I know there are many cultural activities of which I could be partaking in Tokyo, but when I heard (just stop reading now Mr. Moore and Mr. Whelan) that a group was organizing a trip to Disney, I couldn't resist.* The first "ride" of the evening was the subway, figuring out where and how to catch it and how to pay. It took about one hour door-to-door and was a great opportunity for some informal communication with the other teachers. (If anyone from the science department is reading this, the instructional coach I was talking with was very impressed that the school used modeling and that I knew what it was. He said his teachers have been very resistant and many don't realize how much more effective it is than traditional methods.) We arrived about 6pm because (well because we have classes and couldn't leave before 4:45) Tokyo Disney offers a 6-10pm pass on weekdays for 31 dollars. Tokyo Disney was very very very crowded. As in 80 minute line for Winnie the Pooh dark ride crowded. Luckily the crowd thinned around dinnertime and I was happy to wander and ride whatever had short lines. I had no specific expectations. By the way, the reason I think that it cleared out some around dinner is that there were two types of people at the park-moms with young kids and trendy (how did the girls walk in their stilettos?) teenagers on date nights. I know that Disney isn't how most people would spend their time in Japan, but I thought it was well worth an evening's entertainment.
We were the only people in the park who we saw who were not East Asian. We had heard that in Japan it's considered rude to eat while walking. Anyone who's been to Disney in the US knows that walking and eating is quite common. (Perhaps this is why the Japanese are thinner.) I saw one girl eating popcorn while walking, and two girls took a bite out of their churros before sitting on a bench. No eating in line either. An hour before the parades, guests are allowed to set up their mats on the ground. Hardly anyone sat directly on the pavement or curb. Most people sat very tightly packed on tatami mats. A few sat on towels.
Tokyo Disney loves Halloween. The Haunted Mansion had full Nightmare before Christmas overlay. (I hadn't really understood the overlays before or why they took months to complete. Now I do.) Almost every aspect of the ride had been changed up and rethemed. If they ever bring this to Disney World for Halloween it's a must-do. Being Disney, there was also Halloween merchandise everywhere and lots of people with glowing items. (Unlike Disney World, Tokyo Disney doesn't use streetlights. It's pretty dark.) Most cast members, the vast majority, spoke no English. This was fun and a challenge. My most amusing experience with it was the Jungle Cruise. If you've been on the ride at Disney World, the Tokyo version is basically the same. Watching plastic animals on a boat cruise while the skipper gives funny narration. Now picture the spiel in Japanese. I loved watching the kids burst out into laughter and wondering if the Tokyo Disney spiel is quite so prescribed with what the skippers can say. Or if the puns translate. There was one big difference other than the language. If you know the head salesman at the end of the ride, "Any way you slice it, you come out ahead." They had the same guy, but this one had a bunch of bananas. I tried to ask two other cast members to describe what my guide might have said, but no luck. I also left my bag on the Haunted Mansion car, and I'm happy to report that it was promptly returned, and I was able to pick it up without issue. Question of the day: Who do you think is the most popular Disney character in Japan? (I'll give the answer in a few days.)
*If you're interested in the sociology of Disney theme parks, I'm your person. The parks have a distinct tension between public and private spaces and sanctioned and prohibited actions. It's fascinating to me to watch how different people respond to this constructed environment. I was curious how Tokyo and Orlando would compare, both in park set-up for flow of people throughout and in how active people were in engaging with the thematic elements of the park.)
3 comments:
The question of public space on Disney property is fascinating. We've only touched on it briefly in my Life Between Buildings course, but it really depends on how you define public space to begin with (by its owners, its uses, its availability . . .) I would argue that among the parks in Florida, Epcot is the most interesting from this perspective because of its varied use (Downtown Disney still more so); it sounds like Tokyo Disney adds at least one layer beyond Epcot.
Are you trying to bait me into writing lots more and boring most everyone else?
That you have to pay for the monorail to even get to most of the Disney hotels or to the DisneySeas entrances is definitely another layer. You only end up with people who are going to the parks, unlike people who take the monorail at Disney to check out the different hotels.
Also, while I know that Disney World is going this route, all of the shops in the 'downtown Disney' section are owned by outside vendors. Disney supplies the space, which was already owned, and a ready market for consumption, and the stores pay Disney for the chance to sell items on property.
This appears to be an addition to your 10 differences between Japan and America only wiht a Disney twist. I really enjoyed the differences. It puts a definitie cultural spin on the psychology of people and you know I like that. Be assured the blogs are read by at least one person several times a day. :)
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