With a plan of reaching Tokyo Disneyland just as it opened, we rose early, got ready with clockwork efficiency, and braved the Tokyo Metro System during peak hour...
...and took the wrong Line.
Fortunately, we were politely informed of this error while conversing with yet another Japanese commuter - with sufficient time to change trains (riding along with the surge of humanity at some points) and edge our way towards Maihama Station (closest stop to Disneyland).
The folks queuing up with us at the entrance would have been right at home at a Cosplay convention - fuzzy knee-high boots and mittens, gothic school girls, fully-grown men wearing Goofy heads - the lot. My desire not to offend / be arrested overrode my want of recording some of the more bizarre outfits on camera. Once through the queue, we came across - another queue. This one was apparently for the perfect spot to take a photo of the welcoming garden-bed in the shape of Mickey's noggin. I have never seen so many people, so blissfully happy to queue in my life. These people were forming queues of 20 or more for some caramel popcorn, more of which was able to be purchased in another Popcorn Cart an epic 150 metres away.
We started our adventure in Toon Town, which was aimed at the younger attendees. I joined the bigger two Martin kiddies on what turned out to be a deceptively fast children's roller-coaster. I was not looking forward to experiencing something aimed at people over three.
It was turning out to be quite a warm day - so we purchased some drinks from some ridiculously happy cashiers, and then learned that even bins in Japan are more complicated - my soft-drink container ending up in three separate receptacles. I thought I saw a chip almost hit the pavement, before several attendants sprang from nowhere to banish that crumb from the public glare within seconds.
A quiet day at Tokyo Disneyland - no, really.
We strolled/negotiated our way past scores of strollers lined up in ordered rows out the front of various attractions, and found some likely rides for the bigger kids. It turns out that the average wait time for a Tokyo Disney ride is a little over 1.5 hours. We made Splash Mountain in a blistering 1 hour 15 minutes. Fortunately, I looked ever so suave and nonchalant in the photo taken on the final plummet.
Hamish managed to stay dry, yet I copped a bucket of water to the face.
We'll have no talk of my cranial dimensions thank you.
As the day cooled in the afternoon - we managed to jump onto many more rides - even the old Tea Cup ride. We picked up a little Mickey plush-toy for Joshie, who had not stopped talking about the red-panted rodent since we arrived. He managed to see two parades with Mickey and Co. cavorting about in some sort of homage to 'completely non-scary /Japanese-styled Halloween'. Joshie has still not put that Mickey down, curled up asleep.
Mickey was a hit.
