The Panda Travels: Happy Holidays from Tokyo (DisneySea) (12/25/12)

Hey oh y’all,

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

So it’s Christmas here in Japan, and even though it is not nearly as Christian as the United States, Christmas is still heavily celebrated. They fairly closely follow American (commercial) Christmas traditions: they have Christmas trees and give reindeer patterned gifts and blast Christmas songs throughout department stores and follow Santa Claus at night and whatnot. But, despite the relative lack of Christianity, there are some influences (apparently stores sometimes play a Japanese version of Silent Night, which, correct me if I’m wrong, is technically a church song).

And of course Japanese have their own traditions. It starts with Christmas being less of a family day (that’s reserved for New Year’s) and more of a dating/hanging out with friends’ day (more along the lines of American New Year’s). Then it goes to a Christmas dinner: KFC…yeah, confused me a bit too. Granted, I like fried chicken any time of the year so I’m not complaining, but still…

So then we went to Tokyo Disneyland, or more specifically Tokyo DisneySea. It’s really unique and fun. It is different. Even just people watching, you (I’m presuming you are an American) will notice at least a few things.

In my opinion, Tokyo Disney is marked by three things: lines, rides, and Duffy.

First the lines. They are long. Think 2.5+ hours long for every major ride. I understand if the ride is new, then yes, 2.5 hours is long, but not unheard of…but for every ride? There were even lines for the snack truck. We waited about a half hour to get a hotdog from a snack truck! Ok, so a long line is not the worst things the world by any means, so I really shouldn't complain and should rather learn some patience.

Second, the rides. If you are a fan of fast rollercoasters, this is probably not your park. But if you are a fan of well-designed scenery and story with respect to a ride, this is definitely your park. Yes, the rides here are not nearly as fast or as intense as those in America, but the slower pace allows you to appreciate the more detailed atmosphere and visual decorations of the ride. Perhaps some might call this “kid-friendifying” an already kid-friendly place, but it seems to work.

Perhaps my only gripe with the “ultra kid-friendifying” of the park would be the shows. Tokyo Disney takes some liberties with the musical shows: Did you know that Ariel says no to Ursula and finds peace and happiness in the sea? Hmmm, me neither. :/

Lastly, is Duffy. Duffy the Disney Bear. I still cannot understand the (for lack of a better word) Japanese fascination(?) with Duffy. Duffy, named for the duffel bag he’s carried around in, is a stuffed bear that Minnie made for Mickey so he wouldn’t get lonely on his journey aboard a ship. But when Minnie gave Mickey the bear, the bear magically came to life and is now everybody’s favorite bear friend. Everybody meaning Disney characters and Japanese Disney fans. Yes, in America, we do technically have Duffy, but he’s almost unknown. But here Duffy basically controls the park and the fans.

Here just about everyone is carrying some sort of Duffy item, be it a bag, a couple of keychains, or most popularly, a jumbo (10,000 yen) Duffy Bear and Shellie May (Duffy’s girlfriend, apparently). Duffy is so important that there are 2 stores dedicated solely to him, a lunch-time show featuring him (with the hall filled with people), and even sites specifically built for you to take photos of your own Duffy bear. I admit, I found this a little much for a (dare-I-say-it) Teddy Bear (but who am I to judge since I’m walking around carrying a panda everywhere I go).

But I shouldn’t complain. It’s Disney and Disney delivers. Tokyo DisneySea is a great, well-designed park, and while I won’t be carrying around a jumbo Duffy anytime soon, I definitely had fun and am looking forward to returning soon!