How I survived a summer trip to Tokyo Disney Resort
If you have yet to visit Japan in the summer, you’ll definitely want to be prepared. The temperatures and humidity are quite gnarly, and it’s also typhoon season so there’s a pretty good chance of rain as well. If you’re used to this type of weather, then you’ll likely have no issues, but if you’re like me and you’re used to super temperate mild weather (California kid through and through!) it could be borderline unbearable.
I am absolutely terrible at handling hot and humid weather, so I knew that I had to be as prepared as possible for a summer trip if I was going to have any semblance of a good time. And I’m proud to say that I think I did pretty well, and while it was definitely still hot and uncomfortable while I was outdoors, I still managed to have a pretty great trip!
So here’s how I survived a summer trip to Tokyo Disney Resort, and hopefully if you’re like me, this will help you too!
An important reminder
This is VERY important when you’re visiting anywhere with extremely hot weather, even if it’s not a Disney park! Please please please remember to stay hydrated!! Heatstroke and dehydration are very dire issues so make sure you always have water on hand and to stay hydrated with electrolytes as well! Take breaks when needed and don’t push yourself too hard! Listen to your body!!
Indoor activities
Staying indoors is a good way to stay cool. You’ll get some nice cover from the sun and get a nice air conditioning break that’s sure to help you feel refreshed! Here are some things that are located indoors that will hopefully help you out while you’re still having fun!
Tokyo Disneyland
I noticed on this summer trip that there aren’t actually that many primarily indoor areas at Tokyo Disneyland except for the shops and some restaurants/rides. A lot of rides, especially, have outdoor queue areas and if the wait times are long, you’ll actually be spending a lot of time outdoors. So here are the areas I found that were best for maximizing your time indoors.
Most gift shops are pretty good areas to take some breaks in. They’re typically also quite spacious as well and as long as it’s not too crowded, it could be a nice place to take a break and browse the merchandise in.
Rides
Pirates of the Caribbean
This ride is indoors and most of the queue is also indoors. Technically if the line is long enough you would need to wait outside, but the queue is typically quite short most of the time. While I was visiting the wait time on average was about 10 minutes long, so it was basically all indoor waiting.
This should be a fairly easy ride to hop on when it gets too hot.
Enchanted Tiki Room
I actually haven’t personally watched this show inside Tokyo Disneyland, but if it’s anything like the Enchanted Tiki Room at California’s Disneyland, this would definitely be a great spot for an air conditioned rest (and maybe a nap too).
Country Bear Theater
inside the lobby of the Country Bear Theater. taken Jan 2025
It’s always great to find a nice and cool area with a chill show to watch when you’re looking for some down time, and Country Bear Theater is just the place for that. The show is quite entertaining as well, but if it’s not your thing, then it’s a great nap spot because the theater gets very dark!
The waiting room to enter the theater is indoors as well, though because the doors are always open to the outside it’s not super cooled down. Still a nice break from the sunshine though!
Restaurants
Quite a lot of the eatery spots in Tokyo Disneyland are actually outside, but here are some of the restaurants that have indoor seating.
Tomorrowland Terrace
📍 Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland Terrace is indoors and they have quite a lot of seating indoors. It can get pretty packed during mealtimes, so tables might be a bit of a challenge to find, but after a bit a waiting you should be able to get one!
Plazma Ray’s Diner
📍 Tomorrowland
Another eatery in Tomorrowland with indoor seating. This spot is also quite spacious with a decent amount of seats, so this is another good spot to hang out. They also do have outdoor seating, but if you’re trying to escape the heat, try to find a spot inside!
Center Street Coffeehouse
📍 World Bazaar
The famous spot with the Baymax curry! Center Street Coffeehouse is an entirely indoors restaurant and it’s a very nice place to stay cool and enjoy a meal. You should either get a reservation or sign up for the standby list. If it’s busy you will need to wait for a bit outside, but the World Bazaar area is also shaded so at least you won’t be basking in the sun.
Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall
📍 Fantasyland
The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is very spacious and has lots of seating, and it’s all indoors!
When I visited most recently, there was a cast member standing at the entrance directing guests to the food line and not allowing guests to find tables beforehand. I believe this might be a way to enact some sort of crowd control so that there aren’t too many people taking up seats in the restaurant if they’re not also eating the food. So you might want to only visit this spot if you also plan to eat here.
La Taverne de Gaston
📍 Fantasyland
This spot in the Beauty and Beast area also has quite a bit of indoor seating which is nice! Grab a berry cheers and a seat, and enjoy all the fun Beauty and the Beast themed decor!
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea thankfully has Mermaid Lagoon, which is an entirely indoor section of the park. If you’re really trying to escape the heat, this is a perfect place to do it since there’s several activities available inside as well!
Rides
Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage
This ride is basically the ‘it’s a small world’ of Tokyo DisneySea. It’s a very slow boat ride that goes through the story of Sindbad with a bunch of cute little animatronics displaying the scenes of the story. Every time I looked at the wait times for this ride is was around 5 minutes, so this is practically always a walk-on ride. Great ride for an AC break and a possible nap as well.
Most Mermaid Lagoon rides
With the exception of Scuttle’s Scooters and Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, the remaining rides in Mermaid Lagoon are all located inside the Triton’s Kingdom area.
This area is super nice for getting out of the heat because there are multiple rides to enjoy (even if they’re kiddie rides!), a restaurant, a gift shop, and restrooms. Ariel’s Playground is also a cool jungle gym/playground area for kids to explore. And the Mermaid Lagoon Theater has lately been repurposed as a resting area, so lots of people just hang out in the theater lobby to take a break.
I highly recommend exploring Mermaid Lagoon in the summer!
Restaurants
Cafe Portofino
📍 Mediterranean Harbor
While I personally haven’t been inside, I believe this restaurant is pretty spacious. They do also have outdoor seating that’s covered so if the weather is not too hot, the patio seating might be nice as well!
Zambini Brothers’ Ristorante
📍 Mediterranean Harbor
Another restaurant in Mediterranean Harbor with indoor seating! This one is quite large and spacious, so there should be plenty of room!
Cape Cod Cook-Off
📍 Cape Cod
Cape Cod Cook-Off can get pretty busy since it’s the main restaurant in the Cape Cod area which is where Duffy & Friends are. There’s some indoor seating but because it does get busy and quite crowded, you might have to end up sitting outside.
Yucatan Basecamp Grill
📍 Lost River Delta
Yucatan Basecamp Grill has limited indoor seating, but if you arrive during off hours or keep your eyes peeled you should be able to find something! I find that Lost River Delta as a whole area is primarily outdoors and has mainly outdoor rides and food options, so this would be the main one that’s mostly indoors.
Snuggly Duckling
📍 Fantasy Springs
Snuggly Duckling is one of the cutest restaurants in the entire park! The Tangled theming is spot on and so adorable. As an added bonus there’s loots of seating in the whole restaurant. However, this along with all the other restaurants in Fantasy Springs requires a mobile order to be allowed inside. So you’ll either need to show your pick-up code or a beverage voucher from your Tokyo Disney vacation package if you have one.
The metered guest entrance into the restaurant does keep the crowds managed and you’ll pretty much always be able to find a table!
Royal Banquet of Arendelle
📍 Fantasy Springs
Similarly to Snuggly Duckling, Royal Banquet of Arendelle requires either a mobile order pick-up code or a beverage voucher to be allowed in. This restaurant also has lots of seating in several different rooms so you’ll almost certainly have a nice spot to sit. The theming here is also incredible, so I’d highly recommend checking it out even to just see the decor.
Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen
📍 Mermaid Lagoon
This is the restaurant that’s located inside of Mermaid Lagoon. It’s entirely indoors and has a bit of seating. Tables can be a challenge to find when it’s crowded, but patience will pay off!
Vulcania Restaurant
📍 Mysterious Island
Vulcania Restaurant is somewhat of a cafeteria-style restaurant. There’s plenty of seating indoors.
Water activities
Tokyo Disney Resort sure loves their water activities in the summer! It was quite fun to see what kinds of water fixtures they added to help cool down guests throughout the day!
I personally am not a fan of getting wet, so I tried not to get splashed too much by any of these activities, but they were really cool to see, and it’s great to see that other guests really enjoy them!
Tokyo Disneyland
Baymax Mission: Cool Down Parade
The Baymax Mission: Cool Down parade is the parade of the summer! It runs through the park 3 times a day during the summer season and sprays down the guests with tons of water along its route!
If you enjoy water activities, this is a fun one to participate in! The music is fun, the float is so cute, and the water is SOAKING. There were even people who would following the float along the whole route just to continue getting sprayed by the float!
Toontown
A bunch of the Toontown area near the Gag Factory is outfitted with lots of water fixtures that spray water all over the place! Throughout the day kids are running around getting splashed and playing a ton. It’s a wild time, but it definitely looks like fun!
Tokyo DisneySea
Mediterranean Harbor
The waterfront at the Mediterranean Harbor has its own water show that plays throughout the day that’s pretty fun! The water that sprays here is MADNESS and also soaks guests who are actively participating. The music that’s played is so fun, and of course the dance that the cast members teach you is equally so!
Since I was there on a day that it poured rain, I found it quite funny that shortly after that, they had this wild water show!
Mermaid Lagoon
In a small section of Ariel’s Playground, they have some mild water shooters. This is probably the calmest water fixture that I saw in the park, but it’s good for smaller children! Also, since it’s inside Mermaid Lagoon, it’s indoors as well so you can stay cool and still have fun!
‘Cool’ treats
Enjoying park treats are one of the best parts of visiting a Disney park! And coming during the summer pays off in its own way with the cool treats that are only available during the summer season!
While I didn’t get to try everything I wanted, here were some of the nice cold treats that I really enjoyed during my trip!
Shaved ice
The Baymax shaved ice was a must-get for me as soon as I saw it! There were two different flavors available - strawberry and blue & mango (what flavor is ‘blue’??) - and we were able to try both! I really loved that both of the shaved ice had real fruit bits at the bottom!
When we first received the shaved ice, I was slightly disappointed to see that they didn’t add that much syrup, it really only covered the top, but after a little while it seeps down to the bottom and covers the entire cup, so it’s actually not so bad! The flavor is present in most of the ice!
The Baymax shaved ice was topped with a cute Baymax mochi that was custard filled, and it was delicious! This is basically the same as the Alien mochi but with a different theme.
They also had other shaved ice throughout the park, like at the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, but these were themed differently.
Baymax ‘cool down’ udon
This was another Baymax-themed food item that’s available at Tokyo Disneyland! This was actually really delicious and filling, and I really enjoyed it!
There’s a very generous amount of udon noodles that takes up most of the cup. The bottom is where most of the sauce/broth is along with the beef pieces, so you have to work pretty hard to mix it well so that all of the noodles get well coated. And the cup is topped with a sweet potato/mochi like thing that’s Mickey shaped, some green onions, and a poached egg made to look like Baymax!
The noodles are chilled and chewy, the flavor is great, and the egg is poached to perfection. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and would count it as a great snack (or meal for someone who has a smaller appetite!)
Muscat ice
These muscat ice pouches can be found at different ice cream / frozen treat stations throughout the park and some restaurants. The pouch is nice because it’s very portable and easy to carry around, especially if you’re walking around or waiting outside in the heat somewhere.
It’s super refreshing and tastes basically like a muscat slushy!
Sparkling drinks
Tokyo Disney Resort loves their sparkling drinks! They had several different ones available at different restaurants, and we basically tried to try as many as we could!
They’re so nice and refreshing. They all mostly consisted of something fruity with the crispy sparkling soda texture that’s just so comforting in the heat.
My personal favorite was the white peach sparkling drink at Refreshment Corner in Tokyo Disneyland. White peaches are hands down my favorite fruit, so I loved that they had this flavor, and they even had real white peach bits at the bottom. It tasted so sweet and fresh, it had really yummy jelly at the bottom too, and they had these really cute heart-shaped pink straws. Literally the perfect drink of the summer, I wish I could get it again! (And I absolutely had to save the straw 🤭)
Things I used to keep cool and hydrated
Short of staying indoors as much as possible and continuing to drink water, I found that using these items that I’m sharing below really helped me to stay cool, stay hydrated, and be as comfortable as possible in the heat. Again, I have a really low tolerance for hot weather, so I needed to deploy as many resources as I could to keep myself protected and sane.
UV umbrella (and any UV-protective items)
A UV umbrella is a must when visiting Japan, especially in the summer. I wish using umbrellas was more common everywhere, especially in the US because I think they’re such handy tools that are great for different types of weather. Majority of people, especially Japanese people, who are in the parks are absolutely using umbrellas, and they’re fantastic.
The UV layer of a UV umbrella is really a game changer. It provides protection from the UV rays so it’s not only providing some much-needed shade, but it also helps block some of the heat so you’ll even feel a slight bit cooler than you otherwise would, and protects your skin in ways a regular umbrella or no coverage at all can’t do.
It’s also great because it works for both rain or sun, which, if you’re going to visit Japan during typhoon season, could really come in handy.
On that note, Japan sells lots and lots of UV-protective items like hats, umbrellas, clothing, etc. You’ll find them in spades at stores like Uniqlo, and I would highly recommend getting some because they’re just better for your skin, and the sun is so harsh in summer that it’ll really make a difference.
Personally, I really love the Wpc. mini 5-fold UV umbrella! It’s super compact and fits easily inside my small handbags, but fans out into a good-sized umbrella that provides great coverage!
Portable fan
Another crowd staple - you’ll literally see like every other person in the park with a portable fan of some shape or form. It’s fantastic for moving air around you and helping with some slight breeze to give even just a little bit of relief. And even if you’re entering an air-conditioned place, the fan can help push cool air towards you as well which will help cool you down even sooner! So it’s great for indoors and outdoors.
I personally really liked using the Rhythm Silky Wind Mobile 3.2 dual-blade fan, which I purchased at a Loft in Japan (but they’re available in lots of places). It has 5 speed settings and is relatively quiet, especially on the lower settings. Each of the speed settings still feels very strong and really makes a difference. The battery life is fantastic - I had it running pretty much the entire day from when I left my hotel room to when I got back, and it still had battery life in it. I primarily stayed on the 3rd speed setting for most of the day, but occasionally would use the highest when I was particularly miserable.
Another really great feature is the articulating neck of the fan. You can hang it around your neck and bend it so that the fan head is actually facing upwards towards your face. This way you can have the fan blowing, and it’s hands free!
Cooling wipes
I don’t know how long these have been around, but I only found out about them recently. These cooling wipes are widely available at convenience stores, drug stores, and markets basically everywhere.
When you wipe them on your skin, it leaves a cooling (and somewhat tingly?) sensation that lingers for a little while to keep your skin feeling cooler for longer. This really helps when you’re outside for a prolonged amount of time. They don’t last forever, but using it once every few hours or so when I really needed it did help with some relief!
I used the Biore cooling wipes and had a good experience with them the whole trip. I’m not sure if all brands use the same ingredients, but this one does have menthol and alcohol on it, so I’d take extra caution if you have sensitive skin or are more particular about ingredients.
Electrolyte tablets
These are super handy and compact, and are a great way to maintain your electrolytes while you’re sweating out in the heat. They’re basically like gatorade/liquid IV/any electrolyte drink you can think of, but in the form of a small easy to consume, easy to carry form factor.
I highly recommend keeping these on hand and taking a couple a day as needed especially if you sweat a lot. They’re also easily purchasable and convenience stores, supermarkets, or drug stores, and they come in a few different flavors that I’ve seen! So far I’ve tried, lemon, sports drink, and plum flavor, and all of them have been good!
Make sure to stay hydrated not only by drinking water, but also replenishing those electrolytes!
This was my second time visiting Tokyo Disney Resort in the heat, but my first time doing so in the middle of summer, and I’ve personally found it to be quite difficult because of the weather. I’m typically not very good at handling extreme heat, so honestly I’m probably going to try to avoid visiting during this season just because of that.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, or that you can’t still have a fantastic time! I still had lots of fun, and utilizing all the resources that are available to manage comfort and safety was a big part of that! So it’s definitely possible!
Just remember to stay hydrated and listen to your body when it wants a rest!
Let me know if any of these tips helped you, or if you have any of your own to add on! I’m always for looking for new and better ways to beat the heat!
