Tokyo Disneyland
Topic: Why do hardly any visitors from aboard ever visit.

#	Author	Message
71	karlg Tue 8/19/2008 10:57a	RE #69 by SuperDry, Thanks for the explaination. It would have been good to have information like that in Kevin's book. I'm not expecting them repeat everything in English over the loud speakers as that would be disruptive. I'm advocating for having personal electronic headsets so as to accomodate people from other countries without disturbing the people that understand the language.
72	The Goddess Mara Tue 8/19/2008 11:05a	karlg--you're absolutely right, that is stated in the opening post, which I had long ago forgotten. But my statements actually still stand without need for modification because while Oriental Land company may want to attract more people in the future as the population ages, they're doing nothing about it now. Ditto for the psychological issue of most Westerners, who think anyone who goes to Japan and spends time at the Tokyo Disney Resort must be some kind of nut. And, you're also right in your opinion that Tokyo DisneySea is "thin on attractions"--that's certainly the way many Japanese people seem to feel. I've taken Japanese friends on their first visits through the park and, while they're blown away by the look and detail, they're always surprised when we've finished all the attractions (save the kids' stuff in Mermaid Lagoon). However, the shows and parades mean a great deal more to the Japanese, and when you factor in watching Mystic Rhythms, the Little Mermaid show, Big Band Beat, Legend of Mythica, and BraviSeamo, it really increases the amount of time and value you get out of the park.
73	alexbook Tue 8/19/2008 11:12a	Suggestion #1: Let Americans know that there *is* a Tokyo Disneyland. I'd bet most don't know that such a thing exists. (It wouldn't hurt to publish a Birnbaum's for the resort, too.)
74	The Goddess Mara Tue 8/19/2008 11:33a	Birnbaums are the worst park guides in the world. Utter crap. Take a look at the map of California Adventure in their Disneyland guide: the last one I saw didn't have the Tower of Terror on it. Maybe in five years they'll decide to update the map to include Toy Story Midway Mania. Unlike Lee, I think that the Kodansha publications for Tokyo Disney are great, and every guide book could learn a lot from them. The only one in the US that comes close is The Complete Walt Disney World.
75	alexbook Tue 8/19/2008 11:38a	I'm not a big fan of Birnbaum's, either, but lots of people like them, and they're familiar to large numbers of casual Disney fans. Having one available might help ease fears of average American park-goers about the strangeness of Tokyo.
76	The Goddess Mara Tue 8/19/2008 11:44a	There are dozens of highly-regarded companies who produce travel guides. Any one of them is better than Birnbaumns. I've always wondered by Disney didn't produce its own travel guides!
77	karlg Tue 8/19/2008 7:01p	Re #76 -- LoL -- I don't know if you were meaning to make a joke or not, but Disney bought out Birnbaum many years ago (about the time Birnbaum died). Birnbaum Guides ARE produced by Disney ! So you can stop wondering :-).
78	The Goddess Mara Tue 8/19/2008 7:16p	I had no idea Disney owned Birnbaum! My cat could write a better Disney guide. How pathetic.
79	karlg Tue 8/19/2008 9:07p	Re #72: Maybe I've gotten old and crotchety enough that when I am on my own, I do what I like and not what others would do. I lived in England for 6 months in 1979 and another 6 months in 1984 and traveled back and forth to England many times. I have also been to Japan and Taiwan a number of times, so I have been around the world a bit. I had a weekend layover in Paris (my second trip to Paris) in 1994. I had one Sunday free, and I was debating Versailles or EuroDisney (before the name changed) but honestly it was not much of a debate (I was like a little kid when I decided to go to EuroDisney). I decided I had seen a lot of palaces and castles in England (which I enjoyed) so I chose EuroDisney. Looking back I had no regrets and as luck would have it, I haven’t had a chance to go back since. Now if I had two days, I probably would have gone to Versailles. I was in Frankfurt one time and on one of my free days for about half the day, I walked all over the city going to Toy Stores looking for Schuco Disneyland Monorails (a 1960’s toy built in Germany – I have a large collection of Schuco Monorails). Now on that trip, I did take a train to the Rhine for a boat trip that was nice. I may feel a little guilty for not seeing more of Japan, but I to try and get out and walk around when I am there. I have walked around a good bit of Tokyo. I will be going to Niigatta for the second time (speaking at the same conference I did a few years ago). Speaking of which does anybody know anything good to do in/near Niigatta – kind of North of Tokyo a couple of hours by train?. I hear that I really should go and visit Kyoto and I may do that instead of TDL but I’m hoping I can work a stop at Kyoto on my way to a customer visit. I’ve been to Hong Kong 3 times but all the trips were before they built HKDL (the last time just a year or so before it opened), so I haven’t completed my “World Tour of Disney,” but I expect I will get to HK some day.
80	The Goddess Mara Tue 8/19/2008 9:28p	You really do need to go to Versailles. The palace is a bit gaudy for my taste, but go in the spring, summer, or fall when the weather is good because the gardens are stupendous. If you haven't been to Kyoto, or Hakone, then (and I hate to say this) you really should make that a priority over the Tokyo Disney Resort. It is in those cities that you will find the soul of ancient Japan.

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