Introduction: About Me and Why Tokyo

If you are reading this, chances are good that you possibly already know a little about me, but by the time you finish reading this, hopefully you’ll know just a little bit more.

I am a Generation Xer and, for all intents and purposes, a lifelong fan of Disney and most aspects of it, from the films (both animated and live-action) to the theme parks and beyond. I can barely remember my first trip to Walt Disney World, but I definitely do remember bits of it. Yet from my first time to deep into my adult life, I could count on a four-fingered hand how many times I had been to the parks — and by parks, I mean Walt Disney World only. It wasn’t until 2005 when I decided it was time to stop convincing myself I would go back one of these days and actually just did it — and it’s been a near-obsession ever since. Nowadays I have no concept of how many times I’ve visited Walt Disney World. And of course I’ve been to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim quite a few times as well, but there’s more of the actual world to explore (beyond the World Showcase, that is) and that’s where Tokyo begins to seep in…

To backtrack a bit, what you should know is I am not a traveler, let alone internationally. I’d like to be, but I’m in an Orlando-Anaheim rut. I’m actually quite embarrassed by it, knowing many a fraction of my age who have been more places than I ever will be. To date, the only countries I’ve been in outside of my own are Canada and the Bahamas — the latter a result of Disney Cruise Line voyages. So in 2013, I must do what I did in 2005 and put my foot down firmly and convince myself that if I don’t do it now, I might as well never do it at all. Though I must also admit that finding myself with a bit of extra bank proved to be a strong catalyst as well.

So why Tokyo? Tokyo Disneyland itself would be a great, simple answer. The fact that it’s the theme park’s 30th anniversary this year doesn’t hurt either. But there’s actually more to it than that. Tokyo has been on my wish list for years, much longer than I was attuned to the theme park universe. But so has Paris and many other places for that matter. So why Tokyo? I suppose the short answer is I’m not really sure, other than it just had to be somewhere.

And that brings me to the blog. You may also already know that I’m actually a month into planning already, so I’m already vaguely familiar with my plans and how I arrived (and continue to arrive) at them. The process of planning, which is very intense at times, is what led me to believe that cataloging it here might actually be interesting or even helpful to others (even planning trips to other places). In time, the blog entries will catch up with where I am with the planning and with any luck, I’ll be able to add some content during the actual trip as well as some reports after the trip.

With that I thank you for making it this far and invite anyone who has any advice or insight or anything else to say to add it to the comment section below.