The Tokyo Disney complex is about an hour away from the apartment toward the North end of Tokyo Bay. There are two main complexes; The Magic Kingdom and DisneySea, along with the usual shopping malls and hotels. We spent the day at DisneySea.

It was a very hot day but the humidity was thankfully low. Amy found some information online that seemed to indicate the crowds would be less than normal. Even though there were a lot of people there with us, everything functioned quite smoothly. Fast Pass was the way to go for many of the attractions, but the restaurants weren’t too full and service was quick and efficient (of course).

I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking, but here are some overall impressions and observations:

— People at the park were very enthusiastically dressed, far more so than I’ve seen at any Disney park in the US. Groups of girls in particular were coordinated with not only clothes but accessories (shoes, hats, ribbons, stuffed animals, etc.). Even guy/girl couples got into the act.

— The food was very good and not very expensive. Ice creams were $3.50 or so, hot dogs $4, beers $6. All very reasonable and good quality. Popcorn is big. There were ten or more popcorn stands scattered throughout the park, each serving a single flavor variety. The ‘usual’ flavors were Sea Salt and Caramel. After those is gets ‘interesting.’ Curry, Black Pepper, Soy Sauce and Butter, Milk Tea…you get the idea.

— Rides or attractions were similar to what you’ve come to expect, with variations based on the theme of the ‘land’ they were in. Instead of Dumbo’s flying elephant ride, kids could go on Aladdin’s flying carpet ride in the Arabian Coast section. The only big difference was Triton’s Kingdom, a massive dark (but intensely colorful) underground play area for children ranging from toddlers to ten or so years old. It was organized chaos with play structures and rides and kids running everywhere. Amy wondered how parents kept track of their kids, but most didn’t seem to mind if their little monsters (I mean darlings) wandered off into the labyrinthian darkness.

Next up will be The Magic Kingdom when we get around to it. The key will be to pick a ‘quiet’ day (it’s usually filled to capacity). I’m sure it will just as enjoyable as our time at DisneySea, surrounded by incredibly enthusiastic Duffy (and Shellie May) fans.