JICA FRIENDSHIP PROGRAM SCIENCE STUDENTS 1987: PART 12: TOKYO DISNEYLAND! (UNOFFICIAL TRIP)

Today, most of the other ASEAN Delegates are on their way back to their country. 

As I understand, there were no flights to the Philippines that day, so we had our third free day!

It is our 31st day in Japan and of course, this extra day meant TOKYO DISNEYLAND... and that made our Japan trip a very complete journey indeed!

This is also my first Disneyland experience!

from Wikipedia: Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド Tōkyō Dizunīrando^?) is a 115 acre (465,000 m²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom inFlorida. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not owned by The Walt Disney Company.

There are seven themed areas in the park: the World Bazaar; the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland; and two mini-lands: Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown. The park is noted for its extensive open spaces, to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park. In 2009, Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.65 million guests, ranking it as the third-most visited theme park in the world, behind its American sister parks, Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.^[1]

We were glad that Kumi I. joined us in Disneyland! 
We finished all the rides in a day, and I would attribute this to Ed C. who planned our Disney rides!... of course, we had to run fast from one ride to the next!

Happy 50th birthday, Donald Duck!!!

Donald Duck was celebrating his 50th year in 1987. 

These are the Five Themed Lands in Tokyo Disneyland in 1987.

We started with Tomorrowland, the world of the future.
We rode the Space Mountain, enjoyed the Captain EO 3-D show and drove in the Grand Circuit Raceway.

SPACE MOUNTAIN here we come!

I guess someone who goes to Disneyland has to try the Space Mountain at least once. It is a classic roller coaster ride. 

A friend told me, you have to ride it several times. First time, all you would see is darkness because you would close your eyes from fear. Second time, you hang on too much to the roller coaster and all you see is the roller coaster. The third or fourth time, maybe, you are now more relaxed in the ride and can now appreciate the planets and the stars in Space Mountain! 

Do I intend to ride it again to see the stars, moon and planets?

SPACE MOUNTAIN: the classic, of course!

CAPTAIN EO: Do you remember this? 

From Wikipedia: Captain EO is a 3-D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who came up with the name "Captain EO" from the Greek, cf. "Eos", the Greek goddess of dawn) that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through the 1990s. The attraction returned to the Disney Parks in 2010, as a tribute after Jackson's death. The film's executive producer was George Lucas. The film was choreographed by Jeffrey Hornaday and Michael Jackson

CAPTAIN EO is a 3D Science Fiction Film starring Michael Jackson!

From Wikipedia: Captain EO made full use of its 3-D effects. The action on the screen

 extended into the audience, including lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects, and starfields that filled the theater. These effects resulted in the seventeen-minute film costing an estimated $30 million to produce.^[3] At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.^[4]

The 2010 version does not include the in-theater laser and starfield effects. It does utilize hydraulics previously used for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! to make the seats shake along with Captain EO's spaceship, as well as LED flood-lighting which is new to the theater. They are also used for the bass heavy musical numbers. The seats also bounce to the beat of Jackson's song.
We also rode the Grand Circuit Raceway.

GRAND CIRCUIT RACEWAY " Drive a race car up, down and around a challenging network of twisting curves" .

We are on our way to Fantasyland.

This is Cinderella's castle.
I thought there was only Sleeping Beauty's Castle and I was surprised that I put Cinderella's castle in my Japan album. When I went to the Disneyland website, there are actually two kinds of castles and the one is Tokyo is Cinderella's Castle.

CINDERELLA'S CASTLE

From Wikipedia: Cinderella Castle is the fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo Disneyland at theTokyo Disney Resort. Both serve as worldwide recognized icons and the flagship attraction for their respective theme parks.
It is generally considered to be a carbon copy of the Magic Kingdom's castle. However, from 1986–2006, a popular walk-through attraction called the "Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour" was featured within the castle. In June 2006, the castle was repainted, to differentiate it from Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. The castle now has gold trimmings, the rooftops have been painted a different shade of blue, and the white stone of the turrets now has a tan/dirty-pink color.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is the fairy tale structure castle at the center of Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on Neuschwanstein Castle^[1],with some French inspirations (Notre Dame de Parisand the Hospices de Beaune especially).

Inside the castle's archway, a series of five mosaic murals tells the story of Cinderella. 

with Cinderella and Prince Charming... 

with Sleeping Beauty...but I remember we called her "Sleeping Bruha" (pardon us!)

from Tokyo Disneyland site: CINDERELLA'S GOLDEN CAROUSEL
          " In a kaleidoscope of colour ninety hand-painted horses whirl to the tunes from a calliope".   

Here in Fantasyland is the Haunted Mansion.

From Wikipedia: The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. A significantly re-imagined incarnation of the ride, known as Phantom Manor, is located in Disneyland Paris. Each incarnation of the attraction features a ride-through tour of a haunted house in Omnimovervehicles called Doom Buggies, preceded by a walk-through show in the queue. The attraction showcases a number of age-old tricks, advanced special effects, and spectral Audio-Animatronics

HAUNTED MUSEUM in the background

We rode Dumbo, the Flying Elephant!
Ed C. said it is one of his favorite rides.

DUMBO, THE FLYING ELEPHANT - " Fly high in the Fantasyland sky on the amazing circus elephant."

Then, we visited the "It's a Small World" classic boat ride... very relaxing!

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD" - " Enjoy the 'happiest cruise that ever sailed' as children of the world sing and dance to the song 'It's a Small World'" .

We are now in Adventureland.

Pirates of the Caribbean is our first stop in this land.
Pirates of the Caribbean - " Take a thrilling voyage back to when pirates ruled the seas and ports" . The animatronic dialogue is mostly in Japanese, with the exception of an occasional " Me Hearty" etc.! A near replica of the American versions.

Then, we move to the Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise - " Venture deep into mysterious danger-filled jungles and experience the perils of the wild." 

We rode the Western River Railroad.
Western River Railroad - " Climb aboard a real steam train for a trip around the wilderness and through the fantastic Primeval World." 

We entered the Enchanted Tiki Room.
The Enchanted Tiki Room - " Singing birds and flowers, chanting Tiki Gods, and rich tropical music provide delightful entertainment" . 

And here in the fourth land, Westernland.

We rode Mark Twain's Riverboat.
Mark Twain Riverboat - " Enjoy a leisurely trip down the Rivers of America on a romantic showboat."
Then, we proceeded to the Tom Sawyer's Island Rafts.
Tom Sawyer Island Rafts - " Take a log raft across the Rivers of America to embark on your adventure on Tom Sawyer Island."

Then, we went to the Country Bear Theater to watch the Country Bear Jamboree.
Country Bear Theatre - " Real down-home bears put on a hilarious hillbilly revue." 

World Bazar here we come.., for shopping and dining!

That was a great day! We felt like kids again... and Tokyo Disneyland is really a place where everyone can feel the joys of childhood over and over again!!!


Really, this is our last day in Japan and we enjoyed it a lot.
Indeed, we ended the month-long trip with a BANG!!! 


The JICA ASEAN-Japan Friendship Program for the 21st Century indeed opened the doors and windows for us in so many ways. We are thankful for this experience !!!

JICA FRIENDSHIP PROGRAM SCIENCE STUDENTS 1987: PART 10: KAMAKURA!

From Kyoto, we are going back to Tokyo via Shinkansen, again! How lucky we were! The Shinkansen ride seems to be an ordinary ride.

We were again booked in the Hotel Metropolitan in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

If you notice, we had lots of free days before the Evaluation and the Farewell Party. I remember, we were told we had an extra day after the Farewell Party because there was no flight for us yet, and that day we had our Finale, Tokyo Disneyland!

For our free days, we already lined up our schedules with our friends from Kanagawa University. In the morning, we were going to Kamakura and then, an unofficial visit to Kanagawa University and hanging out in  their apartments, plus an overnight stay! I don't know if everyone was given a chance such as this...

Here we are now in Kamakura!
From Wikipedia: Kamakura (鎌倉市 Kamakura-shi^?) is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called Renpu (鎌府^?) (short for Kamakura Bakufu (鎌倉幕府 or Kamakura Shogunate^?)).

Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of theRegency during the Kamakura Period.

Our friends from KU were members of the English Speaking Society (ESS) and one of their activities include being tourist guides in Kamakura, as part of their practice in English.
Our first stop is the Kotoku-in Temple which is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo-shū sect with the Daibutsu, the monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha.

We are posing in front of the Goddess of Love, Marriage and Fertility and in other parts of Kamakura! It was so great we all met again!

The Great Buddha (Daibutsu) is not the largest bronze Buddha but is the more original one, which has withstood weather and time remarkably. I remember they were sharing with us the background about the Daibutsu and we were sharing with them how to express this to the tourists.
From Wikipedia: Kamakura has many historically significant Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, some of them, like Sugimoto-dera, over 1,200 years old. Kōtoku-in, with its monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, is the most famous. A 15th century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since. This iconic Daibutsu is arguably amongst the few images which have come to represent Japan in the world's collective imagination. Kamakura also hosts the so-called Five Great Zen Temples (the Kamakura Gozan).

Since almost the whole Philippine and Japanese students gathered, it seemed like an official part of the Friendship Program.

From the Kōtoku-in Temple, we went to another part of Kamakura, the Kamakura beach. The beach together with its temples and proximity to Tokyo, makes Kamakura a popular tourist destination, especially for surfers.

Then, some of us gathered in Junko's apartment. The four famous Kanagawa singers were singing and this song must be a Japanese pop song, "Miss Brand New Day"... "Yumemiru sugata no yosato "bekeiyo" blue jeans"...(I am not sure if this is right!) Thanks to Gretch I.B. for linking this song to our site.

When I heard the song again, I could easily remember Yoshi-san and Taka-san!
Here is the link to the song from You Tube and the lyrics from another site:

サザンオールスターズ　ミス・ブランニュー・デイ（MISS BRAND-NEW DAY
www.youtube.com

サザンオールスターズ　20th Single：1984年06月25日 リリース

from: http://www.karajapan.com/~nijiiro/englishsouthernmissbrandnewday.html

MISS BRAND-NEW DAY English lyrics: Kalapana

<MISS BRAND-NEW DAY> With a figure that I’m dreaming, way down inside your blue jeans Loneliness is following your walk of rhapsody Oh Oh miss brand new day Everyone acts the same with her Oh Oh miss brand new way She seems like everybody’s girl The words are all a fashion of her vain and high illusion She’s coming off elated with reactions by someone else Oh Oh miss brand new day She loves to show her coming on Oh Oh miss brand new way Why can’t she stop her running around How I’d love to spend the night with you my love You have to let me know that I’m your only man Yes I know she’s right on time Tonight I’ll stay with you You should know You’re playing with my heart You are the one and only one that I love so Interlude; The way you are has got me running round following rainbows My love for you is something that I just can’t hide inside Yes I know she’s right on time Tonight I’ll stay with you Oh Oh miss brand new day Everyone acts the same with her Oh Oh miss brand new way She seems like everybody’s girl Oh Oh miss brand new day She loves to show her coming on Oh Oh miss brand new way Why can’t she stop her running around Oh Oh miss brand new day Oh Oh miss brand new way

＜ミス・ブランニュー・デイ (MISS BRAND-NEW DAY)＞ 夢に見る姿の良さと美形の Blue Jean 身体と欲でエリ好みのラプソディー * Oh Oh Miss Brand-New Day 皆同じそぶﾘ Oh Miss Brand-New Way 誰かと似た身なり * 意味の無い流行の言葉と見栄の Illusion 教えられたままのしぐさに酔ってる Oh Oh Miss Brand-New Day 月並を愛し Oh Miss Brand-New Way お出かけの前に 終わらない彼と寝てる Night Time 濡れたムードを買い占めて Yss,l know. She's right on time. 今宵 With you You should know she's breaking up my heart 割とよくあるタイプの君よ ありのまま着ままの君で心は Rainbow 人目をはばかるにゃ美し過ぎる (* くり返し) 誰の為本当の君を捨てるの Crazy しなやかと軽さをはき違えてる 慣れない場所で背伸ひ All right 粋な努力をただで売る Yes, I know. She's right on me 今宵 With You You should know she's breaking up my heart 街でよく見るタイプの君よ

Kampai!!!

the night is almost done!

It was a really fun day!
We stayed over at Junko's apartment and the next day before going back to the hotel, I tried their "pay shower". I had to prepare several ten yen because after a few minutes, the water would close. That was a unique experience!

This is the group picture in Hakone where we first met.

The Friendship Program was not in vain because even in unofficial circumstances, the delegates and the counterparts met and continued their friendship.
Some of our friends also went to the Philippines for a visit.


At the time, when internet, e-mails and Facebook were not yet available, it was not exactly easy to continue to the communication.


I was just amazed when Emil T. opened our Science Students 1987 group that it was easier to find our groupmates and even some of our Japanese friends. After 24 years, the memories come flooding back in and I hope the others feel the same. 


Part 11 will be on the Farewell Party!