TPR in Japan - 2018 - Theme parks and Japanese Fun!

[OldJJmanBorn when stamps were 2 cents]

That Legoland looks awesome! Love it!

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Day Twenty & Twenty One

This update is sort of a mixed bag of stuff. It includes a day where we did two smaller parks, a transfer day, some random Tokyo stuff and then ending back at Tokyo Disney! Let's just move forward with photos & videos and let them unfold the story from these two days...


Our first of two parks in Japan today was this interesting Japanese amusement park “Hamanako Pal Pal.”


Hamanako Pal Pal is home to the “Mega Coaster.”


This is a Togo coaster that is part Manhattan Express...


And part Great Adventure's Viper (remember that ride?) Oddly enough, it's actually pretty good!!!


Speaking about Togo rides, Hamanako Pal Pal has this weird thing. It’s like a cross between a “Paratrooper” and an “Enterprise.”


It spins, it swings, it locks the seat in place, it goes upside down. Super funky ride!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

Everything in Japan is “cute!” ... Even the trash cans!




Yes, that is a “sushi themed” bumper cars attraction at Hamanako Pal Pal!


Oh, look... This Japanese amusement park has a giant Ferris Wheel! Let me put on my shocked face...


A comfortable roller coaster this was not!



It sort of felt like a trash can rolling down a hill! lol

These two inversions on Mega Coaster at Hamanako Pal Pal were oddly not rough and actually a LOT of fun!


And yes, this is a "Togo" roller coaster!


Hamanako Pal Pal had a decent collection of dark rides and walk-throughs.



Most of them interactive with some sort of score or prizes you could win.




If you're not in the mood for a lot of rides, Hamanako Pal Pal does have a pretty large impressive arcade filled with tons of Japanese awesomeness!


Our second park today was Lagunasia! A more “themed” park but also a smaller park. Has some decent attractions...



Aqua Wind aka “Water Fart” is basically a wilder “Wild Mouse” coaster and is a lot of fun!







“We are on a log flume...” Lagunasia has a decently themed log flume ride!


So “Magical Powder” is a really bizarre dark ride!


I can’t decide if this is telling people to do drugs, avoid drugs, or just something else.


Either way, it’s kind of like drugs!




We are all on some sort of “Magical Powder!”


This is your brain on “Magical Powder!”



Weird...but decent dark ride!


The “Pirate themed” roller coaster now as a VR option... yup!


This “Space Invaders” thing was kind of wacky.



It was like a giant “Breakout” game where you are the paddle trying to bounce the bullet at the Invaders. Honestly it wasn’t that great...




Stellar Coaster was an interesting junior roller coaster with on-board audio! It was pretty good!


You can take some “Magical Powder” home with you!


It’s legal in most Japanese prefectures!


We had a good visit to Lagunasia. This is a promising park that needs a couple more bigger attractions!




I sort of love the obsession Japan has with Capybaras!



Hellllooooo Thunder Dolphin!


How many of you wish you were riding Thunder Dolphin right now? Reply to this post if wish you were riding!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

They have Chocolate Crunch at Tokyo Dome City themed to the Giants mascot and I think that is supposed to be his poop?


“Let’s hear it for the Rainbow Bridge... it’s been an incredible success!”





I really love the Japanese versions of the cover art for these movies!


This retro arcade at Tokyo Decks is one of the few places in Japan I’ve seen Pinball machines!




They have lots of other fun retro stuff, too!




The walk-through Haunted House at Tokyo Decks has always been pretty weird and worth doing!


In Japan, Wasabi pretzels are a “thing” and I like that!



Yes, this is a Gudetama popcorn vending machine because... Japan!


#Japan


Welcome home!



I love that there are resort line tickets themed to both the 35 Happiest Celebration and Tanabata Days!


Our home for the next seven nights! We highly recommend Hilton #Tokyo Bay when staying at Tokyo Disney Resort. As much as we love all the Disney hotels here, this is IMO a better option if you plan on spending the majority of you time at the parks!


On the Monorail heading to my happy place!


It's very similar to Orlando's castle, but I think this one may have slightly better lighting.


They have soap dispensers at Tokyo Disneyland that dispense Mickey Mouse shaped soap!!!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

Reply below if you wish you were riding Space Mountain right now!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

Fun Fact! If you go to guest relations at Tokyo Disneyland and ask for the “English Translation Cards” they will give you this beautiful pack of pamphlets for several of the park rides!


Photos & video simply do not convey just how cool Tokyo Disneyland’s Winnie the Pooh attraction is!


One of the best dark rides ever made! (and I honestly am not a huge Pooh fan!)

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

Do NOT under estimate how amazing Tokyo Disneyland's Electrical Parade Dream Lights is! It is hands down the best night time parade Disney has ever produced! Go watch our live stream replay here:

What a great night at Tokyo Disneyland tonight! I like that this has been my sixth visit to the resort this Japan trip and our “official tour days” haven’t even started yet!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

Now, POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!! After all, we took the time to write this report, the least you can do is post something nice about it!

Click HERE for Part twenty-two of our TPR 2018 Japan Trip!

[bert425Why do I still have a donkey title???]

of course the stop back at Disney is wonderful, but oh my. . I'm super excited about the first park you went to!

i do not ride Bumper Cars. . and no, I wouldn't ride the sushi themed ones either.. . but man, I would have taken dozens of pictures of that ride, and have them as a screensaver. absolutely LOVE it.

in the 2nd park: Magical Powder dark ride?
HAHAHAHA. . it looks like exactly what you said it looks like. . snort some magical powder and enjoy! and that you can take some home? Bwaaa-haaaa-haaaaa

and water fart coaster for the win! a wild mouse that looks like a ton of fun.


"Xevious" in the retro arcade? haven't seen that in many, many years and brings back awesome memories of going to "Games People Play" in Houston when I was (much) younger.

continuing your great report, with some once again stunning pictures. (the Castle in particular is a beautiful shot).

[EthanE2002I Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

That paratrooper/enterprise ride kinda reminds me of Knex.

[pfalcioniDid the donkey fairy give me this title?]

I've been a capybara fan for years, I need that capybarasan tee shirt! And all the capybara plushies!

Aaaaand I want to go to Tokyo Disney so badly. My two dream trips are a month in Spain and a week at Tokyo Disney during October when they're decorated for Halloween.

[BCTomI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

Yay! It runs!!! The ride was closed all day today due to weather, but they managed to get it open for TPR after the park closed! Thank you Parque Espana for arranging this for us!

This is the type of thing that most impressed me doing a TPR tour. They go above and beyond to work with parks to ensure participants get these types of experience, when challenges are encountered.

Loving the trip report thus far, I miss Japan!

[CoasterInkThe best thing about TPR is the donkeys.]

WOW!! Those mickey soap dispensers are so cool!!!! Are those in all the restrooms in the park?

Also, that Magical Powder dark ride looks hilarious. Couldn't help but laugh through that section of the report!

It looks like Hamanako Pal Pal still looks like a great, three (?) leveled park. And that "paratrooper" operator
was perfectly INSANE, back when we rode it in 2007. First time I ever rode one of those, and I loved it.
Rode it nearly ten times, before a small headache set on, lol. Great flat ride.

And Laguasia still has it's Magical Powder ride? That was one of the most wierd and uniquely Japanese
dark rides I had ever been on. Glad to see it's still HIGHly enjoyed and appreciated. Mmmm red panelling...

And evenings back at Disney is certainly Extra Happiness (35 years, yes?) you can have, like you said, before
the actual trip dates at the parks start! Great idea. Ifa dn when we ever get back there, must try that, when we
do other days in the city, etc.

The more you post about the Japan Trip Robb, the more and more I miss the place, all of the stuff, the people.

But mostly Tokyo Disney of course!

P.S. I couldn't believe those "translucent" LED sails on the pirate ship! How you could see the other patterns
(and the shadows) on the flags behind each other. That was very cool to see!

P.P.S. Robb - did you buy those evening tickets in advance before the trip,
or after you got there, and as the trip went along, from the hotel
and/or the Customer Services Center by Ikspiari?

WOW!! Those mickey soap dispensers are so cool!!!! Are those in all the restrooms in the park?

No, it's in a special "hand washing" place over by Splash Mountain.

[Philrad71Why do I still have a donkey title???]

That Magical Powder ride looks amazing...and I would totally love trying the wasabi pretzels!