Tokyo Disney Sea

I would say "magical", but that would be repeating myself...

But it really is its own brand of magical...

Imagine all the best parts of Epcot and MGM and throw in the perfection of the Japanese culture and you can get a fuzzy image of the detail that is DisneySea. You actually are transported to the inside of a volcano, you might as well be looking out on the Atlantic from the Maine Coast instead of Tokyo Bay from reclaimed land, and if an Italian village is actually that charming, I wanna relocate there right now.

In true Tokyo irony, Evan, Christine and I woke up early to try and leave by 9:00 to get to the park, but the impending typhoon had other ideas. It was pouring, Christine had overslept, and Evan and I weren't particularly optimistic about the skies clearing up. But for some crazy reason, at 10 AM, we decided we would go to the park anyway because it would probably be really empty, I was prepared like a boy scout with lots of extra layers and dry clothes, and we were only concerned that the Halloween events might get cancelled. I guess we just had our hearts set on going, and were willing to make the most out of the yucky weather.

Which is ironic, because in that hour, I was chatting with my young cousin online about the different flavors of popcorn at Disney and the fact that the pouring rain was preventing me from getting to try the strawberry.

So off we went in the rain, and I finally got to ride the Disney Monorail Resort Line. And if by "got to", I mean overpaid by about 150% for the most overpriced commodity in Shin-Urayasu. It's awesome, but I'm not sure why it costs as much to ride from the station to DisneySea as it does to ride from Shin-Urayasu to the Tokyo Dome. Lame.

But the Mickey windows and handles are pretty cool, and you get to see the layout of all the land they reclaimed from Tokyo Bay and now call Tokyo Disney Resort.

Soon we were at the entrance to Sea, and much to our chagrin they were already finished giving out FastPasses for 5 of the attractions for the day. Little did we know...

We got some wonderful photos of the globe in the rain, which feels a bit random compared to the giant ball of Epcot and Universal's signature, but then again, the water that runs over the oceans on it is pretty darn cool.

And we knew it was going to be one heck of a day when we walked under the MiraCosta hotel and right there were Mickey, Donald, PLUTO!, Chip&Dale, Jiminy Cricket and more for us to meet! We didn't have to try at all and they were staying nice and dry.

So I finally got my picture with Pluto, which as you'll see, was the only one for the day when I didn't have my Pluto ears on.

Then, as we emerged from under the hotel, you are greeted by the site of the huge lake surrounded by the castle, Mt. Prometheus (the big volcano) and of course, all of Mediterranean Harbor.

We picked up our one and only FastPass for Journey to the Center of the Earth (which is the volcano ride) and then wound down into the depths of the crater for our 5 minute wait for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. At which point I realized that it wasn't that those 5 rides from before were sold out of FastPasses, they weren't even distributing them since attendance was so low. HOLLA!

Journey is this crazy dark ride that actually makes you think you're underwater until halfway through the ride you realize you aren't underwater. Which to me is disappointing since I knew you were once upon a time in the original Disneyland. But it's still really magical and infinitely detailed and even slightly scary. Especially when you have NO IDEA what's happening because it's in Japanese. But, I mean, that's to be expected and we found that all day long...

We moved on in the rain to catch our first show, "Mystic Rhythms", starring several of our friends from E-Village. We had a little bit of time to kill, but the Indy ride line was 30 minutes, and we wanted to get a great seat for Mystic. And naturally we still hadn't figured out that NO ONE was at the park. So we had perfect 6th row center seats since we were like the 6th people in line 20 minutes before, and thus began Evan's annoyance for the day. He had bought a clear rain slicker for 500 yen once we got inside the park and his umbrella decided to completely break, and for whatever reason, on almost EVERY ride and attraction, he had to take it off. Now my regular old Columbia raincoat and everyone else's were fine, but apparently the clear ones are just too darn unacceptable for rides in Japan. (We think it had to do with getting the seats wet, etc, and they can't tell us to take off our non-Disney-purchased coats, but still.. huh??!)

Mystic is such an incredible spectacle. It's in this abandoned hangar that has a full out jungle on stage, replete with waterfall, trees, a POOL, and multiple levels. Basically think a Cirque du Soleil show in 30 minutes with every jungle creature imaginable. It was also my first "Majide?! of the day, because the show is so magical and so NOT Disney, and to me it's everything they could have done with Tarzan on Broadway. Because, if you can do that, why did you have a blow up set and retarded spider for Bway? Cuz I mean, the alligator swims, the butterfly is just freakin' cool, and there's flashpots everywhere!

We also got our first popcorn of the day, Christine's favorite: chocolate. I was happy much later when we finally got to dry the delicious (as expected) strawberry.

After the show we rode the Indy ride which was foolish on our parts to wait 30 minutes in standby when everything else was so slow, but we had a fun time staying dry. The ride is awesome and scary and has something to do with Crystal Skulls though apparently ones that have nothing to do with the recent movie. At one point, the ride shoots out this mind-blowing smoke ring from a cannon that goes right around your head. AWESOME. However, as per usual... Indy speaking Japanese? Bizarre.

From Indy we rode Raging Spirits, which only is called a rollercoaster because you go through a loop and some fog. The rest of it is so baby and kiddie coaster intense that only Disney could get away with it. To be honest, it's not even themed that well nor does it have a story. Which makes me think that DisneySea just wanted to say they have a rollercoaster. Which is dumb cuz it's not a thrilling ride.

Then we got shot out of a volcano!

And it was by far my favorite ride of the day. Journey to the Center of the Earth takes you down, down, down, then there's the coolest animatronic giant monster I've ever seen and then you are rocketed like Test Track up and out the volcano! It's pretty much one of the most unexpectedly awesome rides I've ever been on.

We got to see the beautiful and inspiring rain version of Mythica complete with Jetskis and fireworks and a smoke-breathing dragon. We got a great spot since the dancers were cut and the park was so empty, and I loved seeing Mickey 50 feet up on his tower above the water.
Tower of Terror came next since the line was a whopping 10 minutes long. They have the coolest special effect when you watch the story in the first room here. (It's a different story with some evil idol from Africa that makes the owner disappear). The stained glass windows keep changing to tell the story and this innocent idol that sits there the whole time magically disappears since it's a hologram. BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA. It's amazing.

Which, to me is disappointing because the rest of the ride was uneventful. Even though we had prime front row seats, the tower doesn't really drop you that far, and I missed the part that's unique to Florida, where you actually go through the twilight zone and switch tracks. (Of course, it breaks down a lot more often there). But being stuck in the same elevator shaft here is just not as thrilling.... Which seemed to be the theme of the day with Raging Spirits and Tower of Terror, but NOT Journey.

As a nice break, we had delicious pasta for lunch... and BEER! Because you can drink in DisneySea! We were all super excited won the lottery to see the Halloween show in front of BBB/Tower of Terror!

Then we staked out a spot near the stage for Christine's (the other) Halloween parade, Mousequerade Dance, but we were thwarted when the rain forced them to present a character greeting instead. But we got to see the costumes and our favorite characters (and some of our friends!) again.

Then we killed time around the American Waterfront until we got to go see Big Band Beat! Which, even though I had no desire to do all day, turned out to be such a highlight and a treat. It was so special to see the magic that I'm a part of in the way our guests do. And all my friends (especially those Japanese girls) were KILLING it. Just straight up living onstage.

We unfortunately knew by the time BBB ended that we would not be using our lottery win to see the Halloween show (and all my summer party friends). While seriously bummed, what can you do when the rain takes over? So we rode Turtle Talk instead which was by far the longest and most painful ride of the day. Since it's actually a 20-minute "show", you just end up standing in line in one place for 20 minutes, which is by far the worst way to stand in line. A la Fuji Q. YUCK.

The show was just as great as I remembered from Florida, but I was disappointed that, even though it was obviously all in Japanese, Crush didn't even say "dude" or "totally" or "noggin" even once. But that animation is still one of the most magical things I've ever seen. The way he just talks right to someone and his facial expressions are PERFECT. Wow, imagineers.

Now, I'm guessing you're tired of reading this by now, which is about how we started to feel at this point in the day. A little snack of beef jerky kept us ready for our last few attractions...
Aquatopia is basically some spinning vehicles in a big waterfall maze that is almost cooler to watch than to ride. It operates on the same system as Hunny Hunt (they're the only two in the world) so I wanted to ride it out of sheer geekiness. And naturally, since the ride is supposed to be random and "different" every time, we tested it out a second time. And wouldn't you know that we got the same, IDENTICAL course through the maze except for one 5 second path! Naturally.

We also rode StormRider which is a motion simulator that takes you into a storm. It ends very anti-climactically (we think we died), we got wetter on the ride than we did outside (which is why Evan was REALLY annoyed he had to take his raincoat off again), and it seemed to fit the Japanese theme of less-than-thrilling (that Tower of Terror and Raging Spirits fell into). But we rode it!

Finally we headed over to Mermaid Lagoon to see our last show of the day (we skipped BraviSEAmo! since it would be a cut version and Evan and I both will be going back to the park again), but sadly it was 55 minutes till the next show (they have a dinner break). So we meandered through the Arabian Coast and rode the amazing double decker Carousel. We even got in trouble for standing up! Which seriously, why do they always freak out on Carousels? It's a KIDDIE ride. Who cares if you're not sitting on the horse (or Genie)?

We also had time to catch the Magic Lamp Theater show which is billed as a combination of 3D movie and live actors show featuring the Genie. Aka it's weird and bizarre and the English translation box only makes it worse. It's just really one of the strangest attractions ever from Disney and sadly, it's not very good.

But the MERMAIDS are!!!!!

Mermaid Lagoon might be one of the best shows I've ever seen. And again, I'll ask, "MAJIDE?" You thought putting people on heelies was a good idea for Broadway when people have seen THIS?!

Basically in 15 minutes a whole show takes place above and around you, with Ariel flipping and floating and swimming through the air on her harness, a 40 foot Ursula puppet that has to be the best animatronics ever designed, and some of the most imaginative costuming ever.
There are fish that flip and float and swim above you, Flotsam and Jetsam puppets that are perfectly synced, and the whole time you are literally in awe of the magic that has been created.
I literally can't say enough about how amazingly stunning that show is, and those Ariel girls must be knackered after flipping and swimming and kicking in a fin for 15 minutes 4 times a day. Wow.

As we left the park we got a few more pictures in and then (quite brilliantly) caught the free shuttle bus back to the Oriental Hotel. We pigged out to our hearts desires at Saizeria and came back to watch Hercules as the fitting end to our DisneySea day.

All I can say is, despite the few complaints of this spoiled brat, I had one of the most detailed and thorough and magical experiences in DisneySea. I have been nowhere else on Earth that has so thoroughly transported me outside myself and my worries and my daily life... and I work there! Brava!

I'm not gonna post pictures here out of sheer volume, but if you wanna see them, just click here!

Two Days of Christmas, Mermaids, and Odaiba

Christmas makes me genki.

Seriously.

What is it about singing Christmas Carols in October that just feels perfectly right? You know you've been in show business for a long time when it doesn't bother you to sing Christmas music before Halloween has even started to roll around.

As long as you don't see decorated department stores or hear the music on the radio. That's just wrong.

But I think being in Japan makes Christmas even more special. Especially Disney Christmas. Because it's something so warm and home-y and comforting when you are basically illiterate in this country. It just feels like sipped, warm cocoa going down your throat.

So the holiday is still a good 85 days away (and not 85 in the sense of Topher's favorite number for exaggeration and hyperbole usage... it's actually quite a good estimate!) but we have begun rehearsals and it's a lovely new energy for our cast. And I just can't wait to see Goofy dressed up as Santa and Donald Duck with antlers on a scooter!

After rehearsal and B-shift yesterday, Evan and I went to jazz night at the Hub, which I rarely visit since it is basically a one-stop shop for secondhand-smoke-induced lung cancer. But jazz night is delightful and a J-size Tarantula is a great way to start off your day off! And, even though the Shiner's-red-coat-wearing Japanese jazz band plays the same set every week, it still blows my mind that the leader of the band sounds EXACTLY LIKE Louis Armstrong.

Seriously. He's not an imitation.

Maybe that's because he actually learned how to sing from Louis back in the day. So, when you think about it, I was one degree away from Louis last night, which is as close as I'll ever get, and who'd've thought that'd be in Japan?!

His growl is just spectacular and the throaty belt of the little Japanese woman is remarkable. I honestly have to say that listening to them is such an unexpected treat. And I got the chance to meet a couple of the new mermaids last night, with whom I ended up having a great conversation that lasted all the way through our bike ride home. One was Charlotte who we got to see in the show the other day. (As soon as I finish my DisneySea post you'll understand why I was so pleased to recognize her and tell her how much I loved her and her show).

So all in all, yesterday was just a pleasant day with Christmas and mermaids and Louis.

Today I had the pleasure of sleeping in, enjoying the blazing sunshine (!), and seeing/hearing this outside E-Village:

Turns out the Japanese love a garage sale as much as we Americans do, they just don't have garages. So they do it on the sidewalk outside the D2.

Evan and I headed off to Odaiba for the day, per his suggestion, which, quite fortunately, turned out to be much more fun than my previous trip. Though that post only has words; the pictures are here. At first, it didn't seem like it would be, since we started at Palette Town and were unimpressed by the crowded Japanese mall, but that all changed when we wandered into a Japanese arcade.

We both just got mesmerized by the crazy complex machines that clutter every corner of Odaiba. From classic crane games to the modified net version to the pachinko balls, the Japanese LOVE their arcades. And well, you don't even have to play. Just watching all the bells and whistles on those machines will suck you right in.

It got better as we toured the Toyota showroom and drove in the free racing simulator and popped ourselves in the teeny tiny cars they have on display.

And once we found the car museum filled with old standards, every model car imaginable, and vintage automobile memorabilia, Evan was in heaven.

Which I just realized is a catchy rhyme.

We killed an easy hour looking at a bunch of cars I'd never heard of, and a few I had, most of which I couldn't fit in, as evidenced above. I really hit the jackpot when I stumbled upon a metal Lotus sign that Evan nearly missed. It definitely made his day and mine. Just to see his face light up like Christmas!

All through the day we tried to find the place rumored to rent dogs. Yup. We'd heard that you could rent a puppy and walk it and play with it for an hour, but the problem in a huge place like Odaiba is... if you don't know where, you probably won't find it. Instead we stumbled upon this...

Yup. A trickster ape on stilts. I even caught footage of his free show, that you can see at the end of the post!

We finally decided to narf down some food and MonsterBurger was the place.

After killing it American-style, we took the opportunity to enjoy some physical arcade games that Decks had to offer. I threw some frisbees at targets, though I only got 2 hits of the 12 I threw...

Evan competed in an American Gladiator-style obstacle course that apparently is copied from some Japanese game show "Sasuke". He was killing it and probably could have beaten it, but we'll have to give him another shot another day... You can watch his attempt at the end of the post.

Finally, we visited our old miniature Lady Liberty friend, and the clear night gave us some spectacular views of Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower as we walked on the beach.

We would've gone to ride the Ferris Wheel next, but I had to get back to the station to meet Hiro for dinner at the Garlic Restaurant. Dinner was delicious, and the surprise of the day was that 10 minutes in, Blair, her parents, and the rest of the BBB girls sat down right next to us! And then Adam and his boyfriend showed up as well! Apparently everyone decided to eat there the same night, which is odd since none of us have been there except for the sayonara party! What a coincidence!

And now, my friends, I am off to bed before 2 long 5 show days. Hope you enjoyed the craziness of Odaiba as much as we did! Here's Evan followed by the ape!

Bulldogs, Spiders, and Mermaids, Oh my!

Guess where I went today?

Yup. And it's just like it is in the States. Except for the lack of Lingonberry Juice at the soda fountains. I do love a good Lingonberry/Sprite mix with my cheap-o hotdog set. And they didn't have cinnamon rolls today. But the ice cream was delicious. And it's only 1 stop away on the rapid train, so it's much closer than the one in Brooklyn. Especially if I were to try to go to Brooklyn from Shin-Urayasu! Speaking of... I don't think I ever posted this hilarity when I tried to get directions to the MAC store in Shibuya. (Please note, I was not asked to enter a starting address, not that I have any idea why it chose somewhere in Alabama).

My favorite part? #39. "Kayak across the Pacific Ocean. 3,879 mi. Entering Japan". And this is further evidence that I went to IKEA in Chiba, because it would take more than 36 days to go visit the one in Brooklyn... not including the water taxi transfer!

And look. I got a new friend to cheer me up!

The ironic thing is... I don't particularly like bulldogs. I don't think they're that cute. But this little guy just stole my heart over all the other IKEA stuffed animals (that are unfortunately probably sewn by machines staffed by third world child labor). He kinda has a funny body like a gopher or a chipmunk, and I can just see him saying, a la the Cowardly Lion, "Put 'em up... Put 'em up!"

So I went to buy sheets, but that mission was not very successful because sheets in Japan are surprisingly expensive and difficult to buy! And if I'm gonna pay 25 or 30 bucks for a fitted sheet, it ain't gonna be a crappy one from IKEA. So I left empty handed except for a comforter cover, some hangers and candles, a few snacks from the Swedish market, and a squishy pillow. Cuz you can't find one of those in Japan EVER! They're always so firm and brick-like. Yuck.

Last night on the train home... we had THIS bizarre experience. Watch and see:

Seriously. The cleanest subway system EVER, and there's a fully-formed spider web on it (sorry you can't see that better). A CROWDED train. That was probably in use all day. I was shell-shocked. The only plausible explanation I could think of was that, in all likelihood, the last person cleaning the train doesn't quite have the same eye-level that I do. But still. I wish you could see the indifference from the 85 other people in the car. Bizarre.

Rehearsal went much better last night, and even though I still feel rather subpar to the rest of the boys singing "All of Me", I got some good notes from Ai-san, and Daniel (the guy that cast me out of LA who was visiting this week) gave me some clarifications and helpful insight as well. Luckily the next two nights I just get to sit and watch the other teams rehearse, and hopefully we'll be done in time tonight to make the Mermaid Sayonara. And as my lovely friend Jonathan helped me point out, how bizarre is it that my vocabulary now consists of things like "dozo before the Mermaid Sayonara". Wow.

In finitum, I was very sad to hear of Ted Kennedy's passing last night. I've always held this aura of mystique toward the Kennedy family, but in watching CNN and reading up on his history online, I found myself in awe of what a great political man he was. And as someone well aware of the battles we are still fighting for equal rights in this country, I commend that man for his tireless battles to end discrimination. What an honor to have people on both sides of the spectrum mourn your absence and congratulate your lifetime of achievement. Bravo, Senator.