Japan 2017 Trip Report - Part Three

The panorama above was taken on one of the rare days the sky was blue (gray seemed to be the color of choice for most of the trip). This picture really illustrates the mind boggling talents of Imagineers when given an ample budget and creative freedom. With Disney buying up every license they can get their hands on, I fear the day will come when original park designs NOT tied into existing properties will be a thing of the past. So feast your eyes on majestic Mount Prometheus as it anchors Fortress Explorations and segues into the Mediterranean Harbor. It would be sad to see this architectural and engineering feat replaced by a hodge podge of Pixar and Marvel lands!

Full disclosure here. I'm a life long collector having started with comic books and branching out into books, toys, movie memorabilia, gum cards, original art, and tons more. As I've advanced in age, I've come to that point where downsizing and getting rid of clutter has moved up on the priority ladder. The photos I take are now my take home "souvenirs" although I still enjoy browsing through the various stores. 

The various shops and restaurants are careful to maintain the Italian theming with "Merchants of Venice" and "Mamma Biscotti's Bakery" being two of my favorites. The window displays and attention to details are top notch, although the merchandise itself is somewhat generic. T-shirts, a popular item in the states, are scare here. Shirts with theme park designs are almost non-existant. I did manage to find one with a Disneysea logo (which I purchased for Mark), but otherwise, nada!

"Omiyage" (gift) is a very important tradition in Japan. The locals purchase multiple items to give as presents to family and friends upon returning home. In Hawaii, sales associates are use to giving Japanese tourists extra packages when ringing up their purchases. Being able to give the gift in a bag with the store logo/name is very prestigious (and sort of proves they were on vacation). I did buy a number of pins and snacks for friends, and the cast members were constantly adding extra bags into my package. I ended up giving quite a bit back as I hate to waste (especially when it comes to plastic).

One of the most popular omiyage is snacks. Besides having colorful outside packaging, a majority of the snacks are individually wrapped. This allows the buyer to divide the snacks between a number of recipients (thus the need for extra bags). Japanese sweets use a lot less sugar than American versions and tend to be a lot lighter. A very popular treat is "arare" or rice crackers. Covered with a shoyu sauce and "nori" (seaweed), its tastes a lot better than how it sounds. If you do visit the parks, try it in addition to the standard cookies & candies. 

Mamma Biscotti's Bakery is right outside Miracosta's park entrance so I found myself having coffee and a delicious danish during much of my hotel stay. I think I've learned to enjoy those moments of soaking in the sights and just living in the moment. It doesn't last long until I'm back out there fighting the crowds and trying to take a decent picture, but hey, you take what you can get!

While in the Mediterranean area, I decided to give the snack cart a try.

It was a toss up between the Tiramisu Ice Cream Sandwich and the Mickey "Tropical Fruit" Ice Bar. Being from Hawaii, where tropical treats are pretty common, I opted for the Tiramisu.

Like the pastries, Japan ice cream tends to be less sweet which makes devouring one of these high calorie delights guilt free (almost). Unfortunately, this was one of the rare times where they actual experience failed to live up to the hype. The cookie layer was frozen so hard that I could barely bite off a piece. The overall flavor tasted very indistinct and somewhat bland. A rare thumbs down for a food item at the Tokyo parks!

To be continued...

Photographs copyright 2018 by Len Yokoyama

Japan 2017 Trip Report - Part Two

After a hearty breakfast and a 10 minute wait outside the hotel, I boarded the bus to Disneysea! As mentioned earlier, it's about a 25 minute ride to the park, even with minimal traffic. Like its American counterparts, guests at a Tokyo Disney resort are allowed early entry to the park. But (and it's a big but), Japan's early entry is only 15 minutes prior to regular admission! They call it "Happy 15 Entry". Now if you're anything like me, you're knee jerk reaction was "Only 15 measly minutes???"! I'm paying premium resort prices and would want at least the standard hour we get back at home. But here's the thing - the Japanese are zealous in their love of all things Disney. Whatever you think is extreme in terms of fan dedication, times it by three for Japan. When I arrived two hours prior to park opening, the regular entrance lines stretched to Nova Scotia and back! And even the early entry crowd was already a mile long. After being hit with this sober realization, a 15 minute head start didn't seem so inconsequential anymore. 

Though the Japanese will go through great lengths to assure a good spot or position in line, the crowds are always well behaved, orderly, and conscientious. When early admittance began, the line moved quickly because things here move with precision and speed. In the USA, you always have that one or two persons/family with missing/invalid passes or a ton of questions that holds up everything. In Japan, something like that is almost nonexistent. And since the majority of park goers are locals, the cultural difference makes even security checks amazingly quick. You don't lose much of those valuable minutes from the time the first guest enters the park. Running too is not allowed, but I'll be darn if even senior citizens are walking at a pace that left me eating dust!

Disneysea is laid out with seven themed areas or "port of calls".  You start at Mediterranean Harbor which then branches out to the other six: Arabian Coast, Port Discovery, Mysterious Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Lost River Delta, and American Waterfront. The first thing to catch your eye upon entering is the fountain globe...a spherical marvel to behold. I wouldn't argue that Mount Prometheus in Mysterious Island is the centerpiece of the park (much like the various castles). But, I would not chide anyone for seeing this as the icon of Disneysea either. I've attached several images of the globe taken either at sunset, the blue hour, or night. I have a few day shots, but it's really after sunset that the globe truly astounds!

Mediterranean Harbor is modeled after a traditional Italian city with its Venetian gondolas and canals. It's also home to the Hotel Miracosta...a full service resort that resides within the park. It's Disney theming at its finest, a careful construct of illusion mixed with real tactile experiences. The hotel not only serves to house guests, but it plays a strong role in transporting one to a romanticized European city. 

Hotel Miracosta is my favorite Tokyo resort (and 2nd overall to the Wilderness Lodge), but I will cover that more extensively in another installment. My words could never do justice to the amazing detail and craftsmanship of this area, so hopefully my pictures will help impart some of the area's beauty...

To be honest, I tend to view live shows/parades at Disney as a necessary evil...LOL! Meaning that I will grudgingly do it, but rarely feel its worth the time and energy of waiting in big crowds and long lines. I've been even more reluctant when it comes to the Japanese productions as Mickey and Duffy are often the star attractions. It's true I'm not a fan of the mouse and even less so of the bear. My affinity for Disney stems basically from the animated classics and the parks itself. But I knew going in I needed to sample the shows just to give my reports some balance and variety. 

"A Perfect Christmas" was the first show I attended at TDS. I had noticed guests staking out spots in front of the river as soon as the park opened. I made a mental note and made plans to watch the show on the following morning. Knowing the Japanese culture, I knew I needed to move at top speed in order to secure a good spot for photographing the show. I did a little reconnaissance earlier and found that the prime spots near the gates were reserved for families who booked vacation packages through Tokyo Disney. It's a specially priced package that includes park tickets and stays at the Disney resorts. It's something I had initially wanted to book, but it's only available to parties of two or more so I was out of luck (my wife opted for Alaska with her best friend so I travelled solo).

If you're planning to stay at a Disney resort with family, I would definitely look into this option. After package seating, the next 5 feet or so are reserved for guests who prefer sitting. The Japanese are very conscientious when it comes to ensuring proper views for everyone (video cameras cannot be held above head level and children sitting on parent's shoulders are a no-no), so they allocate seats accordingly. Past that, there is an open walkway followed by an area for standing guests. For photography purposes, I chose the front row of this area for a clear and unobstructed view. 

I ended up standing next to a gentleman from England who got there before me (he too was planning to photograph the show). He was the first person I heard speaking fluent English in a couple of days so of course I stuck up a conversation. He met his Japan wife  in college and ended up moving to Tokyo to raise a family. They were planning to leave for Europe after their park visit, so it was an exciting time for all of them.

After a wait of little over two hours, the show finally began and I must say it was almost worth the wait. Of course Mickey & Minnie were the stars, but what really made it for me was the appearance of Scrooge McDuck! He's an under rated character that I've never seen at the USA parks so this was a treat. The show itself was well choreographed with an extensive use of props and stage scenery. Santa Claus puts in his obligatory appearance at the finale in a huge sleigh. What the storyline or dramatic push was remains a mystery since it was entirely in Japanese, but the visuals are enough that the language barrier never puts a damper on the show. The backdrop of Mount Prometheus gives "Perfect Christmas" a very surreal and cool look, something no other Disney park can offer.

To be continued...

Photographs copyright 2018 Len Yokoyama

Japan 2017 Trip Report - Part One

Aloha Insights and Sounds readers! This is a voice from the past...coming back to regale you with tales of triumphs, tragedies, and heroic endeavors! Okay, not really...it's just me (Len) with a long overdue trip report of my visit to the land of the rising sun. Being as how this blog slants towards things Disney, this article consists mainly of my adventures at the Tokyo Disney resorts, followed by a brief stop in Kyoto and my final stop at Universal Studios in Osaka. This will be a multi part series with many trivial comments and meandering thoughts so be sure to have a large pot of coffee brewing before delving into any of these posts!

A little background first...this was my 3rd time visiting the Tokyo parks. My first trip was in 2001, the year Disneysea opened. While the parks look pretty much the same, there has been some major and subtle additions / subtractions over the years which I'll cover as we move along. Suffice to say, one of the biggest changes has been the generalization and an overall sameness to much of the merchandise. During my first two trips, I was constantly amazed at the variety and creative designs of park products. I remember picking up an Uncle Scrooge type PEZ dispenser which contained candy resembling silver dollar pieces. Or a Magical Aladdin Genie Bank that gave the illusion of your money disappearing as you dropped it into a slot. The package designs for food products were unbelievable! Specially commissioned artwork that saw a life span of 2-3 months before being rotated out for new designs were common and expected. Alas, all good things come to an end and the imaginative spark of creativity that was a hallmark of Tokyo merchandise has succumb to a plethora of Duffy toys and a more generic vanilla approach found at the USA parks.

Sad to say too that like the American parks, Tokyo is closing down or moving away from original unique attractions (ex: StormRider - one of the coolest attractions at DS replaced by Nemo & Friends SeaRider) to make room for rides that tie into Pixar/Marvel movies.

But all is not doom and gloom. Disneysea still remains the pinnacle of Disney imagineering at its finest. The parks still maintain high levels of customer service, quality food, and cleanliness. So sit back, relax, and come along with me as I relive my journey to Japan!

I arrived a little after 10:00 pm at Haneda Airport, so transportation already became a slight issue due to the late hour. Disney bus service ends at 8:00 pm so I was forced to take a private van to the Disney Celebration Hotel. It cost me $110.00 for a one way trip...pricey, but worth it since I didn't want to hassle with the trains after an 8 1/2 hour flight. My driver was waiting for me at the baggage carousel and kindly helped take my bags to a Mercedes Benz van. As I was the only passenger, we quickly departed the airport and made our way to the hotel. Even with little to no traffic, the ride took approximately 50 minutes. 

Big caveat here if you're thinking of staying at the Disney Celebration. While an official Disney hotel, it is NOT located on or near park premises! Had I know this before booking (and done a little more research),  I would not have stayed here. My initial logic for booking was my interest in checking out Tokyo Disney's newest resort and also saving a little money (since it's their only designated "value" resort). Turns out the savings wasn't substantial (maybe $40.00 less than the Disney Ambassador, once a value hotel, but upgraded to "deluxe" status upon the debut of Celebration). I would much rather pay a little less to stay at one of the "good neighbor" hotels like the Hilton or Sheraton and be much closer to the parks. I will concede that transportation service from Celebration to the parks are excellent, and they have buses leaving every 10 minutes. However, it's almost a half hour ride and should definitely be considered if booking here.

Celebration is comprised of two separate buildings with specific theming...Wishes and Discovery. I chose Discovery as it has more of a western frontier aspect. From the outside, the hotel is rather unimpressive with a "cookie cutter" look to it. You do know it's a Disney hotel the moment you enter the lobby, but like Paradise Pier, it comes across as major plussing rather than a hotel organically designed from the ground up (ala Hotel Miracosta). 

Being such a late arrival, I walked up to the front desk with no one in front or behind me. Besides the frontiersman Mickey statue, and a large couch designed as a canoe, not much else gave me a feel of discovery.  There were display cases with maquette of various Disney attractions and the obligatory Christmas tree or two. 

Christmas decorations at both the hotels and parks are very conservative and subtle (especially when compared with the USA parks). I wonder if part of it is the Japanese not really understanding the true meaning behind Christmas. Not that decorated trees and lights symbolize the birth of Christ, but it's an understanding that really makes this holiday more important than the others (to me at least). After checking in and taking a few photos, I headed up to my room. I was impressed with the colorful artwork covering the interior elevator doors...each elevator showcasing a different area of the parks. 

The room itself was clean and comfortable. The large wall diorama adds a lot to give the room a "Disney" feel, although like the overall hotel, it still feels tacked on. 

The amenities were of the usual high standards I associate with the Tokyo resorts. In fact, unlike the move towards generalized merchandise, the hotel toiletries are still hotel specific. And this is the only hotel that had Mickey Mouse house slippers available (a generous amount of four pairs in cello wrap were mine for the taking, but I showed some restraint and packed just two!).

I headed to bed a little after one, but found myself tossing and turning...first night before entering the park jitters. I got up early and decided to have breakfast since I knew it was going to be a two hour wait for park entry. In Japan, everything is vending machines! In order to participate in the morning buffet, you need to buy a ticket from a machine right outside the restaurant's entrance (the cost comes to roughly $13.00 an adult) You hand it to the cashier and you're off to find a table (since tipping is not allowed in Japan, there are no cash transactions inside the restaurant). Since it was early, the place was nearly empty so I had my choice of seating. Once at the buffet station, I marveled at the selection and quality of food. Japan's dining sensibilities are a little different from America, so seeing pasta as a main entree surprised me not the least. Croissants, and pastries in general, are a lot lighter and not as sweet or sugary.

I enjoyed the fare so much that I made a repeat appearance the following morning! Heartily satisfied, I left the dining
area to catch the bus for my first day at Disneysea!

To be continued...

All photos copyright 2018 by Len Yokoyama