Well, now that I’ve scared families away from traveling to Tokyo Disneyland (saving fathers across Okinawa time and money), let’s move onto day 2 and see if we can’t restore some faith in the dignity of the American family abroad. What a difference a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast make! Our hotel had a western style breakfast buffet, and everyone was much happier full of French toast, oatmeal, fruit, and bacon. (Note: a Japanese breakfast looks more like a lunch to us—rice, miso soup, vegetables, sometimes a meat leftover from dinner. People here eat breakfast at home. There are bakeries and doughnut shops, but they are not the mainstay of the Japanese diet.) We had tickets to Disney Sea, and we prepared everyone for rain. After breakfast, we talked (lectured) about being good ambassadors, choosing to have fun, and generally redeeming the previous day or being grounded until next Christmas. We managed not to lose anyone during the rush hour commute on the trains (more on that next post), and arrived shortly after the park opened.

We took the monorail from the train station over to Disney Sea and the cars were decorated in true Disney style for the holiday. May I just say that Disney and Japan both understand how attention to details surprise and delight visitors, as seen in the hand holds on the train:

Disney Sea has a completely different feel to it than any theme park I have visited. It is organized around seven ports: Mediterranean Harbor, Mystery Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront.

First, we headed into the Mystery Island area based loosely on the writings of Jules Verne. It included rides like “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” with plenty of steampunk elements. We were able to walk onto the 20,000 Leagues ride (a submarine-like ride) with no wait, and everyone loved it.

Ransom and Matt went on the roller coaster “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” while I took the other three to Ariel’s Mermaid Lagoon and the Arabian Coast.  We rode several kiddie rides, including a Sinbad boat ride that was entirely in Japanese, but I guess it didn’t matter because the kids turned around and got right back on it. We also rode Jasmine’s magic carpets—kind of like the rockets or Dumbo at Disneyland.

Over in the Lost River Delta, Ransom and I tackled Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull ride—very similar to the one at California Adventure. Before the ride began, the two ladies next to us motioned as if to ask if Ransom was old enough to drive, and I shook my head in mock horror. We all laughed together. The Japanese DO know how to scream, and they did on this ride. Matt actually managed to get Memphis on the Indiana Jones ride before the day’s end, and she liked it, too.

We got quite a few pictures with Disney characters. At Disney in the states, the characters are usually surrounded by a swat team of bodyguard-cast-members who organize picture lines and peel annoying kids or parents off the Disney character. In Japan, there are plenty of cast members accompanying each character, but they are much less ‘bodyguardish’ and much happier to take pics or help the little ones get to Minnie or Mickey. Tip: If you go to Tokyo Disney or Disney Sea, take along a cute little blond kid like ours. Every time we approached a character swarm, as soon as a cast member or the character saw Jet, they rushed him to the front of the line like he was on some private Disney list. I think the truth is that he became part of the attraction—flashes popped like the paparazzi were onto us.

About 2 pm, the rain went from a drizzle to a downpour. Everyone kept a good attitude, and we finished up the last of the rides we wanted to try before calling it a day. While we were waiting for Matt and Mem to finish a ride, we heard a brass and percussion band play Christmas carols– ahh….NOW it’s beginning to feel like Christmas.  We beat the evening rush hour back on the trains, and even had time to swim back at the hotel. Despite the rain, we had an amazing day and everyone wants to go back when it is a bit warmer.