Tokyo DisneySea Hotel Miracosta Balcony View — Balcony view of Tokyo DisneySea from a room at the in-park hotel, the Miracosta.

Disney Parks Coverage (Portfolio)

June 13, 2024

Webster’s defines “Mickey Mouse” as an adjective for “too easy, small, ineffective, or unimportant to be taken seriously.” The portfolio of a freelance writer who first entered the market online as a Disney parks photoblogger might be worthy of such a description. But that’s what this is. It’s the running list of Disney-related articles, blog entries, and photo galleries that I’ve posted here and off-site under the bylines of “Joshua Meyer” and “The Gaijin Ghost.”

The first-ever Big Hero 6 parade float, featuring the characters Baymax and Hiro Hamada, in Tokyo Disneyland's 35th-anniversary parade, "Dreaming Up!" — The first-ever *Big Hero 6* parade float, featuring the characters Baymax and Hiro Hamada, in Tokyo Disneyland's 35th-anniversary parade, "Dreaming Up!"

Front-Row Pictures of Tokyo Disneyland's New 35th-Anniversary Parade

April 25, 2018

On April 15, 2018, a new daytime parade, “Dreaming Up,” made its official debut at Tokyo Disneyland as the park’s year-long 35th-anniversary celebration began. This parade replaced the long-running “Happiness Is Here,” which started out as the park’s 30th-anniversary parade.

Big-time, U.S.-based Disney blogs like WDW News Today and Disney Tourist Blog were on the frontlines for the earliest run-throughs of the parade, having descended on Tokyo in the days leading up to April 15. Incidentally, that day was a rainy Sunday—not the best parade weather. Since we didn’t want to contend with the opening-week crowds, my significant other and I opted to wait until ten days later before we ventured into the park.

The weather on April 24 wasn’t much better (they didn’t coin that phrase “April showers” for nothing), but we happened to get lucky and win the lottery for the parade viewing area. This enabled us to get front-row seats for “Dreaming Up” without having to stake out a spot on the ground hours beforehand.

Goodbye to the Old Tomorrowland: StarJets & Grand Circuit Raceway

October 11, 2017

This year, Tokyo Disneyland retired two of its opening-day attractions, StarJets and Grand Circuit Raceway. Since 1983, both of these rides have formed an integral part of the backdrop for Tomorrowland. Now, they’ve closed in order to make way for the expansion of Fantasyland and redevelopment of Toontown—an ongoing project that is scheduled to be completed in 2020, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Polite, But Firm: The Picture Police at Tokyo Disney Resort

June 1, 2017

Veterans of Disney parks in the U.S. will probably be well-acquainted with the words “no flash photography,” having heard the words ad nauseam as part of the regular spiel before rides and shows at Disney. What first-time guests at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea might be surprised to learn is that there are some places inside these two parks where the staff can be downright militant in enforcing a rule of no photography ... period! It all depends on which attraction or show you are in, and which Cast Member you are dealing with at any given time.

Tokyo Disneyland's version of Star Tours first opened in 1989, though a major revamp of the ride occurred in 2013, to bring it in line with the "Adventures Continue" model.

Photo Tour of Star Tours at Tokyo Disneyland

December 31, 2016

Imagine you are at Tokyo Disneyland. You started your day in Adventureland, and now, after walking and riding some rides, you have completed almost a full circle, moving clockwise around the park, to Tomorrowland.

This is where the Star Tours hangar dwells.