Tokyo Disneyland: Prioritize These Must-See Rides and Shows

Are you considering a 13-hour flight to Tokyo Disneyland?  This magical park offers not only beloved classic Disney attractions but also over seven exclusive rides that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Enjoy three unique parades each day, discover original merchandise, savor delicious food, and so much more at Japan Disneyland. And here’s the best part: adult tickets to Tokyo Disneyland are priced under $50! Curious to learn more? Let me share all the exciting details!

Tokyo Disneyland

Ready for an unforgettable adventure? Tokyo Disneyland is the ultimate destination for Disney fans and thrill-seekers alike! With its enchanting atmosphere, captivating attractions, and beloved characters, every corner of the Japan Disneyland park is designed to create magical memories. From thrilling rides to delightful shows and delicious treats, there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re enjoying the iconic Cinderella Castle or meeting your favorite characters, Tokyo Disneyland promises a day full of fun and excitement. Don’t miss out on this enchanting experience in the heart of Tokyo—where dreams really do come true!

If you are on the fence about whether it is worth flying to Japan Disney, read my thoughts about Tokyo Disney here.  Plus don’t miss my indepth look at  Japan Disneysea park too!

Japan Disneyland

As I mentioned, the Disney park you’re considering is in Japan, and to enter, you’ll need to purchase a date-specific ticket—park hopping isn’t an option. The good news? Tickets for adults are under $50, making it an incredible value for a full day of fun. I won’t get into specific accommodations since there are so many great options, but just choose a place that fits your budget and ideally offers a free shuttle or is within walking distance.

I recommend spending 1 to 2 days at the Disney park, in addition to taking some time to explore the local culture, as Japan has so much to offer.  Right now is an excellent time to visit because the dollar is strong, and many things in Japan are quite affordable. The main expense will be your flight.

Disneyland Crowds

If you’re planning a trip to Tokyo Disney, be prepared for huge crowds! Even during off-peak seasons, the park can get incredibly busy. I highly recommend arriving at least 1.5 to 2 hours before the park opens. It may sound excessive, but trust me, a line will already be forming, and you’ll want to be at the front of it.

Locals often bring mats and umbrellas to wait comfortably in line, and getting there early means you’ll be among the first to enter the park when it opens. This is crucial for scoring shorter lines, FastPasses, and the Lightning Lane service! If you arrive just an hour before opening, be prepared to wait over an hour just to get inside. Plus, you can’t book the Lightning Lane service—known as Disney Premier Access (DPA)—until you’re actually in the park.

Once you’re in, make a beeline for a popular ride while simultaneously booking your Disney Premier Access and FastPass. Unlike parks in the US, don’t save these for later; grab one right away and head to a nearby ride. You’ll be able to book another DPA when your return time comes, even if you haven’t tapped into the first ride yet.

👉 If you’re lucky, you might snag 2 free FastPasses and 3-4 paid DPA passes throughout your day! Just keep in mind that within 1-2 hours of the park opening, FastPasses and DPA for the major attractions will sell out, and by the 2-3 hour mark, all passes for the day will likely be gone.

Disneyland Japan Touring Plan

The crowds are so intense and there are so many great things to do that you will not be able to see everything in one day, you will need to prioritize what matters to you. We decided to prioritize the attractions that are unique to Tokyo Disneyland and then sneak in as much else as we could around those rides.

Unique Attractions at Tokyo Disneyland

• Enchanted Tale of the Beauty and the Beast
• Monsters Inc! Ride and Go Seek
• Pooh’s Honey Hunt
• It’s a Small World with Groot (limited time offering – but they should keep this and bring it to all Disney parks!)
• Splash Mountain (the only place left in the world to ride this classic attraction)
• Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall
• 3 Unique Parades every day! (It’s a Sweetsful Time, Disney Harmony in Color, Baymax’s Mission: Cool Down, and Dreamlights Electical Parade)

⭐ What to Do First

Main street USA is very different at Tokyo Disneyland., but for now just push through the main area and don’t stop to take pictures until later in the day. Every minute counts with Japan Disney crowds!

As soon as you get in, start walking to your first attraction while at the same time securing your DPA and Fastpass. We are big Splash Mountain fans and since this is the only place left to enjoy this ride we made this a priority. If you arrived early and start walking quickly you will get to the ride with less than 30 minutes wait time.

Meanwhile, book Enchanted Tale of the Beauty and Beast DPA (paid lightening lane) and Monsters Inc! RIde and Go Seek with the free fastpass. As soon as your window to ride the Belle ride opens up, even if you are still in line at Splash Mountain, book your next pass. I recommend Space Mountain (if it has reopened) or Pooh’s Honey Hunt (so much better than the US version)

Critter Country

• 🌟 Splash Mountain (the only place left in the world to ride this classic attraction) – we loved the unique photo ops nearby as well. You will need to do it first thing, using a DPA, or waiting 2-3 hours.
• Beaver Brothers Explorere Canoes – this is available at Disneyland California so we skipped it.
• NOTE: IF you are a hute Splash Mountain you may want to walk her first things and get your first DPA for Splash mountain so you can ride it back to back before moving on with the rest of our proposed itinerary.

👉 Next up you are going to head to Fantasyland for your Beauty and the Beast DPA. So walk straight there and skip other rides in route. Make sure you are watching when you can book your next DPA and Fastpass so you get the ones you care about! You may want to do Baymax ride next for DPA if the time lines up right after Monsters Fastpass.

Fantasyland

👉 Next up you are going to head to Fantasyland for your Beauty and the Beast DPA. So walk straight there and skip other rides in route. Make sure you are watching when you can book your next DPA and Fastpass so you get the ones you care about! You may want to do Baymax ride next for DPA if the time lines up right after Monsters Fastpass.

• 🌟 Enchanted Tale of the Beauty and the Beast  – this is NOT the skit version like in Florida. This is a fully immersive ride that will wow you! It gets long lines so I advise getting your first or second DPA for this ride. You will walk into the beasts castle and into a room where you will see Beauty and the Beast – so well done, even if we couldn’t understand the Japaenese. Then you will go through the hallway and kitchen seeing fun characters/scenese on the way. Finally board your large tea cup that first 10 guests. They load 6 tea cups together and then you all go through the story together. The teacups are trackless and float around the rooms as you go through the story. This is truly an amazing ride I wish we had in the US!

👉 It is probably time to get to the Monsters Inc ride so skip the rest of Fantasyland for now, you will come back later. Make sure you get a Fastpass for Pooh’s Honey Hunt as soon as you can! That will probably be the last free Fastpass you can grab before they are all gone for the day. So your return time will probably be towards the end of the day.

Tomorrowland

This land is undergoing some refurbishment so it feels disjointed. Still you will love walking up tot he Monstropolis Laugh Floor building that looks right out of the movie! Plus there are a few other gems or unique places to hit here.

• 🌟Monsters Inc! Ride and Go Seek – I love this ride and wish they would bring it to the US. It goes through the story of Monsters Inc like the California one does, but in more detail. Plus this version is interactive; everyone has a flashlight and when you shine it around, monsters will pop up. It is so cute and clever and has this Monsters fan giggling through the ride. I highly recommend. It will get a 2-3 hour line, so you want to get your first Fastpass for this ride!

• The Happy Ride with Baymax – this ride is super popular here so if you want to ride you will need to get a DPA. It is basically like the Alien spin at Hollywood Studios or Maters Jamboree at Disney California Adventure Park. It is short, but if you have a baymax fan I’m sure they will like it. If you got a DPA for this ride, do this next. But dont’ wait 2-3 hours for it!
• Star Tours – the same as the US version, but the line was short most of the day so it was a great chance to get in air conditioning and sit. They tend to show the Mandalorian and Grogu part for each adventure. HINT: You can probably squeeze it in between Monsters and Baymax.
• Stitch Enounter – we skipped because we don’t speak Japanese

👉 At this point the DPA and Fastpass are probably out for the day, if not feel free to grab another one Beauty and the Beast. In Japan you can do the same ride more than once if you are lucky enough to snag it!

Now let’s head  through the rest of the park since we aren’t chasing the DPA anymore.  You may want to visit The Popping Pod to grab a super cute popcorn bucket and a refill. HINT: You can use mobile order to make it super easy! If not free feel to stop somewhere else that looks good and let’s hit some other priority rides.

👉 You will see locals spreading out blankets and waiting for the parade all day. There is really no need. Keep an eye on the schedule and just pop over and watch some of it as you are going through your day. You will be able to see fine as it is never more than 2 rows deep and people sit in the front. You could spend an entire day here watching all the 3 parades. You should watch some, but no need to claim a spot and wait. Just wing it!

Fantasyland

This area will feel very much the same as all other Disney parks except for the unique fact that the Hauned Mansions is part of this area in Japan. Japan view ghosts as fantasy so that is why it is included here. Many of the rides will have shorter lines throughout the day and you can knock off a bunch of these in the afternoon.

• Alice’s Tea Party – is the same as all other parks, so we skipped it
• Castle Carousel – skip unless it is a priority to your group
• 🌟Snow White’s Adventure – this is the original attraction that is no longer available anywhere else in the world. Magic Kingdom got rid of it completely and California Disney changed it to be happier. So if you like classics, enjoy this scarrier version of the snow white story with a relative short wait. My kids loved it.
• Cinderella’s Fairytale Hall – we skipped it as interactions are difficult when you don’t all speak the same language
• Dumbo – we also skipped it as it is easy to ride in the US versions
• Peter Pan’s Flight – very similar to California version so skip unless it is a priority for you or the line is short.
• PInochio’s Daring Journey – my kids love this ride that went away at Magic Kingdom so we rode it, but you can still experience it in California so skip if you need the time.

• 🌟Pooh’s Honey Hunt – this is so much better than the US version. It is a trackless ride that is so much larger in scope, you really want to make sure you ride this with your fastpass.
• 🌟It’s a Small World with Groot (limited time offering – but they should keep this and bring it to all Disney parks!) – If they still have the Groot feature make this a priority, if not it is smilar to Diseyland California version with characters from Disney stories residing in the area of the world their story belongs to.

• 🌟Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall – This is the most visually appealing restaurant we wanted to eat here! The line gets really long so consider an early lunch when it opens at 11 or going late in the afternoon. There is no mobile dining here, but you will go through a cafeteria type line. There are various food choices and some fun dessert and novelty items as well. The dining area is also super cute; they will not let you sit down until you order.
• Haunted Mansion – This is almost identical to the US version so skip if you have other priorities
• Mickey’s Philharmagic – we skipped this as we can enjoy this in the US

Adventureland

• Western River Railroad – if all other lines are long during the day, catch a ride and enjoy taking a seat and enjoying the view. It doesn’t run around the entire park so you will end up back where you started.
• Pirates of the Caribbean – this was closed when we visited, but it is the typical ride you find in the US with the exception of the Bride Auction is still around.
• Jungle Cruise – we skipped this as the main point of the attraction is the jokes, which are in Japanese
• Swiss Family Treeouse – we also skipped for the sake of time
• 🌟The Enchanted Tiki Room:  Stitch Presents “Aloha E Komo Mai! – If you have time and are a fan of Stitch and the Tiki Room this is a fun way to sit for a quick visit with shorter lines. The shows features the same birds and flowers, but with different songs and featuring kid-favorite Stitch!

👉 As you work through your day note that lines get a little shorter during parades, so you may want to miss the end of the parade to jump in line. Lines may go down a little towards the end of the day, but don’t count on it!

Westernland

Truly there is not enough time to do everything in one day at Disneyland. We walked through the area, but didn’t do many of these attractions in our jam packed day!

• Country Bear Theatre – we skipped for the sake of time as we love the redone show at Disney World
• Mark Twain Riverboat – we skipped this as it can be found at Disneyland California
• Tom Sawyer Island – again we skipped this for the sake of time and that we enjoy the updated verions in California featuring pirate treasure
• Big Thunder Mountain – is not quit the wildest ride in this version, so we’d suggest you skip it for the sake of time
• Shooting Gallery – we skipped for the sake of time

Toontown

Thankfully, we can still enjoy ToonTown in Disneyland California so you don’t have to prioritize this. All the character meet and greets are tough when you don’t speak the same language. We did opt to do the Roger Rabbit ride because we had time.

• Gadget’s Go Coaster – same as California version
• Goofy’s Paint and Play House
• Chip and Dale Treehouse
• Toon Park
• Donald’s House
• Minnie’s House
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin – same as California versions, but if the line is under 30 minutes it may be worth a quick ride

World Bazaar

Japan does not have the traditional Main street USA you find at all the other Disney parks worldwide, it is very different! It reminds me more of the covered are of Disney Springs shopping in Florida. This is great if it is raining and you want to shop. When you venture back here later in the day, don’t miss the chance to take a picture in front of the iconic Castle!

• Omnibus – mainstreet USA vehicles just like in the US so we skipped