07.16.16
Today we decided to awaken (or release?) our inner child – we trekked to Maihama for a daylong visit to Disney Sea!
You can’t find Disney Sea anywhere outside of Japan, not even in California or Florida. It is a sea-themed park, with architecture and an overall setting that is reminiscent of Venice. While Disney Land is designated as “Disney for kids,” Disney Sea is generally frequented by teens and adults. Why, you ask? The rollercoasters are a bit more intense than those located in land, and some restaurants serve alcohol.
Now, I know you might be wondering: why would we even bother going to Disney in Japan, if we can easily go in the States? Aside from the fact that Disney Sea is only located in Japan, it’s important to note that Disney itself is a significant cultural experience. The Disney experience is quite different in Japan, both in terms of customer service and park visitors. For example, in terms of park visitors, many friends decide to dress in osoroi, or matching clothes. During our visit to Disney Sea, we saw friends dressed in matching shirts, couples dressed in matching Minnie and Mickey outfits, and even a group of 10 to 15 girls all dressed in the same black outfit (with matching black bunny headbands). If you want to read a scholarly analysis of the Disney experience in Japan, I would suggest taking a look at “’Bwana Mickey’: Constructing Cultural Consumption At Tokyo Disneyland” by Mary Yoko Brannen.
Disney Sea.
Six Dartmouth students attended the Disney excursion: the other three students had other obligations (such as homestay plans and personal excursions). We met at around 9 AM at the turnstiles of Maihama, and boarded the Disney Express Line to Disney Sea. Once we purchased our tickets and entered the park gates, we were immediately greeted by Goofy!
Group picture with Goofy!
We made our way into the park proper, and ran into Jiminy Cricket and the gang from Pinocchio. We grabbed a Fast Pass for “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” and walked to the Aztec-themed part of the park in order to wait in line for “Raging Spirits.” This ride is notorious for being the only rollercoaster in the park with a 360-degree loop.
Trying to figure out a pose with Jiminy Cricket.
After Raging Spirits, we stopped by for a snack at a nearby vendor. Some of us had a mango frozen smoothie, while others ate the spicy chicken leg unique to that side of the park. Afterwards, we made it back to “Journey to the Center of the Earth” just in time for the start of the Fast Pass usage period. We all truly enjoyed the rollercoaster’s scenery, ferocious monsters, and the huge drop at the end (although, I must confess that I thought that I was going to fly out of the cart).
We stopped for lunch, and feasted on some gyoza dogs (gyoza-shaped nikuman). Afterwards, we trekked to the other side of the park and waited in line for "Indiana Jones." Afterwards, we made the journey to yet another side of the park (America-themed!) for “The Tower of Terror.” I didn’t go on the ride, but the LSAers who were brave enough to ride seemed to enjoy it!
The gang on "Tower of Terror."
At one point during the trip, one of the LSAers lost her cellphone. Now normally in the States, once you lose your cellphone at a park like Disney, you can expect it to be stolen and/or gone forever. However, Jen and I were so surprised when we reported the missing cellphone at the park’s lost and found, and received it 15 minutes later! It turned out that a park attendant had found her cellphone, reported it missing, and held onto it. Once we gave a description of the phone (from its outer appearance to the image on its lock screen), the attendant at the lost and found made a phone call, and informed us that a park attendant was waiting for us at the location where Jen had left her phone. Once we arrived at the location, the attendant was waiting with the phone and a clipboard in his hand. One signature later, we received the cellphone! We were in awe, and also very grateful.
The rest of our trip to Disney was mostly characterized by grabbing Fast Passes, waiting in lines (each ride had about a wait of 30 to 40 minutes), and feasting on delicious park snacks. The intricate architecture and designs of the park (such as Ariel’s grotto) definitely caught our eyes.
We were all quite tired, so we headed home before the fireworks. Most of us bought some omiyage (souvenirs) for our host families. We then hopped back onto the Disney Express Line to Maihama Station, and had dinner at Ikspiari, the giant mall located near the station. We all went our separate ways afterwards.
After several weeks of classes and excursions, it definitely felt nice to release our inner children for one day!