Tokyo Disneyland

    When I was six years old, a VHS cassette arrived in our mail. It was a fifteen minute promotional video sent by Disney. The video showed a family of four frolicking through the various Walt Disney World resorts with enormous smiles and Mickey ears. I remember watching it over and over again, mesmerized, until we actually went to Disney World months later. My parents were not the type to indulge my whims or cave into marketing pressure, so it was a testament to the potent Disney dream, pushed by the Disney corporation, that even they relented. 

    Of course, those trips to Disney World (we went twice as a family) were some of my happiest childhood memories. However, even as the essence of my Disney memories remain the same, my perception of the  Disney entity has changed. As a child, it was difficult to see past Disney World as the "Happiest Place on Earth." As an adult, it was difficult to see past Disney as a powerful capitalist machine, keen on manipulating young minds and capitalizing on parental love for its bottom line. As a parent who very recently visited Disneyland with my five year old, this perspective has shifted yet again. It's not that one experience replaces past ones; it's that each experience, each stage of life, brings a new layer to my perception. And the newest layer is the reality of enjoying Disneyland with my child. More precisely, it is the happiness of experiencing my child's enjoyment of Disneyland. So here it is, our trip to Tokyo Disneyland. 

    For starters, Tokyo Disneyland is amazing for its staff's attentiveness, the cleanliness, and orderliness. Despite its size and complicated ride-queuing system (as well as my own linguistic obstacles), I found assistance right away when I needed it. Even at the end of the day, the toilets were spotless. I can't imagine the amount of hard work and dedication required to maintain such a level of attentiveness. 

Preparations

    We chose to go on a Friday during E's school holiday. Since Japanese schools were in session, we thought it would be relatively empty. And while it was definitely not empty, lines were on average 15-20 minutes long, which is not bad from what I gather. To make the most of your visit, avoid holidays and weekends. The day we visited, the weather was warm and sunny - I would have actually preferred a cloudy day, as there is not much shade. Even with sunscreen and a hat, I got a bit sunburnt in one spot on my neck I had missed. 

    With respect to food and drink, I packed our water bottles and lots of snacks. Both food and drink are plentiful in the park, but it was nice to have our own. I do wish that there had been more water fountains to refill our bottles. Walking around Disneyland takes a lot of energy, and we went through a lot of snacks. I brought yogurt, nuts, crackers, fruits, and cheese. The food was not great, but also not too bad. It was more reasonably priced than I had expected, and less than in Disney World. For lunch, we had chicken burgers and chicken nuggets at Tomorrowland Terrace. Dinner was turkey drumsticks, teriyaki chicken, and packed onigiri. We chose casual restaurants for meals to spend more time on rides.  

Arrival in Toontown

    Toontown is ideal for toddlers, with the exception of Gadget's Go Coaster, which is a small but legitimate roller coaster ride. E had no idea about rollercoasters and immediately wanted to get on. She realized that she didn't enjoy it a few seconds into the ride. Luckily the ride is only a couple of minutes long. The other Toontown attractions are vibrant but simple. There are play structures for kids to climb and take photos. 

Goofy's Paint 'n' Play House: aim and shoot at the projection.

Donald's Boat, Miss Daisy

    Character meet and greets were not originally part of my plan (especially because you can't stand close to them due to Covid-19 and reservations through the Disneyland app are required), but E kept asking when she would see Mickey Mouse. I guess for kids, it's like meeting a celebrity. Since all the Mickey meet and greets were fully booked, I booked a tour of Minnie's Studio in Toontown instead. To be honest, the tour was slow and dull. It was like a tour of the White House but with less history. There were a lot of (adult) diehard Minnie fans, and they took lots of photos of each room, which made the line move slowly. The best part of Minnie's Studio tour was the end when E got to meet Minnie, albeit from two meters away. 

Fantasyland and the Standby Pass

    The Beauty and the Beast ride was unequivocally the star of Fantasyland. What we didn't know was that this ride requires a Standby Pass, which can only be obtained through the Disneyland app. We tried to get a pass as soon as we arrived, but already the earliest available one was 6:30 pm. Seeing this, my husband said, "let's just stand in line." We found out soon enough that that is not an option. Luckily, after checking very, very frequently, a slot popped up for 1:30 pm. 

    The line for Beauty and the Beast begins on the "castle grounds," so there were things to see while waiting. Then we were ushered into the grand hall where the Beast and Beauty appear on the staircase. This is where the story begins. The tour continues through the castle, which is really magnificently designed, until you get into these big teacups. The teacups take you through the rest of the castle on a musical journey of the story. This ride is only a few years old and beautifully integrates technology into the storytelling. 

    We also did a Small World, the Castle Carousel, Dumbo, and Peter Pan's Flight. E loved all these rides except Dumbo, which she also liked but perhaps not as much as the others. Dumbo's line is consistently long because there are only a few seats. I saw a mom wait for half an hour and then abort because her two year old got scared right before getting on the ride. At least that didn't happen, but it is not a ride for which we would wait in line twice. 

It's a Small World 

Tomorrowland

    Despite not having watched any of the relevant movies, E loved Tomorrowland's rides. They were the most interactive, and we loved them too. In the Buzz Lightyear ride, you spin around and shoot lasers to earn points. Similarly, Monsters, Inc. has you shining a flashlight to get the "monsters" to pop up and greet you. 

    The Happy Ride with Baymax has a DJ dancing while the cars spin to the music. Although only a minute and a half long, it was super popular and required a Standby Pass. Towards the end of the day, I happened to catch an available slot. This happened a lot during our day in Disneyland: the lines would fluctuate seemingly randomly throughout the day. 

Adventureland

    The Jungle Cruise was one of our family favorites. It is a real boat tour, complete with waterfalls and caves, except of course, the animals are not real. The tour guide seemed great too, though it was in Japanese, so I didn't understand everything. For me, the language barrier didn't take away from the experience. It had one of the longest lines at 35 minutes, but the tour lasted about 15 minutes and was worth the wait. 

    Alas, we didn't have time to explore the rest of Adventureland. Western River Railroad is on my list for next time. 

World Bazaar and Evening Parade

    Another "ride" we didn't get to was the Omnibus tour of the World Bazaar, an area consisting mostly of shops and restaurants. This is a good area for souvenirs. It gets crowded at the end of the day as people stop by for souvenirs on their way out. There is also a New Orleans Square here. When I stumbled across it at nighttime, there was faint jazz playing, and it really felt like the French Quarter - but cleaner and less smelly.

    There are several parades throughout the day. People line up with picnic blankets along the parade route as early as an hour ahead of parades to secure a nice view. A friend who had recently visited Disneyland had told me that the night parade was the best, so we held out for that one. I set up our own picnic blanket forty-five minutes before the parade. Even then, most of the benches were already occupied. E was tired anyways by then, so we had a picnic-style dinner and rested while waiting for the "Electrical Parade" to begin. 

These coveted spots have good views but were also close to the speakers. In retrospect, we would have enjoyed the parade just as much from a spot farther back. The parade itself was worth the hype. For E, it was indeed magical. Seeing E so happy, I tried not to ruin the moment by thinking too much about the costs of creating this magic and of the parallel realities other children were living. Those are things we would talk about another day. Such is the complexity and ambiguity of parenthood. 

Hakone: Part 2

    The rain made our cabin-like room feel cozy, but it also made traveling with two little kids tricky, so I was glad for the blue skies on day two. The kids, being in an unfamiliar environment and sleeping in one bed, roused each other awake early. The timing and weather was perfect for riding the Hakone Ropeway to see Owakudani, whose active sulfur vents were created by a volcanic eruption some thousands of years ago.

    First, we ate breakfast. Our hotel had a modern Japanese breakfast full of salads, sausages, eggs, fish, fruits, and some bread. Compared to western breakfasts, Japanese ones could pass for lunch, or even dinner. Then, on to Owakudani. 

    The ropeway is basically a gondola lift. We arrived about half an hour after opening time, and there was no line. The lift is suitable for kids, as it moves slowly - it is about a ten minute ride to the viewing site. On the way, we got a magnificent view of Mount Fuji. As we approached the area of the sulfur vents, we could smell the sulfur from inside the lift. It didn't bother me too much but gave my husband a headache. 

Very dramatic volcanic steam. 

Mount Fuji

    At the main viewing site are several souvenir shops and eateries. There you can buy black sulphur egg called "kuro tamago," literally, black eggs. These are just eggs that have been hardboiled in the sulphury hot springs, which is what turns them black. I wanted to try one, but they came in sets of six, and I could not commit to six of of these black eggs. 

Main viewing site.

Back at our starting point, there are more souvenir shops and a foot bath bar where you can soak your feet in thermal water whilst soaking in the mountain views. 

For lunch, we went near Lake Ashi to a cafe/restaurant called Bakery & Table. They have delicious baked goods, desserts, and sandwiches. My kids loved the curry pan (fried bread with curry filling inside - this place puts an egg inside too). You can order from a sit-down menu upstairs, or you can buy items from their cafe/bakery selection downstairs and eat on their terrace. The front terraced, pictured below, actually has a foot bath. Hakone seems to have lots of foot baths. We bought our lunch from the cafe/bakery and ate it on a bench overlooking Lake Ashi. 

The drink selection was interesting.

    On the shores of Lake Ashi is the Hakone Shrine. I didn't get a photo, but its red Torii rises out of the lake and is one of the famous landmarks of Hakone. 

    As is typical of any other day, the afternoon passes by in a blur with the kids' naps. The important thing was for them to be well-rested for our seven course dinner - our hotel's prix fixe dinner. The food came at a good pace. E made it through the dinner while M got a bit restless close to dessert but survived. It helped that they were served juice, which they don't usually get. The not-so-impressive kids meal was in stark contrast to our beautifully prepared courses. In the end, the kids ate a good amount of our food as well, so we were all able to enjoy it. 

Pork loin with Japanese leek and shiitake sauce.

Dessert was a standout: sakura mousse with candied ume. 

    Before we knew it, day three, the final day, was before us. The plan was to take our time and visit the Hakone Open Air Museum, one of my favorites, before heading home to Tokyo in the early afternoon. 

A last look at our hotel. 

The Hakone Open Air Museum is as much a garden as it is a museum. It displays a lot of sculptures outdoors. The mountainous setting and beautiful gardens make for a dramatic backdrop for the art. Its outdoor setting and numerous interactive exhibits make for a great place for both adults and children to visit. For instance, the Woods of Net is exclusively for children. It is a netted play structure were kids can swing from pendulums and scurry around in a web of nets. There is also a large Picasso exhibit, including an exhibit of Picasso's ceramic artwork, which he apparently did not embark on until he was 65. There is, also, another foot bath. 

Picasso

    We could have spent all day at the Open Air Museum, but alas our kids were sleep deprived, as kids get during vacation. So we hurried back to Bakery & Table for one last hurrah. If you visit the cafe, be sure to do it before noon. The second time we went, it was only a little past noon, but some sandwiches were already sold out. 

    By 3 pm, we were on the road en route back to Tokyo with two sleeping kids. Hakone was nice, but returning home felt nice too. Sometimes it feels like the whole point of going on vacation is to make you appreciate being home. Somehow the first day back home feels just as relaxing as the first day of vacation did. Until next time, Hakone. 

Hakone: Part One

    On Monday, we packed our bags, strapped the kids in, and drove towards Hakone for a little vacation. Hakone is a mountain town about an hour and a half southwest of Tokyo by car. Due to its proximity to Tokyo, it is a popular tourist destination for Tokyoites. We had actually visited once before, almost three years ago. When we arrived in Hakone then, it was raining. It's funny, because the weather was exactly the same when we arrived this time. 

    The rain was persistent, so we spent the afternoon at Hakone Crafthouse, which offers glassblowing, ceramics, and jewelry-making workshops for adults and children. It is located inside the Hakone Gora Park. Since we arrived right around noon, we parked the car next to the Crafthouse and had lunch at a soba restaurant across the street. In retrospect, we should have first made reservations for the Crafthouse workshop before eating lunch, because there turned out to be a two hour wait until the next workshop slot. Given the rain, this should not have been a surprise. 

    Hakone Gora Park is a beautifully curated garden in the French and Japanese styles. It boasts a variety of flower gardens, a rose garden, and several greenhouses. We didn't walk around the garden this time due to the rain but enjoyed exploring it when we visited three years ago.

    While E waited with her dad for the glass decorating workshop, I checked into our hotel with M, whose nap was long overdue. Our hotel, Hakone Retreat Fore, had a distinctively minimalist, woodsy, tree-housey feel. They provided amenities for children, including pajamas, toothbrush, baby bathtub, and slippers. And there were lots of families with young children. While my kids enjoyed staying here, I wouldn't say it was particularly geared towards families with children. For instance, M kept playing with the coffee beans and grinder, but there was no shelf or table high enough to keep them out of reach. Then again, low shelving and tables are pretty standard in Japan, so this was not out of the ordinary. 

Coffee beans for you to grind. Laborious but delicious. 

A stool for aesthetic purposes only. M found out the hard way after attempting to sit on it. 

    The rain only got heavier as the day wore on. Luckily, Solo Pizza, the pizza place we had in mind for dinner, was right next to the hotel. Solo Pizza had a cozy atmosphere fit for a small eatery in the mountains. Its menu was mostly Italian-style pizza (as is most pizzas in Japan), but there were also a variety of appetizers, sides, pastas, and dessert. We ordered spare ribs, roast chicken, a Genovese pizza, a Margherita pizza, and bagna cauda (also curiously ubiquitous in Japan). This sounds like a lot of food, but the portions were small and the food was very good but light. Plus, we had had a light lunch and were starving by our 6 pm reservation. 

By the time dinner ended, it was pouring outside. After a morning on the road and an afternoon in the rain, most of us were ready to go to bed. E, however, wanted to go to the onsen. Onsens are Japanese hot spring baths. The water flows directly from active volcanos and are supposedly rich in minerals good for your skin. Onsen etiquette requires you to strip down completely and thoroughly wash yourself at one of the shower stalls before entering the bath. Clothing and bathing suits are prohibited. This is to ensure that anything entering the shared bath has been cleaned. 

A hot spring bath was a nice way to end our rainy first day in Hakone. While the rain lent a nice ambience to the mountains, it wasn't the most convenient for walking around and sightseeing. So we were very glad to have good weather the following two days. Stay tuned for part two, where we go see an active volcano and visit one of my favorite museums in the world.