Tokyo Disneyland celebrates 40 years with fanfare, iconic characters

Apr 16, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Tokyo Disneyland on Saturday celebrated 40 years since first opening its doors to visitors, marking the milestone with colorful celebrations featuring Mickey Mouse and other iconic characters after weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theme park, located in Chiba Prefecture just east of Tokyo, welcomed 20,000 people on its first day in 1983, according to Disneyland's operator Oriental Land Co. It has expanded continuously since, adding attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, which remain popular among visitors.

The construction of nearby JR Maihama Station and several hotels in the area also encouraged steady growth before the opening of neighboring theme park Tokyo DisneySea to the public in 2001.

The total number of visitors to the two parks had surpassed 800 million as of March last year, according to the company.

Source: Kyodo

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