DAY THREE (31/8) - Part One – SORYO KABU – THE EMBU (Translated by Darrin as “We’re sorry. It’s SO awful!”)

Right! Before we start today, we are going to talk toilets. Why? Because it has been one incredible experience. Japanese toilets knock the socks off anything we have in Europe.
Look at this:



See the controls down the side? They do far more than flush. There are more sophisticated models with music , seat warmers and hand basins on the top where the water you wash your hands with is recycled to flush the device. The company that makes them is Toto. Somehow, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.
So what’s special about them? Well, without being too graphic when you’ve done what you’ve done you can treat yourself to a very personal wash with the touch of a button. For men or women there is one button which activates a jet from the rear and for ladies there is another which pulsates! Need I say more? It is really quite pleasurable and the water is warmed…. we have one on order…….shall we move on?
Whilst on bathroom matters though, they don’t do towel animals here. Instead they model the flannels. Here’s Donald Duck on the hotel bedside table:




I asked the maid if we could keep one – she allowed us to keep them all and they now sit in the bathroom window at home. I call them “Flannimals” but Darrin prefers “Flannel-mation”.
Mickey, Donald and Thumper:



It’s Saturday- and Silly – o – Clock has kicked in. 2am. and we are both wide awake. We make tea with our travel kettle. That kettle has travelled as many miles around the world as we have. We got it at Argos many years ago. You know us Brits. A cup of tea for any situation and it’s Earl Grey for me and Darrin. I write up notes on what we’ve done so far and Darrin deals with work emails. At 4a.m. we go back to bed. We’re back up again at 6. Showers and baths are undertaken and then we are all set for breakfast. Today we eat in the Hyperion Lounge at the Ambassador Hotel where we are staying. There is an excellent selection of continental with meats and cheeses, pastries, croissants and bacon, eggs, hash browns and sausages that are like little Frankfurters. The only infuriating thing is that each time I order tea it is brewed in a pot and then poured into my cup and the pot promptly taken away. Should I want to get a second cuppa they go through the whole performance again! Would it not be easier to leave the pot on the table? Darrin loves the coffee and he is quite an expert on a good Java jive! The milk is so creamy like Jersey or Guernsey milk and is great on cereals. If you want semi or skimmed they do have it. Now then, I make my first Hidden Mickey discovery except it is a Hidden Donald. I do confirm it with the Maitre D’ who tells me “”Well spotted!” At each end of the Hyperion lounge are large mirror friezes:



Look at the bottom:



So, replete with food we head out to the bus for Tokyo Disneyland but call at Guest Services to get park maps and today’s times for parades and shows. We are a bit more aware of our surroundings now and as we whiz to the park we pass by the Keiso line railway at JD Maihama station elevated above our heads and also the resort monorail beam. Rather like Disneyland in California the area is surrounded by offices and businesses and in one instance there is a place that looks very like a nuclear plant. It has a massive, round construction and we decide it must be the power plant for the parks!
We arrive at Bus Stop 8 (the nearest to the park) at 7:30 a.m. and descend from the shiny silver Airstream vehicle. Slightly to our right is Disneyland Hotel. There are seas of heads waiting to enter the turnstiles. It’s the last weekend of the Japanese summer season and every Mamma San, Papa San and jisou (children) have turned up. However, we have a little secret. We have “Disneyland Magic 15” tickets. Every Hotel guest at the Ambassador and the Disneyland Hotel gets them:



These little bits of paper may not be Extra Magic Hours calibre but they do give a small advantage. As you can see from the map on the rear of right hand ticket we gather in the holding area immediately dead centre of all gates. This lies exactly in line with the Disneyland Hotel’s rear exit and the Tokyo Disneyland Monorail Station. So it’s a separate security check and then you hand in your ticket. (The photo shows ones we didn’t use as we went to DisneySea that day. We kept them as souvenirs.) The park is due to open at 8a.m. today but we are allowed through the turnstiles at 7:45a.m.



(You’ll note the Halloween overlay – this started to creep in during the week of our stay.)

You can get as far as the ropes that screen off Adventureland and Tomorrowland in the side streets off Main Street and the rope that acts as a border to the rest of the park. At 2 minutes to the appointed hour ( they remove the ropes but you must still stay where you are. As soon as it reaches 9 o’clock you’re off, headed to whichever first ride you want to do and also get a Fastpass for something else. You are a good ten minutes or so ahead of those still fighting their way through the turnstiles. We will use the “Disneyland Magic 15” on several mornings and, in doing so, we get to do all the major rides over a few days. Note – the “Disneyland Magic 15” is not valid at Tokyo DisneySea. Guests who stay at the Mira Costa hotel next to Tokyo DisneySea get the priviledge for that park and not for Disneyland.

So today we head straight to Splash Mountain – always our first ride at any park (except Paris of course). On the way to Splash through Westernland we grab Fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain. You’ll see why later. Splash Mountain is set right at the back of the park. You can see it at 11 o’clock on this map in “Critter Country” just to the left of the Haunted Mansion, which, incidentally, is closed whilst they do the “Nightmare before Christmas” overlay for Halloween and Christmas. (Wish they did that at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.)



So we ride Splash Mountain. The theming up to the entrance is neat. Little critter houses etc. line the pathway.



It’s about the same size as Disneyland CA’s and thus a touch smaller than Magic Kingdom’s version. Never the less we love it and it’s “Time to be movin’ along…………………”



You’ll note I am wearing my Little Green Men T shirt which I bought at Disneyland Paris a couple of years ago. They obviously didn’t do this one at Tokyo Disneyland as I get so many reactions and where did I buy it questions.

So onto Big Thunder Mountain. Our window is 9:30 to 10:30 but here at TDL they accept FPs any time of day right up to park closure. The American parks, of course, have clamped down on this. We turn up just after the half hour. Another favourite ride and we are on it within minutes.



We go in search of a coffee and a bite to eat. I chose a melon bread made to look like Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. Delicious. Darrin had a Mickey shaped Danish pastry with luscious morello cherries on top and we both shared the Mickey shaped banana bread.



As we pass back into Adventureland I notice the wait time for Jungle cruise is only 15 minutes in the standby line. Considering the millions in this park today we have to assume that this ride is not popular with the masses. The Skipper goes through the usual routine but in Japanese. However, his acting is OTT so we still find it all very funny. Heaven knows what the “Backside of water” is in their language. My translator tells me it’s: “Mizu no uragawa” but I’m sure it loses something along the way!



It’s in the mid 30s (95F) and we are thirsty, so as we pass by the square in front of the castle gardens we stop for a drink. Wait for this one. Take some fruity jelly in a plastic cup and then add Ramune. This is a Japanese carbonated soda that comes in an intriguing bottle which is sealed with a glass marble. It’s fussy to open and you should watch this YouTube video to see what to do:



Once you do have it opened you add to the jelly and mix. Believe me, sucking jelly lumps in soda through a straw is a whole new experience. Darrin compared to drinking fruity frogspawn! But when in Rome…………………

Now the strange reference title to today’s report – Soryo Kobu (We’re sorry. It’s SO awful!) This is the title of the show performed on the stage in front of the castle. People queue for ages to get a seat for this. It’s basically a dance competition led by a frenetic compere who should be terminated as soon as possible. He didn’t so much shout as scream at ten to the dozen. Certain characters have dance teams who compete in “The Embu” (the heats). Ok up to a point. But characters have access to hoses and these are used to drench the dancers and the audience in turn. When I say hoses I ain’t taking the garden variety. These are fully fledged dowsing types as used by fire brigades. Add to the fact the streams of water are also jetted out of the stage and it’s like a watery version of X Factor meets Strictly. All very bizarre. They even do a Finale in the evening and this is the only time you will see any fireworks at this park. They are launched from the side of the stage. The charcters are soaked and so is much of the audience. Nice to be cooled in 35 degrees but being drenched is another matter.
Here’s a couple of pictures to show you the madness:





We decide to take a break and leave the park to have a few minutes nosey-ing around the Disneyland Hotel. We glance at the Information board – look at the standby time for Splash Mountain:



As I said previously the hotel is right opposite the TDL park. Like all other Disneyland Hotels I have visited it is a froth of architecture:



Grand staircases and soaring ceilings are the order of the day with massive chandeliers hanging down:



In the vast lobby stands a Doll’s house:



It is full of Disney references and characters appear in the windows. There is even a Hidden Mickey. Can you see it? :



It’s the miniature ears hat on the bed! (Sorry the picture is dark)

To be continued

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Fab pics. 4 hours splash mountain?!?!

Enjoying your report - thanks for posting

Crazy wait times for Splash! Only other time I have seen a wait time like that is trippies I've read that have show wait times for Soarin' on New Years Eve!

Japanese toilets scare me. They're always plugged into the mains. I'm guessing The Green Mile hasn't been translated yet.

The hotel looks magnificent and the castle show just like any typical Japanese game show!

A couple of questions for you though please Geoff?

What in Mickey's name is that Ramune stuff made of that requires it to be sealed in such a manner that even Goldfinger would struggle to get in it?!

More importantly, Id be interested to hear, given you've experienced versions in California, Orlando, Paris and now Tokyo, how Big Thunder Mountain ranks amongst them?

James:

What in Mickey's name is that Ramune stuff made of that requires it to be sealed in such a manner that even Goldfinger would struggle to get in it?!

Ramune is widely known for the distinctive design of its bottle, often called Codd-neck bottles after the inventor, Hiram Codd. They are made of glass and sealed with a marble; the codd head is held in place by the pressure of the carbonation in the drink. To open the bottle, a device to push the marble inward is provided. The marble is pushed inside the neck of the bottle where it rattles around while drinking. Therefore, the drinks are sometimes called "marble soda" outside of Japan. The original ramune flavor is lemon-lime. The word "ramune" is derived phonetically from the English "lemonade". Both fizzy lemonade and the unique bottles were imported from the United Kingdom at the same time, becoming associated with each other.
Including Original, there have been at least 35 flavors of ramune: Banana, Blueberry, Blue Hawaii, Bubble, Bubble Gum, Candy, Cherry, Chocolate, Coconut, Cola, Corn Potage, Curry, Disco Dance, Flaming, Grape, Green Apple, Green Tea, Kimchi, Kiwi, Lemonade, Lychee, Mango, Melon, Muscat, Mystery, Octopus, Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Plum, Pomelo, Raspberry, Root Beer, Sour, Strawberry, Sweet, Takoyaki (sauce), Vanilla, Wasabi, Watermelon, and Yuzu.


More importantly, Id be interested to hear, given you've experienced versions in California, Orlando, Paris and now Tokyo, how Big Thunder Mountain ranks amongst them?

Definitely Paris. The Tokyo one is very similar to Disneyland CA

I queued for three hours for splash mountain in Tokyo... It's a shame because I only had two days there and as it was so busy, I really feel like I didn't see much of the parks at all. It's good to see you definitely managed more than us, ill love vicariously thorough your trip lol xxx

"Endurance" meets Dream Along with Mickey? Hmmmm... I'm thinking we should get Clive James on the show to help us!

looking good! i can't believe some of those wait times!

Looks so different but still great!

Wait times are unbelievable would be giving that a miss