Tokyo DisneySea is a fantasy theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It opened on 4 September 2001, with a size of 176-acre and cost of 335 billion yen. The Oriental Land Company owns the park, and licenses Disney characters and themes from The Walt Disney Company.
Tokyo DisneySea is unique to Japan, inspired by the myths and legends of the sea, Tokyo DisneySea is made up of seven themed ports of call: Mediterranean Harbor, Mysterious Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront. While suitable for all ages, Tokyo DisneySea was designed to specifically also appeal to a more grown up audience. The park addresses the Japanese visitors’ strong interest in good food by providing a wider selection of table service restaurants than Tokyo Disneyland and by serving alcoholic beverages, which are unavailable at the neighboring park.
In 2002, Tokyo DisneySea won a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for the concept, design, and construction of the theme park. The award was presented at El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California. In 2018, Tokyo DisneySea attracted nearly fifteen million visitors, making it the fourth-most-visited theme park in the world.
Development of Tokyo DisneySea
Plans for a second Disney park in Tokyo were first conceived in 1987. Initially, these plans included a park similar to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, to be called Disney Hollywood Studio Theme Park at Tokyo Disneyland. This idea was later scrapped in 1992.
During the creation of the park, the United States and Japan had to compromise on certain design elements of the park due to cultural differences, such as the park’s entrance focal point. Ground was broken on October 22, 1998 and the park opened on September 4, 2001.
Upon opening, Tokyo DisneySea became the ninth park of the twelve worldwide Disney theme parks to open. It has an overall nautical exploration theme. The idea for the park can be traced to a proposal to build a second theme park in Southern California called “Port Disney” in Long Beach, California, with the RMS Queen Mary as the main attraction. The idea was scrapped after the company endured financial trouble with the Euro Disney project. Later the idea was passed on to the Oriental Land Company to expand their resort.
Park Information
Style: Fantasy Theme Park
Address: 1-13 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Information Center Telephone: 0570-00-8632
Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Park Operation Calendar: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds/monthly/calendar
Attendance
Tokyo DisneySea reached the milestone of 10 million guests in 307 days since its grand opening, which is a record among theme parks worldwide. The previous record-holder was Universal Studios Japan, 338 days after its opening.
Lands of Tokyo DisneySea
There are currently seven themed lands, or “ports of call”. The entrance to the park is Mediterranean Harbor, which opens up to six more nautically themed ports: American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.
Ease of Access
From Maihama Station (where Tokyo Disneyland locates), take the Disney Resort Monorail to Tokyo Disney Sea Station (10 minutes, 260 yen). Alternatively, you can walk to the park from Maihama Station in about 20 minutes.
Admission Fees and Ticket Types
1-Day Passport for Tokyo Disneyland
Adult 7,900 yen – 9,400 yen
Junior 6,600 yen – 7,800 yen
Child 4,700 yen – 5,600 yen
Fixed Date and Time Passports (from 10:30)
Adult 7,400 yen – 8,900 yen
Junior 6,200 yen – 7,400 yen
Child 4,400 yen – 5,300 yen
Fixed Date and Time Passport (from 12 noon)
Adult 6,900 yen – 8,400 yen
Junior 5,800 yen – 7,000 yen
Child 4,100 yen – 5,000 yen
Social Media
Website: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tdr.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyodisneyresort_official/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tdr_pr
