So perhaps you’ve just arrived or simply have some free time in the Tokyo Disney Resort area? Here are some ideas to keep you occupied until your hotel check in time!
If your flight arrives early into Tokyo (or you just have a free day on your hands), it can leave you wondering how to fill that time in the Tokyo Disney area – at least until you can go and get comfy at your hotel!
We’ve thoroughly explored the Tokyo Bay area during our numerous trips to Japan and have some great rest-day suggestions for you to try!
These ideas will help you recharge your travel batteries and ease you into your new time zone – or throw you straight into the fun zone!
Get up to 10% off Japan attractions on Klook!
Klook are official Tokyo Disney Resort ticket sellers. In addition to being able to purchase Tokyo Disney Passes online from Klook you can also use our exclusive attractions discount!
Get up to 10% off popular Tokyo attractions like TeamLabs, Shibuya Sky & many others (not TDR tickets) using my Klook discount code:
LETSGOMUMKLOOK at checkout
Klook Partner. Klook conditions: $50 min spend, $50 max discount, 3 times use. New customers can get 10% off and existing customers get 3% off. Find the exclusions list here. This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission which does not affect the price you pay. Thank you for your support!
First things first – Can I leave my luggage at the hotel?
Yes, you can leave your luggage at your Tokyo Bay booked hotel. If you’ve just arrived or just checked out, you don’t want to have to drag your bags around with you all day!
Every official Disney and Disney partner hotel plus many others at Tokyo Bay have baggage storage areas. You can leave your bags with them from very early in the morning until late on the day of your check in or check out.
Get your free Wise travel money card!
Take advantage of our free Wise travel money card offer to save the AUD$10 card fee here.
You can even leave your luggage at the Welcome Center next door to Maihama Train Station for most official Disney and partner hotels. They will transport them to your hotel for free.
Alternatively, you can send your bags direct to and from the airports.
So, drop your bags with the concierge of your hotel and go have fun!
What is there to do around Tokyo Disneyland?
Here are my top recommendations of fun things to do in the Tokyo Disney bubble…
01.Go to the Tokyo Disney Parks!
So, it’s supposed to be a rest day, but the parks are calling your name… If you suddenly decide you want to go to the parks on your planned day off, just do it! You can go on the same day to the Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea theme parks. No prior reservation is needed. You just need to get yourself some tickets.
Can I buy Tokyo Disney Parks tickets at the gate?
No, Tokyo Disney Resort tickets aren’t available to buy at the parks, so head online to book yourself some digital Tokyo Disney entrance tickets. If you don’t have an eSim in your phone in Japan yet, you can get one online here or use the free Wi-Fi at the many hotels or shops around the parks.
Can I get a Tokyo Disneyland half day ticket?
Yes you can! You can buy Early Evening from 3pm on weekends and holidays, and Weeknight Passports from 5pm on weekdays to either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. Tokyo Disney Resort do regularly change what kinds of tickets they have available, so it’s best to check their website ticket list here.
I do recommend comparing the price of a Tokyo Disney night or afternoon ticket to a full day park ticket. It can often work out to be of more value to purchase a full day park ticket as it is not much more money for significantly more time in the park.
Tokyo Disney area shopping
There’s a whole lot of shops to check out around the Tokyo Disney parks. Whilst there isn’t a Disney Springs or Downtown Disney area there is the Tokyo Disney’s closest equivalent, which is the Ikspiari Shopping Mall. You can also venture to the surrounding official Disney stores to get your Disney ears early and save battling in the park gift stores on your Disney Park days!
02.Go to Ikspiari Shopping Mall
Take a ride on the Tokyo Disney Monorail to the Resort Gateway Station – or if you are staying at the Disney Ambassador Hotel, just walk outside – to explore the multi-level Ikspiari shopping mall.
Where is Ikspiari located?
Ikspiari Shopping Centre is located at the Resort Gateway monorail station, next to the Maihama Train Station. There you’ll find a Cinema, a USA Disney store and over 140+ retail stores, restaurants, a supermarket, newsagent, pharmacy and more.
The Ikspiari Disney Store
Notice! Disney Store currently closed for renovations, reopening on July 6. 2025.
There are two main types of Disney Stores in Tokyo. Tokyo Disney Resort officially owned stores, and USA Disney owned stores.
You can find out more about the different Disney stores in Tokyo and Japan in our Japan Disney Stores guide here.
The Ikspiari Disney Store is the American Disney owned type, and is well worth a look. You’ll find lots of USA merchandise and some Japan exclusive items, but no Tokyo Disney Resort parks merchandise there. Learn more about the Disney Stores of Japan in my Japan Disney Shop guide here.
Are there restaurants at Ikspiari Mall?
Yes, Ikspiari offers many different types of restaurants and cafes. These include traditional Japanese, a yummy Hawaiian upstairs and a very good value Italian on the Ambassador side. You’ll find several popular USA food franchises at Ikspiari too, including a McDonalds family restaurant, a Starbucks complete with souvenir mugs, and a fun Rain Forest Cafe.
The Ikspiari Rain Forest Cafe
Rainforest Cafes are fun, jungle themed restaurants. Amongst the jungle foliage of the Ikspiari Rain Forest Cafe you’ll find lots of animated jungle animals and sound effects.
The Rain Forest cafe features pretend rainstorm sound and light effects, including lightning flashes and rolling thunder. Although the overall effect isn’t meant to be a scary one, it may not suit those members of the family who are sensitive to light and sound.
If you’re Aussies like us and haven’t experienced a Rainforest Cafe before, you may find them just as fun to eat at as we do! They can be great for special celebrations such as kid’s birthday too, as they do a very fancy chocolate cake!
The Ikspiari Rain Forest Cafe is the only one you’ll find in Japan, and they take walk-ins without too much of a wait time.
Watch our Rain Forest Cafe YouTube video
The Ikspiari Shopping Mall is a fun shopping experience where you can easily fill in a couple of hours – and feed the troops!
Learn more about the Ikspiari Shopping Mall at their official website here.
03.Shop at Bon Voyage Disney Store
Go official Tokyo Disney merchandise shopping at Bon Voyage. Whilst the Disney store in Ikspiari is run by American Disney (and so has no official Tokyo Disney Parks merchandise), nearby to Ikspiari you’ll find the genuine article.
Where is Tokyo Disney Bon Voyage located?
The Tokyo Disney Bon Voyage gift store is located between Tokyo Disneyland and the Maihama Train Station – about 5 minutes’ walk from both, along the upper walkway. You can’t miss it – it has a huge red archway!
Inside you won’t find absolutely everything available in the Tokyo Disney parks, but you will find a great range of official Tokyo Disney Resort merchandise. As the store is located outside of the Disney Parks, this is a great way to check out what’s available inside the parks or get some extra items after your park days.
In addition to Bon Voyage, you’ll also find smaller official Tokyo Disney merchandise stores inside all of the official Tokyo Disney Hotels plus several of the official partner hotels like the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, Hilton Tokyo Bay and the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay.
You can’t get these items outside the parks!
Be warned that you won’t find any Popcorn Buckets outside of the Tokyo Disney Parks, or Duffy Bears or any of their accessories outside of DisneySea!
You can find out more about which stores are the real Tokyo Disney merchandise stores in Tokyo in my guide here.
04.Explore the Tokyo Disney Hotels
Another really fun thing to do on your park day off is go and explore the official Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels! You can easily walk or catch the monorail or shuttle buses to get to them, and all of them are beautifully themed. Each hotel has their own gift store and also a convenience store inside where you can purchase light meals and snacks.
Which Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels can you visit?
You can go inside most of the official Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels, with two restricted to guests only.
Visitors can go into the lobbies and shops inside the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, the Disney MiraCosta Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel.
All three of these hotels are quite lovely and worth a visit. Their Disney gift stores have similar merchandise to Bon Voyage with some unique merchandise. The Disneyland Hotel gift store, for example, has a wide range of little girl’s princess dresses, shoes and accessories.
The Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel is also free to visit and has some nice gardens, small stores and lobby installations, however as it is located outside the Tokyo Disney Resort area you would need to catch the 20 minute shuttle bus just to get there.
Can I eat at any of the Tokyo Disney Hotel restaurants?
The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, DisneySea MiraCosta Hotel and Disney Ambassador Hotel restaurants are all open for bookings to non-hotel guests. That said, they can be very difficult to get a reservation in, as most have been booked for months in advance. Even so, walk up bookings are possible – so give it a try! We have successfully obtained same-day bookings at both Chef Mickey at the Disney Ambassador Hotel and The Oceano at DisneySea MiraCosta Hotel.
What hotel is Chef Mickey in?
Tokyo Disney’s Chef Mickey restaurant is located inside the Ambassador Hotel. You may manage to get lucky and snag a walk-in booking. This is the only character restaurant outside of the Tokyo Disney parks, and Mickey Mouse will visit your table for one photograph with you during your buffet meal dining service.
Which DisneySea restaurant can I watch the night show in?
If you can manage to get a walk-in booking at the Oceano Hotel inside the MiraCosta Hotel in the evening, you can watch the DisneySea Sea of Dreams night show spectacular from their balcony – no ticket required! Try to book in person at the restaurant as early as possible. If you have no luck finding a booking, you can still have a peep into DisneySea through the lower staircase window off the MiraCosta main foyer!
Which Tokyo Disney Hotels are closed to visitors?
Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels restricted to guests only are the Disney Toy Story Hotel and the Disney Fantasy Springs Hotel.
The Toy Story Hotel in particular has some wonderful outdoor character installations and a very fun theme inside too. It’s well-worth a stay if you can get a room reservation.
Watch my Tokyo Disney Toy Story Hotel room video
(Don’t think you can sneak in for a peep at these hotels – both restricted hotels have attended entrances to the grounds!).
05.Go for a ride on the Tokyo Disney Monorail!
Where does the Tokyo Disney Resort monorail go?
The Disney Resort Line Monorail runs in a large one-way circuit around the Tokyo Disney Parks and Hotels area.
Tokyo Disney Resort Map
How long does the Tokyo Disney Monorail take?
The Tokyo Disney monorail takes approximately 13 minutes to complete the whole Disney Resort Line monorail circuit, including stops at all four stations – Resort Gateway Station, Tokyo Disneyland Station, Bayside Station and Tokyo DisneySea Station.
Watch what it’s like to ride the monorail in peak hour
Is the Tokyo Disney Monorail free?
No, the Tokyo Disney monorail isn’t free, so you’ll need to buy a ticket at the stations (JPY cash needed at all except for Resort Gateway which accepts credit cards at the window) or use your Suica IC card to ride it.
Once you’ve bought your ticket and boarded you can joyride on the monorail for as long as you like! On this Disney Monorail you can also sit right up front for a great view!
How much does a Tokyo Disney Monorail ticket cost?
The price for a single ride on the Tokyo Disney Monorail is ¥300 for an adult (12 and over) and ¥150 for a child (11 and under). Cash (Japanese Yen), Pasmo, Suica and several other Japan Train Cards are accepted for payment. Credit Card is accepted at the customer ticket window at the Resort Gateway Station only. Up to two children under the age of six may ride free per paying adult and infants under the age of one ride free.
How to save money riding the Disney Resort Line
Souvenir Day Passes make a great keepsake and save money if you are using the monorail daily. Here is the Tokyo Disney Resort Monorail Day Pass price table:
| Ticket Type | Adult (Ages 12 and over) | Child (Ages 11 and under) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Day Pass | ¥700 | ¥350 |
| 2-Day Pass | ¥900 | ¥450 |
| 3-Day Pass | ¥1,200 | ¥600 |
| 4-Day Pass | ¥1,500 | ¥750 |
Each Tokyo Disney monorail is themed differently, and all have the exclusive Mickey Mouse ears hanging hand grips. Often, monorail themes celebrate Tokyo Disney characters and events.
The Disney Resort Line monorail is a fun way to get a feel for what is in and around the Tokyo Disney Bubble area. You’ll get glimpses into the Tokyo Disney theme parks, can check out the surrounding Disney and partner hotels and enjoy sea views. It’s even possible to see Mount Fuji on a clear day!
So as you can see, there’s lots to do around Tokyo Disney Resort without even entering the amusement parks! Give yourself a rest day and go explore – and have a more relaxed – but still fun – Disney day out!
Have I forgotten any Tokyo Disney Resort area activities? Tell me in the comments below!
One less thing to plan – book your Japan theme park entrance tickets online before you go!
Klook is a reputable, official online Japan attractions ticket seller.
buy your Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea tickets online at Klook here.
Exclusive attractions discount: Get up to 10% off popular Tokyo attractions like TeamLabs, Shibuya Sky & many others (not TDR tickets) using my Klook discount code:
LETSGOMUMKLOOK at checkout
Klook conditions: $50 min spend, $50 max discount, 5 times use. Klook new customers can get 10% off and existing customers get 3% off. Klook exclusions list here. This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
Japan mobile phone internet data eSims
Buy an eSim so that you have data from the moment you land in Japan. Airalo eSIM is proven to work reliably in Japan, including Tokyo Disney Resort, and allows you to access the internet in Japan.
What’s the cheapest airline to get from Australia to Japan?
We partnered with Jetstar Australia to fly from Australia to Japan. Jetstar Australia offer cheap fares to Japan every day – check their website for their low Tokyo and Osaka fares and frequent sales!
Additional Tokyo planning reading
Tokyo Disneyland Facebook Group
Love all things Tokyo Disneyland, or just have more questions? Join our 100k+ member Tokyo Disney Facebook Group here!
Have a question? Drop a comment below! I’d also love to hear about your own Tokyo Disney Resort area experiences!
I’m staying at toystory hotel for 2 nights.
Can I go back and forth from hotel to disney land/search throughout the day and night? Or once you leave you aren’t allowed back in?
Hi, you are allowed to leave the park and return. I believe you can also use the Fantasy Springs Hotel entrance from Toy Story Hotel (across the road – faster than taking the monorail) after 10am now (a new access). Each time you leave the park you will receive an invisible hand stamp. You must also have your ticket with you. Have fun!