Disney Sea and Tokyo Dis...which rides are the same?

SherylLC

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
It looks like these are the same/similar rides compared against American Disney parks. Which are different enough to ride in Japan? Which are so similar that time is best spent on other attractions?

DisneySea
Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania
Nemo & Friends
Indiana Jones

Tokyo Disneyland
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Enchanted Tiki Room
Country Bear Jamboree
Big Thunder Railway
Splash Mountain
Snow White
Pinnochio
Haunted Mansion
Philharmonic
Star Tours
Space Mountain
Stitch Encounter
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
 
Tower of Terror has a completely different theming and back story.

Nemo & Friends I have not been on, but from what I've read it sounds different from both DL and WDW. If you're okay with "spoilers", here's a review:
https://tdrexplorer.com/nemo-friends-searider-tokyo-disneysea-review/

Indiana Jones I think has a different story, but the ride is similar. Enchanted Tiki Room features Stitch and maybe different songs (it's been some years since I've done the American versions). Stitch Encounter is like Crush, but it'll be in Japanese, so you'll want to skip anyways. All the others you listed, as far as I know are pretty similar.
 
I've been on Nemo. It's like nothing at WDW or DL. It's a well done motion simulator ride and like Star Tours it has multiple possibilities. We went on int 2x in June and saw more than 1 variation. It's a fun motion simulator, not as gentle as Soarin' but not as jerky as Star Tours. If you're a Nemo fan it's a must.

My daughter thought Splash Mountain was different in Japan. She felt there were more drops than in WDW. She's not been on it in DL and it's been a while for me at DL as well.
 
Tower of Terror is very similar but you have a full, over the shoulder seatbelt, like the driver seat in a car.

Skip Toy Story Mania, exact same ride but way longer lines.

Splash Mountain is similar but you don't seem to get very wet on this version. But every time I've gone, no one uses the Single Rider line so it's usually very short wait.

Jungle Cruise does not have English and the while the ride is similar, our Skipper was super animated and it was fun just watching him even though we couldn't understand him.

Philharmagic is the exact same movie but in Japanese.

Space Mountain was weird because there was little to no music/sound and the guests would not scream. So it's a very quiet but dark ride.
 


I will go over your post and comment on each rides compared to other versions around the world.

It looks like these are the same/similar rides compared against American Disney parks. Which are different enough to ride in Japan? Which are so similar that time is best spent on other attractions?

DisneySea
Tower of Terror- Completely different than the WDW version. Like others said, you have a three point harness, but where it shines and beats the WDW version: the preshow and warehouse before loading. It is a walkthrough attraction on its own.
Toy Story Mania- Look at the outside and that's the only thing different from WDW.
Nemo & Friends- Very cute motion simulator in a huge cabin. Ride!
Indiana Jones- Very different feeling inside. Mellower colors inside as everyone is looking for the fountain of youth and the scenes are more impressive than at Disneyland.

Tokyo Disneyland
Pirates of the Caribbean- Mix of DL and WDW. Ride.
Jungle Cruise- as others said, the skippers are all very animated and they will use you as the subject of their jokes. The ride itself was redone recently and it has some imaginative scenes and effects.
Enchanted Tiki Room. Different version with Stitch.
Country Bear Jamboree- Hee Haw! Japanese hillbillies!
Big Thunder Railway- Closer to the Paris version. It is bigger, longer than the US ones and has a pretty scene at the beginning whereas its just dark in the other version.
Splash Mountain- WDW Splash Mountain with much better pacing and bigger scenes. You don't get as wet as Florida. One word of warning: because of the 35 inches height restriction, they changed the bars to individual U bars that can be tight for Gaijins.
Snow White- Its the original WDW version pre 1994, complete with the... shocking ending.
Pinnochio- similar to DL.
Haunted Mansion- Clone of WDW pre refurbishment with small touches added. They do the Haunted Mansion Holiday Makeover here.
Philharmonic- same movie as WDW in Japanese.
Star Tours- Different waiting line and building layout. Same scenes in Japanese.
Space Mountain - it started as a clone of Disneyland Space Mountain pre 2005 refurbishment... It got its own personality in 2007.
Stitch Encounter- in Japanese only, avoid.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - Shorter than Disneyland.
 
One notable addition to what's already been said - the Country Bear Jamboree show at TDL changes seasonally, including the "vacation" show that temporarily replaced the original show at WDW in the late 80s/early 90s and permanently replaced the original show at DL, and the Christmas show that once ran seasonally at both DL and WDW. So, depending on when you visit, the TDL CBJ show may be completely different than the current WDW show. (Putting aside the fact that the dialogue is in Japanese, although some of the songs remain in English.)
 


I'll add about Jungle Cruise that there are some different special effects and it is amazing and worth riding, even if you can't understand the narration.

Skipping Toy Story is the number one tip for DisneySea. It is very popular there and will eat a chunk of your time. The ride is identical. Do not miss the Tower of Terror as it is different. Indiana Jones is the same as at Disneyland in California, but it's great and has a different queue (and if you're a WDW person definitely worth it). The SeaRider with Nemo is a re-theme of StormRider (STORMRIDER FOREVER!) and is very different. When I was there it was still StormRider, and it was awesome, somewhat similar to a Star Tours style ride. SeaRider maintains the same ride system. I would stay it is worth a go, and it is totally unlike any Nemo rides here in the US.

Most of the standards at the Disneyland side are the same, like Space Mountian, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, etc. They may still be worth a ride though since they're all excellent! Tiki Room is quite different and features Stitch. They will provide translation devices at this one.
 
Disney Sea

Tower - great theme, but it's shorter in duration than US parks (try it).
Indiana Jones - crystal skull theme, but similar ride to DLR (try it).
Nemo - Star Tours with Nemo overlay (OK).
Toy Story - Same as US Parks, but the outside is incrediably themed. Must be seen at night (ride only if you have time).

Disneyland

Pirates - OK, US Parks are better (maybe).
Jungle - Japanese language, but different ending (try it).
Tiki - Japanese language and Stitch is involved (maybe).
Country Bear - Japanese language, with a few songs in english (only if your a CB fan).
Big Thunder - Similar to US Parks (try it).
Splash - Great themed area, but ride like US parks. Like Grandma Sarah's. (try it).
Haunted Mansion - Like WDW (maybe).

Didn't ride others or they were closed.

Popcorn Hint: If you like the bucket but not the flavor, tell the cast member and they'll give you a slip of paper. Take it along with your empty bucket to another cart and have them fill your bucket with the flavor you want.

Smashed Pennies: There everywhere and cost 100Y (about $0.90). They provide a clean copper blank, so no other coins needed.

Must DO rides: Pooh's Hunny Hunt & Journey to the Center of the Earth. Enjoy!
 
Popcorn: If you want to taste many flavors, just buy the box of popcorn and dump it into your popcorn holder (if you get one) as it is less expensive (and you get a little less but more room in your tummy for other flavors).

Be like the Japanese and have your party all wear the same/coordinating hats.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top