Japan Day 5: Tokyo Disneyland!

Monday started off with a magical bang! We were headed to TOKYO DISNEYLAND!

Half the group was not keen on going to a Disney park that was so accessible at home. However, as a voracious Disney addict I made sure to block out two days to visit BOTH Disney theme parks that Japan had to offer! Monday was devoted to Tokyo Disneyland. I mean, how can I fly all the way across the globe and not go visit a Disney park that is right there?
So that morning Shonna, Buck, Leslie, Ashley and I got up really early and headed toward the Chiba prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. We got caught up in morning rush hour, so we squeezed ourselves into a train car and rode almost an hour to our destination.

It wasn't too difficult to figure out the JR line routes but today we almost didn't need to figure out where our stop was.  We just needed to follow all the other locals decked out in the their Disney gear. I mean they were covered in Disney! I ended up following two girls with Disney clothes and backpacks through the station which led us right out to the Disneyland platform and entrance!
There are two ways to go once you reach the platform. To the left, there are signs for Tokyo Disney Sea and a monorail that will take you there. To the right is an outside-the-park Disney shop and bridge that takes you to the entrance of Disneyland.

 After a minute or so trying to figure out how to use our tickets and which line to stand in, we were in! It was such a rush for this Disney fan! I felt like my stomach was full of bubbles that kept rushing out of me in the form of giggles. It was a feeling you get when your favorite book comes out with a sequel. That's the best way I can describe it.

 

The first thing you notice and what I thought was strange was that the entrance to their main street is covered with a glass ceiling. I don't know why it was there and it really felt out of place. It was the only covered space in the entire park. The street didn't feel as wide as DLR Main Street and we were crammed in there until people started to veer off into shops and finally out at the end into lands. Main street was lined with shops and restaurants but we were eager to get on some rides!

 

We had to grab maps as we were unfamiliar with the layout of the park. Before we came we had looked up which rides to get fast passes for and which rides to definitely not miss out on. Our first ride that we just had to get on was our group favorite: Big Thunder Railroad.

We waited in the line for almost an hour. It was really warm out but we had a lot of fun chatting in line and looking at all the different features this ride and queue had compared to ours.

We trekked across the park and took in the sights before getting lunch at the Plaza Restaurant in Tomorrowland. Most of them got the curry dish which I was still uneasy about trying so I settled for a chicken sandwich in a mickey-hand shaped bun.

After filling up we headed towards Cinderella's castle!
Up next, beautiful castle spam...

We took a ride on Monster's Inc and sat through the Country Bear Jamboree show.

Afterwards, we went inside Cinderella's castle. It was just so princess. I loved it! The thing I love most about Disney is the princesses. Not Mickey or Minnie but the princesses. Hands down the main attraction for me.

The walk-through was ornate and beautiful.

After all the walking we were ready for dinner! When we first walked in I ran into my absolute dream come true! An Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant. When we were first researching things to do in Japan, we uncovered that they have a lot of love for Wonderland! There are actually quite a few Alice in Wonderland themed restaurants spread throughout Japan but I don't think ANY of them could top the one IN Disneyland. I made sure that we had dinner there and I was so excited I couldn't stop taking pictures!

Since we were all celebrating our un-birthdays, I made sure to get a cake to commemorate it!

 

I was really, really sad to leave the restaurant! I wanted to stay the night and the rest of my trip just living in there. 

We decided to check out It's a Small World which was a nice and relaxing ride after dinner.

Before we ended our Disney night, we went straight to stand in the extra long line for Winnie the Pooh! Don't be fooled by the stereotype that this is simply a children's ride. It was probably one of the funnest rides in the whole park! It was full of unexpected surprises and we laughed the whole way through. This would be my pick if I had to recommend a ride at Disneyland!

We couldn't stay out that much later because this week was going to be a bit strenuous and the following day we were headed to Tokyo Disney Sea!

Until next time,