We could all use a bit of joy these days and when you think of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” you immediately think of of Disneyland.

Going to Disneyland has always been a childhood dream among those who grew up watching Disney Films. Though I never had the chance to travel there as a kid, I’m grateful that I got the chance to visit Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in 2019, mainly to accompany my nephew on the rides during a family summer trip with my mom in Japan.

Tokyo Disneyland, which opened in 1983, is the first Disney theme park built outside of the United States and one of three parks in Asia, the other two being Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney.

Tokyo Disneyland has seven themed areas: the World Bazaar, the four traditional Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland; and two mini-lands: Country and Mickey’s Toontown. 

Many of these areas mirror those found in the original Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida as the Tokyo theme park was modeled after those based on American Disney films and fantasies.

During our visit, we didn’t really have a game plan of where to go first. We just walked around and went to attractions that didn’t have long lines, but if you want to make the most of your visit, it’s better to tackle the park one area at a time based on the type or rides that interest you or your favorite films.

Anyway, here’s a walkthrough of the main lands there and the highlights of Tokyo Disneyland based on our trip.

Tomorrowland

Both my nephew and I like thrilling roller coaster type rides, so we made our way to Tomorrowland first. Tomorrowland explores the themes of outer space and future technologies. The area is home to popular attractions such as Space Mountain, Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlasters, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek and the Happy Ride with Baymax.

Unlike the other areas of the park, Tomorrowland doesn’t feature magical or realistic based rides but features science-fiction fantasy themes as seen in futuristic Disney and Pixar films. Architecturally it borrows much from the 1971–1993 version of Florida’s Tomorrowland.

Space Mountain, the fully enclosed futuristic sci-fi roller coaster that blasts you through space at warp speed, is one of the most sought-after attractions at the park and waiting times there can be long. Our first stop was to get fast pass tickets for that, then we tried some nearby rides where lines weren’t so long while waiting.

By far, Space Mountain was the most exciting ride we tried at the park, and we lined up immediately for another fast pass for the next ride so we could go back. I suggest you try some slower rides first before riding Space Mountain, because everything else seems anti-climactic after.

Star Tours – The Adventure Continues, is a 3D Motion Simulator set in the Star Wars universe that takes passengers on a turbulent trip across the galaxy, as droids C-3P0 and R2-D2 attempt to safely return a spy to the Rebel Alliance.

We also tried Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, an interactive shooting dark ride inspired by Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story franchise that combines a carnival game with a moving Omnimover system.

Tomorrowland has several unique dining areas including the Pan Galactic Pizza Port, an “out-of-this-world” restaurant that features a large audio-animatronic pizza-making machine operated by an alien creature.  

You can also find various refreshments stalls and kiosks selling unique treats like Mickey shaped ice bars, Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and Tiramisu Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is based on the classic animated films by Disney and is home to the iconic Cinderella’s Castle at the center of the park, as well as other characters and rides such as Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Snow White, It’s A Small World and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt.

Like other Magic Kingdom theme parks, Fantasyland’s central entryway is a castle, in this case Cinderella Castle, a near exact copy of the one in Florida’s Magic Kingdom.

Lacking any “thrill rides,” Fantasyland’s attractions are generally dark rides that take visitors through scenes from Disney film. Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall features the story of Cinderella in a walk-through style attraction, while Pooh’s Hunny Hunt uses a trackless ride system.

Prince Charming Regal Carousel is a carousel that features hand-painted scenes from Cinderella and plays organ-based versions of Disney music during the two-minute ride period.

Alice’s Tea Party is a dizzying spinning tea cup ride inspired by the Unbirthday Party scene in Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, and plays a carousel version of the film’s “Unbirthday Song.”

It’s a Small World is a water-based boat ride that features over 300 audio-animatronic dolls in traditional costumes from cultures around the world, singing the attraction’s title song, which has a theme of global peace.

We ignored this at first, because we thought it would be too kiddy, but we tried it out as one of the last rides of the day and found it very enjoyable.

You can spot Disney characters from various films in various areas depicted to match the original 1960s design of Mary Blair, alongside the original characters.

A new Beauty and the Beast sub-section recently opened in September 2020 as part of the theme park’s largest expansion, which includes a dark ride named Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast housed in a new Beauty and the Beast Castle with Maurice’s Cottage and Gaston’s Fountain at its entrance. The new section also houses Belle’s Village which includes the La Taverne de Gaston eatery, and Village Shoppes selling souvenirs and gifts.

Toontown

Toontown is a suburban toon neighborhood heavily inspired by the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit where the Disney characters live, work and play. Aimed at a younger audience, Toontown lets visitors meet Mickey and Minnie at their houses, play on Donald Duck’s boat, check out Chip’n Dale’s Treehouse and ride Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, a kid-sized rollercoaster.

World Bazaar

For lunch, we headed back to the World Bazaar section, which is located right after the main entrance to the park. This covered shopping arcade designed like an early 20th century American town is lined by most of the park’s shops and restaurants which serve different cuisine. Sweetheart Cafe is a bakery that serves mostly pastries and desserts.

We decided to eat in Restaurant Hokusai, a priority seating restaurant that offers a taste of Japan inside old-time America. The traditional restaurant features Japanese art and architecture as seen in the late 19th century.

Named for the famous artist, Hokusai Katsushika, whose Japanese ukiyo-e prints influenced artists in faraway Europe, Restaurant Hokusai offers the flavors of Japan, with traditional dishes like tempura.

The restaurant also offers a children’s set menu. We appreciated the relatively quiet setting, friendly service, and air-conditioned set-up, which was a nice break after walking around the park.

Westernland

After lunch, we headed to Westernland, an “old west” themed area designed after the US western frontier along the Rivers of America, that’s a counterpart of Frontierland in other Magic Kingdom-style parks.

The landscape here is dominated by Big Thunder Mountain, a Monument Valley-style mountain surrounding a mine train roller coaster.

Westernland also contains the Rivers of America, a man-made waterway that is home to the Mark Twain Riverboat, Town Sawyer Island, and numerous live and Audio-Animatronic animals.

We took a snapshot of the ‘Elias Hotel’ facade in Westernland because it happens to be my nephew’s name. Apparently, the building pays tribute to Walt Disney’s middle name, as well as to the park’s opening year — exactly 100 years after 1883.

Critter Country

Critter Country is a small area of the park and is dominated by a single major attraction, Splash Mountain, which was closed during our visit. Critter Country is home to Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear and the other characters from the Disney film Song of the South.

Adventureland

Aside from Tomorrowland, one of our favorite sections in the park was Adventureland, which includes attractions that encompass the spirit of adventure.

Here you can explore the Swiss Family Treehouse, join a jungle cruise, ride the Western River Railroad and sail with the Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Swiss Family Treehouse is a walk-through attraction centered on a giant treehouse where everyone can hear and see various scenes based on the Disney film Swiss Family Robinson.

You have to walk around the trunk of the tree and go through various “rooms” designed on the theme of the movie.

We enjoyed looking around the rooms with all the details and structures made to appear salvaged from a 19th-century shipwreck and desert island finds.

Another nice ride in the area was the Jungle Cruise, a river boat attraction that simulates a riverboat cruise down several major rivers of Asia, Africa and South America.

Park guests board replica steam launches from a 1930s British explorers’ lodge and are taken on a voyage past many different Audio-Animatronic jungle animals.

The tour is led by a live Disney Cast Member delivering humorous narration. This narration is based on a written and practiced script, but generally is largely delivered ad-lib.

Adventureland contains a complementary New Orleans-themed area that combines the New Orleans Square and Adventureland areas found in Disneyland Park in the United States.

Cafe Orleans offers a pleasant place to enjoy crepes and refreshments around the streets of New Orleans.

This cafe situated on the corner of Royal Street that recalls the French Quarter offers a variety of delicious crepes, shakes and ice cream.

We decided to just take it easy the rest of the afternoon and try some of the more peaceful theater type rides.

We checked out Mickey’s PhiharMagic, a theater type musical concert where Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and more Disney friends sweep you away into the fantastic world of Disney animation.

We capped the full day of walking around, and Disney magic with one of the live theater shows, before calling it a night and making our way back to our hotel in Tokyo.

Getting there

Tokyo Disneyland is a five minute walk from JR Maihama Station. It can also be reached in a few steps from the Tokyo Disneyland Station along the Disney Resort Monorail.