Tokyo | Miyazaki Ocean Dome | Prince | Charming | America

Land Of The Rising Star

by Mark Seal


Since you're a Disney alumnus, I suppose you would recommend visiting Tokyo Disneyland? If you have kids, yeah. I haven't gone back there, but it's doing quite well. The Japanese love it. The thing is, everything is in Japanese, but the kids love the American characters. They have Prince Charming, Cinderella, and Snow White, and Disney brings people over from America to play these roles. They are like minicelebrities over there. They have to sign autographs, and the kids just love them. It's called Tokyo Disney Resort. There's a sea park, too, and of course they have a magic castle. But the whole thing is just Japanese-style. Nobody is pushing. Everyone is much more considerate over there and kind of disciplined.

What other attractions do you love? Something else that tripped me out at the time was this indoor, man-made beach in ­Miyazaki, which is about a 90-minute flight from Tokyo. It's called the Miyazaki Ocean Dome. It's the world's biggest indoor water park. There are palm trees and sand and this huge retractable roof. It was basically an indoor beach with sand and then this kind of created wave. You can surf and hang out. There are rides and this water track where you can get an inner tube and just play in the surf. You can also go to the Tsukiji fish market, where they have the tuna auctions and where you can eat the world's freshest sushi for breakfast. It's just the craziest thing to go and hear the language, everybody selling and buying and peddling his or her wares. I was just getting introduced to sushi and all of that when I went there the first time. I played it pretty safe, but upon visiting, I started to enjoy it.



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