[Disney] Day 21: Back to Tokyo Disneyland

Let's start today with something different, shall we? Here's a charming picture. I have no idea what it says on it but I really hope it's "if you don't use our antibacterial hand liquid you WILL turn into a raccoon. A smelly, ugly raccoon. You know who loves raccoons? No one. No one except people who are into bestiality. So use this right now or run for your lives".

Breakfast was not a croissant with ham and cheese. No. It was this little beauty and it was fantastic:

I really wanted to spend a full day at Tokyo Disneyland, maybe even maybe in the sunlight (didn't happen) so that I could do some rides and see some shows. I had arranged with Kevin and Jay to meet them in the park. As it happened I saw them standing in line because they were like two skyscrapers right in the middle of a sea of brownstones.

We got to the park 45 minutes after it opened and this was the line to get in:

I will always remember fondly the days when I could walk on rides at TDR

Today was going to be busy. Very busy. It felt like a summer day at WDW in terms of crowds. So much for going on rides.

Still doesn't seem like a proper entrance

Disney castle + airplane = all of Danny's readers satisfied with a photo?

We decided the one thing we really wanted to go on again was Pooh's Hunny Hunt. What can I say, it's a fantastic ride. As we walked towards Fantasyland we had scarcely gotten into Tommorowland before the line started:

Dear. Freaking. God.

Bear in mind this was not, I repeat NOT, the line for the ride. This was line to get a Fastpass. My mind was blown. We waited 20 minutes in line to get a pass that would later let us come back to skip an even longer line. Jay said that when he was here shortly after the ride opened he waited 2 hours in line for a Fastpass What the heck must this place be like in August?!

The TDL castle is impressive. The added battlements really enhance it.

Kevin returned with some honey popcorn. Not as good as strawberry or (mmm) cranberry, but a step above soy sauce.

It is still Easter at Tokyo Disneyland despite it being late May. Here's the same Snow White area from Disneyland except in place of dwarves we have eggs. There were tons of these character eggs all over the place. I've included a few of the more creative ones.

Seven dwarves? Dwarfs? Oh the heck with it.

We decided to head to a show. Maybe it was called Minnie, Oh Minnie! I don't know, I can't be bothered to remember this stuff. You care so much, you look it up. On the way over I realized I had an opportunity to consume Minnie's pink, delicious flesh (holy crap creepiest sentence I've ever written - so sorry!) and that it might be filled with strawberry and milk. So I did. And it was. And I regret nothing.

Eat me, gaijin

Pay way too much for my little cup of refreshment, gaijin

What did this show have to do with New Orleans? Exactly nothing.

At about this point in the show I thought "what the crap is this"?

And at this point I thought "it's the Japanese Soul Train!"

Wait a second - which one of those guys didn't fit in? Ah yeah, the cracker! This guy was great - we saw him throughout the day whenever they needed a white guy in a show. He was here. He was in two parades. Dude got around:

Pretty sure these guys weren't Japanese either, though I wouldn't swear to it in a court of law:

The show turned out to be quite good for a little show in a small theater. When will I learn that Tokyo Disney overdelivers on everything?

Ba na na way. Ba na na way, ba nana.

Hey, didn't I see you at Takeshita Dori on Sunday?

The Easter parade was about to begin so we found a spot on the hub to watch it. This wasn't the evening parade. This wasn't the afternoon parade. This was a special third parade that was seasonal. In the states my impression (though I'd never actually watch such a parade in the states) is that you could expect something between heaping pile o'crap and mildly entertaining. As it was the parade was quite impressive. The song was catchy. A bit too catchy. I can still here a certain someone singing one line of it for the next two hours. I could link to it, but then you'd all be begging me to bring back It's a Small World.

Japanese people raising the proverbial roof

I am definitely down with how much love Alice gets in international parks

Whoa. WHOA. Is that an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit float? Thank you, Epic Mickey.

Speaking of epic, check out this guy's hat. I'd totally buy that if I could. And I'd run every single faculty senate meeting wearing it. Oh god how I wish that could happen.

This has to be every Disney bunny on one float

I love what they did with "hunny" here

"I don't want to do the bunny hop" 

Alright, I am like 99% certain that I've seen this dude in some meme

Live funny

He was walking on his hands. For your amusement. Bread and circuses, people!

I am not making this up. Jay called out "Esmeralda" and she looked at him and winked. Jay, you heartbreaker, you.

We didnt' have much of a game plan at this point. Lines for everything were outrageous. Jay and Kevin wanted to have a sit-down dinner, preferably at one of the dinner shows. Those needed to be booked online or through a mobile device, all of it in Japanese. Instead we went over to Guest Relations and they tried to indicate that we might be able to go the restaurant directly.

We showed up at the Diamond Horseshoe and got our reserved seats for the dinner show, Pecos Goofy's Revue or some such.

Yet another bathroom sign

I know - let's go on Big Thunder Mountain. Say what? The wait is 100 minutes? Screw it, let's get FPs and eat lunch. Say what? The wait to get into the Queen of Hearts Buffeteria is like 30 minutes? Dear freaking god what is happening here?

We ended up at Grandma Sarah's Kitchen, a very nicely themed Splash Mountain restaurant.

That sausage could not look more nasty

This salad was absolutely fantastic

As was this dessert

The roll I had pay two bucks for? Not so much.

Adorable hat. We later saw a teenage guy wearing it and that's when we knew we weren't in the US any more.

With Splash Mountain nearby, and with the single rider line woefully underused, we walked right on to a ride with a 100 minute wait. Only awkward part about single rider? I was stuck with a group of three adolescent Japanese girls. I immediately thought "this could not be any more cliche". They kept looking at me, giggling, and fanning themselves. I'd like to think it meant they thought I was hot. It probably meant "that gaijin looks awfully hot in that jacket he's wearing. Also he's ugly."

Splash Mountain is identical to the ride in the states, except if every effect worked and there were a bunch more effects too and if the loading area was cooler. Everyone applauded at the end. Not sure if I've mentioned it yet in this post but screw you American Disney parks.

The entire Critter Country area is Splash Mountain themed. Disneyland would be much improved if they made that change there.

For no purpose other than theming

Really glad we went single rider on this one

After riding Splash Mountain we had a bit of time to kill before the afternoon parade, so we headed over to Toontown to take in the sights.

80 minute wait for Haunted Mansion? Utterly ridiculous.

Fried sweet potato paste thing in some doughy concoction and all that matters is that it is very, very tasty.

I wonder what percentage of the Japanese get this joke. I wonder if it's higher than the percentage of Americans. I wonder if, as a member of the educational profession even having to wonder that should make me die a little inside.

Finally some bubble tea up in this piece

NEVER!

These would be way cooler if they were My Little Pony. I mean, Rainbow Dash leading off a parade? Yes, that I can get behind. I really shouldn't be revealing how much of a brony I am, should I?

We found a vantage point in Tomorrowland that would allow us to stand and hopefully stay dry during the parade. If you look closely at the photos you'll notice that many of the participants are wearing a rain coat. Fairy godmother in a poncho, eh?

It moves. And blinks. And it's huge. It's either one of the coolest or freakiest floats I've ever seen.

AH CLOWN KILL IT DEAD NOW

Loved the touch of having Randall on there

After the parade we wandered around Tomorrowland en route to Adventureland.

Adorable vending machine

We spent some time before dinner wandering through Swiss Family Treehouse, which is very similar to the WDW incarnation. We also saw a Stitch-modified version of the Tiki Room. It...wasn't bad. Look, that's the nicest thing I can say about Stitch, okay?

Couldn't he stay lost?

Another awesome vending machine

Is that Big Al? Why yes, I believe it is.

We decided to spoil our dinner appetite by getting curry popcorn. Still tasty. Unless your name is Jay, in which case even smelling it makes you slightly ill.

I can't even remember any more...curry again? 

That's officially the weirdest name for a drink I saw in Tokyo

Goofy as a pirate would never, ever work. Dude would stab himself within a week.

Not a great photo but those wait times are just stupid

Heck yes I made a wish. Maybe this year it will come true?

At that point it was time for Pecos Goofy. We ended up being seated in the balcony on the second floor basically looking directly down at the stage. It turned out to be a very unique vantage point for watching the show. I'm glad we got to experience it, even if the show itself was kind of "eh".

Huge fan of this punch

Less of a fan of the disturbingly-shaped bread

Grapefruit soda; very refreshing.

Very cool view from our seats

That pork was absolutely fantastic. It was quite possibly the best pork I've ever had.

Found the answer to Paula Cole's question: Tokyo Disney.

Shaming adult men? Sure!

Despite being past our window (this would never fly under the new strict regulations in US parks) we gave it a shot and get on Pooh's Hunny Hunt one last time.

I'm not a real scientist (I'm, at best, a social one) but that would never work, Pooh.

At this point I was lured onto Autopia. Autopia is just absolutely awful. You are in "control" of a car that can't go more than like ten MPH and can't deviate from the track it's on in any way. You know what's more fun than riding Autopia? Anything. The only cool part of the ride in Tokyo is that the cars have sensors that automatically stop you if you get to close to the car in front of you. Wait, what am I saying? Ramming fools is the only thing that makes the ride even slightly enjoyable.

We settled in for my second showing of the Dream Lights parade. A few more photos for you from it before I call it a night. I hope you all have a wonderful evening ;)

My favorite of Genie's changes: Tigger. Here's a YouTube video submitted by a reader showing the Genie float in action.

AH WON'T SLEEP EVER AGAIN PLEASE HOLD ME

NOT MAKING IT BETTER WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE