In 1983, the first Disney park opened outside of the United States. A joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and The Oriental Land Company, the success of this park would push The Walt Disney Company to eye expansion outside the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, this park is Tokyo Disneyland, the original park of the Tokyo Disney Resort.
Best summed as a cross of the best of Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park from Anaheim, Tokyo Disneyland is an outstanding castle park. Although overshadowed by its heavy weight sister park, Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disneyland is still an excellent park and the third most visited theme park in the world (behind Magic Kingdom and the original Disneyland).
Our one-day Tokyo Disneyland Itinerary offers an excellent plan to spend the day finding monsters and bouncing around with Tigger as you explore some of the best Disney has to offer. Tokyo Disneyland is a large park at 115 acres and offers world class entertainment and attractions.
Notes
We highly recommend spending two days dedicated to Tokyo Disneyland (and three to Tokyo DisneySea). But we can knock all the major attractions in one (busy) day.
To make things easier, we recommend you stay on Tokyo Disney Resort property. The resort hosts four official Disney hotels and a handful of “good neighbor” hotels.
On property, the official Disney hotels are:
- Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
- Disney Ambassador Hotel
- Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MirCosta
If money is no issue, we recommend staying at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. The hotel is located right next to the Tokyo Disneyland monorail station and is probably at most a five minute walk to the entrance gates. A Victorian themed hotel, it offers excellent views of Tokyo Disneyland plus world class Japanese service and hospitality, with a Disney touch.
The hotel is gorgeous, but expensive. Rooms also sell out quickly with almost no discounts available (The Tokyo Disney Resort operates at 99% occupancy). Instead, the “good neighbor” hotels on property are an excellent option.
For our trip, we stayed at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. The hotel is located on Tokyo Disney Resort property and has its own station on the monorail line. Guests are also guaranteed theme park admission.
We spent almost zero time at the hotel. It ended up being better we stayed at the Sheraton since it is a lot cheaper than the official hotels. From this hotel, it would take like ten minutes to arrive at Tokyo Disneyland via the monorail. Super easy and convenient.
With the hotel secured, we also recommend you have your theme park tickets purchased in advance. Buying directly from the Tokyo Disney Resort website is almost impossible. Instead, if you have a travel card, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase can purchase your tickets for you through their concierge service. During our trip, we arrived the night before and purchased our tickets from main ticket kiosks.
Whatever you do, DO NOT buy your tickets in the morning. Doing so will destroy your whole day. You MUST have your tickets in advance.
With that said, let’s dive into it. It’s gonna be a long day. But so worth it.
Morning Part One: "You Must go on Adventures to Find out Where You Belong"
To make things simple, we’ll assume the park opens at 8AM and closes at 10PM.
With the park opening at 8AM, you MUST be at the front entrance of Disneyland by 6:30AM. Unlike the US, where a few dedicated folks are waiting bright and early, EVERYONE in Japan is at the gates an hour and a half before opening. Seriously.
We showed up at 6:30AM and the front entrance area was packed. By 8AM, I thought I was in downtown Tokyo. And this was a Monday in September. I can’t imagine how bad it is during a weekend.
I will say it one more time, you MUST be in line an hour and a half before the park opens. For the 8AM opening, we were up by 5:30AM, ate a QUICK breakfast in our hotel and made it to the park by 6:30AM. It sucked. But we thanked God we made it on time.
In Japan, its customary for those waiting in line to bring a towel or blanket and sit on the ground and wait patiently. Be nice, don’t complain and take a seat. And yes, the park has WiFi.
Unlike the US parks, Tokyo Disneyland does not open early. Whereas in the US we are allowed to walk down Main Street, USA thirty or so minutes before official park opening, no one is allowed in the Tokyo park until right at 8AM. And I mean not a second before.
If you are staying at an official Tokyo Disney hotel, you will be allowed entrance 15 minutes before to ride a designated attraction. Known as “Happy 15”, the attraction is the park’s most popular. During our visit, it was Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! We will grab a Fast Pass for this attraction first thing once we are inside the park.
Morning Part Two: "The Best View Comes After the Hardest Climb"
At 8AM, the rope drops and the masses are let in. Designate one person to be your runner. Hand all tickets to this person once you enter the park so they can collect Fast Passes for the group. Tokyo Disneyland still operates the old Fast Pass system. You will need to run to the attraction and scan your ticket. No awesome beautiful app to pick Fast Passes from your phone.
Once everyone is in the park, send your runner to Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! for the first Fast Pass of the day. Tokyo Disneyland is awesome because its Main Street, USA (World Bazaar) allows you to walk directly to Tomorrowland via a cross street.
In the US, we need to walk the full length of Main Street, USA to the hub before we can visit other lands. In Tokyo, the cross street in the middle is not a dead end and you can head left to Adventureland or right to Tomorrowland, saving valuable time.
Monsters, Inc. is right where Tomorrowland meets World Bazaar. Use your park tickets to collect your Fast Passes. We’ll assume the return time is 12PM (due to Happy 15).
Keep your Fast Pass tickets safe and walk (run) to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in Fantasyland. We’ll assume you’re in line by 8:30AM. Hunny Hunt is an awesome and unique trackless dark ride only found in Tokyo. Try not to smile too much when your ride vehicle bounces with Tigger.
After Pooh, walk back to Tomorrowland and board Space Mountain. The Tokyo version is almost identical to Disneyland’s in California. However, the Tokyo version does not have an on board soundtrack like Magic Kingdom. But most importantly, it’s fun.
Following Space Mountain, head across the park towards Splash Mountain. Critter Country was built around Splash Mountain, resulting in the attraction blending with its themed area spectacularly. Splash Mountain even has its own themed restaurant, Grandma Sara’s Kitchen.
Splash Mountain is popular in Tokyo and the wait is probably an hour to an hour and a half at this point. Enjoy the queue as it will be a good minute before you board.
If you survive the plunge into the Briar Patch, walk to Westernland to ride Big Thunder Mountain. It might be a wait so mentally prepare yourself. The attraction is similar to Magic Kingdom’s.
After surviving the wildest ride in the wilderness, head back to Torrowland to use your Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! Fast Pass. Before entering the queue, grab another Fast Pass (yes, this attraction is tons of fun). We’ll assume the return time is 8PM. Secure the Fast Pass and enter the queue. This will be our last attraction before lunch.
To recap:
5:30AM: Wake up
6AM: Monorail to Tokyo Disneyland
6:30AM: In line at park gates
8AM: Park opens, run to Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! (Fast Pass with return time 12PM-1PM)
8:30AM: Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
9:15AM: Space Mountain
10AM: Splash Mountain
11:30AM: Big Thunder Mountain
12:30PM: Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek!
Afternoon Part One: "When You Least Expect It, Adventure Finds You"
For lunch, we recommend Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, located in Fantasyland. Themed to Alice and Wonderland, it’s an excellent counter service, cafeteria style restaurant serving a mix of different cuisines. Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is also very popular and there may be a line to get inside. It’s worth it with its excellent food and theming.
See our video below for a quick peak inside the restaurant. Plenty of food is available for all eaters. Although we did wait in line before ordering, the line moved quickly.
Since you are already in Fantasyland, walk to the Haunted Mansion after lunch. Similar to Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion, the line shouldn’t be more than hour. Following the Haunted Mansion, walk to Adventureland for Pirates of the Caribbean.
Afternoon Part Two: "Some Beautiful Paths Can't be Discovered Without Getting Lost"
With the late afternoon approaching, lines will be long around the park. Since we’ve been on the major attractions, use this time to take pictures and visit characters. Tokyo Disneyland does host quality shows, but seats are issued via a lottery system. You scan your ticket and hope you are chosen. During our trip we were never picked.
Fortunately, characters are everywhere at Tokyo Disneyland and it’s easy to grab a photo and autograph. Unlike the US, you form a circle around the characters and hope to be picked. We were picked each time and it seemed the characters always picked those who were obviously not from Japan.
We met characters in Westernland, Adventureland and Fantasyland.
After the meeting characters, walk to World Bazaar to shop for awesome Tokyo Disney merchandise. Shopping is huge at Tokyo Disney with tons of cool stuff. Most of the items are exclusive to Tokyo and can’t be found anywhere else. Spend some time looking around. We guarantee you will something you like.
Snacking is also huge at Tokyo Disneyland. In Tomorrowland, the famous Green Alien Mochi can be found at Pan Galactic Pizza Port. You gotta buy them. Each one is filled with chocolate, strawberry or custard cream (the best flavor). They are absolutely delicious and one of the best snacks at the resort (beats chicken nuggets any day).
We recommend each person in your party purchases they own mochi in order to try each flavor. Don’t worry, they are cheap (like all Tokyo Disney snacks). If you want to spend some extra money, they can be purchased in a souvenir claw machine case!
Following the mochi, head back to Westernland to finish the afternoon before dinner. In Westernland, see the Country Bears, ride the Western River Railroad and take a cruise on the Mark Twain around the Rivers of America as the sun sets.
As Disneyland passholders, we never miss a chance to see the Counry Bear Jamboree. The show is evenly split between Japanese and English and you will easily follow along.
The Western River Railroad only has one station in Westernland and goes around in a circle before heading back. Although it won’t actually take you anywhere in the park like the US railroads, you will still see excellent parts of the park. Use this time to relax and unwind.
The Mark Twain is the classic riverboat found at the US castle parks and takes you on a leisurely stroll along the Rivers of America with excellent views of Splash Mountain and the Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes. As the sun sets above the water, take out your camera for some excellent shots.
With the sun setting, it’s time to recap:
2PM: Finish lunch, walk to Haunted Mansion
3PM: Haunted Mansion
4PM: Pirates of the Caribbean
4:45PM – 6PM: Characters and mochi
6PM – 7:30PM: Country Bears, Western River Railroad, Mark Twain
Evening Part One: "If it Scares You, it Might be a Good Thing to Try"
With the passing of the sun, it is time for dinner. We recommend you make the short walk back to Critter Country and dine at Grandma Sara’s Kitchen.
It is a counter service restaurant serving a variety of different foods. Examples include hamburger and rice with egg and vegetables or omelette with crab meat croquette and sausage. Everything is excellent and I find it impossible to find a bad meal at Tokyo Disneyland.
Take the time to relax from such a busy day and enjoy the beautiful theming of the restaurant. After about about an hour, it is time to make the journey back to Tomorrowland to ride Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek one last time.
On your way over to Tomorrowland, take some pictures and enjoy the ambiance of the first international Disney park. Grab a quick photo in front of the castle with your family and reflect on an excellent day of fun and adventure.
Evening Part Two: "In the End, You Won't Remember the Times You Spent in the Office"
Upon arriving in Tomorrowland, find the Fast Pass queue and enter Monsters, Inc. one last time. Take in the excellent theming and details and board your ride vehicle. Shine the crap out of that flashlight and meet some friendly monsters. Don’t forget to smile for the photo! Use it as proof for Bob Iger (or Bob Chapek, who knows anymore) to bring this attraction to the United States.
Once you depart the show building, maybe buy some Green Alien Mochi one more time. I mean, it is right there as you exit and it was excellent.
Collect your mochi and begin your journey back to World Bazaar. At this time, the shops are bound to be crazy packed with patrons purchasing so many different goodies for their family and friends.
Smile, pop another mochi and grab one more photo before you exit. You’ve earned it. Consume that last mochi you’ve been saving and exit through the park gates. It’s been a great day.
Fancy a nightcap? The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel hosts an excellent lobby bar, complete with outstanding service and the best presentation of ice cream you will ever see. Yup, I’ll meet you there for a stiff whiskey.
To recap one last time:
7:30PM: Dinner at Grandma Sara’s Kitchen
8:30PM: Walk to Tomorrowland
9PM: Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! Fast Pass
9:30PM: Green Alien Mochi, walk back to main entrance
10PM: Park closes, Disneyland Hotel nightcap
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our One-Day Itinerary for Tokyo Disneyland! We hope it answers your questions and helps you plan your vacation to the Tokyo Disney Resort. To makes things easier, I included the recaps as one PDF. Download the PDF HERE.
Please check our One-Day Itinerary for Tokyo Disneyland’s sister park, Tokyo DisneySea, HERE. Also read our other post on DisneySea: Analysis – Tokyo DisneySea – Disney’s Finiest Theme Park HERE.
Thoughts?
Thanks for reading! Thoughts? Have you been to Tokyo Disneyland? How did it compare to the US castle parks? How many mochi did you eat? Let us know in the comments below!
