Tokyo DisneySea
It's a small world after all
Believe me the
world got a lot smaller one Sunday morning at Tokyo DisneySea. My
friend's had flown up from the outer Southern reaches of Nagasaki to spend
the weekend with Mickey and Co. This wonder of American capitalism
and globalism is a unique park in the Disney Empire. Why does
DisneySea beat the pants off of its neighbor Tokyo Disneyland when it
comes to record ticket sales for the over ten year old set?
Because at Tokyo DisneySea they serve alcohol and after a day of standing
in line, being run over by hyper parents pushing 4-wheel drive strollers,
hearing the classical music piped through hidden speakers, and running in
and out of stores to but everyone and their mother's souvenirs, you need
that drink.
It was a day of being a kid again and leaning how to
let things go. When the heavily costumed version of The Arabian
Night's Jasmine cuts in line, when the Little Mermaid's shaggy
dog
accosts you for a pat on the head, when the little Japanese kids stare and
point at you while trying to figure out which Disney movie you belong to,
and when you get in-line only to discover that the wait is estimated to be
over ninety minutes.
Everything at Tokyo Disney
Sea has to do
with water. All the Disney movies that had a hint of a lake, ocean
or sea were turned into a ride. The entrance to the park is styled
like a Mediterranean Port city complete with
replica shops,
buildings, fishers wharf and Venetian gondolas. What the park lacks in the space to have as many rides as its American or European counterparts it makes up for it in the attention to detail. 2000 Leagues Under The Sea, Sinbad's Seven Voyages, The Indiana Jones Temple of the Crystal Skull, and Aquatopia. All the rides had long lines but most were worth the wait.
Later on that night after a long train ride back to Chiba, we'd pulled out the futons and curled curled up in bed I smiled. I had a great time with my friends and I'll remember the sunny day, when I got to be a kid at the cleanest, nicest, most polite Disney Park in the world.
