6 things at Tokyo Disneyland you won’t find at other Disney Parks!
Only at Disney Sea can you see Disney characters parading on a ship!
Tokyo Disney Resort is like no other Disneyland. When Japanese culture meets Disneyland, the result is a vibrant, fun and completely unique experience you won’t find at any other Disneyland Park anywhere!
Whilst there is a plethora of unique offerings at Disney Tokyo, here are 6 stand out reasons to visit Tokyo Disneyland!
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1. Tokyo Disney Resort exclusive rides & attractions
The Happy Ride with Baymax
Whilst the Tokyo Disney Parks feature most of the Disney classic rides, they also have a number of exclusive rides that are worth the trip to Japan for them alone!
Tokyo Disneyland’s Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast ride, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt ride, Monsters, Inc. – Ride & Go Seek ride and The Happy Ride with Baymax, and Journey to the Center of the Earth are all honorable mentions. The Tiki room has Stitch theme too.
Then there’s the unique Disney live shows, and at Disney Sea the ship parades which are a real thrill to behold. Disney Sea doesn’t have a castle like the other Disney parks – it has a huge volcano that breathes fire during the day and night!
There’s all kinds of different rides, parades and variations that make Tokyo Disney Resort a great way to do Disney differently!
You can read more about Tokyo Disneylands best rides here.
2. The unique Japan-meets-Disney atmosphere
The happy Disney Tokyo atmosphere is infections!
Unique to the Tokyo Disneylands is the super-friendly Disney-Japanese-style atmosphere. Everyone really gets into the Disney spirit at Tokyo Disneyland! Guests enjoy singing and dancing along during the Disney parades and musical rides. Strangers wave to each other everywhere. The joy is totally infectious!
Disney staff – or “cast members “as they are more commonly known keep that happiness flowing too. They wave joyfully to you everywhere, just for passing by – and you simply can’t help but wave back at them. Soak it all up and join in the general camaraderie if it feels good – it’s a great way to live!
3. The Japanese Kawaii Disney fashions
We loved to dress Kawaii cute at Tokyo Disneyland
People-watching at Tokyo Disney is an activity almost as fun as the rides, as guests love to dress up in Japanese Kawaii (cute!) fashions.
Couples and even groups visit Disneyland together in coordinated matching Disney-themed outfits – and Mickey ears, of course! I don’t just mean matching t-shirts – I mean complete outfits, from top to toe! It is all a gorgeous spectacle to behold – one can only imagine how long it took for some groups to organise their particular look and all get on the same page to do it. Now my own teenage daughters plan their Disney outfits too – it’s all good Japanese Disney fun, after all!
4. Tokyo Disneyland themed food
Tokyo Disneyland churros have all kinds of unusual flavours!
We all know that Disneyland themed food is delicious. There’s nothing quite like the taste of eating something shaped like Mickey Mouse!
Whilst Tokyo Disney embraces all the Disney food classics (there’s even a special Disney waffle café), they have a few delicious adaptations of their own.
Dotted all around the park you’ll find lots of really unusual flavours at the Disney churro, ice cream and popcorn stands (even Duffy popcorn buckets!). Be prepared to queue for them for at least ten minutes – but it’s always worth the wait!
Disney snacks in 2023 – Minnie’s Besties Bash
Then there’s the special themed food sets, like the latest Minnie’s Besties Bash. It’s simply to celebrate how much everyone loves Minnie Mouse!
You’ll often get included (or be able to purchase separately) a little keepsake like a small ceramic dish, or even a little ride toy. They make great souvenirs, and surprisingly all of ours have made it home in one piece!
Our favourite ice cream from the DisneySea Mermaid Lagoon
5. Why is Duffy so popular in Japan? The Duffy & Friends craze
The girls brought their Duffy toys back from Australia to visit again!
You may notice a curious phenomenon at DisneySea. Adults walking around with a particular type of cute, fluffy Disney toys – and taking photos of them! The Duffy Bear and Friends tradition at Tokyo DisneySea is a popular craze that is also really sweet and fun.
First you buy your Duffy Bear or animal friend of choice from one of the Disney stores. Then you take them with you as you go around DisneySea.
Along the way you’ll find special photo spots for your toy. There are even little wooden stands for them to pose on! It’s fun to try and find the photo spots, and if you get stuck you can always ask a cast member for their location.
One of the Duffy and Friends photo spots
There’s a large shop dedicated to Duffy and Friends in the DisneySea American Waterfront world. You can buy matching ears for you and tiny outfits for them!
Who are Duffy Bear’s friends?
The Duffy and Friends all have their own names and personalities of course. Their names are Duffy (the original bear), StellaLou (a dancing rabbit), Olu Mel (a musical turtle), LinaBell (an inquisitive fox, added in 2021), ShellieMay (a teddy bear Minnie Mouse made for Duffy), Cookie Ann (an inventive dog) and Gelatoni (an artistic cat).
Meet the Duffy the bear character at DisneySea!
Only at DisneySea can you actually meet and greet with Duffy the bear himself. Very cute, we saw him appearing near the Tower of Terror. He was very popular too, with a long line of people waiting to get a photo with him.
One of the themed Disney monorails – there’s even a Duffy one!
Keep your eye out for the Duffy and Friends Monorail too. It’s all too adorable!
6. The Japanese Disney store merchandise
Tokyo Disney Mickey Ears
Everyone loves Disney merchandise, but they especially love Disney merch you can’t buy anywhere else!
The huge Disney Tokyo stores are packed full of uniquely designed merchandise.
There are Disney ears including Duffy and Friends ears and seasonal embroidered ears, in addition to the standard ones. Clothes, bags and so much more.
You’ll still find the special Disney 100 merchandise at the large Disney stores in both parks.
Disney 100 celebrations in the Tokyo Disneyland store
Then there’s the masses of specialised Disney boutique stores, including a store just for bags, a store for stationery, a store dedicated to Donald Duck, and even a huge Disney homewares store.
Bring your wallet with you and prepare to throw it in the general area of the Disney cash register – you may be eating noodles at home for some time to pay off your Disney-debt!
One thing is for sure – Tokyo Disney is incredibly fun and wonderful place to visit – it’s like nowhere else in the world! It really is a totally unique and special Disney experience that shouldn’t be missed!
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Where is the best place to stay when visiting Tokyo Disneyland Resort?
Whilst in Tokyo our family stayed in the Mimaru Tokyo Ueno North Hotel.
Located near the Ueno Station on the main Tokyo Yamanote train loop, this elegant apartment hotel makes the perfect base for any Tokyo family holiday.
Find out more about our stay at the Mimaru Tokyo, Ueno North Hotel here.
What’s the best way to get from Australia to Tokyo Disney?
We partnered with the wonderful Jetstar Australia to fly from Australia to Japan to visit Tokyo and Tokyo Disneyland. See Jetstar Australia’s cheap Japan flights here
Jetstar Australia offer cheap fares to Tokyo every day – check their website for their low Tokyo fares and frequent sales.
You can visit the official Tokyo Disney Resort website here for more information.
You may also be interested in these other Disneyland holidays…
Read about our Aussie family Disneyland Park California holiday here.
Book tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando
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Disclaimers: Let’s Go Mum may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you with bookings made with Klook
The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Tokyo Tourism for our stay at the Mimaru hotel and partnered with Jetstar Australia for our flight to Japan. As always, all opinions remain firmly our own.
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