Are you ready for an incredible day at Disneyland Tokyo?!
Location
Tokyo Disneyland
1-1 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0031
Japan
Please note that the park is located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, which is just outside of Tokyo city limits. Make sure to use the correct address and plan your transportation accordingly.
How to get there
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you reach your Tokyo Disneyland from Tokyo Central Station. Depending on where you are staying this may be different for you but this is a rough guide on how to get to the Maihama Station where you can transfer to the cutest monorail ever! For more specific details check out Rome to Rio.
Start at Tokyo Central Station: This major transportation hub in Tokyo is served by various train lines, including the JR Yamanote Line and Chuo Line.
Take the JR Keiyo Line: From Tokyo Central Station, head to the JR Keiyo Line platforms. Look for trains bound for Maihama Station, which is the closest station to Tokyo Disneyland.
Ride the train to Maihama Station: Board the JR Keiyo Line train and enjoy the approximately 15-minute journey to Maihama Station. Trains are frequent, and the ride is direct.
Exit at Maihama Station: Once you arrive at Maihama Station, follow the signs directing you to the Disneyland Resort Line. The station is designed to serve visitors heading to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
Transfer to the Disney Resort Line Monorail: At Maihama Station, transfer to the Disney Resort Line monorail. This monorail line exclusively serves the Tokyo Disney Resort area, including Tokyo Disneyland. Look for the monorail station within the station complex.
Ride the monorail to Tokyo Disneyland: Board the Disney Resort Line monorail and enjoy the short ride to the Tokyo Disneyland Station. The monorail offers a delightful experience with Disney-themed interiors.
Arrive at Tokyo Disneyland: Upon arriving at the Tokyo Disneyland Station, you will be just a short walk away from the entrance of the park. Follow the signs, and you'll soon find yourself immersed in the magical world of Disneyland Tokyo.
I chose to try my new colored contact lenses. I got lilac/ pink ones that just felt super vibey. I had also purchased from this same brand these really bright blue ones that you will see later on in this trip.
The trip into Disneyland was quite simple. We purchased a JR Rail Pass for our trip and this decreased the price of our train travel immensely and it also sped up the processing time between stations as you usually just need to flash the pass to get through the gate at the stations. I thought I would include some information below about purchasing a JR rail pass and what the other benefits of this are. For our travels we purchased the 14 consecutive day pass, which was perfect for our needs. This pass got us from Tokyo to Osaka including day trips to Nara, Kyoto and Mt Fuji.
What is a JR Rail Pass? A JR Rail Pass is a special ticket available to foreign visitors that grants unlimited access to most JR trains, including the Shinkansen (bullet trains), limited express, and local trains. It's valid for a fixed duration (7, 14, or 21 consecutive days) and provides excellent value for those planning to travel extensively within Japan.
Who is eligible for a JR Rail Pass? Only non-Japanese passport holders entering Japan with a temporary visitor status (for tourism purposes) are eligible to purchase and use a JR Rail Pass. Japanese citizens, as well as foreign residents of Japan, cannot avail themselves of this pass.
Two types of JR Rail Passes available:
- Ordinary Pass: This pass allows access to all regular JR trains, including the Shinkansen and local trains, in ordinary class cars.
- Green Pass: This premium pass provides access to the Green Car (first-class) seats on applicable trains, offering extra comfort and spaciousness.
How to Purchase a JR Rail Pass: Before arriving in Japan, purchase an Exchange Order (voucher) for the JR Rail Pass from an authorized sales agent or online. Upon arrival in Japan, locate a JR Rail Pass exchange office, usually found in major airports and selected train stations. Present your Exchange Order, along with your passport, to the staff at the exchange office to receive your actual JR Rail Pass. The pass must be activated within a specific period (usually three months) from the date of purchase. Before boarding a train, present your pass to the station staff at the manned gate or ticket office for validation. You can make seat reservations for free on applicable trains at JR ticket offices or online. Simply show your pass to the conductor when entering and exiting ticket gates or boarding Shinkansen trains.
Benefits of the JR Rail Pass:
- Cost-saving: Unlimited train travel is cheaper than purchasing individual tickets.
- Flexibility: Enjoy the freedom to explore multiple destinations without worrying about ticket costs.
- Convenience: Seamless travel on JR trains, including the high-speed Shinkansen network.
- Time-saving: Shinkansen trains provide rapid transportation between major cities.
The best advice I can share for Disneyland is to ARRIVE EARLY! No matter what day you go it is always busy. I have said this before on previous posts about Japan and i will say it again, when do Japanese school kids actually go to school? They are everywhere every day of the week it’s wild. Imagine just casually going to Disneyland on a school day?!
The last time I visited Japan, my friend and I chose to go to Disneysea instead of Disneyland. You can read all about that experience here. Looking back, both parks have their differences in attractions and rides but if you are looking for the real classic Disney experience Disneyland really has you covered. But if you are a big fan of the Little Mermaid I would recommend Disneysea purely for Ariel’s Grotto, it’s incredible.
Winnie the Pooh has always held a special place in my heart. This was my childhood show, my favorite character was Eeyore.
Another thing you won’t find at Disneysea are the Pixar attractions like Toy Story and Monsters Inc. We stopped over for some very on brand snacks at Pizza Port. The bubble soft drink was particularly delish.
These guys were almost too cute to eat. Look the food at theme parks is never going to be the best food you’ve ever eaten in your life, but you are getting it for the experience.
This was mind blowing to me. People were sitting waiting with all of their toys lined up for the parades that happen almost every hour. I mean each to their own but you could not pay me to do this while there are rides to be ridden. I have never been a big Disney person in general but I know some people just absolutely froth it. It’s almost it’s own lifestyle in itself at this point.
Our first ride of the day was ‘Big Thunder Mountain’ in Westernland. The wait time wasn’t bad at all and this rollercoaster was pretty exciting. I am always a sucker for a rollercoaster.
Westernland was fun and the shops had some really cute outfits. I didn’t spend too much this day but maybe when I come back with some more funds in the future I can stock up on some cute gear.
Even the vending machines in each section of the park are on theme.
The next area we walked through was Adventureland, there is a Jungle Cruise there but we didn’t go on it. Instead I tried a Teriyaki Chicken Leg ye olde style and regretted every second of it. The driest piece of meat I have even eaten and it doesn’t even look fun in photos do just don’t do it.
The New Orleans area was really fun and the shops were very on theme.
Back to Tomorrowland for some rides. We went on the Star Wars ride and it was fine. I have never watched the movies, well I attempted to but they just out me to sleep. Blake enjoyed it though. The Space Mountain ride was a massive highlight of the day. Cannot recommend that ride more. It was so much fun.
ily frozen mango
Another really fun ride that I was insanely bad at was the Monsters Inc ‘Ride and Go Seek’. I can guarantee you will get a better score than I did. Look at that face of confusion and failure haha. I am not a gamer girl and have never been skilled at these things but it was still a really fun ride.
Obviously had to get some photos with THE castle.
Couldn’t have asked for a more fun way to spend a day with my bestie.
We had way too much fun with this.
The moon really was popping off that day.
top / vintage from a store in Harajuku
skirt / vintage Levi’s
shoes / Windsor Smith
I believe this was the ‘Buzz Lightyear Astro blasters’ ride, I could be wrong but the glasses were a vibe either way.
We lined up a really long time for ‘Pooh’s Honey Hunt’ and look it wasn’t really worth it other than the nostalgia throwback. But we had fun nonetheless.
We went on the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride because you kind of have to, no matter how many times you have done it previously. That was our last ride of the day and to sum it up in total, it was a really really fun day. We watched a parade before we left and it was worth it. I think the night parades are much better than the day parades but that’s mainly because I am a sucker for colored lights. Like the one below.
This chain is called ‘The Alley’ and they actually have a few in Sydney including one in Bankstown. They specialise in Brown Sugar Milk Tea, which is my absolute favorite of all time.
To end the night with a bang we went to what I consider to be the BEST RAMEN IN TOKYO. The infamous Ichiran Ramen. If you remember from my last time in Japan it is the place I left my phone and they kept it safe for me (read the story here) so this place will always hold a special place in my heart.
I would highly recommend having a read of the Ichiran website to see how much love and work goes into each bowl of their specialty Tonkotsu Ramen. You order when you walk in from a vending machine that gives you a ticket. You then hand your ticket to the person in front of you in your own little private booth. I ordered the classic with extra egg, pork and kikurage mushrooms. Once they deliver the ramen to you, the blinds in front of you are closed and you are left to enjoy the ramen completely undisturbed. If you need anything you can press a button but otherwise you can just completely immerse yourself in this experience of in my opinion the best ramen you will ever eat. Go alone, go with friends, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that delicious bowl in front of you. I genuinely wish there were more places like this in Sydney. It may be considered an antisocial way to eat but I love it so much. It’s also great if you do just want to dine alone. It is very solo friendly in Japan.
Stay tuned for our journey back to Osaka!
erica
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