Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー, Tōkyō DizunīShī) is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, just outside Tokyo.[1] It opened on 4 September 2001, at a cost of 335 billion yen.[2] The Oriental Land Company owns the park, and licenses Disney characters and themes from The Walt Disney Company. With a size of 176-acre (71.22 ha), Tokyo DisneySea attracted nearly fifteen million visitors in 2018, making it the fourth-most-visited theme park in the world.[3]

For the canceled theme park in Long Beach, California, see DisneySea (California).

Tokyo DisneySea
Mount Prometheus, icon of the Tokyo DisneySea
LocationTokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates35°37′36″N 139°53′17″E
ThemeNautical, exploration and adventure
Operated byThe Oriental Land Company
Opened4 September 2001 (2001-09-04)
Area176 acres (71 ha)
WebsiteTokyo DisneySea official website (English)
StatusOperating
Tokyo Disney Resort
Theme parks
Resort hotels
Shopping, dining and entertainment
The Oriental Land Company

History

Tokyo DisneySea was the second theme park to open at the Tokyo Disney Resort and the ninth park of the twelve worldwide Disney theme parks to open. It has an overall nautical exploration theme. The idea for the park can be traced to a proposal to build a second theme park in Southern California called "Port Disney" in Long Beach, California, with the RMS Queen Mary as the main attraction.[4] The idea was scrapped after the company endured financial trouble with the Euro Disney project. Later the idea was passed on to the Oriental Land Company to expand their resort.

In 2002 Tokyo DisneySea won a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for the concept, design, and construction of the theme park. The award was presented at El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California.[5]

Closures

In October 2019, both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea were temporarily closed due to the threat of Typhoon Hagibis.[6]

On 28 February 2020, Disney announced a temporary closure of Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea from 29 February to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The closure, originally slated to expire in mid-March, was later extended twice, with the latest extension being until 1 July 2020.[8]

Attendance

Tokyo DisneySea reached the milestone of 10 million guests in 307 days since its grand opening, which is a record among theme parks worldwide.[9] The previous record-holder was Universal Studios Japan, 338 days after its opening.

20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019Worldwide rank
12,004,000[10]12,663,000[11]11,930,000[12]12,656,000[13]14,084,000[14]14,100,000[15]13,600,000[16]13,460,000[17]13,500,000[18]14,651,000[3]14,650,000[19]4

Lands

There are seven themed lands, or "ports of call". The entrance to the park is Mediterranean Harbor, which opens up to six more nautically themed ports: American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.[1]

  • Lands of Tokyo DisneySea
  • Mediterranean Harbor
  • Mysterious Island
    (Mount Prometheus)
  • Mermaid Lagoon
    (Exterior of the building that houses much of the land)
  • Arabian Coast
    (Viewed from Mermaid Lagoon)
  • Lost River Delta
    (Walkway by Raging Spirits)
  • Port Discovery
    (Aquatopia)
  • American Waterfront
    (New York Harbor)

Mediterranean Harbor
Re-creation of Venice at Mediterranean Harbor
Main article: Mediterranean Harbor

Mediterranean Harbor is the entrance "port-of-call" and themed as an Italian port city, with Venetian Gondolas that guests can board and ride.[1] Littered throughout the port are various shops and restaurants.[20] Mediterranean Harbor's layout differs from the entry "lands" of other Disney parks as it is a large "V" shape rather than a main street that leads to a hub (as found in Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. or Disney's Hollywood Studios' Hollywood Boulevard").[21] To the right, the path leads to Mysterious Island, and to the left, the path leads to the American Waterfront. Built into the architecture of the port is Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta; the hotel serves as a full-scale reproduction of the various buildings of Portofino and Venice's ports and serves as the southern berm (or border) of the park. The design choice of combining a real hotel within the themed park areas helps to further the illusion that (as either a park or hotel guest) you are in an actual city; since the hotel is a functional building (rather than a 'set facade' -- the general standard in theme park designs) the effect of onlooking hotel guests, that may observe the park from hotel's rooms, balconies, and terraces serve in adding a level of kinetic authenticity in passing for an authentic Italian villa for park visitors, while the hotel guest enjoys the harborside views and novelty of location.[22][23] Mediterranean Harbor also features Soaring: Fantastic Flight, a flying simulator, and "Fortress Explorations", a large-scale interactive play area for guests that features exploration-themed activities and attractions.

Mysterious Island
Main article: Mysterious Island

Mysterious Island is a "port-of-call" within Mount Prometheus, the giant volcano that is the park's centerpiece and most prominent feature. It relies heavily on the storytelling of Jules Verne and, specifically, the mythology of the volcano fortress mentioned several times in the books called "Vulcania". The Mount Prometheus ride employs technology similar to Epcot's Test Track.[1] The smallest "port of call", it nevertheless holds two of the more popular attractions: "Journey to the Center of the Earth", a thrill ride, and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", a dark ride. Despite its name, Mysterious Island is not an island; it is built into the side of Mount Prometheus, which is part of the show building for the two attractions. The architecture in this port is of Victorian style.

Mermaid Lagoon
The interior of the building housing many of Mermaid Lagoon's attractions.
Main article: Mermaid Lagoon

Mermaid Lagoon is home to the characters of The Little Mermaid. The facade is made to resemble King Triton's palace and features seashell-inspired architecture. This "port of call" is mostly indoors and recreates the feeling of being underwater. Attractions include Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster; Scuttle's Scooters; Jumpin' Jellyfish; Blowfish Balloon Race; The Whirlpool; all of which are children's rides. Also in this area are Ariel's Playground, which is a children's playground and extensive walk-through attraction that recreates the various settings in the movie; and the Mermaid Lagoon Theater, which houses 'King Triton's Concert', a musical show featuring live actors, large-scale puppetry and Audio-Animatronics that recreate the story of The Little Mermaid.

Arabian Coast
The main courtyard in Arabian Coast.
Main article: Arabian Coast

This is themed after Aladdin. It recreates an Arabian harbor combined with an "enchanted world from 1001 Arabian Nights". There are five attractions in the land: Sindbad's Storybook Voyage, an indoor dark ride boat ride whose art direction seems to be (at first glance) a variation on "It's a Small World" (with its own theme song, "Compass of your Heart", composed by Alan Menken); Caravan Carousel, a double-decker carousel that holds over 190 passengers; Jasmine's Flying Carpets; and the Magic Lamp Theater, which houses a combined live-action/animatronic based magic show with a 3D movie featuring the Genie.

Lost River Delta
Main article: Lost River Delta

Located at the back of the park, the dominant structure in this "port of call" is the ruins of an ancient Aztec pyramid which houses the dark thrill ride, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. Also in the Lost River Delta is the DisneySea Steamer Line which transports guests back to Mediterranean Harbor, 'Out of Shadowland', a live theatrical show that follows Mei, a young girl lost in a world of shadows who finds confidence and strength through her sojourn there. Furthermore, the Lost River Delta contains an Intamin roller coaster named Raging Spirits, which opened in 2005 and is similar to Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril at Disneyland Park in Paris.

Port Discovery
Main article: Port Discovery

This "port of call" is home to the fictional 'Marine Life Institute'; Port Discovery houses two attractions: Aquatopia, a boat ride that uses LPS tracking (the 'trackless' technology also used in Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh's Hunny Hunt) to move and spin through a lagoon amid waterfalls and whirlpools, and the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge DisneySea Electric Railway, an overhead electric trolley that transports riders to and from the American Waterfront. On 12 May 2017, the land became home to Nemo & Friends SeaRider based on Finding Nemo/Finding Dory which replaced the former StormRider simulator.[24]

American Waterfront
Toyville Trolley Park section of American Waterfront.
Main article: American Waterfront

This "port of call" represents the northeastern seaboard of the United States in the early 20th century. It features two themed areas, an "Old Cape Cod" section, and a "New York Harbor" section. The land is dominated by a large passenger ship, SS Columbia, which is usually the site for various shows and events. Guests have the option of riding the area's "Big City Vehicles" which roam the streets of the area. It also features the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge DisneySea Electric Railway, which takes passengers from The American Waterfront to nearby Port Discovery. The port has a Broadway-themed theater which plays the show "Big Band Beat", which features 1940s-style swing jazz performed by a 12-piece band, as well as 20 singers/dancers.[1] The port's most popular attraction is the Tower of Terror, an elaborately themed free-fall E-ticket ride.[1]

Toy Story Mania is an interactive 4-D theme park attraction located at the American Waterfront in a new area called Toyville Trolley Park.[25] It is inspired by Disney Pixar's Toy Story. The attraction opened on 9 July 2012.[26] Guests wear 3-D glasses while riding spinning vehicles that travel through virtual environments based on classic carnival games. There are shooters on the vehicles to let guests to shoot targets in those 3-D games like "egg toss" and "balloon pop".[25]

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See also

References
  1. Rob Owen (9 October 2011). "Japan's Disneyland a little different". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  2. "Tokyo DisneySea Project (1988 to 2001)". Oriental Land Company. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. "TEA/AECOM 2018 Theme Index and Museum Index" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. "Tokyo DisneySea". Theme Park Insider.
  5. "Themed Entertainment Association Thea Awards". Themed Entertainment Association. 2002. Archived from the original on 19 December 2002. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  6. Abell, Baliee (13 October 2019). "Tokyo Disney Resort closes due to Typhoon Hagibis". Inside the Magic.
  7. "Tokyo Disneyland to close through mid-March on coronavirus concerns". CNBC. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. Yasharoff, Hannah. "Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan extend park closures over coronavirus". USA TODAY. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  9. O'Brien, Tim. "DisneySea bolts to 10 million. (In Brief)." Amusement Business 15 July 2002: 8. General OneFile. Web. 21 April 2015.
  10. "TEA/AECOM 2009 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  11. "TEA/AECOM 2010 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  12. "TEA/AECOM 2011 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  13. "TEA/AECOM 2012 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  14. "TEA/AECOM 2013 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  15. "TEA/AECOM 2014 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  16. "TEA/AECOM 2015 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  17. "TEA/AECOM 2016 Theme Index and Museum Index" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  18. "TEA/AECOM 2017 Theme Index and Museum Index" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  19. "TEA/AECOM 2019 Theme Index and Museum Index" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  20. Russell, Chick (May 2010) [3/12/10]. "Explore Tokyo DisneySea" (PDF). SimonSeeks (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  21. Pendry, Cheryl (16 July 2009). "Tokyo DisneySea: The Most Amazing Disney Park Ever?". Passporter Theme Park and Travel Reviews. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  22. "Tokyo Disneyland Hotel MiraCosta". TripAdvisor.com. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  23. Tiemann, Amy (8 October 2007). "DisneySea blends Disney imagination and Japanese style". cnet News. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  24. "New "Finding Nemo" attraction coming to Tokyo DisneySea Park in Spring 2017, StormRider to close". Inside the Magic. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  25. "Toy Story Mania". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  26. ""Cinderella" Attraction and Toy Story Mania! Coming to Tokyo Disney Resort". Joe's Tokyo Disneyland Resort Photo Site. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
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