TBT: Tokyo Disneyland featuring Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade!

~ stashy

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Throwback Thursday and today’s is timely since it’s Spring / Easter themed. 🙂 As you may recall, I visited Japan in May-June of 2016. So nearly a year later, I’m finally posting about my experiences at Tokyo Disneyland! 😛

I showed a couple of photos from Tokyo Disney on the blog right after my trip, with a promise to write a more in-depth post later… and here’s later! 😉

First, I should admit that we never set out to visit Tokyo Disneyland when we planned out our Japan itinerary. But toward the final leg of our trip, we found ourselves with 2 things: extra cash, and extra time. I’m not Disney obsessed but I do enjoy amusement parks and Tokyo Disneyland seemed like a unique experience. My SO did some quick research – we didn’t even know that Tokyo is actually home to not one, but TWO Disney themed parks – did you know that?  There’s the regular vanilla Tokyo Disneyland and the water-themed DisneySea.

DisneySea. Image source.

We were quite tempted by DisneySea but we learned that it is usually quite packed on Fridays, so we opted for “just” Tokyo Disneyland but vowed to visit DisneySea when we return to Tokyo in the future. 🙂

A tip we learned from our research was to buy our tickets in advance from the Disney store in Shibuya (which was close to our hotel) in order to reduce wait times when we arrived at the park, so we trekked over:

It was so adorable and a preview of things to come!

Each adult ticket costs ¥7,400 which is roughly $90 CAD / $67 USD.  As luck would have it, after we made the decision to go to Tokyo Disneyland and purchased our tickets, I ended up not feeling well – possibly a stomach bug or ate something that didn’t agree with me.

The journey from our hotel in Shibuya to Tokyo Disneyland consisted of multiple trains during the height of rush hour – in a very uncharacteristic move, I almost passed out on the train on the way! 😮 But, I insisted we go to the park since we had already bought tickets and I didn’t want to spoil our trip – so we ended up getting a taxi to drive us there. I had a nap on the way and felt much better once we arrived at Disneyland but I still not 100% – let’s just say that I was super thankful for the abundance of clean washrooms (not to mention the washlets!) at the park! 😉

One thing we did learn prior to visiting the park was that one of the most popular rides, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, was shut down just for the day that we were visiting – typical!

But since I wasn’t feeling well, we didn’t do a lot of rides (only very tame ones) but we walked around the whole park. The weather was absolutely perfect – low 20’s C and not a cloud in the sky.

Mickey greeting guests as they arrived inside the park.

Here are a few snippets and photos of our experience at Tokyo Disneyland.

One Man’s Dream II Show

Woohoo!

This is a live song and dance stage show that has performances 4 times a day. What’s interesting about this show is how tickets for the show is obtained: it’s a lottery system! But they make it fun by having these terminals where you enter your park tickets to try your luck – we were so nervous that we’d “lose” but we “won”! They state that you can only attempt once… or else (I don’t know what, they kick you out?)

The show itself was pretty standard fare – costumed performers singing and dancing. The storyline was completely lost on me… there are bad guys from various Disney movies and in the end they are all happy and dancing. 😀


Popcorn

The honey flavoured popcorn.

We did not know this prior to visiting but one of Tokyo Disneyland’s key features is their POPCORN! People line up down the path for them. What makes them so special are the unique flavours available: Caramel, Curry, Honey, Milk Chocolate, and Soy Sauce and Butter. We tried the Honey, Milk Chocolate and Soy Sauce and Butter.

Soy Sauce and Butter popcorn.

Our favourite turned out to be the Soy Sauce and Butter – it’s savoury but not too salty. The visitors are so committed to the popcorn that Disney sells refillable, collectible plastic buckets to house the popcorn. Check out this in-depth post about the popcorn and buckets, if you’re interested to learn more!

Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade

This was the main attraction for us! It was such a fun parade, full of catchy music, dancers, and Disney characters on floats.




They were wishing everyone “Happy Easter” even though it was early June when we visited, and the actual Easter had already passed (it was in late March last year). They really don’t associate Easter with the religious aspect, more of a celebration of Springtime. I mean, what do bunnies and eggs have to do with Easter, anyway? XD

They were doing an egg race.

The parade lasted about 15 minutes.

Food

Don’t expect just burgers and pizzas at Tokyo Disneyland! They do have burgers and pizzas but also offer Japanese options like ramen, dumplings, and curry.

For lunch we visited the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall which was a cafeteria style restaurant.

The line-up was quite long but well worth it – the whole atmosphere of the place was like being inside the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland.


Waiting patiently for our food to be assembled!
The Cheese Hamburg (with heart shaped cheese); I couldn’t tell you if this was any good. I think I ate just the cracker and the mashed potato…

For dinner we went to the Plaza Restaurant at Tomorrowland because they offered rice on the menu (my poor stomach!)

If I had been feeling better, I would have gotten that Mike Wazowski bun!

My SO got the beef rice – check out the Mickey Mouse shaped hard-boiled egg:

How do they make that?!! (here’s an at-home how-to guide, but I can’t imagine they’re doing this at Disneyland when they’re pumping out hundreds of them a day)

We also indulged in Minnie and Mickey Mouse ice pops:

😀

Souvenirs

This is one area that I felt Tokyo Disney fell short. Most of the souvenirs were clothing or toys – we were looking for small trinkets like key chains or magnets to bring back for family and friends but there weren’t many.

Also, most items didn’t have the words “Tokyo Disneyland” on them so you couldn’t distinguish them from generic Disney items you can buy anywhere in the world. I had a request from a friend for something that stated the year (2016) and it was super challenging to find that (I understand why Disney wouldn’t manufacture too many items with the year due to the risk of leftover inventory). I ended up finding these machines dotted all over the park that makes collectible medallions:

They crank these out:

My friend was quite pleased with these.

Here are other items we bought, mostly for gifts:

This football-size metal egg contains individually wrapped chocolates.
My SO’s sister loves Winnie the Pooh.

These were for me – the popcorn and mini Mickey bucket keychain is so cute!

A funny related story: at the airport I was randomly asked to fill in a survey about my visit to Tokyo. They asked questions like where I stayed, how much per day I spent, and places I visited. I listed Tokyo Disney as one of the attractions I visited and the survey taker removed it because Tokyo Disney isn’t technically part of Tokyo. Go figure! 😛

It really was a magical day! 🙂

I’ll leave you with a YouTube video of the Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade so you can experience it for yourself:

We had that song stuck in our heads for the whole day… hope you have a Hoppy Easter! 🙂

Have you been Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea? Or other Disney themed parks?

If you’d like to read more about my Japan trip, please check out these posts:
• Japan Trip Photos
• Japan Trip: Food and Culture
• Japanese Makeup Haul
• Japanese Makeup Shopping Experiences
• Non-Beauty Japan Haul

58 thoughts on “TBT: Tokyo Disneyland featuring Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade!”

  1. This is so cute it hurts! Everything is so pastel-ly and colourful, especially the parade. I love the attention to detail that Disney has in all of its parks. I was going to point out the yolk on the hard-boiled egg (on the menu) and ask if they actually come out looking like that! The food at Disney parks is always just average, but the presentation is consistently cute.

    You are such a trooper continuing on with the day at the park, even though you were sick!

    I’m a Disney fanatic! We’re still trying to decide if we want to visit Disney Paris on our honeymoon. I’m a Disney fanatic, but I recognize that my fiancé is not, and that there are better things to see if we’re short on time. Maybe we’ll do the same thing as you guys – we’ll go if we have time.

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    1. Yes, the attention to detail is insane. It’s been ages since I went to the Florida Disneyland but I don’t remember it being as meticulous as the Tokyo one. It’s super clean too!

      I was just saying to the SO that I wished I was feeling better, I would have gorged on all the treats at the park. Ah well. We’ll be back.

      I had no idea you were a Disney fanatic! 😛 Neither my SO or I are, but we definitely had a fun day. I guess now that Disney’s empire has expanded so much to include Star Wars and Marvel stuff, it appeals to a wider audience. Yeah see if you have extra time leftover, it could be a nice wind-down type of activity in Paris. 🙂

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  2. I’ve never been to Japan – would love to one day! Travel posts are awesome, and I love all your photos! I gotta try making soy sauce popcorn…

    Disney is generally not my thing (though I enjoy the movies), but this looks like so much fun 🙂

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    1. They have such attention to detail! The parade really was a visual feast! 🙂 I hope you go visit one of these days – I’d imagine it would be magical around Christmas time too!

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  5. TDR (Tokyo Disney Resort) has some of the most unique merchandise. It’s all so cute. They recently did start selling shirts that say “Tokyo Disneyland” & “Tokyo DisneySea” on them. They’re basic but look nice. Every year for their holiday & special events they come out with all new merchandise. But if you think you’ll be able to find it after an event is over… nope. If an event ends say October 31, that merch won’t be seen on November 1. They even do merchandise for events that last just 2 or 3 weeks like New Year’s (the biggest holiday in Japan) & Tanabata (Star Wishing Festival). And it all sells like hotcakes. Just wait until you visit DisneySea and experience Duffy Mania firsthand. I’m already scheming trying to get my mitts on StellaLou, the newest member of the Duffy gang. She’s a purple bunny who dreams of being a ballerina.

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    1. I knew you’d weigh in! 😂
      It was great that they had merchandise for the Easter event with the year on it so that’s why we grabbed that egg thing.
      I know those popcorn buckets are really sought after as well – I heard the line ups for new releases are insane. But, I’ve noted that the Japanese have a very high tolerance for lining up… they line up for everything and no one complains. 😛
      You have to visit Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea one of these days!!!

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      1. Yes that’s one thing about Japanese culture. They patiently line up and don’t complain. They’re also so much respectful about not messing with what doesn’t belong to them. Yeah those popcorn buckets are insanely popular. Many collect them. The US parks have some fun popcorn buckets too. I have a Mickey ghost one I got at one of the Halloween parties. Used it as a candy bucket for trick or treating at the party. I didn’t dress up but my Duffy dressed up as Captain EO & cast members (what Disney calls their employees) went absolutely bonkers over him.

        I have some merch from Tokyo friends have picked up for me. I treasure it.

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  8. This sounds like such a fun day (minus you not feeling well). I hope you still enjoyed the visit! I’d love to go to a Disney World, I’m not sure which one specifically but everything looks adorable 😀

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    1. You have to go one of these days. It’s been on my bucket list to visit and it was everything I imaged and more. I’m definitely going back (my SO has been to Japan twice before this trip).

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        1. Hotels are a bit pricey but not terrible. I found food to be comparable to here. Really, the most expensive part is the flight there (at least from Canada over to Asia – it’s not as far for you).

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    1. Oh your kids would LOVE it! Did you prefer one over the other? I heard the DisneySea is better for adults so we were tempted! But we don’t like huge crowds and line ups…

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  12. Love every bit of the pictures and I can’t believe it is already been a year since you made that trip and yes, time flies. Disney themed food items look so amazing and no wonder it is a popular destination amazing all age groups

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    1. Time really flies! It’s unbelievable that it’s been nearly a year!
      Yes, the Disney attention to detail is so amazing. I saw babies, families, teenagers, couples (like my boyfriend and I), older people – all enjoying themselves at the park! 🙂

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    1. I’ve always wanted to go to non-American Disney parks. That’s the thing with taking really young children – they love it for the moment but forget the experience soon after. Might as well take them to the local park to feed duck. XD 😛

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  14. Everything is so cute and colorful! I’d love to go someday. I’ve never been to Asia before, but Japan is definitely on my list of dream destinations. Also, I love the idea of TBT posts! I should do something like this too… There’s lots of things I wanted to blog about but didn’t have the time and then realized it feels awkwardly too late to blog about it. With TBT, then it’s totally okay, haha!

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    1. I’m surprised you haven’t been to Asia! You must!
      Yes, TBT is absolutely perfect to post about things that you didn’t have time for in the moment, you can do TBT on anything you want. 😀 It’s perfect for people like us!

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      1. I haven’t traveled that much; never even been on a family vacation. @-@ I actually haven’t been to Disneyland either. It’s been difficult with my family situation since I have a single mom who was also responsible for my grandparents and not just me. My grandma went back to Southeast Asia last summer though! I wanted to go with her but I was applying for jobs (and now that I have a job, I can’t go at all xD … with the nature of my job, I can only take 2 days off in a row, so there’s no way I’d be able to g

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    1. Oh I didn’t know there’s a Disney theme park in Singapore! Wow they’re everywhere now, it seems. I was curious about the Shanghai one.
      Yeah we didn’t feel right eating Minnie and Mickey’s ears off… 😛

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      1. You know what! I just had a blonde moment there. You’d think I’d be a little less oblivious, you know, doing my PhD and all but turns out, I am a ditzy person! Singapore has Universal Studios theme park, not Disney!
        Oh, I’ve heard horrific stories about the Shanghai one! YouTube it some time…
        SORRY again, for the misinformation!

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        1. Haha, I’m sure your brain cells are better served remembering your PhD rather than what theme parks are Disney vs Universal! 😉
          Funny you should say the Shanghai one is horrific… my SO and I were contemplating how crowded it would be. And the Chinese are not known for queuing… it’s just a cultural thing.

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  17. What lovely photos! I am dying to get myself back to a Disney Park – I haven’t been since I was 11 in Florida, we have had plans for years to do a Florida Road trip stopping in Orlando first and never gotten around to it.
    I’ve also looked up any Malaysian theme parks that might have been close to KL, but there doesn’t seem to be any (other than one which is in a shopping centre close to our hotel – which seems to be one roller coaster and lots of small kids rides), but there always seems to be something a bit quirkier about Asian Theme Parks, they’re slightly more cutesy and slightly different that makes me want to visit one! The Hip Hoppity parade looks amazing, and what good luck getting the tickets for the show!

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    1. Yup, the last time I went to a Disney theme park was also in Orlando when I was a kid. The experience is WAY better as an adult, I’m telling you!
      I don’t know what we would have done is we didn’t win tickets for the show, lol. It was one of the few attractions we could do due to me being sick that day.
      I agree, there’s something charming about how Asian theme parks are. Even their aquariums are cute! You should try to visit an aquarium in Malaysia!

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      1. Ben doesn’t love rides & rollercoasters is my only problem, I’ve dragged him to Alton Towers here once and he didn’t enjoy the day. I think he would enjoy disney, or proabably Universal more though as there’s more stuff to just see in general!
        Supposedly one of the best Aquarium’s in the world is underneath a shopping centre in KL, so we do have it on the list as something we’re going to try and do! Although I have looked at some pictures and it doesn’t look as great to me as I expected, maybe it’s not doing it justice!

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        1. Yeah that’s no fun if Ben doesn’t enjoy rollercoasters! We both love them but I find the new ones to hurt my neck / back if I ride too many… 😛
          You should still visit that aquarium in KL – we always make a point to visit every city’s aquarium, no matter if they’re small or not. We just enjoy looking at sea life!

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  18. Aw, I am so jealous!! I lost on those lottery too many times. It’s the thing about Tokyo Disney that pisses me off the most. I will love to watch that all princess cast show *LOL* I am a total Disney fan.

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    1. We were so worried that we’d lose in that lottery, because I wasn’t feeling well and limited to what we could do. It was the show or else we’d be left with very little to do. 😛 The show was nice – the guests were all so enthralled!

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      1. Exactly! Also there’re rides that needs lottery. On of my days was trashed because I lost the lottery. It’s the element that I like the least in Tokyo Disney. I was really upset about that.

        From your photos, I’d me enthralled too (love).

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    1. I just found this comment – sorry for the super delayed response! 😳
      I hope you get to Tokyo Disney – it’s so endearing. I plan to go back to visit the Disney Sea version. 🙂

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  20. I had no idea that there was a disney land in Tokyo!! I’ve never been to disney land or world but I want to go now after reading this post!

    I can’t wrap my head around soy sauce and butter popcorn, or curry popcorn. They must be things you need to try to understand how they taste haha. I could do milk chocolate though!

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    1. I just found this comment… only a month late! 😉
      There are actually TWO Disney parks in Tokyo! This one which is the classic one and then Disney Sea. I plan to go to Disney Sea when we go to back Japan.

      The popcorn flavours sound weird but they just work! I think part of the reason is that the seasoning is quite light, they don’t drown the popcorn in it. Give them a try – I was addicted!

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