Tokyo Disneyland
  Cinderella Castle is the icon of Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Location | Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan |
|---|---|
| Opened | April 15, 1983 |
| Operated by | The Oriental Land Company |
| Theme | Magic Kingdom |
| Area | 115 acres (47 ha) |
| Website | Tokyo Disney Resort Homepage |
| Tokyo Disney Resort |
|---|
| Theme parks |
| Resort hotels |
| Shopping, dining and entertainment |
| The Oriental Land Company |
Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド, Tōkyō Dizunīrando) is a 115 acre (465,000 m²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo.[1] Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida.[2] It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not owned by The Walt Disney Company.
There are seven themed areas in the park: the World Bazaar; the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland; and two mini-lands: Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown. The park is noted for its extensive open spaces, to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park.[3] In 2009, Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.65 million guests, ranking it as the third-most visited theme park in the world, behind its American sister parks, Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.[4] In 2010, the park hosted 14.4 million visitors, again ranking it as the world's third most visited theme park.[5]
Dedication
To all of you who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of Fantasy and Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America.
— E. Cardon Walker, April 15, 1983
Themed areas
With only a few exceptions, Tokyo Disneyland features the same attractions found in Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.[6]
World Bazaar
World Bazaar is the main entry corridor and primary shopping area of Tokyo Disneyland. Despite the use of the word "World" in its name, the general look and theme of World Bazaar is that of early 20th-century America, matching the "Main Street, U.S.A." areas of other Magic Kingdom-style parks. World Bazaar consists of two "streets": Main Street (the primary corridor running from the main entrance toward Cinderella Castle), and Center Street, which forms a perpendicular line with Main Street and leads to Adventureland in one direction and Tomorrowland in the other. A unique feature of World Bazaar is a permanent canopy covering the Main Street and Center Street areas, designed to protect guests from the elements.
Adventureland
Adventureland consists of two distinct yet complimentary areas: A New Orleans-themed area, and a "jungle"-themed area. It is roughly a combination of the New Orleans Square and Adventureland areas found in Disneyland Park in the United States. Major attractions include Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and The Enchanted Tiki Room.
Westernland
Westernland is an "old west" themed area, the counterpart of Frontierland in other Magic Kingdom-style parks. Like its counterparts, the landscape of Westernland is dominated by the Rivers of America, a man-made waterway that is home to the Mark Twain Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, and numerous live and Audio-Animatronic animals. Major attractions also include Big Thunder Mountain and the Country Bear Theater.
Critter Country
Critter Country is a small area of the park and is dominated by a single major attraction, Splash Mountain. The landscape and theming of the area, including its shops and restaurants, are a direct extension of that attraction.
Fantasyland
Like other Magic Kingdom theme parks, Fantasyland's central entryway is a castle, in this case Cinderella Castle, a near exact copy of the one in Florida's Magic Kingdom. Lacking any "thrill rides," Fantasyland's attractions are generally dark rides that take visitors through scenes from classic Disney movies such as Snow White, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio. Fantasyland is also home to two iconic Disney theme park attractions, The Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World. Another major attraction of significant note is Pooh's Hunny Hunt; presented in a "trackless" format unique to Tokyo Disneyland, Pooh's Hunny Hunt is one of the park's most popular attractions.
Toontown
Like its counterparts in other Disney theme parks, Toontown (called "Mickey's Toontown" at other Disney parks) is heavily inspired by the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Appropriately, the major attraction here is Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. There are several smaller attractions, including the immensely popular Mickey's House and Meet Mickey, which often boasts some of the longest wait times in the park.
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland takes up a more urban look and appears more like a community than a showcase of future technology. The rides include Star Tours and Space Mountain. The entrance part of Tomorrowland resembles the one originally designed for Walt Disney World in every way except the lack of the PeopleMover track, before its remodeling in the early nineties. The area around Space Mountain more resembles Disneyland's Tomorrowland.
Ticket price
The ticket prices vary from one package to another and these can be found at the company's website.[7] Standard one and two day tickets do not allow park hopping to Tokyo DisneySea, must be used on consecutive days and are date specific. Instead users must state upon purchase the dates they wish to visit each park. Three and Four day tickets allow park hopping on the third and fourth days, but again must be used consecutively. Annual passes are available for either a single or both parks, though require a considerable number of visits to achieve a saving over regular day tickets.
Power use
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea collectively on a daily basis use electricity equivalent to that used by 57,000 households.[8]
Incidents
See also
References
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11282/1180329-37-0.stm
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11282/1180329-37-0.stm
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11282/1180329-37-0.stm
- ^ "TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2009" (PDF). www.themeit.com. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11282/1180329-37-0.stm
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11282/1180329-37-0.stm
- ^ Disney. "Park Tickets". Retrieved August 27, 2009.
- ^ Jiji Press, "Theme parks grope to save power, plan backup systems", Japan Times, 29 June 2011, p. 7.
External links
- Tokyo Disney Resort web site in Japanese and English
- Resort Maps in Japanese and English
- Google Maps (satellite image) (Latitude: 35.633 Longitude: 139.882)
- Tokyo Disneyland Opening [1]
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