30
The big three-o. And how did the ~lady~ celebrate? By going to Disneyland of course :D
The weather was absolutely miserable when I woke up, but I refused to let it ruin my day. The rain showers ended shortly after I made it to the park, and we even got some sun later on in the day!
Having an annual pass really changes the way you approach the park. I've been to Tokyo Disneyland plenty of times (I've honestly lost count!), but I've only had single day tickets before, so the visits become all about DOING ALL THE THINGS, RIDING ALL THE RIDES, BUYING THE RIGHT SOUVENIRS, EATING THE CUTEST SWEETS.
Today I could just chill, really take in my surroundings, and do whatever the hell I wanted. Today was all about me, and I loved every second of it! My feet aren't even tired!
I ended up taking A LOT of pictures. I'm going to select my favourites, there's a link to the complete gallery (53 pictures total from today's Disney trip) at the end of the post.
There's a walkway you have to follow to get to Disneyland from Maihama station, if you look closely, you'll find these tiny statues on top of some of the columns along the walkway.
There is one statue I just can't recognize.
What is this from????
Tokyo Disney celebrates Easter every year. Their Easter lasts from the end of March until around mid-June. This year's theme is BUNNY EARS! (うさ耳)! The Easter event isn't supposed to start until tomorrow, but all the decorations were up, all the Easter merchandise was available to buy, and they even performed the Easter parade! I was super excited, I've never experienced Disney Easter before, and I've been wanting to go for forever.
One of the main attractions during Disney Easter is the egg hunt! You buy maps that give hints of the locations, if you're able to find all the eggs, you get a prize! There are three different maps to choose from. Beginner, Expert, and Master. I'm going to try the Beginner one the next time, to see what it's like!
The goal is actually outside the park. You have to exit (remember to get a hand stamp so you can get back in again!), and show your solution at the goal to get your prize.
It was cold and rainy, so I hung around the World Bazaar area a lot in the beginning. It's honestly an area of the park I've never really paid much attention, but it turns out there's more to do there than simply browse the shops. There's character greeting opportunities, and live music entertainment!
This guy was actually kind of funny, and I ended up being part of the show XD For his final song he did It's a Small World, and he joked around by asking a lot of obviously Japanese audience members "Are you Japanese by any chance???" to which they'd answer "Yup!", and he'd go "Aaah, it's a small world, isn't it????!" or "Ah, me too, I live in Chiba! Small world, right???!" and everyone laughed. I noticed he'd been sort of eying me, probably checking if I understood Japanese or not, and then he actually turned to me and went "And where are you from?" (both in Japanese and English), I replied "NORWAY~~~!", and he said "Aah, that's why it's so cold today" (in Japanese), and I said "Yup, that's why!!!!" (in Japanese) and everyone laughed so much XDDDD IT WAS GREAT. Omg Disney moments. Nothing beats this warm, fuzzy, magical Disney feeling :D
touchofgr3y asked me what the merchandise at Tokyo Disney was like, so I made sure to take plenty of pictures. It's a mix of brand new Easter things and just a general selection of... random souvenir things. I haven't even scratched the surface with the pictures I took today. Let me know if there is anything in particular you're curious about! I'll welcome any Disney related photo quests!
Easter eggs!
Rice crackers and snacks!
Key chains and straps!
I think pin trading is a lot more popular in the American parks than it is in the Tokyo parks. They do have some pins, but they are not really that easy to find. I've not noticed any cast members wearing pins, and I've never seen anyone trade pins at the Tokyo Disney parks.
Limited edition Easter wind-up toys that you can only get from this crazy machine in Toontown XD
I stayed and watched a performance by the Tokyo Disney band as well. Pinocchio joined in.
It's been a while since I watched this last (it's a 3D movie theatre style attraction), and it was actually a lot more entertaining than I remembered it. I basically went on to do a lot of attractions where you get to sit indoors where it's warm XD
Then I sat down beneath the sakura trees in Toontown and watched Happiness is Here. I've never watched any of the day time parades before. This was really great. THE SONG WAS SO CATCHY. THERE WERE SO MANY FACE CHARACTERS!!!
Monsters Inc. is one of the most popular rides at Tokyo Disney. I've never been on it.
One day I'll be brave enough to approach strangers at Disney and ask to take their pictures. The co-ordinated outfits people come up with for their Disney visits at Tokyo Disney are INSANE. I love the Disney fashion sense so much. The way people incorporate the merchandise in their outfits, the way they match up with their group of friends... it's such a cool culture. It reminds me a little of idol wota culture, tbh.
AURORA! I've never seen face characters out and about at Tokyo Disneyland before. Today I encountered Aurora, Jasmine and Aladdin (????? whyyy they live at DisneySea???), and Belle!
Did I mention the Easter decorations yet, because omggggg adorbs
I got a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain. Mostly because I wanted to try getting a FastPass with my annual passport. It's like a magical key that just unlocks everything!!!
Mickey churros! Can you tell why they're called Mickey churros?? :)
My dinner! ... yeah, it was a dark restaurant.
So I also took a picture of the display case with the examples. LOOK HOW THEY SHAPED THE RICE TO LOOK LIKE A CRACKED EGG. AHSFJKHAKJFHAKJFJK
I had planned to eat something a little cheaper at Plaza Restaurant, but 1) Plaza is the most unpleasant place in the entire park to eat, 2) my original idea was to take my food outside and sit on a bench, but it was WAY TOO COLD TO DO THAT, 3) ALL THE SEATS IN PLAZA WERE TAKEN. I wasn't having any of it. Not on my birthday. So I chose something slightly more expensive (though admittedly not by much) at Grandma Sara's Kitchen. I stupidly went at a normal dinner time, and this ended up being my longest wait of the day. Golden rule of Disney, always eat at slightly awkward times. Have dinner at around 4pm, or after 7pm - never in-between these times (unless you don't mind waiting an hour++ before you get to even order 8D).
I was done with dinner, and walked right into the Electrical Parade! This is my all time favourite Disney parade, and they keep adding to it and improving it all the time. I feel there's something new every time I watch it! I watched the whole parade, and then decided to call it a night!
The full gallery of pictures is here. They're in reverse chronological order, click "fortsett (some number)" to see more!
I am going to say this again: Let me know if there is anything in particular you're curious about! I'll welcome any Disney related photo quests!
Apart from the pictures, the only souvenir I brought back with me were the pair of blue bunny ears pictured in the first picture of this post. They're obviously what you want to wear for the Easter event! They come in three different colours, and it took me AGES to decide which colour to get. The cute little chicken attached? That's a hair clip! The bunny ears have holes for attaching hair clips, and they sell an assortment of cute hair clips that go well with the bunny ears. It took me a while to decide on a hair clip as well XDDD!
Oh, and this is what the ears look like on the back!
"DISNEY'S EASTER" and a (not so hidden) Mickey :) The ears themselves have wire in them, so you can bend them into any shape you like.
And that was my day! 30 years old, huh? I guess I'll grow into it some day.
The weather was absolutely miserable when I woke up, but I refused to let it ruin my day. The rain showers ended shortly after I made it to the park, and we even got some sun later on in the day!
Having an annual pass really changes the way you approach the park. I've been to Tokyo Disneyland plenty of times (I've honestly lost count!), but I've only had single day tickets before, so the visits become all about DOING ALL THE THINGS, RIDING ALL THE RIDES, BUYING THE RIGHT SOUVENIRS, EATING THE CUTEST SWEETS.
Today I could just chill, really take in my surroundings, and do whatever the hell I wanted. Today was all about me, and I loved every second of it! My feet aren't even tired!
I ended up taking A LOT of pictures. I'm going to select my favourites, there's a link to the complete gallery (53 pictures total from today's Disney trip) at the end of the post.
There's a walkway you have to follow to get to Disneyland from Maihama station, if you look closely, you'll find these tiny statues on top of some of the columns along the walkway.
There is one statue I just can't recognize.
What is this from????
Tokyo Disney celebrates Easter every year. Their Easter lasts from the end of March until around mid-June. This year's theme is BUNNY EARS! (うさ耳)! The Easter event isn't supposed to start until tomorrow, but all the decorations were up, all the Easter merchandise was available to buy, and they even performed the Easter parade! I was super excited, I've never experienced Disney Easter before, and I've been wanting to go for forever.
One of the main attractions during Disney Easter is the egg hunt! You buy maps that give hints of the locations, if you're able to find all the eggs, you get a prize! There are three different maps to choose from. Beginner, Expert, and Master. I'm going to try the Beginner one the next time, to see what it's like!
The goal is actually outside the park. You have to exit (remember to get a hand stamp so you can get back in again!), and show your solution at the goal to get your prize.
It was cold and rainy, so I hung around the World Bazaar area a lot in the beginning. It's honestly an area of the park I've never really paid much attention, but it turns out there's more to do there than simply browse the shops. There's character greeting opportunities, and live music entertainment!
This guy was actually kind of funny, and I ended up being part of the show XD For his final song he did It's a Small World, and he joked around by asking a lot of obviously Japanese audience members "Are you Japanese by any chance???" to which they'd answer "Yup!", and he'd go "Aaah, it's a small world, isn't it????!" or "Ah, me too, I live in Chiba! Small world, right???!" and everyone laughed. I noticed he'd been sort of eying me, probably checking if I understood Japanese or not, and then he actually turned to me and went "And where are you from?" (both in Japanese and English), I replied "NORWAY~~~!", and he said "Aah, that's why it's so cold today" (in Japanese), and I said "Yup, that's why!!!!" (in Japanese) and everyone laughed so much XDDDD IT WAS GREAT. Omg Disney moments. Nothing beats this warm, fuzzy, magical Disney feeling :D
touchofgr3y asked me what the merchandise at Tokyo Disney was like, so I made sure to take plenty of pictures. It's a mix of brand new Easter things and just a general selection of... random souvenir things. I haven't even scratched the surface with the pictures I took today. Let me know if there is anything in particular you're curious about! I'll welcome any Disney related photo quests!
Easter eggs!
Rice crackers and snacks!
Key chains and straps!
I think pin trading is a lot more popular in the American parks than it is in the Tokyo parks. They do have some pins, but they are not really that easy to find. I've not noticed any cast members wearing pins, and I've never seen anyone trade pins at the Tokyo Disney parks.
Limited edition Easter wind-up toys that you can only get from this crazy machine in Toontown XD
I stayed and watched a performance by the Tokyo Disney band as well. Pinocchio joined in.
It's been a while since I watched this last (it's a 3D movie theatre style attraction), and it was actually a lot more entertaining than I remembered it. I basically went on to do a lot of attractions where you get to sit indoors where it's warm XD
Then I sat down beneath the sakura trees in Toontown and watched Happiness is Here. I've never watched any of the day time parades before. This was really great. THE SONG WAS SO CATCHY. THERE WERE SO MANY FACE CHARACTERS!!!
Monsters Inc. is one of the most popular rides at Tokyo Disney. I've never been on it.
One day I'll be brave enough to approach strangers at Disney and ask to take their pictures. The co-ordinated outfits people come up with for their Disney visits at Tokyo Disney are INSANE. I love the Disney fashion sense so much. The way people incorporate the merchandise in their outfits, the way they match up with their group of friends... it's such a cool culture. It reminds me a little of idol wota culture, tbh.
AURORA! I've never seen face characters out and about at Tokyo Disneyland before. Today I encountered Aurora, Jasmine and Aladdin (????? whyyy they live at DisneySea???), and Belle!
Did I mention the Easter decorations yet, because omggggg adorbs
I got a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain. Mostly because I wanted to try getting a FastPass with my annual passport. It's like a magical key that just unlocks everything!!!
Mickey churros! Can you tell why they're called Mickey churros?? :)
My dinner! ... yeah, it was a dark restaurant.
So I also took a picture of the display case with the examples. LOOK HOW THEY SHAPED THE RICE TO LOOK LIKE A CRACKED EGG. AHSFJKHAKJFHAKJFJK
I had planned to eat something a little cheaper at Plaza Restaurant, but 1) Plaza is the most unpleasant place in the entire park to eat, 2) my original idea was to take my food outside and sit on a bench, but it was WAY TOO COLD TO DO THAT, 3) ALL THE SEATS IN PLAZA WERE TAKEN. I wasn't having any of it. Not on my birthday. So I chose something slightly more expensive (though admittedly not by much) at Grandma Sara's Kitchen. I stupidly went at a normal dinner time, and this ended up being my longest wait of the day. Golden rule of Disney, always eat at slightly awkward times. Have dinner at around 4pm, or after 7pm - never in-between these times (unless you don't mind waiting an hour++ before you get to even order 8D).
I was done with dinner, and walked right into the Electrical Parade! This is my all time favourite Disney parade, and they keep adding to it and improving it all the time. I feel there's something new every time I watch it! I watched the whole parade, and then decided to call it a night!
The full gallery of pictures is here. They're in reverse chronological order, click "fortsett (some number)" to see more!
I am going to say this again: Let me know if there is anything in particular you're curious about! I'll welcome any Disney related photo quests!
Apart from the pictures, the only souvenir I brought back with me were the pair of blue bunny ears pictured in the first picture of this post. They're obviously what you want to wear for the Easter event! They come in three different colours, and it took me AGES to decide which colour to get. The cute little chicken attached? That's a hair clip! The bunny ears have holes for attaching hair clips, and they sell an assortment of cute hair clips that go well with the bunny ears. It took me a while to decide on a hair clip as well XDDD!
Oh, and this is what the ears look like on the back!
"DISNEY'S EASTER" and a (not so hidden) Mickey :) The ears themselves have wire in them, so you can bend them into any shape you like.
And that was my day! 30 years old, huh? I guess I'll grow into it some day.