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Tokyo Disneyland is a classic Disney park similar to Magic Kingdom in Orlando or Disneyland California.
It features a fairytale castle, popular characters like Mickey Mouse, and much-loved rides like Space and Splash Mountains.
There are some unique attractions too, including Beauty and the Beast, one of our favourite rides in the world.
It’s the sister park to Tokyo DisneySea, which has always been our favourite, as it’s unlike other Disney parks.
These days, though, we find ourselves choosing Tokyo Disneyland when we want a more chilled day in the parks. It’s a little less busy, the parades and shows are fantastic, and there are more low-key attractions without huge queues.
Simon and I have spent weeks at Tokyo Disney over the last 15 years and return regularly.
In this post, we share our picks for the best Tokyo Disneyland rides, plus other tips to help you make the most of your stay and avoid the crowds.
Contents
- How to Skip Lines at Tokyo Disneyland
- Most Popular Rides at Tokyo Disneyland
- Top Tokyo Disneyland Rides and Attractions
- Parades and Shows at Tokyo Disneyland
- More Things to Do at Tokyo Disneyland
- Tokyo Disneyland 1 Day Itinerary for Adults
- Is Tokyo Disneyland Worth Visiting?
- More Japan Tips
How to Skip Lines at Tokyo Disneyland
While Tokyo Disneyland is no longer as busy as DisneySea, it’s still a very busy park and advance planning is essential to tackle the crowds.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Visit on a weekday and avoid national holidays.
- Tickets must be bought in advance – You can buy from the Tokyo Disney website or app, or from authorised partner Klook. I’ve done both (Klook had availability when the website had sold out once).
- The Tokyo Disney Resort app is essential – Download it before you go and scan your tickets in.
- Stay onsite – If you can afford it, staying at a Disney hotel gives you 15 minutes of Happy Entry, which makes all the difference. We love staying at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel for this park as it’s right opposite the entrance.
- Arrive early – I recommend arriving about 30 minutes before opening (usually 9am but it can be 8.30am at busy times like Christmas season).
- Buy Disney Premier Access (DPA) – It’s absolutely worth paying for DPA to skip the lines for the most popular rides. My Tokyo Disneyland ride rankings below include whether DPA is available. See my Tokyo Disney Premier Access Guide for all the rules and priorities.
Free Priority Passes at Tokyo Disney will no longer be available from September 2026. The most popular rides will have paid DPA instead and these are shown in the ride listings below.
Most Popular Rides at Tokyo Disneyland
These are the Tokyo Disneyland rides that have the longest lines with average wait times in 2025 (taken from Queue Times):
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast – 87 minutes
- The Happy Ride with Baymax – 70 minutes
- Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek – 60 minutes
- Splash Mountain – 57 minutes
- Big Thunder Mountain – 54 minutes
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt – 50 minutes
- Haunted Mansion – 37 minutes
All these make my personal top 10 rides except Baymax (more on that below!).
Expect these queues to be even longer at busy times.
Coming in 2027! Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters permanently closed in 2024 and will reopen in spring 2027 as a Wreck-It Ralph themed attraction called Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue.
Space Mountain Earthrise will also reopen later in 2027. I expect both rides to shoot to the top of this list when they open.
Top Tokyo Disneyland Rides and Attractions
These are the best Tokyo Disneyland rides ranked in order, starting with our personal favourites. Your tastes may differ.
1) Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
- Type of Ride: Trackless dark ride
- Premier Access: Yes
- Single Rider: Yes
- Location: Fantasyland
Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast opened in 2020 and is currently the newest Tokyo Disneyland ride.
It’s unique to the park, and you won’t want to miss it.
The trackless dark ride takes place in the stunning Beast’s Castle, with beautiful details in the queue and an impressive pre-show with a dramatic appearance by the Beast.
You ride in magical teacups that spin and dance in rhythm to popular songs from Beauty and the Beast (including Be Our Guest in Japanese) and glide through scenes from the animated film.
This delightful ride features impressive animatronics and magical details. It’s a superb example of a storytelling dark ride.
The more we ride it, the more we love it, and it’s now my favourite ride in both Tokyo Disney parks.
It’s also by far the most popular ride in the park. On quiet days, expect waits of 60 minutes, and on busier days, it can be 120 minutes or more.
If we are staying at an onsite hotel, we ride this first during the 15-minute Happy Entry.
If not, we pay for Disney Premier Access—it’s my top DPA pick and well worth it. It doesn’t sell out instantly, but it’s best to buy it fairly early.
Beauty and the Beast is also the only ride at Tokyo Disneyland with a Single Rider queue. It’s not well advertised (you won’t find estimated wait times for it), but it can save you a lot of time if you don’t mind riding without your party.
Honestly, though, you’ll want to ride it with your companions, at least for the first time.
This post focuses on Tokyo Disneyland. See my guide to the Tokyo DisneySea best rides if you are also visiting the sister park (which you should!).
2) Space Mountain (Closed until 2027)
- Type of Ride: Dark roller coaster
- Premier Access: TBC (likely yes when it opens)
- Location: Tomorrowland
Space Mountain closed in 2024. It was completely demolished, and a new building was constructed for the major transformation into Space Mountain Earthrise. It’s due to reopen in 2027, and we can’t wait!
Before it closed, Space Mountain was the best roller coaster at Tokyo Disneyland, and I expect it to regain that claim when it reopens.
On this thrilling indoor ride, you fly in the dark through the galaxy at high speeds with plenty of twists and turns.
It will be the busiest ride in the park when it reopens.
3) Splash Mountain
- Type of Ride: Log flume water ride with a big drop
- Premier Access: Yes
- Location: Critter Country
We love cheerful Splash Mountain and think it’s a Tokyo Disneyland must do! Especially now the ride has closed at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland California in the US.
On this leisurely journey, you follow the adventures of Br’er Rabbit with cute animatronic scenes and catchy songs. It lasts about 15 minutes, so it’s a relaxing break.
This log flume ride is mostly gentle but ends with a thrilling drop over a 16-metre waterfall.
For most of the year, you get less wet on the Tokyo version than the old US rides, so it’s worth doing even on colder days.
From July to mid-September, there’s an extra wet version called “Splash Mountain ‘Get Soaked MAX Plus’”. They are not kidding—you really get soaked, which was blissful on a hot Tokyo day.
Splash Mountain is very popular. On hot days, we pay for Premier access (there’s usually good availability) or ride it first thing.
On quieter, rainy days, it’s possible to get on with much shorter waits—keep an eye on queue times in the app.
4) Big Thunder Mountain
- Type of Ride: Roller coaster with small drops.
- Premier Access: Yes
- Location: Westernland
The third Tokyo Disneyland mountain ride is another classic.
Big Thunder Mountain is a fun ride on a runaway mine train with sudden drops and turns. It’s not a scary roller coaster, but it is fast and pretty smooth.
We love the Wild West theming. The journey takes you through an old gold mine, and there are lots of humorous details to spot along the way.
It’s worth riding during the day and at night if you can (but queues can be long).
If you watch the night parade from near the ride, you might be able to hop on afterwards with low waits.
If you’ve spent a lot of time in other Disney parks, you might want to prioritise the next two rides instead, as they are unique to Tokyo Disneyland.
5) Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
- Type of Ride: Trackless dark ride
- Premier Access: Yes
- Location: Fantasyland
Pooh’s Hunny Hunt is a popular dark ride unique to Tokyo Disneyland.
You travel on a hunny pot with a mind of its own and follow Winnie the Pooh on his search for honey in the richly detailed world of Hundred Acre Wood.
The ride is trackless, which creates a more immersive experience as the cars engage with each other and the environment. There’s a cute moment when the car jumps with Tigger.
It was actually the first ever fully trackless Disney ride—opening back in 2000!
It’s one of the most popular Disneyland Tokyo rides, so try to ride it early or late.
6) Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!
- Type of Ride: Interactive dark ride
- Premier Access: Yes
- Location: Tomorrowland
Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! can’t be found at any other Disney park.
It’s an interactive dark ride that takes place after the events in the movie Monsters, Inc.
Along with Boo, you are invited to play a game of hide and seek with flashlights.
You board a gently moving tram and go off in search of monsters. When you spot a monster helmet, shine your flashlight on it, and the monsters pop up.
There’s no scoring, so it’s not competitive. It’s a fun and cute ride with lots of details to enjoy.
Expect queues of over an hour, so ride it early or with Premier.
7) Pirates of the Caribbean
- Type of Ride: Dark boat ride
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Adventureland
A much-loved Disney ride around the world, Pirates of the Caribbean is a gentle indoor cruise.
You pass through scenes of a pirate raid, from the bombardment of a fortress to debauchery after the victory. There are many elaborate details and quirky characters to notice along the way.
The films were inspired by this classic ride, which now features an animatronic figure of Captain Jack Sparrow.
It’s not our favourite version of the Pirates ride (Disneyland Paris wins), but we still always enjoy it.
Pirates isn’t as busy as other top Tokyo Disneyland attractions, so you can ride it whenever you have the chance. I would avoid it if the queue is far out the front door.
If we are watching the night parade from in front of the castle, we like to pop into Pirates when it ends, to avoid the mass exodus out of the park.
8) Haunted Mansion
- Type of Ride: Dark ride
- Premier Access: No (Yes for Holiday Nightmare version)
- Location: Fantasyland
Another Disney classic, Haunted Mansion is an eerie ride through a Gothic mansion with 999 ghostly inhabitants.
It’s a gentle experience with lots of interesting details and special effects to enjoy. It’s not particularly scary.
It’s much easier to get on than most of the above Tokyo Disney rides. The queue has some interesting details anyway.
During Halloween and Christmas, the ride is transformed into a special holiday version called Holiday Nightmare inspired by Tim Burton’s film The Nightmare Before Christmas.
This is well worth doing, but it will be busier than usual. See my Tokyo Disneyland Christmas guide for details.
9) It’s a Small World
- Type of Ride: Dark boat ride
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Fantasyland
This classic Disney boat ride with the catchy song is found in many Disney parks, but the Tokyo version is my favourite.
It’s epic in scale and features many Disney characters in the relevant parts of the world—from Peter Pan in the UK to Moana in the South Pacific.
Since 2025, there has also been a seasonal overlay for the first half of the year called “It’s a Small World with Groot” featuring characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s fun to look out for the tree-like alien as you float around.
Wait times are rarely very long, so this is an easy and relaxing ride.
10) Country Bear Theater
- Type of Ride: Indoor show
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Westernland
This might be higher up the list than most people’s Tokyo Disneyland rankings, but we love this charming, hilarious show featuring singing bears.
It’s like the old version of Country Bears Jamboree from Magic Kingdom, but half the songs are in Japanese.
Even better than the normal version are the special shows they have at Christmas (Jingle Bear Jamboree) and in the summer (Vacation Jamboree). You can no longer find these at other Disney parks.
Seriously, don’t miss these seasonal shows—they are delightful.
Country Bears is an easy attraction to get on, and the theatre is comfy and air-conditioned, so the 15-minute show makes an excellent break. The waiting area has lots of fun details.
The best place to sit is in the front row of the back section. This way you are above the front section but can see the whole show (part of which is on the right wall and from the ceiling).
11) Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
- Type of Ride: 3-D flight simulator
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Tomorrowland
Star Tours is a flight motion simulator journey through space with 3D effects. It’s the same as the Hollywood Studios ride in Florida.
There are multiple Star Wars-themed storylines, so every time you ride it, it could be different (but quality varies).
It aggravates my motion sickness, so I skip this one. Simon thinks it’s fine, but it’s not a high priority.
This is one of the least busy attractions in Tokyo Disneyland, so you should be able to get on with only a short wait throughout the day.
12) Western River Railroad
- Type of Ride: Steam train
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Adventureland
For a total change of pace, board the Western River Railroad. This isn’t a must-do Tokyo Disney attraction, but we enjoy riding the steam train, especially when queues are long elsewhere in the park.
The train loops around Adventureland, Westernland, and Critter Country with fantastic views of the park and some cool hidden scenes. It even goes through Thunder Mountain.
It departs from and returns to Adventureland, and you can’t get off along the way. The full loop takes about 15 minutes.
13) Mark Twain Riverboat
- Type of Ride: Steamboat
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Westernland
Like the Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat is a gentle way to explore the park when all the rides are busy.
It takes you on a 15-minute tour of the Rivers of America with superb views, especially at sunset.
14) Tom Sawyer Island Rafts
- Type of Ride: Raft and walk through.
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Westernland
Although it’s primarily a kids’ play area, even as adults, we like taking the raft across the Rivers of America to Tom Sawyer Island.
There are some fun attractions including a barrel bridge, fort, treehouse and caves.
Again, do this one when the crowds in the park are getting to you, as you’ll likely find a quiet spot to relax. It closes at sunset so is best visited in the afternoon.
15) Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes
- Type of Ride: Real canoe ride!
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Critter Country
This isn’t just a ride—you really have to canoe on this journey around Rivers of America!
You are in a canoe with a guide and a group of other guests.
I find it really fun—especially chanting along with the guide in Japanese (“ichi-ni”). It’s nice to see the river from a different perspective.
You might get a little wet, so it’s best on a warmer day.
The canoes usually open at 11am and close at sunset.
While the canoe ride isn’t a must-do on a first visit to Tokyo Disneyland, it’s fun for a repeat visit.
16) Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
- Type of Ride: Spinning dark ride
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Toontown
The Roger Rabbit ride is our favourite in Toontown, and the only one I think adults need to consider.
We only ride it at the end of the night when it’s often a walk-on (I really wouldn’t wait long for it).
On this zany dark ride, you board a cab that spins and drive through the back alleys of Toontown in aid of Roger Rabbit.
It’s fast and fun and silly.
17) The Happy Ride with Baymax
- Type of Ride: Whip ride
- Premier Access: Yes
- Location: Tomorrowland
This is probably a shockingly low ranking for the Baymax ride for many, but I just did not enjoy it.
It’s a very simple ride system—you ride in a car that’s pulled by Baymax, and you just spin around on a small, flat area.
The aspect that elevates this ride and makes some people love it (it has some of the longest queues in the park!) is the music.
It has a unique playlist that’s catchy and fun, and the cast members lead dances to each song, which everyone in the queue joins in with.
My advice is to go and watch the party at night, but don’t worry about riding it if you have limited time.
18) Jungle Cruise
- Type of Ride: Boat ride
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Adventureland
Jungle Cruise is an outdoor boat ride through the jungle past animatronic animals and other surprises.
This is a popular Disney ride worldwide but mainly for the pun-tastic jokes your tour guide tells along the way. Of course, unless you speak Japanese, you won’t understand any of them here.
It is still a fun, quirky ride, though, and worth doing if queues aren’t too long (and they usually aren’t bad). It’s skippable if you have limited time.
19) The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents “Aloha E Komo Mai!”
- Type of Ride: Indoor show
- Premier Access: No
- Location: Adventureland
The Tiki Room is a show with short wait times that’s good if you need a break, but it’s definitely not a must-do.
It features singing birds and Stitch. It’s all in Japanese, and there isn’t as much singing as I would like (although it does feature the Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride song).
Parades and Shows at Tokyo Disneyland
Parades and shows are a big deal at Tokyo Disneyland, and some locals secure their spot (sitting on mats) hours in advance.
Turn up early if you want a good view or pay for Premier Access (buy it as soon as you enter the park for the best spot).
Check the app for the day’s show and parade times or on the Tokyo Disney website (times are released a month in advance).
Parades
- Disney Harmony in Color Parade – A large character parade during the day featuring Mickey Mouse and Disney friends. It’s joyful and fun.
- Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights – The vibrant nighttime parade is even more spectacular. If you can only watch one parade, make it this one.
- Seasonal Parade – There’s usually a second daytime parade depending on the season, and these are always worth watching. The Halloween one is my personal favourite. The Christmas parade is wonderfully festive. The Vanellope-focused It’s a Sweets Full Time! parade that has run the last two springs is cute. And in summer, Baymax’s Mission: Cool Down is the simplest and just involves Baymax drenching you in water. But it’s so fun!
Stage Shows
These shows require you to make an Entry Request on the app to enter the free lottery for a seat. They are very competitive. We’ve had the most luck applying as soon as we enter the park.
Premier Access is also available if you don’t win a free spot.
- Mickey’s Magical Music World – This 25-minute musical show takes place in the Fantasyland Forest Theatre and is the best show at Tokyo Disney.
- The D-Groovationz4 Live: Happy! Funky! Groovy! Tour – This incredibly named show will debut on 30 September 2026 at Showbase in Tomorrowland.
- Jamboree Mickey: Let’s Dance – An outdoor show aimed at kids. You learn a dance with Mickey and friends.
Night Shows
- Reach for the Stars (until 14 September 2026) – This castle projection show is due to end soon. The current farewell version with drones is spectacular (hopefully a sign of what’s coming next)!
- Fireworks – The 5-minute fireworks show happens separately (at least when the weather cooperates). It’s fairly low-key, and you can see it from both parks, so there’s no need to get a particular spot.
More Things to Do at Tokyo Disneyland
If you have extra time, here are some more things to do at Tokyo Disneyland.
- Shop on World Bazaar – Tokyo Disneyland’s equivalent of Main Street is covered, so it’s ideal if it’s rainy or hot. Avoid shopping at the end of the day (trust me!).
- Look out for characters – You’ll often see them roaming around and can go up and say hi.
- Watch the Marching Band – They usually perform at park opening and at random times. Always a joy!
- Order a Mickey waffle – This classic snack is available as mobile order only (make one as soon as you enter) at Great American Waffle Co.
- Grab an ice cream sundae at Rackety’s Racoon Saloon – Located behind Splash Mountain, this stand is one of our favourite spots.
- Walk through Toontown – We don’t usually ride much in this kid-focused area, but it’s a fun and colourful place for a wander.
- Ride a few Fantasyland kids’ rides – We skip most of these, but Snow White and Pinocchio are surprisingly scary!
- Wander – Allow time to just wander and explore as there are always interesting details to discover and decorations at different times of year.
If you are also visiting Osaka, don’t miss the amazing Harry Potter World and some intense roller coasters at Universal Studios Japan.
Tokyo Disneyland 1 Day Itinerary for Adults
Here was our itinerary for Tokyo Disneyland on a medium-traffic day in October, when the park was officially open from 9am to 9pm (but actually opened at 8.30am, as it does at busy times).
This was when Priority Pass was still available, so to replicate this, you’d need to buy Premier Access instead.
- 7.45am – Arrived at Tokyo Disneyland 30 minutes before Happy Entry started (staying at Hotel Miracosta). There were already loads of people ahead of us in the queue.
- 8.15am – Entered the park with our 15-minute early entry and straight away purchased Premier Access for Beauty and the Beast (10am return time) and a Priority Pass for Pooh (9am return time).
- 8.30am – Rest of park guests allowed in and the rides open. We rode Space Mountain (currently closed). Failed to get entry request lottery tickets for either of the shows.
- 8.45am – Splash Mountain (it didn’t open until 9am and we got on at 9.10am).
- 9am – Booked our second Priority for Haunted Mansion (12.30pm return).
- 9.30am – Bought tasty Tipo Torta pastries from the Village Pastry stall in Fantasyland.
- 9.35am – Pooh’s Hunny Hunt with our Priority Pass. 10-minute wait when the standby was 65 minutes.
- 10.10am – Beauty and the Beast with Premier Access. 20-minute wait when standby at 115 minutes.
- 10.45am – Star Tours with a 10-minute wait.
- 11am – Got our third Priority for Monsters Inc at 4.50pm (Haunted Mansion now sold out).
- 11.15am – Early lunch at Plazma Rays.
- 12pm – Mark Twain Riverboat with no wait.
- 12.30pm – Haunted Mansion with Priority Pass. Booked our fourth Priority for Thunder Mountain at 8.20pm.
- 1 – 5pm Park very busy so we took a break back at our hotel. We had an early dinner at the Ikispari shopping centre on the way back in.
- 5pm – Monsters Inc with Priority. 12-minute wait when standby at 60 minutes.
- 5.30pm – Western River Railroad with a 10-minute wait.
- 6pm – Country Bear Jamboree for a break (still the weirdest thing at Disney).
- 6.45pm – Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin with a 5-minute wait.
- 7.05pm – Got a spot in Westernland to see the parade 10 minutes before it started.
- 7.15pm – 7.45pm – Electrical Parade.
- 8.15pm – Thunder Mountain with Priority.
- 8.30pm – Left the park during fireworks show (avoided crowds and monorail not busy).
Is Tokyo Disneyland Worth Visiting?
Yes, Tokyo Disneyland is worth visiting! It offers the quintessential Disney experience with Cinderella Castle, classic rides like Thunder and Splash Mountain, and all the favourite characters.
It also has some wonderful unique rides (such as Beauty and the Beast and Pooh) and the best Disney parades in the world.
It’s a fun day out, but if you only have one spare day in Tokyo, I advise visiting DisneySea instead as it’s unlike any other Disney park around the world.
Best of all, spend (at least) two days nearby and visit both parks!
More Japan Tips
Our Tokyo Disney Resort Guides
- 14 Best Tokyo DisneySea Rides
- Christmas at Tokyo Disneyland: Our Experience + Tips
- Christmas at Tokyo DisneySea: What to Expect
- Tokyo Disney Premier Access: The Ultimate Guide
Our Tokyo Travel Guides
- 26 Cool Things to Do in Tokyo
- 18 Best Things to Do in Shinjuku, Tokyo
- Why Shinjuku is the Best Area to Stay in Tokyo
- Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Tokyo
- TeamLab Planets Review
- TeamLab Borderless Review
Japan Theme Parks
Other Japan Posts
- Planning a Trip to Japan: Dos and Don’ts
- 57 Best Things to Do in Japan for an Unforgettable Trip
- 19 Unmissable Places to Visit in Japan
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My wife and I are headed to Tokyo Disney in May. We are staying at the DL hotel. Do you recommend any good breakfast spots, or restaurants in general? Did Tokyo Disney also bring back fast passes? Loved the article btw!
Hi Cody, all our food recommendations are in this post. We usually just grab something quick for breakfast. I’m not sure if Fastpasses are back. I don’t think they are but I recommend getting the Tokyo Disney Resort app for more details. I heard that some rides require a Standby Pass via the app: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tdl/guide/standbypass.html
Enjoy!