Theme Park Review

Updates:
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Sega Joypolis and Tokyo city day
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo Disneyland
Osaka Castle - Osaka Aquarium, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori & more!

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Original Post:

I've been fortunate enough to have done a lot of traveling in my life, but there has been no place I've loved more than Japan. Having taken my original Japan trip in 2006 and then our honeymoon in Shanghai and Tokyo, I was itching to get back to Japan as soon as I could... And with my wife and I's goal to visit all of the Disney Parks around the world following our wedding, we kept our eye out for fares until the right opportunity came up. We'd visited Disneyland twice following our wedding (once for our mini-moon and once for a 36 hour getaway) and Disneyland Paris the following Summer... Leaving just Hong Kong Disneyland in our sights. But when on that side of the world, you don't skip out on Tokyo Disney or Tokyo in general!

Compared to our honeymoon trip, we made it a point to spend more time on the experiences other than Disney, visiting Kyoto, Osaka (including Universal Studios Japan) and more of Tokyo than we saw during our last trip. Along the way we were able to knock a few of my like-to's off of the list (from having lived vicariously through so many Japan trip reports on these forums that went beyond Disney) and found a few gems on our own.

Our trip began with our first evening and day in Tokyo...

Great start, Adam, and how exciting to see a report from several of the places that I'll get to in mine eventually!

(in particular, Joypolis, USJ, & TDL/TDS). . .as not only was it my 1st ever trip to Japan, it was my 1st ever visit to a Universal Park.

gonna be so fun to see how the experiences differ.

I may have missed it, but what is the timeframe that you were at Joypolis?

Wondering as when we went in early Oct (and i'll have that update up at some point in a week or two, since have a few parks before that point), at that time the Spin coaster was themed to a J-pop boy-band. Playing their video and song, thruout the "dark game" part of the ride, and during the finale end spinning around the "tower" section.

the video stage also had turned into a "virtual" concert for the band. I honestly thought they were appearing live (or one of them was) based on the crowd reaction and participation. . but when got a look at the stage - no pics permitted - everyone was just watching a projected performance on the screens.

it was so interesting to see.

we liked Decks too, and tho we didn't eat at the Ramen Alley, everything you posted looks like it tasted amazing.

can't wait to see more

How exactly does a urinal interactive video game work?

Great report!

With lines being pretty significant during our visit and our day not being reserved solely for Joypolis, we had to pick and choose which experiences we went for... Funny enough, Joypolis seemed to have a simulator experience for practically every mode of transportation. Wild Wing for planes, Wild Jungle Brothers for jeeps, Wild River: The Treasure Hunt for rafting.

Lotte World has these 3 rides installed as well and I think a park in Dubai has the set, so if it's any consolation you chose something unique to Japan over a ride that's been cloned.

The melon flavored drinks, breads, treats were all done so well. They could easily end up being gross but leave it to Japan to perfect the flavor!

Sega looks like a fun unique park, especially the coaster. Great start to the report, Adam! Thanks for taking the time to post everything.

bert425 wrote:Great start, Adam, and how exciting to see a report from several of the places that I'll get to in mine eventually!

I may have missed it, but what is the timeframe that you were at Joypolis?

Thanks Bert! We were there in early April of this year!

Canobie Coaster wrote:How exactly does a urinal interactive video game work?

It is just like most point-and-shoot arcade games.

Garet wrote:Lotte World has these 3 rides installed as well and I think a park in Dubai has the set, so if it's any consolation you chose something unique to Japan over a ride that's been cloned.

That is good to know! I really enjoyed Joypolis overall, but now that I've been and seen what they have I probably wouldn't rush back over more time in the city or at Tokyo Disney, but it was a great side experience for this trip!

PKI Jizzman wrote:The melon flavored drinks, breads, treats were all done so well. They could easily end up being gross but leave it to Japan to perfect the flavor!

Sega looks like a fun unique park, especially the coaster. Great start to the report, Adam! Thanks for taking the time to post everything.

Melon Bread, Melon Fanta and Melon Soda Churros are three of the things I consistently find myself craving here at home.

Glad you all have enjoyed this report so far! Lots more ahead!

Great report! I was pleased to go and do Joypolis, especially because we only spent about two hours there (after 10 PM pass). There were no lines, so we walked on Gekion three or so times, did the halfpipe, and four or so other simulators. They were all quite fun! The area around the park itself also is best seen at night, imo. Rainbow bridge and the views of the city are really quite great there.

After our first day in the city, it was time to visit my favorite theme park on the planet, Tokyo DisneySea. This would be my third visit to Tokyo Disney in my life, and still this was my most anticipated portion of the trip. To say this park is amazing would be the greatest understatement a person could make about theme parks. The park was originally built with an unrivaled budget and the additions that have followed since its 2001 debut have followed the same standard, even for attractions that are "copies" of those found in other parks around the world. The atmosphere, the architecture, the theming, music, lands and food make this park the absolute best Disney has ever done.

Since we had spent so much time at the Tokyo Disney Resort during our Honeymoon, we opted for a shortened visit this time around so we could explore more of Japan. That meant one day at DisneySea and one day at Disneyland. Funny enough, despite having half the time we did from before, I found myself less stressed to accomplish everything during this trip, and in the process I was able to enjoy more details in the park than I ever had before.

While last time we visited during the Tanabata Festival (and the time before that I was here for the Tokyo DisneySea 5th Anniversary Celebration), this time our trip was in between events with the Easter 2019 event starting just a few days after our visit. As a result we were able to experience a few of the Easter offerings including some merchandise while still getting a chance to enjoy some of the non-seasonal offerings that would go away for Easter like the new Dreaming Up parade the next day at Disneyland.

(Continued)

Very awesome. TDS never disappoints.