.
Adventureland
This area will truly provide you with an adventure in Japan. You can enjoy all kinds of adventurous activities here, be that sailing with the Pirates of the Caribbean or going on a jungle cruise.
Opening Hours & Admission Fee
- Opened every day of the week from 8:00 – 22:00 usually. Might differ on some days
- There are no closing days throughout the year
- Admission Fee is 7,400 Yen (58€/$65; exchange rates as of January 2019) for adults; 6,400 Yen (50€/$57) for juniors (age of 12-17); 4,800 Yen (37,50€/$42) for children (age of 4-11); children of age 3 and under are free of charge.
Similarly to Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー), there are different types of tickets available. You can purchase same-day tickets at the entrance the day you’re visiting, but those have a chance to become invalid if the venue is too busy on that day (meaning you won’t be able to enter but will get your money back). To avoid this, you can either purchase a ticket in advance at the ticket booth, from the official websites or at Disney stores. If you’re not yet sure on which day to visit, you can buy an “open date” ticket that is valid for up to one year after purchase.
A special case, where same-day tickets will still grant entry even on very busy days, is if you are a guest in one of the Disney hotels or a hotel that is partnered with DisneySea. Tickets purchased through those hotels will always grant access.
How to get to Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland is located in the Tokyo Bay area just next to DisneySea.
From Tokyo Station:
Take the Keiyo Line (red) to Maihama Station. This takes about 17 minutes and costs 220 Yen (1,72€/$1.93).
Next, you can walk for roughly 5 minutes to reach the entrance of Disneyland.
Takeaway
Tokyo Disneyland is just as enjoyable as the neighboring DinseySea. There are of course slight differences in the attractions and overall feel, e.g. DisneySea being maybe a little better suited for couples.
Regardless, both parks make for an amazing family trip that you totally shouldn’t miss if you’re a Disney fan! Definitely come during the week if in any way possible or else the waiting times will be abysmal (they’re probably quite long on any given day but the weekends are even worse).
You can even combine your visit with a stay at one of the Disney hotels nearby (there is a new one being built as of 2018) to round out the Disney experience.
Above all, be sure to enjoy yourself and have fun! Disney’s parks are always a pleasure.
That’s it for this post, thank you for reading!
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Be sure to check out the next topic where we’re going to check out the old Tsukiji market area in its prime and current state!
See you there!
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