5 Tips To Efficiently Enjoy Tokyo Disneyland

1. Disney FastPass

Tokyo Disneyland is full of fun attractions. It\'s recommended that you use the Disney FastPass for the popular ride. It\'s a system that allows you to come back to the ride at a time printed on your slip so you don\'t have to wait too long. It\'s very easy to use and is free. Each attraction has a FastPass machine close to it, so you use it to scan the passport ticket that gives you entry into the park to receive a slip with a time on it. If you go at that time you can use the FastPass line, which is separate from the main one. Since the number of people who can line up in a specific time is pre-decided, the line is short. Something that you should keep in mind is that FastPasses are first-come-first-serve and they do run out! For rides that you absolutely must ride, you should go to that FastPass machine as soon as you enter the park. That way you can enjoy other attractions or meals as you wait for your time.
*Please be aware that there may be cases where having a FastPass doesn\'t guarantee entry to the attraction. *There are attractions that don\'t have FastPass available. Please double-check on the official website for more details.

*Photo is of a FastPass machine near an attraction.

2. It\'s recommended to watch the parade from behind the castle

Tokyo Disneyland has a daily parade in which the characters walk. It\'s an event that you can fully enjoy by calling out to your beloved characters and taking photos. However, depending on the area, you can\'t see the characters well or you\'re in a place where it\'s very hard to take photos. For people that want to take beautiful pictures, here is a spot to consider: the opposite side of the parade by Troubadour Tavern. Since it\'s diagonally behind Tokyo Disneyland\'s famous landmark Cinderella\'s Castle, you can take photos of the characters and the castle. It\'s recommended that you take your spot about 30 minutes before the parade starts. It\'s a place that Japan\'s core parade fans pay attention to, so you\'ll definitely be able to take a picture that will get a lot of attention if you upload it to social media with the message "I saw the parade at Tokyo Disneyland!"

3. How do you meet the characters?

"If you go to Disney, you want to be able to meet and greet the characters, like Mickey Mouse. First, something to remember is that World Bazaar at the entrance of the park is a place to meet your favorite character if your timing is right. It\'s a popular place to greet and take pictures with your favorite characters, but considering the characters are very popular, you might not be able to get good photos. If you want to make sure you get a beautiful photo, you can ask the official park cameramen for a Disney Snap Photo. It\'s 1,540 JPY for the photo and an original sticker set and the photo will be ready for pick-up around 90 minutes after it\'s taken.
However, you don\'t know what characters will be at the main entrance the day you go. People who definitely want to meet Mickey should go to Meet Mickey at Mickey\'s House in Toontown. Mickey will meet you inside a cute house. It\'s inside so pictures are easier to get compared to the main entrance, and you\'ll also be moved by being able to converse with Mickey! They also have Disney Snap Photo available here. It\'s very convenient if you want to take a group photo with Mickey.
If you want to take photos of characters posing, not necessarily with you, you can ask the staff or the character themselves and the character will pose, whether it\'s at the main entrance or at Mickey\'s House! The time the characters appear changes by the day, so check the bulletin board or ask nearby staff in order to maximize your time."

Mickey\'s House

4. Recommended souvenirs

There are a wide variety of places where you can buy official Disney goods, including the Bon Voyage store right outside the park (so you don\'t have to enter the park to be able to shop there). Inside Tokyo Disneyland alone (excluding DisneySea) there are close to 50 shops! It\'s fun to try to choose between them, but here are 2 souvenirs that will definitely make someone happy. First is the bagged senbei (rice crackers). They\'re a typical Japanese snack packed individually, so they\'re perfect to hand out to people when you get back to your country. There is a big box version, but the bag packaging has 36 pieces for 800 JPY so it\'s reasonably priced. You can buy it at World Bazaar Confectionery. Another souvenir to buy is the Minnie Mouse-style headband that has a bow attached (1,200 JPY). It might be a little too much for daily fashion, but since it\'s one-size-fits-all it\'s popular for people of all ages, and the person who receives it can feel like they too went to Tokyo Disneyland. You can buy is at Town Center Fashion. Of course, don\'t forget to consider buying something as the perfect memory for yourself!

5. Recommended food

You can enjoy taking a break and eating at restaurants inside the park as well as walking around and eating snacks you bought at a shop. First, for people who also want to enjoy the atmosphere of a restaurant, the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is recommended. It\'s modeled after the queen\'s castle from the movie Alice in Wonderland, and since it\'s a relatively big space, even families will be able to comfortably sit. It\'s a buffet-style place where you can pick your desired foods and bring them to a register on a tray, so it\'s perfect for people that want to eat a lot as well as those who want to eat cute foods. Their representative meal is the cheeseburger with demiglace and raspberry sauce (1,380 JPY), a meat dish that\'s in the shape of a heart. For those that want to fill themselves by eating and walking, there\'s the famous popcorn of course, but there\'s also the Mickey Ice Cream Bar perfect for summer (310 JPY), available this year from March 19th (Sat.) to October 31st (Mon.) at Canteen and Toontown Treats. It\'s small and easy to hold as well as being very cute, so you can take a great Disneyland-style photo with your family as you each eat one! There\'s also the Mickey-shaped small waffle that\'s sold all year round (460 JPY, sold at the Great American Waffle Company).

Tokyo Disneyland is a place that even Japanese people say they discover new things every time they visit. Even though your vacation time is limited, the above spots are all places that you can enjoy to your heart\'s content. Spend a blissful time that you won\'t ever forget at Japan\'s land of dreams!