Tokyo Disneysea Theme Park

Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー) is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside of Tokyo.



It opened on 4th September 2001, first Disney theme park outside the United States not to use the "Magic Kingdom" design.



Tokyo DisneySea has become one of the world's most visited theme park and one of the most popular Disney Parks in the world.



An estimated 12.2 million visitors visited the park in 2004. It was the second theme park to open at the Tokyo Disney Resort, and the ninth park of the eleven worldwide Disney theme parks to open.



You can arrive to Tokyo Disneysea by train where you need to take the JR Keiyo Line or Musashino Line to Maihama Station. If going by car, take the Wangan Expressway to the Urayasu exit.



There are access within the resort which are convenient and fun.There are
Disney Resort Line - Disney Resort Line monorail trains carry Guests to all of the
major Resort destinations.



Disney Resort Cruiser - A convenient means of transportation between the Parks and
hotels within the Resort.






Parade show is a must for those who visit this Disneysea as it is very entertaining and nice.



The parade show can be seen at the Mediterranean Harbor.



There are seven themed areas in Tokyo Disneysea.There are Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.



Mediterranean Harbor



Mediterranean Harbor is the entrance "port-of-call" and themed as an Italian port city.



The layout greatly differs from the entry "lands" of other Disney parks (such as Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. or the Disney-MGM Studios' Hollywood Boulevard) as it is a large "V" shape.



If followed to the right, the path leads to Mysterious Island, while if followed to the left, the path leads to the American Waterfront.






American Waterfront



This "port of call" represents the northeastern seaboard of the United States in the early 20th century. It features two themed areas, an "Old Cape Cod" section, and a "New York Harbor" section.

This land is dominated by the large passenger ship, "S.S. Columbia", and the large skyscraper, Hightower Hotel.

Apart from the "Big City Vehicles" which travel around the area and the DisneySea Electric Railway, the land features no attractions.



However, in Autumn 2006, the Tower of Terror will open on the site of the Hotel Hightower.

Lost River Delta



Attractions



• Indiana Jones Adventure (A must visit attraction) : Temple of the Crystal Skull Presented by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.,Follow in the footsteps of Dr. Indiana Jones in a harrowing, life-or-death quest for the legendary Fountain of Youth.But beware the Fountain is purported to be guarded by a vengeful, supernatural spirit known as the Crystal Skull!



• DisneySea Steamer Line Presented by Nippon Oil Corporation,Take a leisurely cruise to Mediterranean Harbor aboard Transit Steamers leaving from this dock. Other routes are available from docks in American Waterfront and Mediterranean Harbor.

• Mystic Rhythms,Enjoy a live theatrical performance in an abandoned hangar that has been reclaimed by the jungle.Let the animals and living spirits of the rainforest tell you the tale of this land far from civilization.



• Raging Spirits,A new adventure awaits you at the mysterious Lost River Delta! This roller coaster attraction takes everyone on a high-speed ride through the ruins of an ancient ceremonial site.As you pass by the vengeful spirits awakened during the excavation, the bursting flames, encompassing steam, and spine-tingling 360-degree loop will make it a truly thrilling experience!

Port Discovery



• StormRider Presented by JCB Co., Ltd,The Center for Weather Control has recently developed a "Storm Diffusion Device," a new invention that is detonated in the center of powerful storms and dissipates their energy. As there happens to be a rather large typhoon approaching Port Discovery at the moment, Guests at the CWC are invited to board one of the Center's flying weather laboratories and observe a mission to test one of the new "Fuses" by delivering it right to the center of the storm!



• Aquatopia,The Center for Weather Control usually uses this facility for testing out new types of navigation systems. However, to commemorate today's festival, the scientists at the CWC have made some special modifications. Guests can board one of the experimental watercraft and embark on a twisting, whirling, wild ride through a labyrinth of fountains, rock formations and whirlpools.



• DisneySea Electric Railway Presented by TOMY Co.,This nostalgic electric trolley takes Guests over the horizons of time back to the turn of the century in American Waterfront. No matter where you sit on the elevated train, you'll be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Tokyo DisneySea passing by outside the windows

Mermaid Lagoon



Mermaid Lagoon is home to many of the characters of The Little Mermaid. This "port of call" has two areas, one indoors and the other outdoors, both featuring attractions suited for children.



The area is bright and colorful and features fanciful architecture designed after the undersea palace of King Triton.

Arabian Coast



This "port of call", like Mermaid Lagoon is themed after a popular Disney animated film, this time Aladdin.



It recreates an exotic Arabian harbor combined with an "enchanted world from 1001 Arabian Nights." There are two attractions in the land, Sinbad's Seven Voyages and Caravan Carousel. Sinbad's Seven Voyages, a boat ride much like "it's a small world", is notable for being the only attraction in the land not themed to Aladdin.



Mysterious Island



Mysterious Island is a "port-of-call" within Mount Prometheus, the giant volcano that is the Park's centerpiece and most prominent feature. It relies heavily on the storytelling of Jules Verne.



Although it is the smallest area of the Park, it holds two of the biggest attractions: "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".



While appearing to be a volcano on the water, Mysterious Island is not an island at all. It is instead built into the side of Mount Prometheus, which is part of the showbuilding of the two attractions.


tags : Tokyo Disneysea 東京ディズニーシー Mediterranean Harbor American Waterfront Lost River Delta Port Discovery Mermaid Lagoon Arabian Coast Mysterious Island

Durians from Balik Pulau Penang,Malaysia

Durians....durians.. the king of fruits.A more details and history of of durians can be found here.

I had just receive an email from Grace,a colleague of mine.In the email,it got the name of the durians and the photos which was taken during the 2004 & 2006 AsiaExplorers Durian Feasts in Balik Pulau,Penang.It is located at the southwest corner of Penang Island,Malaysia and it is a 30 minutes drive over the main range.



D11 - "Number Eleven" is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 - The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some "body" to it as the seed is small.


D600 - This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

D700 - The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.


Ang Sim (Red Heart) - Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.


Khun Poh - This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orange flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.


Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) - The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a "Hor Lor" pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) - Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) - Xiao Hung, whose name means "Little Red One," originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.


Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) - Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name "yah kang" means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian) - Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

D17 - D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

Coupling - This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.


Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian) - The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) - Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means "green skin". Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.


Ang Jin (Red Yolk Durian) - As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.


tags : Durian Balik Pulau Penang Malaysia