OK, I admit it. I am a fan of the mouse. So, today, instead of doing what all sensible tourists would do and going in search of culture, I went instead to join a large (very large) number of Japanese families in a pilgrimage to Disneyland Tokyo.
There is something very strange about visiting somewhere you know really well, but experiencing it transported to a different culture. So much was familiar. Big Thunder Mountain was as fun as ever; the Pirates of the Caribbean failed to frighten me; It’s a small world terrified. But watching an animatronic bear impersonate Elvis and singing in Japanese was an almost spiritual experience…
The parade was great. The characters were great. The food was great (and much cheaper than Disneylands elsewhere). The merchandising was relentless, but I managed to resist. Not even I need a Disneyland Tokyo fan and squirty bottle.
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