Future of Disneyland Tokyo
What steps is Japan taking to merge their cultural identity with Disneyland?
Tokyo Disneyland
Since the park opened in 1983, Disney Tokyo has regularly been the most profitable Disney Resort. By 1994, over 140 million people had entered through the gates of Tokyo Disneyland (the population of Japan is only 127.6 million) and the popularity has only increased. Just two years later, it employed 12,390 people, marking Disneyland Tokyo as the biggest workplace in Japan’s diversionary outings. Though the attendance is similar to that of other Japanese theme parks, the revenue produced by Tokyo Disney is larger than all other national theme parks combined, thus greatly profiting the Japanese economy. Many speculate that Disney Tokyo is such an economic success due to timing and location; the theme park lies in a metropolitan area with a population of 30 million and opened at the height of a booming economy where hard-working citizens desired a fun escape from reality. One of the main goals of Tokyo Japan is to ever improve the park and grow away from the restrictions of American Disney. Recently Japan has been merging their national identity with the Disneyland Park by adding attractions with distinctly Japanese qualities. Cinderella Castle displays the classic Disney character and story plot yet presents the story through the eyes of the Japanese. Meet the World, located in World Bazaar, shows true national identity and pride as it embodies Japanese history; instead of classic Disney characters, Meet the world characters wear the traditional Japanese Kimono. Once nominated by Disney Legends, Masatomo Takahashi, the former president of The Oriental Land Company, states this growth and development as one as their primary goals: “We must not just repeat what we receive from Disney. I am convinced that we must contribute to the cultural exchange between Japan and U.S.A." 