What to Do at Tokyo Disney – If You Don’t Like Rides

Most of the rides at Disney are relatively sedate, but if you still don’t want to go on them, can’t for a medical reason, or you’re travelling with smaller children who can’t ride everything, what else can you do in the parks? Is it even worth visiting? Our guide can help you decide…

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Okay, spoiler alert – there’s definitely enough to fill your day in both parks even if you don’t go on any rides, and here they are…

Things You Can Do In Both Parks

You’ll find the following options in both Disneyland and DisneySea, but saying that, don’t think you’re going to be repeating yourself if you visit both. The design of the parks, parades, shows, characters, and even some of the foods differ between Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

1. Enjoy the Theming

Both of the parks look amazing – Disneyland is magical with seven areas including fairytale villages, old Frontier towns, adventurer’s outposts, and the iconic castle in the middle.

DisneySea is themed around water, with eight ‘ports’ to visit. And you’ll find everything from a typical Mediterranean town, a mini-Venice and a futuristic seaport with its own erupting volcano.

Fantasy Springs within DisneySea is a world of its own, encompassing Arendelle, the home of the Lost Boys and Rapunzel’s Tower. There are tiny details everywhere – including a few Hidden Mickeys (although not as many as in the US). Spend some time wandering around each land, taking in the details.

2. Eat Cute Food

This is my favourite thing to do in Disney when not on the rides – the character-themed snacks and meals at Disney are super cute – and there’s a lot of them.

If you have the stomach and metabolism for it, you could easily spend most of the day munching your way around the park.

This is my list of the year-round cute foods and where to find them.

The most iconic is the Alien Green Mochi, the tastiest IMHO is the Baymax curry, or the curry at the Hungry Bear with the Mickey-shaped egg. The Mickey-shaped beef onigiri was a big surprise -I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s actually super yum!

Also, keep an eye out for any limited edition specials. There are always snacks and drinks released to tie in with special events.

3. Meet and Greets

If you love the characters at Disney, you could easily spend much of your day snapping pictures with them at Meet and Greets – and you might find a few characters in the Japanese parks that you don’t see in the others. There are three places you’ll see characters…

Official Greetings Areas: There are a few of these in each park where you can meet characters like Shellie May, Duffy, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Donald. Each trail leads to one character, so make sure you join the right line for whoever you want to meet.

The Front Plazas: Characters appear in the front of the park for a few hours each day. There are normally four or five different characters spread out across the plaza for people to meet.

Check the app for the exact timings, but, as I look at it today, they are out at DisneySea Plaza between 9.30 and 11.30 am and 12.25 pm to 3.15 pm. At Disneyland, they are out from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm.

Random Encounters: Characters will just pop up in and around their areas – I’ve seen Aladdin, Jasmine and Jafar at Arabian Coast, Anna and Elsa in Fantasy Springs, and I once bumped into Pluto while heading to Splash Mountain. There’s no published schedule for this, so just keep your eyes peeled.

One thing I’ve noticed, though, while the Japanese tend to be very polite and orderly, this tends to go completely out of the window when presented by a giant animated character – it’s every man for himself out there. You might need to be politely assertive to ensure you get your turn – especially for kids.

4. Take a Transport Ride

Okay, I used the word ride, but these aren’t really rides per se, they are ways to get around the park with a sprinkle of Pixie Dust – so, if you’re happy to get on a train, bus or boat in normal life, you could also try it here.

Each park offers a few different options, but possibly the most fun is the Western Railroad, which does a loop around Disneyland via some cute backdrops. It’s also a good place to have a sit-down if you’re tired without feeling like you’re wasting time!

If you’re okay with boats, you could head out into the lake of Disneyland on the Mark Twain Riverboat, or, take the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line, which runs in two routes around the park – and of course, there’s the DisneySea Gondola ride, which is just like being in Venice.

5. Grab Gachapons

This is a real ‘only in Tokyo’ Disney experience.

Gachapons are tiny toys that you buy from machines that spit out giant plastic balls, hiding your treasures inside. The toys come in sets and, you don’t know which one you are going to get until you open up the ball – sometimes you get the one you want, sometimes you end up pumping a ridiculous amount of 100 yen coins into the machine and get the same one three times – but, that’s the fun of it!

You’ll find Disney-specific gachapon machines at DisneySea in Tower of Terror Memorabilia and Mermaid Treasures. In Disneyland, they are at Adventureland Bazaar, Treasure Comet in Tomorrowland and Gag Factory at Toontown. You need to apply for a Standby Pass and get a time to enter the shop.

Related Read: The Beginners Guide to Collecting Gachapon.

6. Try Some Ridiculous Popcorn

I’m sure that Tokyo Disney choose their popcorn flavours by throwing darts at some kind of flavour chart – right now, you can be lucky enough to sample such delights as Roast Beef, Curry, Garlic Shrimp, Soy Sauce and Butter

Admittedly, the Roast Beef one in Fantasy Springs does smell amazing.

Flavours differ between Disneyland and DisneySea, so check the current list so you don’t miss out on something fun.

7. Find The Most Fun Popcorn Bucket

Disney is renowned for these, and they regularly introduce new ones to the range.

You can find buckets at the different popcorn stalls around the park, or, if you want to see the whole range on display in one place, head over to Big Pop in Disneyland.

If you have your eye on a particular bucket that you have, maybe, seen on social media, check which park it’s sold in, as some of the designs don’t transfer across.

8. Enjoy the Amazing Parades

Disneyland has at least two parades most days – sometimes more if there is a special event on, and they are absolutely fantastic. The nightly show at the castle, Reach for the Stars, is also a must-see.

DisneySea doesn’t have parades per se, but it does have two shows on the lake each day, including the extravaganza of Believe! Sea of Dreams.

The local Disney fans will sometimes come into the park to see a show or parade and might sit there for a few hours to claim their spaces with mats and an array of plushies. You don’t necessarily need to do the same; you can usually get a good spot for the Disneyland parades about 15-20 minutes before.

DisneySea is a bit harder, as the spots with a good view of the lake do tend to fill up a bit faster, but you will always find somewhere to stand.

You can also buy Disney Premier Access for many of the parades, which gets you access to a specific seating area.

Parade and show times vary by season, so check the app to see what’s on during your visit.

9. People Watch

The crowd at Tokyo Disney is different from the rest of the parks you might have visited; they are just a bit more enthusiastic, a bit more joyful, and they tend to throw themselves into the park with outfits, arrays of Duffy toys and more.

If you come here over Halloween, you could just plant yourself in one spot and have an amazing time looking at the costumes – and not from the actual characters, the guests, some of them are incredible.

The dancers are also good value. A lot of regular Disney visitors know all the moves to the shows, and the dance in the Baymax queue, and they’ll set up by the side and perform along, which is really fun to watch.

Unlike the rest of Japan, there are actually lots of benches and other places to sit in the Disney parks, so you can always find somewhere to relax and watch the world go by.

Related Read: Seeing this fun side to the Japanese people is one reason I don’t think visiting the theme parks in Japan is inauthentic or a waste of time – see it here.

10. Try for a Show

Talking of shows, character shows with live performers at Tokyo Disney parks, like Jamboree Mickey! Let’s Dance and Dreams Take Flight are incredibly popular with the local guests, so they handle them a little differently.

You need to apply for an Entry Request on the app when you enter the park – these are picked like a lottery, and you don’t always win, but it’s always worth a try. I have got in before now.

Dinner shows like Mickey’s Rainbow Luau require advance reservations.

11. Shop Till You Drop

There are over 30 shops in Disneyland, and about the same in DisneySea – selling everything from giant fluffy hats themed to your favourite characters, to character-inspired perfume, a lot of stationery and some really fun sweets and other food products.

It’s like going to an entire mall full of cute stuff – you could spend half a day shopping alone.

Do note, though – they don’t have the service where they send parcels back to your hotel at Tokyo Disney, but they do have lockers where you can leave your haul while you see the rest of the park.

12. Play a Carnival Game

At Abu’s Bazaar in the Arabian Coast area of Tokyo DisneySea or the Penny Arcade and Westernland Shooting Gallery in Disneyland, you can play carnival-style games and win prizes. Note – the games do have an extra charge. You also have to apply for a Standby pass to enter Abu’s Bazaar.

13. Hit Up the Photo Spots

If you look for the symbol of someone holding a camera on your park maps within the app, you’ll be directed to the spots that TDR think are the best for taking pictures – there are 24 still spots in DisneySea and seven that they suggest for videoing. In Disneyland, you’ll find 14 still picture spots and seven for video. Say cheese!

14. Post a Letter

If you post a letter or postcard from the parks, it will be sent with a special postmark from Tokyo DisneySea or Disneyland.

At DisneySea, there are 11 mailboxes, and there are nine at Disneyland, including at Guest Relations in both parks. The exact locations are marked on the map with a letter symbol (you can buy stamps at shops nearby).

15. Find the Magic Soap

There are some handwashing stations in the parks that dispense soap in cute shapes – usually it’s in the shape of Mickey’s head, but, push the button in some locations and you might get a surprise.

Find the handwashing stations in American Waterfront, and in Fantasy Springs and Mysterious Island in DisneySea and in Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Critter Country at Disneyland – they are marked on the map with a hand symbol.

16. Check out the Churros

More food! But, again, it’s another fun quest.

The churros in Tokyo Disneyland also come in some fun flavours; like Creme Brulee, Cinnamon, Chocolate and, erm, Potato! See what’s available on your trip.

So, there are 16 things you can do in each park to fill your day – but, there are also a couple of park-specific attractions to check out as well.

In Disneyland

Many of the rides in Disneyland are pretty tame – It’s a Small World sees you floating past hundreds of singing dolls on a slow boat and is more likely to drive you mad than scare you or set off motion sickness, but, if you really don’t want to go on even the really calm rides, here are some more stationary attractions.

1. Go Into the Castle

Tokyo Disneyland’s castle is unique as it actually has an attraction inside. Cinderella’s Fairy Tall Hall tells her story via some beautiful, fun, and just plain weird artworks.

It usually has a relatively short queue, but if the queue is more than about 20 minutes, I would head somewhere else and wait for it to shorten.

You see more about what to expect in the Castle here.

2. Meet Stitch in the Tiki Room

You’ll find this in Adventureland. It’s all in Japanese, but, unlike Stitch Encounter in Tomorrowland, which requires you to understand Japanese to take part, Stitch in the Tiki Room is just cute and fun, and has singing birds!

It’s also a great place to get out of the sun or rain, or just sit down and rest your feet for a bit!

3. Enjoy the Country Bear Theatre

The bears speak Japanese, but you’ll work out what’s going on – and you’ll probably know most of the songs as they are in English. I loved this on my last trip.

The show is changed for the seasons – in the one above, they’re getting ready for summer vacation!

The Bears do not need breaks between performances like humans, so the shows occur every 15-20 minutes. There are also some handy benches in the waiting area.

4. Mickey’s PhilharMagic

This 3D movie explores the carnage that occurs when Donald gets hold of Mickey’s magic broom from Fantasmic.

You don’t need to understand Japanese to work out what’s going on, and if you’ve seen the one in the US, it will feel strangely familiar. Note that there are flashes, loud sounds and sprays of water if you’re avoiding rides for sensitivity reasons.

5. Climb Around ToonTown

The only actual rides in Toontown are Roger Rabbit’s Toontown Spin and Gadget’s Go Coaster; everything is are things kids can climb on, or explore like Minnie’s House, Donald’s Boat, and the interactive Goofy’s Paint and Play House.

In DisneySea

DisneySea rides are a little bit faster and/or steeper than Disneyland, so, you might not want to experiment too much here – although, if you did try It’s a Small World and liked it, do not miss Sindbad as it’s adorable – but there are still a few specific things to keep you busy.

1. Detail Spot at The Fantasy Springs Fountain

You could stare at this for at least an hour – it’s full of carvings, and you can spend ages spotting the characters, but also cute details like Bambi with his mum, The Evil Queen’s Mirror, smoke-breathing dragons and caterpillars.. and more

It’s huge, it spans the whole area, so make sure you don’t miss anyone – keep your eyes out for scenes relating to Frozen, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Snow White, Bambi, the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan – plus, watch Mickey Mouse in full Fantasmic mode.

2. Solve a Puzzle

Fortress Explorations is an interactive exhibit in Tokyo DisneySea, and within it, you’ll find the Leonardo Challenge, a quest completed by following a map around the inside.

It is in Japanese, but you can use Google Translate to complete it.

Normally, this would be on my list of things to skip at the park if you are tight on time, but if you’re not riding the rides, you probably have time to give it a try.

3. Have a Retro Cocktail at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge

You can drink alcohol at the Japanese parks, and one of the nicest places to do it is the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge bar of the SS Columbia in DisneySea.

It’s all dark, moody and grown-up, and so quiet compared to what’s going on outside.

However, you don’t have to be completely sophisticated here. They sell cocktails and while some are seasonal and themed to a ride or event, they also do a huge list of cocktails you haven’t ordered since you were legally allowed to drink! Fuzzy Navels, Grasshoppers, Kaluha and Milk and even a Pina Colada – go on, you know you want to!

It’s best to book Priority Seating for the Lounge in advance, or, once you get into the park, as there can be a bit of a wait otherwise. I didn’t realise this the first time, but as a solo traveller, I was still seated at the bar within about ten minutes.

4. Ariel’s Playground

Most of the activities in the kid-friendly Mermaid Lagoon area are rides, but Ariel’s Playground stays firmly still, ready for kids to climb all over it.

And I think that’s it – but that’s more than enough to pass the time for a day, or just while others in your party line up for the rides.

If you’ve decided to visit Disney after reading this, don’t forget to pick up your tickets from the app or Klook. – Have the best day!

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