Where Is Joey Today?

Stitch; Not in time, saves nine...bucks


We were running late on our second day back in Tokyo (shocking I know) and headed out to Tokyo Disneyland via Tokyo Station. At Mahaima station you get off and walk 20 feet to the entrance. Having spent roughly two months of our childhood at Disneyworld, Em and I know the parks like the back of our hands which made us question whether we really should visit them or not. Two words: absolutely.

The first thing Disney World visitors will spot is the insane obsession with Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch) We think we came up with an explanation. Tokyo to Honolulu is only 7 hours. This means a lot of Japanese think of kawaii Hawaii when they think of the US. So given that many Japanese travel there the Hawaiian themed movie holds a more personal appeal than it does to North American audiences who consider Hawaii to practically be another country.

Running late can have its advantages. by arriving precisely at 3 we were able to buy a reduced fare ticket saving us about nine bucks. Inside we headed immediately for some food. Our favorite Disneyworld place to grab a bite is Cosmic Rays Starlight cafe. As kids we used to like the ridiculous jokes and musical parodies by Sonny Eclipse an anamatronic lounge singer/entertainer.

Not to be out done in the weirdness category, Japan gives you Tony Solaroni an Italian accented alien in charge of the automated pizza maker. The language swaps between English and Japanese (the other language being captioned) with a healthy dose of Italian songs from Japanese chefs.

Stomachs not so full, (like ski resort trails, the portion sizes are very much relative to resort) we walked to the newly "relaunched" Space Mountain. Apparently the inside stars changed... that was about it. Having so little room for expansion, *NEW*ness comes in the form of renovations. Em was a little worried about the ride given the Japanese love for real thrill rides that she was worried what this coaster might have different from its Orlando counterpart 8000 miles away. It was very different. This was barely a roller coaster. Our flight's turbulence had better drops then this thing.

In Fantasy land they have a Pinnochio ride that piqued our interest simply because it was not in the Magic Kingdom. Then it was on to Pecos Bill Cafe (hoping for some Mexican food...only churros) and on to the Haunted Mansion which was an exact replica of the one we know and love (it seemed like the hitchhiking ghosts may have been shorter...) only with a "scary" narration in Japanese.

As we exited we caught the tail end of the Night Parade which has the same music, similar floats, and even white stars for the main characters (minor characters were always Japanese).


For..relaxing times..make it...Suntory time