Tokyo Disneyland (Japanese: 東京ディズニーランド, Hepburn: Tōkyō Dizunīrando; local nickname TDL) is a 126-acre (51 ha) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, near Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture, Japan Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States and it opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by WED Enterprises in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida. It is owned by the Oriental Land Company, which licenses intellectual property from the Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks in the world not owned or operated by the Walt Disney Company in any capacity.
The park has seven themed areas: the World Bazaar, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Critter Country and Toontown. Many of these areas mirror those in the original Disneyland as they are based on American Disney films and fantasies. Fantasyland includes Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, based on Disney films and characters. The park is noted for its extensive open spaces to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park. In 2024, Tokyo Disneyland hosted 15.1 million visitors, making it the fourth-most visited theme park in the world and the second-most visited theme park in Asia.
History
The site for Tokyo Disneyland was part of a 600-acre landfill designated in the 1960s as a recreational area to address the growing demand for entertainment in the Tokyo metropolitan area. This decision set the stage for the eventual establishment of the Tokyo Disney Resort.
The idea of a Japanese Disneyland dates back to the late 1950s when Japanese businessman Kunizo Matsuo approached Walt Disney with the idea of a Disney park in Nara. While it is rumored Walt initially agreed to the idea, he later dropped out of it. Matsuo, still determined to open his Disney-themed park, opened Nara Dreamland in 1961, a near replica of Disneyland except without Disney's characters or intellectual property. This park would continue to operate until 2006, and was eventually demolished in 2017.
